Chinese New Year recipes

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Whether you want to celebrate Chinese New Year or are just looking for new Oriental recipes, we can help. Make our Chinese New Year menu, or search our recipes database for ideas.

What is Chinese New Year?
It's the most awaited and important celebration for Chinese families across the world, who will welcome the start of the new Lunar Year by setting off fireworks, respecting family ancestors, giving thanks and wishing good health and fortune to all.

This year, Chinese New Year falls on the 26th January and it's the Year of the Ox!

Greetings:
"Kung hei fat choy" means "wishing you prosperity and wealth"

How is it celebrated?
The colourful celebrations last for two weeks where people dress in lucky red clothes, give gifts and clean and decorate their homes to ward off bad luck. It's also a time for feasting with friends and family on traditional good luck foods that bring happiness and good fortune.

Jai is a set of traditional good luck foods eaten during New Year, these are: Lotus seed, ginkgo nut, black moss, bamboo shoots, vermicelli and spring onions, but some are hard to find in supermarkets so we've got together a quick and easy Chinese New Year menu, packed full of equally lucky foods and recipes for you to try!

Note to vegetarians:
Tofu or dried bean curd is not served during the Chinese New Year as white foods like these are considered very unlucky.

Read on: Chinese New Year menu

Or... go straight to our Oriental recipes - we've got more than 100!

By Jennifer Shepherd