Chinese New Year Meal Plan with over 20 delicious and authentic Chinese New Year recipes. Celebrate Lunar New Year with appetizers, soups, noodles, main dishes and more! It’s almost Chinese New Year! As the big day draws closer, it’s time to figure out what to plan for your Chinese New year menu and the big Chinese New Year’s dinner festivities. A big draw of Chinese New Year, aside from the delicious food, is of course, the dollar billz. Chinese New Year Side Dishes. Even some vegetable dishes are iconic Chinese New Year foods. Buddha’s Delight, consisting of at least 8 ingredients, is often eaten the morning of Chinese New Year after a ceremonial offering of food to honor family ancestors. I hope with over 70+ recipes compiled here, they can help you plan your Chinese New Year menu. CHINESE NEW YEAR FOOD: SYMBOLISM/AUSPICIOUS MEANING. The food prepared for Chinese new year reunion dinner usually carry auspicious meaning to bring good luck, happiness, good health, prosperity, and more. Wednesday, January 29th, will kick off the start of the Year of the Snake with celebrations of fireworks, family, and feasts all across the world. Yes, Chinese New Year is the best time to savor traditional dishes, candies, and pastries without guilt. The New Year’s Eve dinner, also known as the “reunion dinner” or 团年饭, is a feast that brings families together, exchanging best wishes for each other. And that’s why Chinese New Year recipes are more than the flavors. In 2025, the Chinese Lunar New Year falls on Wednesday, January 29, and the celebration lasts at least 15 days. To help you prepare for celebratory meals, I’ve curated 30 popular recipes for this most important occasion. When is the 2025 Chinese new year? It's the Year of the Snake! The Lunar New Year officially begins on January 29th at sundown, and ends on February 12th. People all over the world celebrate the new year in accordance with the traditional lunar calendar. It's the biggest holiday in China, with celebrations lasting for weeks! Let's be real, Chinese New Year (or lunar new year) is all about the food. We have rounded up our 50 best and most popular Chinese New Year recipes from main course dishes, noodles and rice, side dishes and dim sum, and everything in between. So if you’re wondering what to make for Chinese New Year, then you have come to the right place! 21 Recipes to Celebrate Chinese New Year. Planning a feast for Chinese New Year? From festive fish and dumplings to sticky rice pudding and peanut cookies, this symbolic selection of delicious recipes and traditional foods will help you plan the menu. In addition to fueling your celebration with family and friends, these Chinese dishes will A good rule of thumb is to match the number of dishes to the number of diners. And if you’re prepare a Chinese New Year Feast, go ahead and plan a slightly bigger meal—this special occasion is all about celebrating abundance and bringing in prosperity. Just remember, eating leftovers are part of the fun, so you won’t be wasting a thing by The Role of Food in Chinese New Year Celebrations. Food plays a central role in Chinese New Year festivities, with traditional dishes carrying deep symbolic meanings. These culinary traditions bring families together and are believed to bring good fortune for the coming year. Traditional Dishes and Their Symbolism. Chinese New Year meals Another food you definitely want to put on your Chinese New Year food list for this Year of the Tiger is tang yuan — black sesame filled sweet rice balls that are typically served in a sweet soup. These little balls of joy symbolize a happy family reunion because their name sounds like a Chinese phrase for ‘reunion’ and ‘togetherness’. A Chinese New Year reunion dinner brings a joyful family together around a full table and symbolizes the hopes for prosperity in the year ahead. To draw from Western examples, the meal combines the abundance of Thanksgiving with the anticipation of New Year’s Eve and the holiday cheer of Christmas. Chinese New Year Snacks. Traditional snacks for Chinese New Year celebrations include: Chinese nut cookies, such as peanut cookies or Cantonese walnut cookies. (If deep frying your own nuts, the peanut cookies will take you over half a day to roast and skin- I made 1500 peanut cookies last year and have baked another 40 bottles in the last 2 weeks to come up with The Ultimate Chinese Peanut With a history of more than 1,800 years, dumpling (饺子 Jiǎozi /jyaoww-dzrr/) is a classic lucky food for Lunar New Year, and a traditional dish eaten on Chinese New Year's Eve, widely popular in China, especially in North China. Lunar New Year, also called Spring Festival, is a feast-filled holiday celebrated by many countries and cultures. In its several iterations, including Chinese, Korean (Seollal), Vietnamese (Tết January 29 marks the start of the new year on the Lunar calendar — this year, the Year of the Snake. Lunar New Year is celebrated across many cultures, each with its own traditions and ways of saying "Happy New Year," like "新年快乐 (Xīnnián kuàilè)" in Mandarin, or "새해 복 많이 받으세요 (saehae bok mani badeuseyo)" in Korean. I’ve included books, crafts, and adaptations for different grade levels, so all ages can learn about Chinese New Year! STEP 1: Chinese New Year Lesson Plan Preparation (Gather Supplies!) There are a number of supplies to gather, either from your home, from a trip to a nearby Chinatown, or even from on-line. Even better, have a parent Celebrate Chinese New Year with with our best ever Chinese-style sharing dishes, sides and desserts, including steamed buns, sticky char siu and stir fries
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