Food plays a major role in Chinese New Year celebrations. Some dishes, such as Jiaozi dumplings have special symbolic significance at this time. If you come to China in the time of spring festival, don’t forget to taste the following food.
Food plays a major role in Chinese New Year celebrations. Some dishes, such as Jiaozi dumplings have special symbolic significance at this time. If you come to China in the time of spring festival, don’t forget to taste the following food.
Jiaozi Dumplings
Delicious Jiaozi dumplings are considered lucky because of their resemblance to ancient Chinese currency. The dumplings symbolize wealth and hopes for a profitable future.In northern China, it is customary for families to spend the hours before Chinese New Year preparing these tasty dumplings, which are eaten just after midnight. One lucky family member may find a coin in their dumpling!
Spring Rolls
Spring rolls symbolize wealth and prosperity, since their color and shape is similar to a gold bar. Originally, spring rolls were filled with vegetables in celebration of the coming of spring; shrimp and barbecued pork were added later.
Har Gau Dumplings
Although not a traditional New Year food, dumplings of all types are enjoyed more frequently during the New Year season. Har Gau (also spelled Har Gow) are the steamed shrimp dumplings with the translucent wrapper (the secret ingredient that makes the outside wrapping so shiny is wheat starch).
Kung Pao Chicken
This spicy dish with peanuts chili peppers and chicken comes from the province of Sichuan in western China. It's common knowledge that this dish is named after an official; however, from there it all gets rather murky. In culinary terms, Kung Pao refers to a dish that has been prepared in a certain style. You'll find recipes for Kung Pao Shrimp, Beef, and even vegetables.
Sweet and Sour Pork
This classic restaurant dish consists of pieces of deep-fried pork, pineapple and sweet bell pepper coated with a sweet and sour sauce. It is popular with families hoping for a lot of grandchildren, as the Cantonese word for "sour" and "grandchild" is homophones - words that sound the same but have different meanings. So, the Cantonese word for sour sounds like the word for grandchild.
Salt and Pepper Shrimp
Deep-frying shrimp with the shells give the shells a vivid orange color and protects the shrimp meat so that it is extra tender. The dish is finished by quickly stir-frying the shrimp in a spicy salt and pepper mixture. Eating the shells is strictly optional, but be sure not to remove them before cooking.
Special Fried Rice (Yangzhou Fried Rice)
Originating in the city of Yangzhou in Jiangsu province in eastern China, Yangchow or Yangzhou fried rice is sometimes called special fried rice. Cooked ham can be used in place of the bbq pork.
Mu Shu Pork
Colorful Mu Shu Pork comes from northern China. The dish is meant to represent a forest scene, with exotic vegetables such as cloud ear fungus making up the vegetation, and bits of scrambled egg representing yellow flowers. Mu Shu Pork is traditionally served on Mandarin pancakes, which represent the forest "floor."
Chinese Green Beans
The popular green bean dish that you'll frequently find at Chinese restaurant buffets makes a nice side dish at a Chinese New Year celebration. The secret to make Chinese green beans is "dry-frying" (gan bian) – frying the beans for several minutes until the skin starts to "pucker" and turn brown.
Sesame Balls
These delicious large balls of glutinous rice flour filled with sweet red bean paste and rolled in sesame seeds, are especially popular during the Chinese New Year season. What makes sesame balls special is the way they expand during deep-frying. According to Chinese tradition, this symbolizes the way your luck may expand throughout the New Year.
Tea Eggs
This fun snack puts a new spin on hard-boiled eggs. After hard boiling, the eggs are gently tapped with a spoon so that cracks appear (the trick is to gently crack the shell without actually breaking it). Then the cracked eggs are brewed in a mixture of black tea leaves and spices.