If January 1 wasn’t the annual reset you were hoping for, now you can celebrate by cooking for the Lunar New Year, which falls on the day of the first full moon after the winter solstice. For this Year of the Tiger, it’s February 1, and the inaugural party starts the night before. In China and other Asian countries that recognize the holiday, such as Singapore, Vietnam and South Korea, the festivities can last for two weeks, and the food often symbolizes promises of a better year ahead. But the immediate reward is something tasty to eat, whether you’re preparing a feast or just one dish.
A highlight of restaurant banquets, this dish can also be made at home, especially using Kay Chun’s sleek techniques. It maintains the tradition of serving whole poultry to indicate abundance. But it also tastes more special than chicken and feels like a feast in both the cooking process and serving.
Long noodles symbolize longevity, and there are endless variations for the holiday dish that go beyond the classic Cantonese long-lived noodles. Topped with egg ribbons and crispy shallots, this Singaporean version comes from Sharon Wee, the author of “Growing Up in a Nonya Kitchen.” She suggests garnishing it with spicy sambal belacan, a hot sauce made savory with shrimp paste.
Recipe: Nonya Hokkien Stir-fried Noodles
Cookbook author Andrea Nguyen often makes this classic holiday dish for Tết, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. The rich combination of pork and eggs gets its savory flavor from fish sauce and a little sweetness from coconut water and caramel, which also adds a welcome bitter edge. Mrs. Nguyen serves the dish over steamed rice and with a pickled bean sprouts salad for a refreshing contrast.
Recipe: Thit Heo Kho Trung (pork and eggs in caramel sauce)
The sticky texture and round shape of these Chinese New Year dessert dumplings symbolize the unity of the family and therefore promise togetherness for the coming year. With the tender chew of a marshmallow and a nougat-esque sesame filling, these rounds are served in a sweet ginger soup. They’re easy to mold and freeze well, so you can make a big batch at a time and eat them over the holidays.
The Korean New Year, Seollal, is commemorated with tteok mandu guk, a steaming soup filled with sticky rice cakes, which one should eat so that they can celebrate their next birthday. Mandu, dumplings, aren’t necessary, but they taste great in the broth, especially when made from scratch with this recipe from Julya Shin and Steve Joo.
Recipe: Mandu
In the Philippines, longevity noodles take many forms, and this dish is one of the richest. Shredded chicken simmers into a fragrant sauce to thicken it, and plump shrimp atop the noodles, along with boiled eggs and crispy chicharron, in this recipe from Chef Angela Dimayuga.
Recipe: Pancit Palabok (Rice Noodles With Chicken Ragout And Shrimp)
The Chinese word for fish sounds like the word for abundant surplus, so a whole steamed one symbolizes good luck for the coming year. You can make an extended version or this simpler version from David Tanis.
Crunchy candied nuts and seeds are mapped out and shared during the Lunar New Year season. They’re easy to buy online or in Asian markets, but they’re probably even easier to make at home using this candy recipe from Andrea Nguyen.
Recipe: Keo Lac Vung (peanut and sesame candy)