Looking for recipe inspiration this Chinese New Year?

Chinese New Year, or the Lunar New Year officially starts on Febuary 1, 2022 and it marks the transition between the Chinese Zodiac signs. Now we're headed into 2022, the Year of the Tiger.  

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Festivities begin on Feb 1st and run through Feb 15th, 2022 when the Lantern Festival starts, and traditionally includes getting together with family and kicking things off with a big meal on Chinese New Year Eve. 

What to eat for Chinese New Year - Lucky Foods
To help celebrate, it's common see the gifting of lucky Red Envelopes (see my post on Red Envelope traditions) and to eat foods symbolic of the Lunar New Year.  These dishes are served to give blessings and are auspicious as to provide prosperity, luck and happiness in the coming new year.   (Getting together with family for this special meal is personal favotie of mine!)

​​Here are my favorite 8 recipes for the Lunar New Year 🧧 celebration:

A must have!  Niangao is a very traditional sweet dessert made from sticky rice, the name of this cake (年糕  Niángāo) translates to mean "higher year" symbolizing increasing property.  Steamed, then served as is, or lightly pan fried, this dish tastes like warm sweet mochi.  Steam your own niangao at home with 3 simple ingrediets and this recipe.

In a hurry and have an Instant Pot?  You can make Chinese New Year cake in an Instant Pot with my foolproof recipe video tutorial.  This by far is my favoite way to make this sticky rice cake.

2.  Pork & Leek Potstickers

Potstickers or dumplings are considered lucky for wealth as they are shaped similar to gold sycees.  You can think of these as representing pockets of money, so it's good to have lots of potstickers during Chinese New Year.  

​Are you a seafood lover?  Try my Shrimp & Pork Potstickers recipe instead.

​Symbolic for a good year from start to finish, it's important to serve the fish whole (the fish head to tail which symbolizes the start of the year to end of the year).  This fish recipe also makes for an impressive table presentation but is surprisingly simple and easy to cook with a short steaming time of around 15 minutes.  Plus, you'll love the flavors of the ginger and cilantro.  

4.  Whole Chicken ​

If you're feeling a bit more adventurous a whole black sliklie chicken cooked simmerd in a soup is also nice.  This type of Chinese chicken soup is also said to have herbal benefits.

Noodle dishes are often served during Chinese New Year as long noodles respresent longevity in life.  As such, it's best to serve long noodles and take care not to cut or damage the noodles when cooking.  For a delicious and savory noodle dish, try my Pan-Fried Soy Sauce Noodles using egg noodles which tend to hold up nicely in cooking.

6.  Shanghai Rice Cakes Stir Fry (Savory Rice Cakes)

Similar to the sweet version of my Chinese New Year cakes dessert recipe, these oval cakes (年糕  Niángāo) are also made from sticky rice.  Stir-fried with cabbage and your favorite meat or seafood, this savory dish takes less than 10 minutes to cook and will ensure you have a more prosperous "higher year".  Watch my video tutorial on how to make these Shanghai Rice Cakes Stir-Fry here.

7.  Traditional Chinese Almond Cookies

Do you remember eating these when you were young?  Since these Chinese Almond cookies are circular and baked in the shape of a coin, it symbolizes good monetary fortune.  Plus it's a sweet dessert which counts having a sweet year!

How do they taste?  Simply put, the store bought versions are nothing like the taste of my recipe for these homemade ones.  So buttery and flavorful, you won't be able to eat just one!  ​

​8.  Hot Pot

Hot Pot is one of my favorite family style dinners and also great for family gatherings like Chinese New Year.  With a pot of hot boiling soup broth in the center of the table and raw ingredients like sliced meats, seafood and vegetables off to the side, this meal is interactive and fun!

The ingredients can be dipped in savory or sweet sauces, or even eaten plain!  The best thing about this meal is that everyone can cook and eat the ingredients they like.  For extra fortune and luck, shop and prepare for these suggested items to add to your soup:

Mushrooms:  Increased Opportunities
Noodles:  Long Life
Dumplings:  Wealth and Fortune
Meatballs/ Fishballs:  Reunion

Chinese New Year 2021 is Friday February 12, 2021 and it's the Year of the OX!  

It's a longstanding Chinese tradition to have a nice family gathering for dinner on CNY Eve, complete with lucky red envelopes and symbolic Lunar New Year foods.  

Below are my 8 recommendations for what you should consider adding to your menu.

