The more popular Chinese New Year traditions, like the dragon dance, red lanterns and firecrackers, are easy to talk about, but I wanted to interview my parents for their take on the little known food traditions of the holiday. Each province in China celebrates different customs for the new year, and I’ve discovered that the southern Cantonese are mighty superstitious folks. My mom began rattling off dishes that her family prepares and serves to guests.

My mom:

• To begin with, Mom always serves a noodle dish, the strands of the noodles signifies long life. Don’t cut the noodles before serving, otherwise you’re snipping your life short.

• A whole chicken, head and all, is served simply steamed to represent good health. A whole steamed fish, eyeballs and all, was served for abundance.” The Chinese word for fish is, “yu,” which, according to my mom, sounds similar to the Chinese word for “every year our family has something leftover and we always have enough.” The Chinese are very efficient in the language department.

• Crispy egg rolls, once fried to a golden brown, resemble long gold bars. Handmade dumplings, either pan fried or boiled, look like ancient Chinese gold ingots. My mom’s family used to hide a gold coin in one of the hundreds of dumplings that they would make and the lucky bastard who bit into the dumpling with the coin was to receive wealth and prosperity throughout the year following a hefty dental bill, I’m sure.

• For luck, display plenty of tangerines, preferably big fat ones with leaves still attached. Also of great importance is “Nien Goh,” or steamed rice cake, which signifies “every year you reach a higher level of life,” says mom.

• But whatever you do, don’t serve squid, called “Yow Yu.” In the olden days, workers would have to travel far from home to work, often bringing personal belongings rolled up in a blanket. When a worker was fired, he was ordered to “yow,” or roll up his blanket, packing his stuff to go home. Serving squid symbolizes being fired in the coming year. If your co-workers or subordinates pleasantly surprises you with a dish of succulent squid on Chinese New Year, be very suspicious.

My father, from the Ling Po province of China, near Shanghai, is a simple man. Here’s what he had to say…

My father:

“In our kitchen, we would hang a portrait of the Kitchen God. The Kitchen God watches over you all year and on Chinese New Year, he goes back to the heavens and reports to the other Gods of prosperity, fortune, and health, on what you’ve been doing and how well you’ve behaved. Before the end of the year, my family would create an elaborate banquet just for the Kitchen God and display the plates of noodles, dumplings, fish, candies, cakes and meats right in front of his portrait. Basically, we bribed the Kitchen God to say nice things about us.”

So, there you have it. Whether you choose serve your friends and family a wonderful Chinese meal to welcome the Year of the Rat, or cook to bribe the Kitchen God, here are a few recipes that would be great for the holiday. Also take a look over to the next column to the right – there are more recipes for you!

What are some of your Chinese New Year superstitions?

Gong Hay Fat Choy!

From top left:

1. My Mother’s Famous Chinese Egg Rolls or Vegetable Spring Rolls with video (egg rolls look like gold bars, which symbolize wealth) 
2. Chinese Boiled Pork Dumplings (also symbolize wealth)
3. Pan Fried Shrimp & Pork Potstickers (wealth)
4. Shrimp Fried Rice (shrimp for happiness and joy)
5. Chinese Broccoli Beef Noodles (noodles for longevity)
6. Fresh Pear and Shrimp Stir Fry (shrimp for happiness and joy)

From top left:

1. Long Life Fertility Noodles and Happy Shrimp
2. Chinese Lettuce Cups (lettuce = rising fortune)
3. Hainanese Chicken Rice (serve your chicken whole & cut at table for Chinese New Year. Cooking a whole chicken or duck represents health — carving it before serving would meant to “cut” your health)
4. Chinese Tea Eggs (for prosperity)
5. Chinese Whole Steamed Fish
6. Stir Fried Beef with Nectarines (nectarine = happiness, health)

See more Chinese New Year Recipes on Steamy Kitchen!

More Chinese New Year Recipes

Thai Larb Lettuce Cups from my good friends Diane and Todd of White on Rice Couple
Stir Fried Prawns with XO Sauce – Noob Cook
Stir Fried Leeks with Vegetable – Noob Cook
Braised Bok Choy – Taste Hong Kong
Steamed Pork & Shrimp Dumplings (Sui Mai) – Flavor Explosions
Ketchup Prawns – Sea Salt with Food
Singapore Black Pepper Crab – Sea Salt with Food
Chinese Almond Cookies – Simply Recipes (beautiful, Garrett, just beautiful!)
Scallion Pancakes – Tigers and Strawberries (perfect recipe. we made these many times)
Chinese White Cut Chicken – Sunday Nite Dinner (serve your chicken whole & cut at table for Chinese New Year. Cooking a whole chicken or duck represents health — carving it before serving would meant to “cut” your health)
Shanghai Style Nian Gao – Donna Cooks (“rising higher each year” This dish is a must for our table – I love the soft, chewy noodles. This is also one of my Dad’s hometown dishes)
Stir Fried Shanghai Nian Gao – mmm-yoso
Lion’s Head Meatballs – NY Times (lion = strength; big round meatballs = family togetherness)
Chinese Walnut Cookies – Lily’s Wai Sek Hong
Paper Lined Cup Sponge Cake – Lily’s Wai Sek Hong
Dragon Cookies – Lily’s Wai Sek Hong (love this idea – we’ll make these dragon cookies w/my kids)
Almond Cookie Crescents – Lily’s Wai Sek Hong
Double Sided Gold Noodles – Lily’s Wai Sek Hong (one of my favorite noodles as a kid)
Steamed Pork Bun Recipe + how to fold Chinese buns video – Christine’s Recipes
Braised Chinese Mushrooms – Christine’s Recipes (easy dish to make, we always have whole Chinese mushrooms on CNY)
Egg Custard Pastry – Christine’s Recipes (with a cheater crust! brilliant)
Stir Fried Glutinous Rice – Christine’s Recipes
Stir Fried Broccoli with Fish Fillet – Christine’s Recipes
Tomato Chili Prawns – Christine’s Recipes (shrimp = laughter and joy)
Butter Cookies – Christine’s Recipes
Braised Chinese Mushrooms – Christine’s Recipes
Baked Coconut Cake – Christine’s Recipes
Radish Cake – Christine’s Recipes