High Five Fridays: Weekly Meal Plan, Gung Hay Fat Choy!featured

Chinese New Year is a special time of year for us. It’s a time to celebrate with family and friends, and of course, EAT! Usher in a prosperous new year full of good fortune and plentifulness by making sure there is an abundance of good food on the table. No really, you are actually supposed to have so much food that there are leftovers because it’s good luck! Now that’s my kind of holiday.

These Chinese New Year recipes will have you starting the Year of the Snake off to a sssensational sssstart:

1. Scallion Pancakes. These are a favorite of mine – crispy, flaky, and full of aromatic scallions. Impress your guests (or yourself) and try your hand at making these at home.
2. Whole Steamed Sea Bass. Whole fish is a classic Chinese New Year dish because it is supposed to bring good luck and abundance from the beginning of the year all the way to the end, from “head to tail.”
3. Jiao Zi. Dumplings are also good luck because they are said to resemble purses, thereby hopefully making it rain fortune and riches all year long! The pork and shrimp recipe here is a Hua family favorite.
4. Homemade Dim Sum. While these may not necessarily be traditional Chinese New Year dishes, they are some of my favorite, and remind me of home (especially that Lo Bok Go). And in the end, that’s what it’s about right? Traditions, family, home. Plus, these dishes will definitely start your new year off on a delicious start. What’s more auspicious than that?
5. TREAT YO SELF: Almond Cookies. These are a classic treat – crumbly and buttery, almost like a shortbread, but with that lovely almond aroma. My favorite way to enjoy these? With a big scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

More on Chinese New Year Recipes and Food Traditions:

• A Lucky Feast: Chinese New Year Foods & Significances
• [Video] My TV segment on Chinese New Year Traditions