Lucky foods for your Chinese New Year recipes

The Lunar New Year period is probably the most important moment of the year in Asia. In China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam, Cambodia, South Korea, the Philippines, and around the world, from Canada to Australia, families and friends gather to share festive meals together, at home and in restaurants.

In the table below, we begin by recalling the classification of foods (fruits, vegetables, herbs) as they are traditionally used both in cooking and in Chinese medicine.

Each element has its own culinary and medicinal virtues, which can be transposed to specific foods and organs, senses or functions of the human body.

Food classification according to Chinese medicine

Element Organ Quality Fruit, vegetable, herbs 🌳 Wood Gallbladder, liver, muscles, tendons, ligaments, eyes Drawing, reading, table tennis, visual acuity, birth, elimination, acid taste Wheat, kiwi, salad, Chinese cabbage, broccoli, green beans, olive oil, avocado, pistachios, coriander, thyme, rosemary, mint, verbena lemongrass, parsley, basil 🔥 Fire Blood stream, heart, blood vessels, small intestine, throat, tongue, sweat Speech, songs, joy, laughter, athleticism, warmth, bitter taste Tomatoes, red peppers, red peppers, watermelon, strawberries, peach, cherries, raspberries, red beets, peanuts 🗿 Earth Mouth, lips, flesh, blood, inner fluids, saliva, pancreas, spleen, stomach Compassion, delicacy, cooking, outdoor sports, humidity, taste and smell, sweet taste Rye, corn, banana, lemon, apricot, pineapple, honey, sunflower oil, potato, cashew, cinnamon 🛠 Metal Nose, lungs, skin, hair, tears, large intestine, mucus Harvest, fitness and yoga, freshness, spicy taste Rice, soy, onion, turnip, white radish, lychee, cauliflower, white mushrooms, coconut, dragon fruit, pine nuts 💧 Water Bone marrow, bones, joints, ears, saliva, kidneys, bladder, urine Audition, writing, salty taste Black beans, plums, prunes, blackberries, black currants, eggplants, dates, coffee, raisins, pepper, poppy seeds, nigella seeds, figs

 

Now, thanks to the table below, you will be able to customize your Lunar New Year meal according to your wishes for the coming year. Depending on whether you are looking for good luck, health, wealth and prosperity or success, adapt your menu according to your personal, family and professional aspirations.

If some of the listed foods are closely related to the Chinese tradition, you have no obligation to apply specific recipes. Even in China, there are hundreds of ways to cook dumplings or noodles. The only thing that matters about noodles is that they are of a consistent length, because it is the guarantee of the longevity with which they are associated.

🥟 Chinese New Year's lucky foods

Desired virtue Chinese New Year foods 💰 Money, prosperity Dumplings, spring rolls, lobster, seaweed, grapefruit, tangerines 🖖 Longevity Noodles, peaches, bamboo shoots, leeks, chives 🍀 Good fortune and abundance Whole fish (catfish, carp), meat, poultry, seafood 💰🍀 Money and lasting luck Orange, tangerine, dried apricots, shrimps, bean sprouts 🔑 Success Rice cake 🍊 Fertility, good health Eggs, lotus seeds, grapefruit seeds 🕊 Peace Roast pork 💙 Loyalty Duck 🤞 Hope, happy family Watermelon, tofu

 

Finally, below, you will find a non-exhaustive list of the most popular traditional Chinese New Year snacks.

🥮 Chinese New Year snacks and desserts

• Moon cakes
• Nan Gao donuts
• Love letters
• Bahulu
• Bak Kwa
• Peanut cookies
• Fortune cookies
• Peanuts puffs
• Shrimp rolls
• Twisted cookies
• Crispy honeycombs
• Pineapple tartlets