<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
With a history of more than 1,800 years, dumplings are the most well-known Chinese dish in China and other countries in the world.\u00a0 According to ancient legend,\u00a0 the more dumplings you eat during the New Year celebrations, the more money you can make in the upcoming Year. Because of the shape, dumplings have a royal name during the Chinese New Year \u2013 yu\u00e1n b\u01ceo (the gold ingot in Ancient China), which was the currency in Ancient China and it represented wealth.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Almost every Chinese people have seen or made dumplings themselves. Some make the dumpling wrappers themselves by mixing the dough and making it into round wrappers with a rolling pin. This does take up a lot of time, but it is also when the fun begins. It looks like a production line where some family members prepare the wrappers while others fill the wrappers with stuffing and make them into shapes. If you want to skip the wrapper-making process, you can easily find the dumpling wrapper in Asian grocery stores. Dumplings should be <\/span>arranged in lines instead of circles, because circles are supposed to mean one\u2019s life will go round in circles, never going anywhere.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDumplings generally consist of minced meat and finely-chopped vegetables wrapped in a thin dough skin. Popular fillings include minced pork, shrimp chicken, beef, lamb, and different kinds of vegetables. They can be cooked by boiling, steaming, or pan-fried. The possibility of dumpling filling is endless. But not all of them are created equal.\u00a0 In fact, some dumplings are forbidden. <\/span>Dumplings with sauerkraut are forbidden because they mean a poor and difficult future.\u00a0 Dumplings with cabbage and radish are a symbol of prosperity both for the body and the mind. Chinese people believe that cabbage and radish can bring one\u2019s fair skin and calm mood.<\/span><\/p>\nIn some areas, people put a white thread or a silver coin inside a dumpling.\u00a0 The person who eats that dumpling is said to possess longevity. If you want to make it extra fun for kids, include something small, brightly-colored, and edible, such as a goji berry or a pomegranate seed in a handful of dumplings as you wrap them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/span>\n2. Spring Rolls \u2014 Wealth<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
Spring rolls have a <\/span>long history in China. It is said that the pastry appeared way back in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, <\/span>between 266 to 420 A.D., <\/strong>when people would make thin cakes with flour and eat them with vegetables on the day of the Beginning of Spring. The cakes were called \u201cspring dishes\u201d at that time.\u00a0 It was sent to relatives and friends <\/span>as a spring present and blessing<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\nIt\u2019s a Cantonese dim sum dish of cylindrical-shaped rolls filled with vegetables, meat, or something sweet. It\u2019s believed to bring wealth to people because its shape looks like a gold bar.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nFillings are wrapped in thin dough wrappers, then fried, when the spring rolls are given their golden-yellow color. You can stuff these deep-fried rolls with various fillings, including pork, bean sprouts, shredded carrots, cabbage, and assorted other veggies. Spring rolls get their name because they are traditionally eaten during the Spring Festival. It is a Chinese New Year dish especially popular in East China: Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Fujian, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
There are a few simple steps to make these spring rolls. First, knead the dough made of white flour, a little water, and salt. Then bake it into round wrappers. Add the filling inside the wrapper, roll them up and fold the two ends up. Lastly, deep-fry until they are golden brown and crispy. The size of spring rolls in China is generally smaller compared to those served in Chinese restaurants in America, which sometimes can be as big as hamburgers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThere are many local variations to spring rolls as China is so big. The people of Chengdu in Sichuan Province steam spring rolls. They use chili powder and paprika, processed sesame seeds, and crushed peanuts are added as seasonings.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>3. Glutinous Rice Cake (Year Cake) \u2014 a Higher Income or Position<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\nFrom Asian Inspirations<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe name literally translates as \u201cyear cake\u201d or in Mandarin \u201cNian Gao\u201d. Because the first word \u201cnian\u201d means year, the second word \u201cgao\u201d also sounds like the word \u201chigher\u201d in Chinese, it was thought to be a lucky food to help you achieve a higher status or prosperity.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a very simple steamed cake with a mochi-like chewy texture and sweetened with brown sugar. Year cake can be enjoyed all year round. Many people like it simply because they love the chewy texture. It can be easily found in Asian grocery stores, but you can also make it at home. It only requires 3 ingredients and the process is very straightforward. The best part is you can control the ingredients. If you are not a big fan of super sweet cakes, you are in control.