'I'm a former MasterChef finalist, these are the foods I eat on Lunar New Year'

By Sandy Tang

Sandy Tang with her Lunar New Year feast — Image caption,
Sandy's Lunar New Year celebrations have changed over the years, but she always makes an effort to cook a feast for the occasion

Growing up in Macau, in the south of China, Lunar New Year was always important to me. I’d spend it with extended family and we’d bond over the dinner table, catching up with each other’s news while digging into big sharing dishes.

New Year’s Eve was spent with my mum’s side of the family. We’d go out to eat because there were just so many of us (my mum is one of eight) and there was always a big party atmosphere. Then, on New Year’s Day, we’d do it all over again with my dad’s side of the family. This would be a more intimate occasion where my grandmother would prepare all the food in her home.

While the two meals would be different in terms of location and atmosphere, the food was always similar: lovely vegetarian dishes, whole chicken and fish, and plenty of dumplings. Over the New Year period my mum would make these delicious sweet, glutinous rice cakes too – they were always my favourite.

I moved to the UK when I was in my teens, so my Lunar New Year celebrations are very different nowadays. The event is still just as important to me though, as it represents my heritage.

For me, the occasion is all about bringing people together, so I continue to spend it with loved ones and friends. I reminisce about my childhood New Year feasts and create new memories in the process through the food I make and get to eat.

If you’re keen to celebrate Lunar New Year – which falls on 17 February this year – here’s my advice for creating a feast fit for the occasion.

New Year decorations in Macau's Senado Square — Image caption,
New Year celebrations in Macau's Senado Square

Dumplings

Dumplings are ideal for sharing and there’s no end of fillings you can come up with. Plus, they're great for making with friends and family to really encapsulate that feeling of togetherness. You could have one person making the dough, another making the filling (my favourite options are pork or prawn) and then others assembling them. As you all work in the kitchen together, you’ll be chatting away, laughing over shared funny anecdotes and creating new memories – which is what the occasion is all about.

When making your dumplings, hide a coin in one. It’s said that the person who finds it will have good luck and plenty of wealth in the future. Unfortunately, I’ve never won the coin. Maybe this will be my lucky year!

Dumplings and similar small dishes are perfect if you're going to celebrate at a friend's house and want to take a dish. When that's my plan, I usually cook a batch of pan-fried turnip cakes stuffed with dried shrimps and scallops to bring along. They’re always popular and I just love them.

Vegetarian dishes

The traditional dishes for New Year are mostly vegetarian, because of the Buddhist influences on the celebration. In Buddhism, it's believed vegetables are cleansing, so eating them on New Year’s Day is regarded as a good way to leave the old you behind and start afresh.

You could opt for vegetarian versions of dishes that normally feature meat – which is something I’ve done before – or instead make dishes where vegetables take on the starring role.

Lo Hon Jai is a dish traditionally consumed by Buddhist monks and consists of bamboo shoots, bean curd sticks, shiitake mushrooms, mung bean noodles, Chinese cabbage and tofu. All ingredients are stir-fried with red bean curd, which is fermented and adds lots of flavour.

This might sound complicated but it’s a simple dish to prepare – if you can stir-fry vegetables, you can do this! The key is to soak the mung bean noodles in water beforehand and only add them in when the rest of the ingredients are cooked because they don't need much time on the heat.

Another vegetable dish that’s traditionally popular at New Year is fat choi, which is made of fine strands that look almost like hair and is black when dried. It's thought to be lucky as its name sounds the same as the Chinese New Year greeting ‘gong hei fat choi’, meaning ‘congratulations and be prosperous’. Its use is controversial though, because of the impact that mass harvesting has had on the environment.

In terms of what to avoid for New Year feasts, bitter melon is a big no-no, as you don’t want any bitterness in the year ahead. And, as pickled vegetables aren't fresh, they're also often shunned at New Year celebrations.

Meat dishes

While many dishes are vegetarian, meat is still on many New Year menus. It's often served whole as opposed to in cuts or joints, as this symbolises togetherness and rebirth.

When I was a child, there would always be a whole pig on the menu when we went out for dinner on New Year's Eve – although that's not very practical for the average gathering. A whole chicken or whole fish are popular alternatives and will look impressive on the table, too.

Another meat dish that’s become very popular for New Year is poon choi. It's made up of layers of different ingredients like roasted pork belly, roasted duck, braised shiitake mushrooms and prawns. No wonder it’s always a hit.

Serving the feast

My family and I never have set courses at our Lunar New Year meals – everything is served up at once. I think one of the reasons behind this is that the presentation of the meal is so important. The table is often laid with bright and bold colours, like red and gold, and then you have all the dishes there too – it's a really impressive sight and looks lovely and festive.

So, when you’re thinking about what to serve, imagine how all the dishes will look on the table together and how they’ll complement one another in terms of colour, size and style.