The Lunar New Year or CNY also known a Chinese New Year is celebrated in unison in the aspects of joy, reunion and last but not the least feasting. It is one of the major Chinese festivity for the Chinese, people with Chinese origin, and those who embrace the Chinese culture in the world. Year after year the celebrations become more and more colorful and the food offerings become more and more tempting. If you consider your self a foodie then the Chinese New Year is as good a time as any to feast on a gastronomical journey of these delicious delicacies. Below are the descriptions of some of the best-known CNY goodies to assist you to relish the best tastes of the Lunar New Year.
1. Nian Gao – Sticky Rice Cake
Nian Gao is one of the most recognized rice cakes and it is used in preparation of the major festive season that is the Lunar New Year season. It literally means ‘year cake’, but ‘year’ in the name sounds like “higher year,” which means they want a higher/year luck in the coming year. It is one of the traditional dishes made of glutinous rice flour, sugar and little additions such as peanuts or red beans.
It is served in several forms based on the region: Some of the ways in which Nian Gao is consumed includes, Actually in some places the rice cake is just sliced and consumed plain; in others it can be fried until crispy and golden brown. Another common preparation method is the one I like the most – it’s prepared in a pan with butter and sesame seeds since the dish obtained will have a exactly nutty taste. It is also used in mooncakes and all other baked products consumed during the Lunar New Year celebrations.
2. New Year’s Cake – Nian Gao Bing
Like the Nian Gao, the New Year’s Cake or Nian Gao Bing, is a sweet, sticky cake prepared from glutinous rice flour, sugar, with peanut or red been filling. Originally, it is made in square or rectangular form and set deep-fried until crispy and succulent inside and tender immediately.
The New Year’s Cake is especially common during the CNY and many hawkers sell it as a snack from simple pushcarts or stalls by the roadside. This cake is even more common in Guangdong and Fujian during CNY feasting on important occasions.
3. Glutinous Rice Dumplings
Tang Yuan is also called Glutinous Rice Dumplings which are sweet and have special significance during the Lunar New Year. This is the meaning associated with the round, sticky rice balls and they are particularly suitable to be served for CNY. With this definition, these dumplings refer to dumplings made from glutinous rice flour, containing sweet fillings, may they be red bean paste, sesame paste or peanuts, which are boiled before being served with sweet syrup.
Thus Tang Yuan or sweet and sticky rice balls specially prepared from glutinous rice are especially taken during the new year period but they are not solely limited to the special festival and can be eaten during other parts of the year, especially some other Chinese lunar celebration such as the moon festival. It is popular with children and adults and usually eaten hot, accompanied with sesame seeds or crushed peanuts.
4. Pineapple Bun
Pineapple Bun or Bo Luo Bao is a Chinese sweet bun that has been welcomed into the CNY sweet course. This crusty, pale-golden bun gets its name from its shape and colour, which chemists would have you believe resemble those of a pineapple. The bun is made from a dough similar to croissant dough that is layered rolled out thin and then filled with sugar and butter.
The Pineapple Bun is well known in all China but more especially in Hong Kong and Guangdong. The end product is a tasty snack on its own although it is occasionally eaten alongside other CNY specialties such as Nian Gao. The skin is crispy, and the butter adds to the richness of the dish while the filling is thick and really very sweet; it is a must have dish during the CNY.
5. This dish is made with glutinous rice stuffed with pork and shrimp wrapped in lotus leaves, here is the photo of one of the foods that I earmarked to cook for the occasion Lo Mai Gai
One of the representative Cantonese dishes for CNY celebration is the Lo Mai Gai, which literally translates to Sticky Rice Dumplings in Lotus Leaves. The dish containing dumplings is made from glutinous rice scented with mushrooms, sausages and shrimp which are wrapped in a lotus leaf and cooked in steam. The lotus leaf gives rice a lightly scented aroma and allows the dumplings to remain succulent and soft.
This dish enjoys people’s preferences due to the particular taste, which is combined with the value meaning in Chinese culture. The ingredients also portray good fortunes and prosperity while the lotus leave portrays purity and growth. Lo Mai Gai is specially prepared during The Chinese New Year celebration and is consumed during family dinners or celebrations.
6. Fortune Cookies – Dong Po Rou
Nevertheless, fortune cookies are best known for their link with Chinese food and specifically, CNY, although in fact, they are American inventions from the early 1900s. Although, they are some sort of typical Lunar New Year symbol nowadays, many people in China do consume them.
Dong Po Rou or Fortune Cookies are a crispy, sweet cookie containing a small paper fortune inside. Cookies are prepared from flour, sugar, and butteravr They are browned to a crisp and golden brown in colour. The fillings that are put in the cookies are usually in form of sayings of luck, wealth and happiness hence, the lucky cookies are indeed very lucky to be taken during the lunar new year celebration.
In conclusion, the Lunar New Year is a grand celebration of fine cuisine across Asian cultures, where each dish is not only delicious but also rich with meaning. From sweet sticky rice cakes to joyful soups and fortune-filled cookies, these CNY goodies bring luck and happiness with every bite. So, when planning your CNY meal this year, be sure to include some of these traditional treats to truly embrace the spirit of the Lunar New Year feast and welcome the blessings of the season.
