People talk about Thanksgiving and the Super Bowl as the ultimate food holidays. But for much of the world, nothing beats Lunar New Year, that magical time of year when every dish brings you some sort of prosperity.
Unlike other holidays’ ultra-structured culinary traditions—turkey on Thanksgiving, ham for Christmas—Lunar New Year is about abundance and variety. The spread varies not only from country to country, but even region to region. Sometimes vegetarian food is the expectation, while other celebrations include a whole suckling pig or entire roasted duck.
Just as varied is the deep symbolism of the dishes themselves. In Vietnam, you’ll find banana leaf-wrapped parcels of red sticky rice and rice paper-wrapped spring rolls, said to represent gold bars. In Thailand, expect hand-wrapped dumplings shaped to look like money pouches. Chinese traditions range from Hong Kong to Taiwan, from east to west—but you can definitely expect riffs on dumplings, noodles, and perhaps a whole fish.
If there’s one thing to take away from Lunar New Year, it’s that every dish has meaning and is intended to bring forth good—whether that be through money, health, or familial connection. To help you ring in the Year of the Fire Horse, here are 10 essential foods you have to eat for an added dose of Lunar New Year luck. And yes, each one pairs beautifully with a red envelope of cash.
Longevity Noodles
Across many Asian cultures, long noodles symbolize long life, which is why some form of longevity noodle appears on the Lunar New Year table. Hand-pulled biang biang noodles are known for their chew, while Japanese soba offers a nutty flavor. Yi mein, or wok-fired egg noodles, are often paired with mushrooms and leafy greens. If Asian noodles aren’t accessible, long strands of spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine still carry the same symbolic meaning.
Make it yourself: Our recipe brings the long-life energy together in under 20 minutes.
Mandarins, Tangerines, and Oranges
In Cantonese, the phrase for gifting oranges, “song gam,” loosely translates to giving gold—which means you’ll see citrus fruits exchanged and displayed at every Lunar New Year gathering. Beyond the play on words, the warm—some may even say golden—hues of oranges and tangerines symbolize wealth. As a bonus, they make a refreshing dessert after rich meals featuring roasted duck or pork.
Dumplings
There are countless dumplings prepared for Lunar New Year, some more symbolic than others. Money bag dumplings—known as tung tong, or “gold bags,” in Thai—are believed to bring wealth and prosperity. You’ll also find pleated dumplings, steamed or pan-fried, across many celebrations. Folding dumplings is often a group activity, bringing families together so the memories begin during preparation, not just at the table.
Make it yourself: The Woks of Life has a recipe that’s as good as gold. Don’t want to fold? Try our Dumpling Lasagna.
Fried Rice
Fried rice might not carry the same symbolism as some of the other dishes on this list, but it’s still a mandatory addition to the lazy Susan. For starters, it’s incredibly easy to throw together and endlessly customizable to accommodate different dietary needs. Beyond that, fried rice acts as an anchor for the Lunar New Year spread—you can’t have fish, braised pork belly, and crispy pork without rice.
Make it yourself: Obviously, fried rice is great with chicken sausage, and we’ve got the perfect recipe.
Whole Fish
Fish symbolizes abundance, making a whole steamed fish one of the most common Lunar New Year proteins. In Chinese, the word for fish sounds similar to the word for surplus, reinforcing the idea that eating fish invites prosperity. Sea bass, snapper, and tilapia are popular choices, typically steamed with ginger and scallions, then finished with hot oil. One important rule: never flip the fish, as doing so is said to overturn a fisherman’s boat and bring bad luck. To access the meat on the other side, gently remove the backbone instead.
Make one yourself: Tiffy Cooks has your Hong Kong-style fish on the menu.
Glutinous Rice Balls
You may be noticing a theme: round foods are especially lucky. Their shape resembles ancient coins and ingots, symbolizing wealth. Glutinous rice balls, known as tang yuan, are particularly auspicious because the name is a homophone for tuan yuan, meaning unity. These sticky rice balls, often filled with black sesame or peanuts, are believed to promote family togetherness. Savory versions filled with pork, mushrooms, and salted radish are more commonly eaten during the winter solstice.
Make it yourself: Healthy Nibbles and Bits has a fantastic savory version.
Sujjeongwa
For a warming drink to serve during Lunar New Year, try sujeonggwa, a Korean cinnamon punch. This traditional beverage blends ginger and cinnamon with brown sugar and is often garnished with persimmons, dried jujubes, or pine nuts. It’s also known to aid digestion, making it especially welcome after a feast heavy on pork belly.
Make it yourself: My Korean Kitchen’s recipe is a great place to start.
Spring Rolls
If you look hard enough (or have enough sujjeongwa-tinis), spring rolls do kind of look like gold bars. That’s what these fried, stuffed appetizers represent, anyway, on the Lunar New Year table—as well as the end of winter and the welcoming of spring (hence the name… now you know!). You can make these bites completely vegetarian or add your favorite proteins (obviously, we’re fans of Classic Roasted Chicken Sausage). You can also do a fresh version with rice paper wrappers if you don’t feel like deep frying.
Make it yourself: Lettuce-wraps also work (and sort of resemble money!)
Sticky Rice Cake
Sticky rice cakes appear in many forms during Lunar New Year. There’s nian gao made from glutinous rice flour, brown sugar, red dates, or red beans; xôi gấc, a Vietnamese sticky rice dish dyed naturally red with gac fruit; and bánh tét, banana leaf–wrapped rice logs filled with pork belly and mung beans or sweet banana. Sticky rice acts as a blank canvas for both sweet and savory flavors, making these dishes a highlight of the holiday.
Make them yourself: Vicky Pham’s savory savory bánh tét is to die for, while The Woks of Life has a classic nian gao.
So. Much. Pork.
Pork in all forms is standard on Lunar New Year. You’ll find pork in egg rolls, stuffed into sticky rice cakes or mochi balls, folded into dumplings. If you’re lucky—and your family is big enough — you’ll even delight in a whole suckling pig with extra-crispy skin and ears. Preparing an entire whole roast pork isn’t the easiest feat though, so oftentimes pork belly braised with rock sugar or crispy roasted pork are replacement dishes. Although they don’t feel like a centerpiece in the same way a whole pig does, the flavors and textures are still enough to anchor a Lunar New Year dinner.
Make it yourself: Red Houses Spice and CJ Eats each has a unique—and straightforward—take on pork belly.