12 delicious Chinese New Year recipes you must try

Food often brings families together and it couldn’t be more true than during Chinese New Year.

From traditional feasts to modern platters, there is a lot on offer at this time. And while it's easy to take the ordering route, nothing beats scrumptious home-cooked dishes for Chinese New Year.  

So why wait? Surprise your family with your fabulous cooking skills taking inspiration from these Lunar New Year recipes.

They are easy-to-cook, delectable, and can be made at the comfort of home in no time. You can choose from authentic Chinese steamed fish to creme brûlée. We are sure that you and your family will certainly enjoy.

12 Easy And Quick Dishes For Chinese New Year

1. Braised Chicken with Mushrooms

 

Include a classic northern Chinese dish to the menu with a homemade braised chicken and a bit of mushroom. Considered as one of the tastiest dishes for Chinese New Year, this is sure to satisfy your family’s tastebuds with its savoury flavour and strong soy sauce base. 

You can expect braised chicken to come out meaty and juicy. But the highlight here is definitely the mushrooms as they also absorb flavours of the dish.

While it’s recommended that you use dried shiitake for this recipe, you can also choose to use fresh mushrooms to tweak the flavour.

Check out the entire recipe here.

2. Cantonese Roast Chicken

You’re probably used to ordering a good Cantonese Roast Chicken while dining out. But now you can also try to make an Asian style chicken in your own kitchen.

The key here is cooking it at a higher temperature than you would normally when roasting chicken. You can go up to 400 F. This temperature would help brown the chicken and crisp its skin just right, while maintaining moistness of its tender meat.

Check out the entire recipe here.

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3. Authentic Chinese Steamed Fish

For a dish with few ingredients, you can choose the classic authentic Chinese steamed fish.

With soy sauce seasoning to make it sweet and savoury, it’s also important that this fish is cooked shortly in a steamer. This will keep its meaty insides tender and moist.

It may be a simple dish to make but with the right seasoning and carefully timed cooking, you can make it your own. 

Check out the entire recipe here. 

4. Sichuan Fish with Pickled Mustard Greens

 

Add a good plate of Sichuan fish with pickled mustard greens to your Lunar New Year dinner. This dish can be easily done in just under 40 minutes, which gives you more time to handle your other festive plans. 

You can choose to stick with the usual catfish for your dish, but if you also want to try it out with other types of fish such as tilapia then, by all means, go ahead!

Just make sure that you use the right type of pickle and that you don’t leave out a herb-infused hot oil to pour over the fish. This Chinese cooking technique could really help bring out the flavours of your dish. 

Check out the entire recipe here. 

5. Sichuan Chicken in Red Oil Sauce

You can create your own version of a classic Sichuan chicken smothered in spicy red oil sauce that your loved ones will surely ask for seconds. Adding it to your personal menu of dishes for Chinese New Year will be a great choice.

To make the dish almost exactly like the ones you order in Chinese restaurants, you’ll need to prepare a good homemade chilli oil and flavoured sweet soy sauce to really bring out a mouthwatering sauce just like the literal translation of its name “saliva chicken.”

Check out the entire recipe here.  

6. Cantonese Chicken Egg Roll

 

As egg rolls are normally called “spring rolls” in China, this dish is great to prepare during Chinese New Year.

With the right filling and the proper egg roll wrapper, you can make your own Cantonese chicken egg roll in the comfort of your own home. 

If you use pork, ground turkey, shiitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots for your filling, you are sure to have tenderer and juicier chicken egg roll. Adding a bit of chicken broth and a cornstarch slurry afterwards will complete your dish. 

Check out the entire recipe here. 

7. Chinese Scallion Pancakes

 

Prepare a few festive snacks for your relatives during the reunion and make your own Chinese scallion pancakes. Even your kids will surely like its crunchiness and flaky layers. 

With basic ingredients such as all-purpose flour, vegetable oil and green onion, you can make your own crispy scallion pancakes at home. Adding extra green onion can give your dish a more aromatic flavour. 

Check out the entire recipe here.

ALSO READ: Must-try Chinese New Year snacks and goodies (2021)

8. Sticky Rice Cake with Red Bean Paste

Moving on to yummy desserts to prepare for Chinese New Year, you can also try sticky rice cakes with sweet and moist red bean paste for the filling. 

With a crispy outing and sweet gooey insides, these rice cakes can make the perfect conclusion for your reunion dinner.

Not only is it a tasty Lunar New Year snack, but it’s also a healthy option to indulge in during your festivities. 

For this sticky treat, you will only need four main ingredients including glutinous rice flour, red bean paste, vegetable oil and white roasted sesame seeds. 

Check out the entire recipe here. 

9. 4-Ingredient No-Churn Black Sesame Ice Cream

 

Instead of the usual sugary ice cream, serve scoops of black sesame ice cream as the conclusion of the dishes you’ve prepared for Chinese New Year celebrations. 

With just four main ingredients, you can make your own no-churn ice cream.

All you will need are roasted black sesame seeds, sweetened condensed milk, cold heavy cream and just a pinch of salt. You won’t even need an ice cream machine to complete your own black sesame ice cream as you can simply freeze it for one or two days. 

Check out the entire recipe here.

10. Chinese Walnut Cookies

 

Kids are sure to enjoy these Chinese walnut cookies. They are crispy and definitely yummy to snack on during Chinese New Year.

Not only are they delicious, but they are also made with healthy ingredients for a guilt-free snack time. 

The sweet walnut aromatic cookies may take some time to make, but it will be all worth it!

Check out the entire recipe here. 

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11. Quinoa Sesame Brittle

This is a nutritious treat that you can happily snack on with no regrets. Quinoa sesame brittle can be quite addictive, but worry not, it can be made with only 150 calories per serving. 

The best part is that it only requires 10 minutes of active cooking time! You just need to mix up the ingredients, heat it up then add on the liquid ingredients then after mixing again, just pop it on the oven. After that, you’re ready to share it with your entire family for Chinese New Year.

Check out the entire recipe here.

12. Ginger Creme Brûlée 

 

We know creme brûlée is originally a French dessert but with a bit of Asian tweaking, you’ll find that it’s also a great treat to enjoy during the Lunar New Year. 

This ginger creme brûlée made with Asian style contains only half the amount of sugar usually put in for this dessert and will need blending of a whole lot of whole milk.

Top it with summer berries and you have yourself a creamy custard creme brûlée with a much lighter texture. 

Check out the entire recipe here.

ALSO READ: 5 traditional Chinese New Year goodies in Singapore and the meaning behind them

This article was first published in theAsianparent.