Lunar and Chinese New Year Recipes for Good Times Ahead

Traditional dishes, like mandu and Peking duck, often symbolize better luck for the future — and they promise a satisfying meal here and now.

Credit...Nico Schinco for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

By Genevieve Ko and Allison Jiang

Published Jan. 27, 2022 Updated Feb. 13, 2026

If Jan. 1 didn’t feel like quite the annual reset you were hoping for, you can celebrate now by cooking for the Lunar New Year. (For this Year of the Horse, it begins on Feb. 17.) In China and other Asian countries that recognize the holiday, such as Singapore, Vietnam and South Korea, the festivities can last for two weeks, and the foods often symbolize promises for a better year ahead. But the immediate reward is something delicious to eat, whether you’re preparing a feast or just one dish.

1. Cantonese-Style Steamed Fish

A whole steamed fish on a serving plate, topped with cilantro, sliced ginger and in a pool of soy sauce — Credit...Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.

When spoken aloud, the Chinese word for “fish" sounds very similar to the word for “plentiful surplus,” so a whole steamed one is essential on many Chinese New Year tables. You can prepare an elaborate version, or this one from Kenji López-Alt, which is found at many home-style dinners. The highlight is the drizzling of hot oil right at the end, which imparts the fish with the flavors of cilantro, scallions, ginger and soy sauce.

Recipe: Cantonese-Style Steamed Fish

2. Nonya Hokkien Stir-Fried Noodles

An overhead image of stir-fried noodles topped with herbs, sliced chiles and fried shallots. — Credit...Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Long noodles symbolize long life, and there are endless variations for the holiday dish beyond classic Cantonese longevity noodles. This Singaporean version, topped with egg ribbons and crisp shallots, comes from Sharon Wee, the author of “Growing Up in a Nonya Kitchen.” She suggests topping it with spicy sambal belacan, a hot sauce made savory with shrimp paste.

Recipe: Nonya Hokkien Stir-Fried Noodles

3. Hong Shao Rou (Red-Braised Pork Belly)

A Dutch oven full of red-brown pork belly and hard-boiled eggs, garnished with sliced scallions — Credit...Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.

In this Shanghainese dish worthy of any festive occasion, thick slabs of pork belly are lacquered with a combination of light and dark soy sauces as well as rock sugar to give it a signature reddish glaze. It’s braised for at least three hours until the pork belly is super tender, and in this version from Betty Liu, hard-boiled eggs and tofu knots are added to absorb the rich, caramelly sauce.

Recipe: Hong Shao Rou (Red-Braised Pork Belly)

4. Baked Red Bean Nian Gao (Mochi Cake)

A plate of sliced glutinous rice cakes with red bean paste, on a pink plate — Credit...David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Sweet rice flour gives this baked dessert a delightfully bouncy chew. In this traditional version from the mother-daughter duo Peggy Wang and Jessica Wang, the batter is sweetened with condensed milk and dotted with red bean paste. Searing the pieces in a skillet is optional, but amplifies the chew and gives the nian gao a delectable crust.

Recipe: Baked Red Bean Nian Gao (Mochi Cake)

5. Pressure Cooker Kalbi Jjim

A plate of short ribs, carrots and potatoes in a soy-based sauce. Above and below, plates of kimchi and white rice. — Credit...Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

With the help of a pressure cooker, you can prepare this fall-off-the-bone Korean short rib braise in a little over an hour. Earthy daikon radish, potatoes and carrots absorb the flavorful soy braising liquid. Serve it with white rice.

Recipe: Pressure Cooker Kalbi Jjim

6. Pork Dumplings

An overhead image of a oval platter with several dumplings on it. There is a small bowl of soy sauce with chili crisp on the plate, a pair of chopsticks and a bitten-into dumpling — Credit...Romulo Yanes for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui.

Dumpling recipes are as bountiful and varied as Asia itself, but this pork and chive version from Helen You is fantastic, whether you’ve never folded a dumpling before or you’re a seasoned pro. Making the dumpling wrappers from scratch is completely worth it, and easier than you think.

Recipe: Pork Dumplings

7. Dua Gia (Pickled Bean Sprout Salad)

A plate of pickled sliced carrots, bean sprouts and scallions on a plate, with serving utensils — Credit...Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.

This southern Vietnamese pickled bean sprout salad from Andrea Nguyen is a great counterbalance to the richer dishes in your Tet or Lunar New Year spread. Bean sprouts, carrots and scallion tops (standing in for Chinese chives) are simply pickled and then piled atop one another for a tangy, crunchy bite.

Recipe: Dua Gia (Pickled Bean Sprout Salad)

8. Peking Duck With Honey and Five-Spice Glaze

An overhead image of a platter of carved Peking duck. A single serving sits to its side. — Credit...Romulo Yanes for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui.

A highlight of restaurant banquets, this dish can be made at home, too, especially with streamlined techniques from Kay Chun. It keeps with the tradition of serving whole poultry to signal abundance. But it also tastes more special than chicken and feels like a celebration in both the cooking process and in serving.

Recipe: Peking Duck With Honey and Five-Spice Glaze

9. Tang Yuan

An overhead image of a gray bowl filled with round dessert dumplings in a broth. — Credit...Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

The sticky texture and round shape of these Chinese New Year dessert dumplings symbolize family unity, and therefore promise togetherness for the year ahead. With the tender chew of a marshmallow and a nougat-like sesame filling, these rounds are served in a sweet ginger soup. They’re easy to form and freeze well, so you can prepare a big batch at once and eat them throughout the holiday season.

Recipe: Tang Yuan

10. Hot Pot

An assortment of platters stacked high with raw vegetables, meat, seafood, tofu and herbs surround a hot pot filled with swirling broth. — Credit...Nico Schinco for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Hot pot, a steaming broth for cooking a bevy of ingredients like meat, seafood and vegetables, isn’t necessarily traditional for Lunar New Year, but gathering around it can evoke a feeling of home. And it’s becoming an especially popular celebratory meal among younger Asians and Asian Americans. This recipe, from Naz Deravian, lets you adapt to your heart’s content, allowing you to mix and match ingredients and amounts. Then, it’s time to join one another and let the pot work its magic. KRYSTEN CHAMBROT

Recipe: Hot Pot

11. Mandu

An overhead image of a bamboo steamer filled with greens and mandu. — Credit...Ilona Szwarc for The New York Times

The Korean New Year, Seollal, is commemorated with tteok mandu guk, a steaming soup filled with sticky rice cakes, which one is supposed to eat so they can see their next birthday. Mandu — dumplings — aren’t necessary, but they taste delicious in the broth, especially when made from scratch using this recipe from Julya Shin and Steve Joo.

Recipe: Mandu

12. Pancit

An overhead image of a skillet filled with greens, chicken and scallion greens. — Credit...Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Pancit, a Filipino stir-fried noodle dish, is often saved for special occasions, so it is well worth a spot on the Lunar New Year table. Known as pancit bihon, this version from Naz Deravian pairs vermicelli rice noodles, carrots, cabbage and chicken or pork, and can be doubled or tripled to serve a crowd. K.C.

Recipe: Pancit

13. Keo Lac Vung (Peanut and Sesame Candy)

An overhead image of a platter topped with rectangles of peanut-studded sesame candies. — Credit...Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.

Crackly candied nuts and seeds are set out and shared throughout the Lunar New Year season. They’re easy to buy online or in Asian markets, but they’re arguably even easier to make at home following this candy recipe from Andrea Nguyen.

Recipe: Keo Lac Vung (Peanut and Sesame Candy)

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