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nYear cake is made of glutinous rice flour, dark brown sugar, and water. After steaming the batter for an hour, the cake is soft and chewy. It\u2019s hard to cut at this point. What you can do is to wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge overnight. This will make the cake hard and dense. When you take it out, you can slice it into the desired shape and either pan fry or deep fry until the cake is soft and chewy again. You can make these ahead of time, store them in the fridge, and gift them to friends.<\/span><\/p>\nNian Gao can look slightly different depending on the region. In some regions of China, nian gao refers to white unsweetened rice cakes that are sliced and stir-fried into a savory dish, also called \u201cShanghai Nian Gao\u201d in English. In Guangdong Province, people make something similar to Shanghai nian gao during Lunar New Year, but it\u2019s called \u201cYin Nian Yuan\u201d(\u201cwelcoming (new) year dumplings\u201d). It\u2019s often served warm as it is. However, in Hong Kong, people like to have the sliced year cake pan-fried with egg. If it\u2019s pan-fried without egg, the texture would be slightly crispy outside and still pasty inside. The rice cake is usually served with some other snacks, like turnip cake and taro cake.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/span>4. Sweet Rice Balls \u2013 Family Togetherness<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
Traditionally, Chinese New Year lasts 15 days. On the last day of this festive period, it\u2019s the Lantern Festival (or Yuan Xiao Jie). Hundreds of well-lit lanterns of all sizes, shapes, and colors fill houses, streets, and alleyways. Streets are filled with people watching dragon dancers and enjoying street foods. This is a special day for a family reunion when the family has a delightful dessert called Tang Yuan or Yuan Xiao\u00a0 (Chinese glutinous rice balls). Tang Yuan is served on this special day because the round rice balls symbolize harmony and togetherness, and the silky skin symbolizes everything will smoothly in the coming new year. However, tang yuan is not only reserved for the Lantern Festive. It is simply too delicious to eat once a year.<\/p>\n
As a popular snack all over China, sweet rice balls are filled with red beans, sesame, peanut, and other sweet fillings. It\u2019s kind of like round dumplings. The dumpling skins owe their pleasantly gummy texture to glutinous rice flour, which produces a chewier dough. With an interesting texture and a super tasty flavor, Tang Yuan can also be a Chinese sweet treat. It\u2019s pure joy to eat freshly cooked Tang Yuan. After you bite through the slippery, chewy wrapper, the sweet, nutty, and runny filling slowly fills your mouth.<\/p>\n
The dough for <\/span>tang yuan<\/span><\/em> is a simple combination of glutinous rice flour, regular rice flour, and water. Preparing the nuts is simple \u2013 just roast them, chop them up, and grind them in a mortar and pestle before mixing with lard and sugar. Tangyuan is first cooked in boiling water. Once cooked, the savory tangyuan is served in a <\/span>clear soup broth. So you can have a soothing sweet soup in less than 5 minutes.\u00a0 The best part of making tang yuan at home is the endless choice of fillings you can add to these rice balls.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
One thing to note though, since sticky rice flour is gluten-free, you may feel it is harder to control than normal flour. It leads to cracks on the surface or broken skins of the balls. We can surely soften the flour and make it more obedient by adding warmer water. Using hot water can make the dough super soft and thus easy to assemble.<\/p>\n<\/span>\n5. Longevity Noodles \u2014 Happiness and Longevity<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
No Chinese New Year celebration would be complete without noodles. Longevity noodles symbolize longevity and can always be found at birthday and Chinese New Year celebrations. In addition to symbolizing longevity, eating noodles also signifies prosperity and good luck.<\/span><\/p>\nLongecity noodles are never cut or broken by the cook, and if they can be eaten without biting through the strands, it\u2019s considered even more auspicious. Longevity noodles are usually stir-fried, presenting challenges to the home cook. They are tossed with garlic, mushrooms, and green onions for a super satisfying dish. Mushrooms naturally grow rapidly and symbolize prosperity. Eating green vegetables like watercress is important because the green represents wealth in the year ahead. <\/span>T<\/span><\/em>he noodles are seasoned with soy sauce, oyster, sesame oil, and white pepper.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The type of noodle here is called Yi Mein. It has a unique texture and taste. It\u2019s bouncy, chewy, and slightly spongy (in the best possible way). The noodles soak up sauce just right. Yi Mein can be also deep-fried before they are dried, which gives them a unique and slightly spongy texture.<\/span><\/p>\nYi Mein goes by several names including:<\/span><\/p>\n\nYi Mein<\/span><\/li>\nYee Mein<\/span><\/li>\nE-Fu Noodles<\/span><\/li>\nLongevity Noodles<\/span><\/li>\nLong Life Noodles<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nYou can find them at most Chinese markets alongside other dried noodles. Yi mein is sold <\/span>already<\/span><\/em> deep-fried. So if you are planning to make it at home, boiling the noodles first helps remove excess oil. To cook with yi mein, toss the boiled noodles with the other ingredients and sauce.\u00a0 They pair well with almost any protein.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>6. Good Fortune Fruit \u2014 Fullness and Wealth<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
