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    Home » Cuisine » Asian » Chinese

    Chinese New Year Recipes

    Published: Feb 10, 2010 · Modified: Oct 27, 2014 by Jennifer Che

    It's all about what they symbolize . . .

    tea eggs kong xin tsai
    mustard greens meat sauce

    Because Chinese New Year is coming up, I thought I would compile some useful posts related to various Chinese dishes and the reasons behind why they are popular during Chinese New Year.

    Happy Chinese New Year! And I hope you find these useful!
    LionsHead
    Lion's Head Casserole
    A Shanghai tradition, this dish resembles lions heads because the greens look like the mane while the meat ball looks like the head. The lion symbolizes power and strength, while the meatballs symbolize family reunion.
    SteamedFish-1
    Microwave Steamed Fish With Black Bean Sauce (Chilean Sea Bass)
    Fish is very classic and is typically served on New Year's Eve. The word for fish in Chinese also sounds like the word for "wish" and "abundance." Eating fish at the end of the meal symbolizes a wish for abundance for the coming year.
    Chives
    Jo Tsai (Chinese Chives) with 5-spice Tofu
    Flowering chives symbolize eternity and are another popular dish served on New Year's Eve.
    _MG_1466
    Tea Eggs
    Eggs are a symbol of fertility in Chinese culture, thus making eggs of all sorts popular.
    RoGengMian (4 of 6)
    Ro Gen Mian (Ban Genh) - Pork, Bamboo, and Mushroom Soup
    Noodles symbolize long life because the strands are long.  Make sure not to break the strands when you are eating it!
    IMG_0912-1
    Finally, homemade dumplings are really popular too, especially in northern China. It's traditional for families to make dumplings on New Years Eve and then eat the dumplings at midnight. Typically, one of the dumplings will be filled with something special, such as a gold coin or something else. The one who gets that dumpling will have tons of good luck! Dumplings are popular because they resemble ancient Chinese money.

    Well, I don't have a post about how to make dumplings (unless if you count my Din Tai Fung posts), but I'll at least try to post a tutorial on how to wrap dumplings this week.

    Stay tuned!

    Other Side Dishes
    Chinese Sticky Rice
    Stir Fried Baby Bok Choy
    Preserved Salted Mustard Greens with Garlic
    Sauteed Hollow Heart Vegetable with Chinese BBQ Sauce
    Spicy Tofu (Vegetarian Mapo Tofu)
    Taiwanese Meat Sauce over Rice

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    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen
    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen

    Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am an expat who moved from Boston to Hong Kong 5 years ago. Born and raised in Ohio to Taiwanese immigrant parents, I am a chemistry nerd, patent attorney by day, blogger by night, church musician on weekends, and food enthusiast always. Feel free to explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!

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