Chinese New Year is around the corner, and many feel it is coming so soon after January 1, or the start of the new year according to the widely used Gregorian calendar which is more broadly celebrated around the world. 

If you are still recovering from the many activities (and expenses) from the recent holiday season, you can still join in the tradition of celebrating the Lunar New Year by eating simple and easy-to-prepare dishes, believed to make the coming year “Gong Xi Fa Cai”.   This Mandarin greeting is similar in meaning to the more commonly used “Kung Hei Fat Choi”, as both mean “may you attain prosperity” or “wishing you greater wealth”.  

Wear red if you can, hang lucky charms if there are any, but consider serving and enjoying these familiar dishes to usher in luck and fortune. 

#1 Noodles for long life

Most Chinese would serve misua or wheat vermicelli to friends and family on the first day of the Chinese New Year or January 29 this 2025.  However, any noodles will do, as long as you enjoy them as long strands that symbolize long life. According to Chinese tradition, the longer the noodle, the luckier you’ll be. Whether you are cooking or eating, try not to accidentally break one (so not cutting noodles into bite sizes) because that’s seen as bad luck, representing a life cut short.

#2 Plateful of Dumplings 

Watching Chinese dramas, you may be amazed to see the actors and actresses consume platefuls of dumplings. That’s because when it comes to dumplings, the more the better for the Chinese.  Based on an ancient legend, the number of dumplings you eat during the Chinese New Year predicts the amount of money you’ll make in the next 12 months. You can choose from pork dumplings, or chicken dumplings, or shrimp dumplings, or vegetable dumplings, or have them all. 

#3 “Bars of gold” aka Spring Rolls  

Lumpia is no stranger to the Filipino dining table, and it can come in many sizes with different fillings.  You can enjoy it fresh, or steamed, or grilled, but on Chinese New Year, you must fry it as spring rolls to resemble bars of gold, and bring you (again) wealth and good fortune. But as long as it is deep fried, like the dumplings, you can decide on the fillings you want.   Confused between egg rolls and spring rolls?  Egg rolls have a wonton or yeast dough wrapper so there’s more wrapping.  You’ll have to bite into one to discover what’s inside, while spring rolls have a thinner wrapping that gives a hint as to the filling.                        

#4 Let there be oranges 

It’s not just its rounded shape that makes oranges a fixture in a Chinese New Year feast.   It’s because the Chinese word for orange closely resembles the words for luck and wealth.  Add its gold color believed to symbolize prosperity and that’s a win-win food choice.  Oranges are also a popular Chinese New Year food gift, along with kumquats, tangerines and pomelos.  If you’re Chinese with family far from you, sending a box of oranges is a nice gesture.   The Chinese also like to send boxes of oranges to friends so they too can have good luck and happiness. 

#5 Cookies for a sweet ending 

For dessert, the Chinese favor almond cookies which can be found in nearly all Chinese bakeries and pastry shops.  Almond cookies are said to bring financial luck into the new year. Its round shape is similar to that of a coin which stand for wealth and good fortune.  If almond cookies are hard to find, you can pick any round-shaped cookie to enjoy on January 29, and soak in all the positive vibes for you and your wallet.