Dishing up Good Fortune: 3 Lucky Foods for Your Chinese New Year’s Feast

Spring rolls are eaten during the Chinese New Year as a symbol of wealth and prosperity. Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS

By Gretchen McKay From Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Food is often the glue that binds a family or community, and that’s especially true during Chinese New Year, the annual 15-day festival that welcomes the arrival of spring and the luck and prosperity of a new year.

Sometimes called Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, it begins each year with the new moon of the lunar calendar, and ends on the full moon that follows about two weeks later. In 2024, the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese Zodiac, the celebration starts Feb. 10 and culminates with the Lantern Festival honoring deceased ancestors on Feb. 24.

Colorful lion and dragon dances with showy costuming are favorite traditions during the holiday, along with firecrackers and fireworks displays. In China, you'll also find red lanterns hanging from trees and on doorsteps to ward off bad luck, intricate paper cuttings of auspicious symbols pasted on windows and New Year couplets—brush works of Chinese calligraphy bearing messages of prosperity and good fortune in black ink on red paper—adorning both sides of a doorway.

A time for family reunions, with people sometimes traveling long distances to be together, the festival also typically includes an elaborate feast on New Year’s eve (Nián yèfàn) featuring foods thought to bring luck, wealth and happiness. Much thought and care go into creating the menu for the meal, which is so important to the holiday that the host will set an empty spot at the table with utensils for missing family members.

Deep-fried spring rolls (known as chūn juǎn), which take their name from the season in which they’re eaten, are probably the most familiar dish eaten. Similar to the westernized egg roll, but much thinner, they’re typically filled with a savory mix of Chinese cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, carrots and other veggies. Their cylindrical shape and golden color symbolize gold bars, and are meant to bring wealth and prosperity to those who eat them.

Dumplings are also essential because the Chinese word for them—jiāo zi—represents the change from old to new. Shaped like Chinese silver and gold ingots from a thousand years ago, they’re also a symbol of wealth. Occasionally, a coin is slipped into a dumpling for even more good luck.

It’s also common to find extremely long noodles known as longevity noodles (cháng shòu miàn) on the menu because they illustrate the wish for a very long life. It’s considered bad luck for the cook to break or cut the strands while cooking or tossing them, and the eater should be equally careful not to chew them in pieces. Slurping is encouraged to avoid cutting one’s life short.

Rice cakes made from sticky glutinous rice (niángāo) are another welcome sight during Chinese New Year, as they symbolize progress, advancement and growth, according to The Woks of Life, a popular online resource for Chinese cooking in English that came out with a family cookbook in 2022. (Nián means “year” and “gāo” is a homonym that means, “tall,” “high,” or “expensive.”)

Steamed whole fish is another must-have dish, and no New Year’s feast would be complete without good fortune fruit such as oranges, kumquats, tangerines and pomelos.

Below, we offer three easy (and essential) dishes for your own Chinese New Year’s celebration, or for any time you’ve got a yen for Chinese food that’s both quick and tasty.

From our kitchen to yours, gōng xǐ fā cái! (Kung hei fat choi! for our Cantonese speakers.) Wishing you happiness and prosperity in 2024.

Spring Rolls

PG tested

You don’t need a lot of oil to make these crispy vegetarian spring rolls, just enough to cover them in the pan. For best results, make sure the filling isn’t too wet and roll them up, burrito style, as tightly as possible. Uncooked spring rolls can be frozen until solid and then stored in the freezer in a plastic zip bag for up to 1 month.

I served them with soy sauce mixed with a little chili crisp and rice vinegar.

Spring rolls are eaten during the Chinese New Year as a symbol of wealth and prosperity. Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS

Ingredients

• 3 shiitake mushrooms
• 2 ounces dried mung bean glass noodles
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 scallions, white and green parts separated and sliced thin
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 4 cups shredded napa cabbage
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch-long matchsticks
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 16 (8-inch) square spring roll wrappers
• Peanut or vegetable oil, for frying

Directions

1. Wipe mushrooms with a damp paper towel, then chop and set aside.
2. Soak noodles in 4 cups hot water for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water until chilled. Drain noodles again and chop into 1-inch lengths; set aside.
3. Heat empty 14-inch flat bottomed wok over high heat until just beginning to smoke, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high, drizzled with oil around the perimeter of wok and heat until just smoking.
4. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add scallion whites, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, salt and pepper and cook until thickened to glaze, about 30 seconds.
5. Add cabbage and carrots and cook, tossing slowly but constantly, until cabbage is just softened about 2 minutes. Off heat, add scallion greens and noodles and toss to combine, Transfer vegetable mixture to large plat, spread into even layer and refrigerate until cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes.
6. Whisk cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water in bowl until combined. Arrange 1 wrapper on counter so a corner points toward edge of counter. Place 2 heaping tablespoons filling on lower half of wrapper and mold it with your fingers into neat 4-inch logs parallel to edge of counter. Using pastry brush, apply light coat of cornstarch slurry onto top corner of wrapper, being sure to coat edges.
7. Fold bottom corner of wrapper over filling and press gently along length of filling to remove air pockets. Fold side corners over to enclose filling snugly; gently roll to form cylinder.
8. Transfer spring roll seam side down to parchment paper-line platter. Press gently on spring roll to flatten slightly, and over with damp paper towel while shaping remaining spring rolls. Do not stack. As this point, spring rolls can be frozen until solid then transferred to zip bags and stored in freezer for up to 1 month. Do not thaw before frying; increase frying time by 2 minutes.
9. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet and line half of rack with paper towels. Add oil to clean, dry flat-bottomed wok or large Dutch oven until it measures about 1 1/2 inches deep and heat over medium-high heat to 375 degrees.
10. Using tongs, carefully add 5 spring rolls to hot oil and cook until light golden brown, about 5-7 minutes, turning as needed to evenly brown.
11. Return oil to 375 degrees and repeat with remaining spring rolls, adjusting burner to maintain oil temperature.
12. Using spider skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer spring rolls to paper towel-lined pan. Let cool for 5 minutes then serve.

