5 Easy Chinese New Year Food Recipes

You don’t have to be Chinese to learn how to cook these 5 easy Chinese New Year food recipes and feel the spirit of the lunar holiday. With these dishes under your belt, all your Asian friends will surely be knocking on your door to celebrate the occasion. Don’t forget to adorn your home with anything red or otherwise brightly colored to ward off the evil spirits and enjoy a fresh start to the year!

Fried Rice. This easy and basic recipe is a staple for all Chinese New Year dinners. To cook fried rice, you will need:

• 4 cups cold cooked rice, preferably a day old
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 tbsp. oil
• 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
• 2 stalks green onion, chopped

1. Lightly beat the eggs with the salt.
2. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a frying pan, and then add the eggs.
3. Stir for twenty seconds then remove the eggs and clean out the pan.
4. Pour one tablespoon of oil into the same pan.
5. Add the rice and stir briskly for three minutes.
6. Now, add the soy sauce and scrambled egg.
7. Make sure all the ingredients are mixed thoroughly then stir in the green onion. Serves four to six people.

Chow Mein. No Chinese New Year would be complete without a noodle dish. To cook stir-fry noodles, you will need:

• 7 oz. Chow Mein noodles
• 3 tbsp. oil
• 2 stalks green onion, chopped
• 3 tbsp. oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. sesame oil

1. Cook noodles in salted boiling water.
2. Drain and dry.
3. Heat oil in frying pan.
4. Add noodles and fry for five minutes, and then stir in the green onion.
5. Add oyster sauce, light soy sauce, and sesame oil until coated. Serves four to six people.

Congee. This recipe is for a Chinese New Year dish that can also function as comfort food all year round. To cook congee, you will need:

• 1 cup rice
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 stalks green onion, chopped

1. Combine rice and chicken broth in a large pot and bring to boil over medium heat.
2. Now, lower the heat and let simmer until the water has been absorbed.
3. Add more broth if necessary such that the rice becomes soft and grows to almost double its normal size. Garnish with green onion. Serves four to six people.

Baked Hoisin Chicken Wings. This dish goes great with rice, noodles, or on its own as an appetizer for your Chinese New Year celebrants. To bake hoisin chicken wings, you will need:

• 15 chicken wings
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 4 tbsp. hoisin sauce
• 1 tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 slice fresh ginger, minced

1. Season chicken wings with salt and pepper.
2. Marinate chicken wings for fifteen minutes (preferably overnight) in a mixture of honey, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger.
3. Bake marinated wings in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes, brushing the surface of the wings with marinade every five minutes.
4. Broil for two minutes on each side.
5. Transfer chicken wings to a serving platter and serve hot. Serves six people.

Stir-Fry Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli). Round off your feast with this vegetable dish, another easy Chinese New Year recipe. To cook stir-fry gai lan, you will need:

• 2 bunches gai lan
• 3 tbsp. oil
• 4 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 tsp. salt

1. Wash the gai lan and cut into four-inch pieces.
2. Cook the gai lan in a pot of boiling water for three minutes.
3. Run cold water over the gai lan then drain.
4. Heat oil in a frying pan over high heat.
5. Add in garlic and gai lan. Stir for two minutes.
6. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle salt. Serves four to six people.