20+ Lunar and Chinese New Year Recipes (2024)

Bookmark this collection of Lunar and Chinese New Year Recipes in celebration of the The Lunar New Year. These Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese recipes all contain auspicious ingredients to start the new year off right.

Although I was born in the U.S., my parents are immigrants of China, so I try to instill a little bit of Chinese tradition in my kids, including Chinese New Year. When my mother and father-in-law were alive, my boys would perform the traditional triple bow before receiving their “hung bao” (red packets of money that children receive from adults). Kids will do just about anything for money, but I was happy they humored me and honored tradition which meant a lot to their grandparents.

The Lunar New Year is celebrated by the Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Mongolians, Tibetans, and Vietnamese. Interestingly, as I recently discovered, Thai, Burmese, Cambodian, and Laotian folks celebrate their New Year in April.

In the Chinese culture, Chinese New Year is the biggest holiday of the year. In fact, it is celebrated for fifteen days, starting with the new moon on the first day of the first lunar month (of the year according to thelunar calendar) and ending fifteen days later when there is a full moon, culminating with theLantern Festival.

Chinese New Year Traditions

There are lots oftraditionsleading up to Chinese New Year include cleaning the house thoroughly to sweep away any bad luck, getting haircuts, paying off debts to start the New Year fresh, and decorating the house with red paper cutouts of Chinese auspicious phrases and couplets with themes of good fortune, happiness, wealth and longevity. Children pay their respects to elders and in return they receive red packets (“hung bao”) with some money. Oranges are often given to friends and family that are visited, a symbol of wealth. Chinese New Year wouldn’t be complete without eating a big feast filled with “lucky” foods.

Chinese New Year “Lucky” Foods

During Chinese New Year, special foods are prepared. Some foods are selected because they sound like another word that means prosperity, luck, wealth or good fortune. Other foods are served because they resemble money or gold. Atraditional Chinese New Year dinnermight include a whole chicken (family unity), a whole fish (surplus), duck (happiness), lobster (life and energy), Buddha’s Delight (a vegetarian dish made with symbolic ingredients), shrimp (wealth and abundance), oysters (good fortune), scallops (shaped like ancient coins), tea eggs (fertility), noodles (longevity),jiao-tze or dumplings(shaped like old coins), and spring rolls (resemble gold bricks). Tangerines, oranges and pomelos are given out for good luck and abundance.

I have a collection of Lunar and Chinese New Year recipes that contain “good luck” ingredients. Here are some of the symbolic foods you might find during the Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year:

Chicken – prosperity, togetherness as a family (traditionally, a whole chicken is cooked)

Chinese Braised Chicken with ChestnutsorVietnamese Stir-Fry Lemongrass Chicken

Eggs – prosperity and fertility

Chinese Marbled Tea Eggs

Walnuts – happiness of the entire family

Stir-Fry Spicy Kung Pao Chicken with Walnuts

Lettuce – wealth and riches

Korean Lettuce Wraps

Fish – surplus, prosperity (traditionally served whole for New Year’s)

Try thisChinese Steamed Fish, Miso Glazed Salmon, or

Chinese Szechuan Spicy Fish Soup

Green vegetables – close family ties

Stir-Fry Baby Bok Choy with sh*take Mushrooms and Peppers

Fried Rice – harmony and plenty

Chinese Shrimp Fried Rice

(This fried rice recipe includes shrimp, which represents wealth and abundance)

Sticky Rice – Family Cohesiveness

Instant Pot Chinese Sticky Rice

Mom’s Coconut Sticky Rice Cake

(This cake is called “nian gao” which symbolized prosperity every year)

Shrimp – wealth and abundance

Stir-Fry Shrimp with Thai Roasted Chili Paste

Noodles – long life

Stir Fry Noodles with Chicken, sh*take Mushrooms and Chinese Vegetables

(These noodles also contain sh*take mushrooms which symbolize longevity and Chinese vegetables which symbolize close family ties)

Dan Dan Mien(Steamy Kitchen)

Dan Dan Mien (Chinese Takeout Cookbook)

Chinese dumplings – wealth (shaped like ingots, the currency used in old times)

Gluten-Free Chinese Dumplings

Korean Ramen Noodle Bowl with Dumplings

(This noodle bowl also contains noodles which symbolize longevity, green vegetables which symbolize close family ties, and egg which symbolizes prosperity and fertility)

Spring Rolls – wealth (they resemble gold bricks)

Radish/Turnip – good fortune

Chinese Turnip Cake

Mung Bean Noodles (cellophane noodles ) – Silver Chain

Pancit Bihon (Stir-Fry Rice and Mung Bean Noodles with Chicken Shrimp and Vegetables)

(This dish also includes shrimp which symbolizes wealth and abundance)

sh*take Mushrooms and Wood Ear Fungus – Longevity

Bamboo Shoots – wealth

Dried Bean Curd – fulfillment of wealth and happiness(fresh tofu is not served because its white color symbolizes death and misfortune)

Day Lily Buds – wealth

Mung Bean Noodles – silver chain

Green Vegetables – close family ties

Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce

Vegetarian Buddha’s Delight

(packed with “good luck” ingredients like sh*take mushrooms, wood ear fungus, bamboo shoots, dried bean curd, day lily buds, mung bean noodles and green vegetables)

Chinese Cabbage – wealth

Quick Napa Cabbage Kimchi

Sweets – safety, good fortune and “sweeten” the New Year

Florence Lin’s Baked Sticky Rice Cakeor My Mom’s Baked Coconut Walnut Sweet Rice Cake

(This cake is called “nian gao” which symbolized prosperity every year)

Mom’s Baked Coconut Sticy Rice Red Bean Cake

(This cake is another variation on “nian gao” which symbolized prosperity every year)

Grapes – wealth, abundance, fertility

Oranges – good luck and abundance

Read this post for more information on Chinese New Year.

Make a few of these Lunar and Chinese New Year recipes to get your New Year off to an auspicious beginning!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Xin Nian Kuai Le, Gun Hay Fat Choy!!