what type of food can i cook for chinese new year dinner?

Answer 1

Traditional New Year Foods




Probably more food is consumed during the New Year celebrations than any other time of the year. Vast amounts of traditional food is prepared for family and friends, as well as those close to us who have died.

On New Year's Day, the Chinese family will eat a vegetarian dish called jai. Although the various ingredients in jai are root vegetables or fibrous vegetables, many people attribute various superstitious aspects to them:


* Lotus seed - signify having many male offspring

* Ginkgo nut - represents silver ingots

* Black moss seaweed - is a homonym for exceeding in wealth

* Dried bean curd is another homonym for fulfillment of wealth and happiness

* Bamboo shoots - is a term which sounds like "wishing that everything would be well"

* Fresh bean curd or tofu is not included as it is white and unlucky for New Year as the color signifies death and misfortune.





Other foods include a whole fish, to represent togetherness and abundance, and a chicken for prosperity. The chicken must be presented with a head, tail and feet to symbolize completeness. Noodles should be uncut, as they represent long life.

In south China, the favorite and most typical dishes were nian gao, sweet steamed glutinous rice pudding and zong zi (glutinous rice wrapped up in reed leaves), another popular delicacy.

In the north, steamed-wheat bread (man tou) and small meat dumplings were the preferred food. The tremendous amount of food prepared at this time was meant to symbolize abundance and wealth for the household.

Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.

The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. In order to "catch up" with the solar calendar the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years (seven years out of a 19-yearcycle). This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year.

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. The celebration was traditionally highlighted with a religious ceremony given in honor of Heaven and Earth, the gods of the household and the family ancestors.

The sacrifice to the ancestors, the most vital of all the rituals, united the living members with those who had passed away. Departed relatives are remembered with great respect because they were responsible for laying the foundations for the fortune and glory of the family.

The presence of the ancestors is acknowledged on New Year's Eve with a dinner arranged for them at the family banquet table. The spirits of the ancestors, together with the living, celebrate the onset of the New Year as one great community. The communal feast called "surrounding the stove" or weilu. It symbolizes family unity and honors the past and present generations.

Answer 2

It depends where he is from - some areas eat a lot of rice, some areas noodles, some areas steamed bread, and other areas nong or other pancake like starches. Shanghai area has sweet food. Hu nan and si chuan areas have spicy food. The northern areas have a lot of stews. Shandong area has a lot of seafood and salty foods. Guandong area eats everything. The west eats a lot of lamb. Chinese breakfasts are generally congee (a rice porridge - just make it like you would steamed rice but double the water) and then boiled or over hard eggs (never any kind of eggs with a soft or runny yoke), salted or pickled vegatables. Lunches and dinners don't have separate foods. Almost everyone in China eats instant ramen (try breaking an egg into it). You can never go wrong with potatos and anything grilled and avoid basil and heavy cheeses. Chinese people eat a lot of pork, then chicken, followed by lamb, then beef. Feb 14th is the Chinese Spring Festival and they traditionally eat dumplings. Try serving meat raviolis without sauce (tomato sauce is usually too sour for Chinese tastes), they are similar to dumplings. For snacks, try lots of fresh or canned fruits and then sunflower seeds and peanuts. China doesn't traditionally have desserts or dairy. Pizza and Fast food are fairly expensive in China so he might like those. I would actually try to take him to an asian grocery store so he could pick up some comfort foods to snack on until you figure out what kinds of foods he likes. The should have things like frozen stuffed buns, pickled vegetables, drinks, and you could even pick up some seasoning packets for Chinese dishes (they are different than the chinese seasoning packets you find in regular stores).

Answer 3

The answers I've read all sound really interesting and delicious!

Your final choice would depend on (I think) a few factors:

1. Are you going to cook everything or are you prepared to purchase some of the items?

I ask this because some dishes can be quite time-consuming in their preparation. If you have close friends who are planning to do the same, why not get everyone to cook their specialities in larger quantities and then you can swap!

A CNY dinner is a varied affair as one of the excellent answers suggest. I would like to add the observation that the key is to achieve a BALANCE. Harmony is an important concept the Chinese treasure. This could be interpreted as planning a meal that is balanced in its many aspects (nutritional value, hot and cold dishes, tastes from bland to pungent, good mix of fried, steamed, stir-fried, boiled, etc. dishes, variety of meats, fowl, veggies, soups, etc., salty, sweet & sour, sweet, ....) You get the picture.

If you are keen on aesthetics as well, balance also comes into play when selecting colours (e.g., red & green capsicums, veg of different colours), crockery, cutlery & other utensils, table cloth, napkins, etc. can all be colour mixed and matched!

The Chinese like red for its vibrance but not EVERYTHING should be red! Use bright colours as a general rule and avoid black and white!

If you do not mind buying some of the items, it's a good idea to buy those that you do not know how to prepare. So, this is your opportunity (excuse) to get some take-aways from your favourite Chinese establishments to complement those that you cook well. The balance/harmony concept will help you decide what to buy.


2. Are you Chinese or are you cooking for Chinese family and friends? How important is tradition and symbolism? Is it a relatively casual affair with fun and companionship the main objectives?

You can certainly blend tradition with fun but again, who are the people you intend to please?



3. As one of the earlier answers indicated, a "Chinese" New Year dinner means different things to someone from a different part of China! Mix-and-match is fun these days.

I cannot speak for the people in China but CNY dinners outside China can be pretty diverse these days in terms of the menu! Do not be surprised to see non-traditional Chinese food items at the table.

I guess the main issue is to please yourself and your guests!

Answer 4

Steam Sea Bass with chopped garlic, ginger, chili and spring onions and drizzle a bit of sesame oil. For the Chinese it symbolises - prosperity.

Answer 5

All fruits are fresh vegetables. A "vegetable" is a plant, any part of which is employed for food.

Answer 6

In the superstore, fruits are usually selected much too soon. Some are rocks, many are bitter. Some of the fresh vegetables are typical right (zucchini, onions, garlic, lettuce, greens, and a few others) so I'd have to go with vegetables.

Answer 7

I think the chinese new year is the year of the boar, so if you are not a vegan veggie, or have a religion that stipulates not to eat boar, choose a receipe for boar!

Answer 8

erm pork!!!!!!!!! its the year of the pig!! do a pork dinner or if you want to go all out do a spit roast with a pig on the spit!!! but pig is the year so roast that!!!

Answer 9

Anything you want. Make some roasted duck.

Answer 10

chop sui