Makes 16 spring rolls.

—“A Very Chinese Cookbook: 100 Recipes from China and Not China (But Still Really Chinese)” by Kevin Pang and Jeffrey Pang (America’s Test Kitchen, $35)

Stir-Fried Longevity Noodles

PG tested

These delicious noodles have a long list of ingredients but once you have everything assembled and measured out, they’re actually pretty simple to toss together. I used fresh lo mein noodles, which you can find at Asian markets such as Lotus Foods in the Strip District. The original recipe calls for boneless, country-style pork ribs but I substituted chicken thigh with great results.

Stir-fried longevity noodles are never cut or broken by the cook. They're eaten in all corners of China during Chinese New Year to assure a long life. Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless chicken thigh
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon five-spice powder
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce or chili crisp
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 5 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1/4 cup Shaoxing wine, divided
• 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
• 1/2 small head napa or green cabbage, thinly sliced
• 10 scallions, white parts sliced thin, green parts cut into 1-inch strips
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh minced ginger
• 12 ounces fresh lo mein noodles

Directions

1. Cut chicken into bite-sized chunks.
2. Whisk soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin, sesame oil and five-spice powder together in a bowl. Transfer 3 tablespoons mixture to another bowl and add chicken pieces; stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes or up to an hour.
3. Whisk broth, chili-garlic sauce and cornstarch into remaining soy sauce mixture and set aside.
4. Heat empty 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or pan over high heat until just beginning to smoke. Drizzle 1 teaspoon oil around perimeter and heat until just smoking. Add half the chicken mixture and cook, tossing slowly but constantly, until meat is lightly browned, 2-3 minutes.
5. Add 2 tablespoons wine and cook stirring constantly, until liquid is reduced and chicken is well coated, 30-60 seconds. Transfer mixture to a clean medium bowl and repeat, with 1 teaspoon oil, remaining chicken mixture and remaining 2 tablespoons wine.
6. Wipe wok clean with damp paper towels.
7. Heat now-empty wok over high heat until just beginning to smoke. Drizzle 1 teaspoon oil around perimeter of wok and heat until just smoking. Add mushrooms and cook, tossing slowly but constantly, until light golden brown, 4-6 minutes. Transfer to bowl with chicken.
8. Add 1 teaspoon oil and cabbage to now-empty wok and cook, tossing slowly but constantly, until spotty brown, 3-5 minutes. Push cabbage to side and add remaining 1 teaspoon oil, scallions, garlic and ginger to clearing and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir scallion mixture into cabbage. Add chicken mixture and reserved chicken broth mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in a large pot. Add noodles and cook, stirring often, until almost tender (center should be firm). Drain noodles and add to wok, and cook over medium-high heat, tossing gently, until noodles are tender and evenly coated with sauce.
10. Serve hot.

Serves 4-6.

—“A Very Chinese Cookbook: 100 Recipes from China and Not China (But Still Really Chinese)” by Kevin Pang and Jeffrey Pang (America’s Test Kitchen, October 2023)

Rice Cake Stir-Fry

PG tested

Made from glutenous rice flour, these tasty, oval-shaped rice cakes have the texture of a chewy noodle. They’re widely available in the refrigerated or frozen section of Asian grocery stores. Here, they are paired with thin strips of boneless pork shoulder and lots of sweet scallions in a quick stir-fry.

Ingredients

For meat

• 6 ounces boneless pork shoulder or loin, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
• 1 teaspoon neutral oil
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce

For sauce

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper

For rest of dish

• 2 tablespoons neutral oil
• 2 1/2 -inch slices fresh ginger
• 8 scallions, white and green parts separated and cut on the diagonal
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
• 1 pound Chinese rice cakes, preferably oval

Directions

1. Marinate pork: In medium bowl, combine pork with water, cornstarch, wine, oil and oyster sauce. Let marinate for 20 minutes.
2. Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, combine water, oyster sauce, light and dark soy sauces, sugar and white pepper.
3. Assemble the dish: Heat wok over high heat until it starts to smoke lightly, then add 1 tablespoon oil. Spread it around the wok and add the pork. Stir-fry just until the pork turns opaque, about 1 minute. Remove from wok and set on a plate.
4. Reduce heat to medium and add remaining tablespoon oil. Add ginger slices and white parts of the scallions. Cook for 30 seconds, until the ginger begins to crisp at the edges and the scallions begin to turn golden brown.
5. Increase heat to high and add wine. It will hiss and bubble vigorously! Stir for 15 seconds. Add the rice cakes, then prepared sauce and pork. Stir-fry for 30 seconds, using your wok spatula to scoop the rice cakes and sauce up from the bottom of the wok so nothing sticks and everything is thoroughly combined.
6. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low to cook the rice cakes through.
7. Uncover wok after 2 minutes. The rice cakes should be cooked but still al dente, and there will be standing sauce pooling at the bottom of the wok. Increase heat to high, add green parts of the scallions and stir-fry until there is very little standing sauce, about 1 minute. Serve.

Serves 4.

—“The Woks of Life” by Bill, Judy, Sarah & Kaitlin Leung (Clarkson Potter, $35)

Copyright 2024 PG Publishing Co. Visit at post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Dear Readers: We would love to hear from you. What topics would you like to read about? Please send your feedback and tips to [email protected].