During the Chinese New Year period, certain fruits are selected as they are particularly <\/span>round and \u201cgolden\u201d in color<\/strong>, symbolizing fullness and wealth. And for the round shape, it\u2019s an auspicious symbol of togetherness and harmony.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Eating and displaying <\/span>tangerines,\u00a0 kumquats (<\/strong>Jinju<\/em><\/strong>), oranges, and pomelo<\/strong> is believed to bring good luck and fortune due to their pronunciation. In Chinese, orange (and tangerine) is \u6a59 (ch\u00e9ng), which sounds the same as the Chinese for \u201csuccess\u201d.\u00a0 Even in writing, it has good meaning too. One of the ways of writing tangerine (\u6854 j\u00fa ), the same meaning as \u6a59 (ch\u00e9ng), contains the Chinese character for luck (\u5409 j\u00ed). Eating <\/span>pomelos<\/strong> is believed to bring continuous prosperity. The Chinese for pomelo (\u67da y\u00f2u ) sounds like \u201cto have\u201d (\u6709 y\u01d2u), except for the tone, but exactly like \u2018again\u2019 (\u53c8 y\u00f2u).\u00a0 So the more you eat, the more wealth it will bring.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThese fruits can also be given as part of a fruit basket and intended for eating over the festive period, usually at the end of the meal. The thin-skinned kumquats are pleasantly sweet, with a slight tartness but no bitterness, and are eaten whole, skin included. Giant pomelos, on the other hand, are hard work to get into but are a marvelous reward when finished. Some Chinese people will buy a pot of kumquat tree and place it at home, by this way, good fortune will come around the house. Kumquat trees adorned with red <\/span>lai see Fong<\/span><\/em> (literally, good fortune envelopes) are auspicious decorations at the start of the Lunar New Year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/span>7. Eight Treasure Rice<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\nFrom Yi Reservation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe wonderful origin of Eight-Treasure Rice traces back to the Western Zhou Dynasty in ancient China. That\u2019s over 2000 years in making history! Traditionally, Eight Treasure Rice uses eight different toppings, A.K.A. eight treasures. It\u2019s a dessert made from sweetened sticky rice, similar to Mango Sticky Rice, but topped with dried fruits and seeds. Eight Treasure Pie is commonly served during Chinese New Year and other Chinese festivals.\u00a0 According to Chinese medicine, eight ingredients are meant to provide a therapeutic effect.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Eight treasure rice pudding consists of three components: glutinous rice, toppings, and a filling. Glutinous Rice (Nuo Mi), also known as sticky rice or sweet rice, is a type of rice popular in Asian cuisine that, when cooked, delivers a sticky texture and a subtly sweet, aromatic taste. Dried Fruits and Nuts are used as toppings. These commonly include Jujube (Chinese date), golden raisins, dried cranberries, dried pear, peanuts, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds. Together with red bean paste (the filling), they make up \u201ceight treasures\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\nBut if you make it at home, feel free to choose any nuts and seeds you like. Other popular options include dried apricot, goji berries, candied orange peel, dried kiwi, lotus seeds, almonds, cashew, pistachio, etc. Making this dish only requires 3 steps \u2013 soak the rice, assemble the bowl, and steam. Eight treasure rice pudding freezes well so you can prepare it in advance for meals on special occasions. Defrost it overnight in the fridge, unwrap and place on a plate. Steam for 10 minutes or so to reheat.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>\n8. Prosperity Cake<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\nFrom Pinterest<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nProsperity cake, also referred to as Fa Gao, Lucky Cake, or Fortune Cake. It is often made and eaten during the Chinese New Year to bring prosperity in the new year. The name <\/span>\u201cfa\u201d<\/span><\/em> means prosperity, so fa<\/span> gao<\/span><\/em> literally means prosperity cake. It\u2019s a play on words because the word \u201cFat\u201d means both wealth and expansion- which is exactly what these cakes do when steamed. They expand and nearly explode out of their little cups!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Fa Gao is traditionally made with sticky rice as the main material, and now people replace sticky rice with flour. Depending on the different materials, the shapes and tastes of the cakes vary.\u00a0 Prosperity cake is very similar to cupcakes or muffins, but it is steamed instead of baked. The main ingredients used are normally rice flour, yeast, sugar, and bright colorful food coloring. Traditionally, the most common colors are white or pink and sometimes brown (from palm sugar added).<\/span><\/p>\nBecause the cake is made mainly of rice flour, it\u2019s quite dense and has an almost gummy-like texture. It is typically steamed on high heat until the top of the cake splits into 4 sections, like a\u00a0 \u201csmile\u201d. So fa gao is also often referred to as Chinese smiling steamed cake or even blooming flowers.\u00a0 They resemble full bloom flowers that are full of hopes and a bright future. Chinese people also believe that the more petals have blossomed, the more prosperous and wealthy they will be in the New Year.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>\n