Chinese New Year 2024: Traditional dishes to savour this Year of the Dragon

As millions come together to celebrate the beginning of the Year of the Dragon, here are some traditional dishes you should try

Chinese New Year marks the beginning of a new year according to the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. The second new moon after the winter solstice marks the first day of the Chinese New Year. This year, the major Asian festival will start on Saturday, February 10. As millions come together to celebrate the beginning of the Year of the Dragon, here are some traditional dishes you should try.

Nian gao

Nian Gao

Niangao or Rice Cakes are a popular dish in the Chinese cuisine. Though it is eaten throughout the year, Niangao is favoured by many during festivals. It is often known as Chinese New Year's Cake. It is prepared from glutinous rice flour, and consuming it is considered to bring good luck and prosperity.

Tangyuan

Tangyuan

Also made from glutinous rice flour, Tangyuan is a traditional Chinese dessert. This popular sweet dish is made by shaping rice flour into small dumpling-like balls that are served in hot syrup. These are generally eaten a day before the Lunar New Year, which is a separate festival known as Lantern Festival.

Jiaozi

Jiaozi

Jiaozi is a type of traditional Chinese dumpling consisting of ground meat, vegetables, and other types of filling wrapped inside a thin sheet of dough. The various methods to cook Jiaozi include boiling, steaming, pan frying, and deep frying. It is generally served with black vinegar and sesame oil dip or soup.

Ba Bao Fan

Ba Bao Fan

Eight Treasure Rice Pudding or Ba Bao Fan is a traditional Chinese dish consisting of sticky rice, dried fruits, nuts, and red bean paste. It is generally served at the end of a Lunar New Year dinner as dessert. Other popular ingredient choices include red dates, lotus seeds, longan, raisins, walnuts, peanuts, and more.

Poon Choi

Poon Choi

Poon Choi is a Cantonese dish, which originated in Hong Kong during the Song Dynasty. It is a popular dinner option during Lunar New Year celebrations. The flavourful dish consists of a variety of ingredients including pork, beef, lamb, chicken, duck, abalone, ginseng, shark fin, fish maw, prawns, crabs, fishballs, squid, dried shrimp, crispy pigskin, beancurd, and radish.