What To Know
- Filled with meat and vegetables, they are a festive favourite and a crowd-pleasing addition to any Chinese New Year celebration.
- These oversized pork meatballs are named for their resemblance to a lion’s head, a symbol of strength and power in Chinese culture.
- Whether braised in soy sauce or roasted until golden, it often takes centre stage on the festive table and reflects harmony for the coming year.
Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is a time of reunion, prosperity and fresh beginnings. For Chinese families living in the UAE, recreating traditional dishes at home is one of the most meaningful ways to stay connected to culture and heritage. Each dish on the festive table carries symbolism — from abundance and wealth to longevity and success.
If you are planning a celebratory feast away from home, here are eight symbolic Chinese New Year dishes that bring both flavour and tradition to your table.
1. Chinese Steamed Whole Fish
A whole fish is essential for the New Year feast. In Mandarin, “Yu” (fish) sounds like the word for surplus or abundance. Serving it whole symbolises completeness and a prosperous year ahead. Steamed with ginger, scallions and soy sauce, it is light yet deeply aromatic.
2. Stir-Fried Chow Mein With Four Vegetables
Long noodles represent longevity and long life. Stir-fried chow mein with vegetables like bean sprouts, carrots and scallions adds colour and crunch to the table. The key is not to cut the noodles, as unbroken strands symbolise a long, uninterrupted life.
3. Lunar New Year Dumplings
Dumplings resemble ancient Chinese gold ingots and symbolise wealth and prosperity. Traditionally filled with pork, chicken or vegetables and flavoured with ginger and garlic, they are often prepared together as a family activity before the celebration.
4. Hand-Pulled Lamian Noodles
Hand-pulled noodles are a labour of love. Their impressive length symbolises longevity and resilience. While they require practice, preparing them for New Year celebrations adds authenticity and a special touch to the meal.
5. Sweet Glutinous Rice Cake (Nian Gao)
Nian Gao, or sticky rice cake, sounds similar to the phrase meaning “higher year.” It represents growth, promotion and success. Made from glutinous rice flour, it can be served sweet or savoury, steamed or lightly pan-fried.
6. Whole Chicken
A whole chicken symbolises unity and family togetherness. Whether braised in soy sauce or roasted until golden, it often takes centre stage on the festive table and reflects harmony for the coming year.
7. Lion’s Head Meatballs
These oversized pork meatballs are named for their resemblance to a lion’s head, a symbol of strength and power in Chinese culture. Typically braised and served with vegetables, they are rich, comforting and celebratory.
8. Spring Rolls
Golden and crispy, spring rolls symbolise wealth because they resemble gold bars. Filled with meat and vegetables, they are a festive favourite and a crowd-pleasing addition to any Chinese New Year celebration.
Celebrating Chinese New Year in the UAE may mean being away from extended family, but a carefully prepared symbolic feast brings tradition, warmth and good fortune to your home. With these eight dishes on your table, you are not just serving food — you are welcoming abundance, happiness and prosperity into the year ahead.
