Special food for Chinese New Year?

Foods of the Chinese New Year

http://www.foodmuseum.com/chinesenew.html

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There are a few dishes that Chinese people have during Chinese New Year because the food represents "good luck". I only know the Cantonese ones as my family is Cantonese and that's what my mom makes every year.

For example:
Dried Oyster and Black Moss and lettuce:
1) "dried oyster" in Cantonese is "ho-si" which is the same pronunciation as "good things"
2) "black moss" in Cantonese is "fat choy" which is the same pronunciation as "wealthy"
3) lettuce in Cantonese is "sang choy" which is the same pronunciation as "get wealthy"

Fish
1) Fish in Cantonese is "yu" which is similar to the pronunciation of "plentiful" and "abundance". But make sure you're serving the whole fish, from head to tail in one piece, don't chop the fish in half.

Nin-go (Sticky Rice Cake)
1) Nin is the same word as "year"
2) Go is the same sound as "happiness"

Chicken - you need chicken at every important festival/dinner, and again, you have to serve the entire chicken. So make sure the head and tail are on the plate, too. You can cut the chicken into pieces, but better if you rearrange the pieces so it looks like an "unchopped" chicken.

Jai - vegetarian dish made with fermented/red tofu sauce
1) traditionally, Chinese people only eat vegetarian dishes on the first day of New Year's because they believe in "no killing" on that day. That's the day you thank the gods for a good year and you "sacrifice" by not killing or harming animals.

that's all I can remember now.

Typically, we eat a dish called Jai, which is a vegetarian dish. It has, as an ingredient, a black moss/fungus which looks kind of like hair, called Fat Choy (like in "Gung Hay Fat Choy" - Happy New Year in Cantonese).
Chicken is pretty common also.

a number of those food that we often consume on chinese language new 12 months are: Bak Kwa ?? Yusheng Mandarin Orange Wontons and Dumplings -- in the previous dumplings got here approximately, wontons (hún dùn, ??) have been eaten because of the fact the be conscious for wonton in chinese language consists of the meaning of latest beginnings. Phonetically, it additionally feels like the term that describes a properly-stocked grain bin, representing a healthy new 12 months and a good harvest. in a while, wontons have been made into the form of a crescent moon, and grew to grow to be dumplings. The custom of ingesting dumplings had already grow to be extensive-unfold throughout China throughout the Tang Dynasty.

Shumai(pronounced, "shoe-my"). It's like a Chinese ravioli. The fillings are usually pork or shrimp or a mixture of the two. You can find them in Asaian food markets. You can cook them many ways but deep fried is best.

1) Yu Sheng: It's a raw fish salad. Everybody will gather around it and toss the salad, while shouting out auspicious Chinese greetings. People try to toss it higher, as it is believed that the higher you toss, the more wealth and fortune you'll receive.

2) Steamboat: A large pot of boiling soup is placed in the middle of a table and people cook raw food in this boiling soup.

3) Pineapple Tarts: The word 'Pineapple' is 'Ong Lai' in Hokkien, which sounds like Chinese for 'Wang Lai', which also represents wealth and good luck. So, pineapple tarts are eaten in the hope that it will bring good luck and good fortune.

Jiaozi Dumplings

Ingredients:
Jiaozi dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour
up to 1 1/4 cups cold water
1/4 teaspoon salt
Filling:
1 cup ground pork or beef
1 TB soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 TB Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper, or to taste
3 TB sesame oil
1/2 green onion, finely minced
1 1/2 cups finely shredded Napa cabbage
4 tablespoons shredded bamboo shoots
2 slices fresh ginger, finely minced
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced
Preparation:
Stir the salt into the flour. Slowly stir in the cold water, adding as much as is necessary to form a smooth dough. Don't add more water than is ncessary. Knead the dough into a smooth ball. Cover the dough and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.

While the dough is resting, prepare the filling ingredients. Add the soy sauce, salt, rice wine and white pepper to the meat, stirring in only one direction. Add the remaining ingredients, stirring in the same direction, and mix well.

To make the dumpling dough: knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball. Divide the dough into 60 pieces. Roll each piece out into a circle about 3-inches in diameter.

Place a small portion (about 1 level tablespoon) of the filling into the middle of each wrapper. Wet the edges of the dumpling with water. Fold the dough over the filling into a half moon shape and pinch the edges to seal. Continue with the remainder of the dumplings.

To cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add half the dumplings, giving them a gentle stir so they don't stick together. Bring the water to a boil, and add 1/2 cup of cold water. Cover and repeat. When the dumplings come to a boil for a third time, they are ready. Drain and remove. If desired, they can be pan-fried at this point.

make vegetarian food