(✿ For a video preview of these recipes, check out my video for 8 Chinese New Year Recipes for You.)

1.  Chinese New Year Cake (sweet sticky rice) | 年糕  Niángāo

Bubble tea always seems to put a smile on my face so I wanted to share my favorite way to make boba at home using my Instant Pot Mini Duo.  Cooking boba (aka tapioca pearls) isn't hard, and with the help of an Instant Pot, this recipe makes cooking boba easier.  Let's start with the Boba. 

For one serving of boba (this is enough for 1 cup of bubble tea) I use about 1/4 cup of the dry pearls.  Fill up your Instant Pot (IP) with a generous amount of water, and activate the saute feature on the IP so the water comes to a rolling boil.  Add the boba and quickly give it a gentle stir so the pearls won't stick to the bottom.  I like to stir 3 times waiting in between for 20 seconds or so, and usually by the end of the 3rd stir, the pearls are floating by themselves.  

One of the most satisfying traditional Taiwanese desserts on a hot summer day has got to be 礤冰 or Shaved Ice.  My first memory of eating shaved ice was actually in Monterey, California more than 20 years ago.  My family was visiting a friend and she took us to a popular shaved ice shop.  There were so many toppings to choose from (mostly Asian toppings that looked unique) and I got my own bowl topped with a generous amount of sweetened condensed milk!  

Since that day, I seek and crave Taiwanese Shaved Ice whenever the summers are hot, or whenever I travel back to Monterey or Taiwan.   For the times in-between, I get my shaved ice fix preparing this dessert at home.  ​

You'll also want to prepare your toppings.  Popular toppings in shaved ice include barley, boba pearls, taro, boiled peanuts, red bean, mung (green) beans and many more, all usually topped with sweetened condensed milk.  ​

I found the easiest was to prepare most of the ingredients in advance and store them in small containers in the fridge.  The ones that kept best overnight were the barley and the mung beans.  I made both of these by cooking in a pressure cooker for 20-35 minutes each.  The length of time really depends on the texture you want.  I still like the toppings to have a bit of firm texture to them so they aren't mushy.  

This summer I've been traveling a lot and being the bubble tea lover that I am, I jump on the opportunity to try new boba places.  

​During my last few trips down to California, I tried several bubble tea shops in San Francisco and these are my two favorites.  Asha Tea House near Union Square, and Boba Guys.  Boba Guys having several locations throughout the Bay Area.  ​

Both shops had great reviews on Yelp in addition to having modern and clean looking store aesthetics.   Which one was better?  

How about the BOBA?  

I think Asha had better boba compared to Boba Guys, plus the taste of their tea was great.  

That's not to say Boba Guys wasn't good as I liked how their stores were sprinkled throughout town which makes it convenient for a solid cup of bubble tea when you have those cravings, I just found that the drinks on the days that I went were slightly watered down and the lines were surprisingly extra long (15-30 minutes) which compared to Asha (barely any wait) made it less appealing to go.  

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Both places allowed you to customize your drinks (sweetness level, milk alternative options) and both took credit cards (which is great when you don't carry cash).  While there were a good amount of different bubble tea shops in downtown SF, I always found myself going back to Asha and Boba Guys.  If you're traveling in the area, and you love 💕 bubble tea, I highly recommend swinging by these two.  

​How about you guys?  What's your favorite BBT place in SF or Northern California? 

A side of rice is a staple in my home whenever I cook Asian food, so this small kitchen appliance is like my best friend. 
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It's been over 10 years since I've upgraded my rice cooker, so I was really excited when Tiger Corporation reached out to see if I would test their latest Induction Heating Tacook Rice Cooker.  I opted to try out their 5.5 cup model (JKT-S10U) instead of the larger 10-cup model.

I just got back from a fun 3 week trip to Taiwan where I spent most of my time in the main city of Taipei.  It has been 5 years since I last went back to visit, but the food scene was still as good as I remembered it.  I filmed a few Vlogs when I went back, so do check those out if you're interested in the culture and travel, and when I get settled back into my normal routine, I'll try and post photos and addresses of my favorite foodie places in case you guys wanted to try those out for yourself the next time you're in Taipei! 😁 

If you're in charge of cooking this holiday season and want to spend more time with family and friends, consider my entree of choice for large gatherings: 

                            • Breakfast Sausage Fried Rice •

It's easy to make in big batches and if you have rice at home, you will most likely have the other ingredients on hand.  It's perfect for those last minute family visits and potlucks.