Danielle Chang

Tong yuan, sweet stuffed rice balls, is a popular dish during holidays such as the Lantern Festival, when round, moon-shaped foods are eaten for auspiciousness, and at weddings and other celebrations. After all, yuanis a homophone for the Chinese word for “reunion,” symbolizing harmony and togetherness. When offered as a last course, these rice balls are frequently served in a sweet, clear soup.

The Chinese New Year is the world’s most widely celebrated festivity, but it can also be the most intimidating for the uninitiated — especially when it comes to feasting, which is at the heart of this holiday. Between the preparation for feasting and the feasting itself, there are many, many rules. Here are a few to help newcomers navigate the New Year festivities.

Gin time and tea time are both entrenched British traditions, and the pair makes quite a heady cocktail. The British colonized much of Asia, and in the process, they brought over their traditions, including a proper English tea. This cocktail picks up both citrus and smoky notes from Lapsang Souchong, a black tea that originates from the Chinese province of Fujian and is made of Lapsang leaves that have been smoked over a pinewood fire.

Red-colored meats are eaten for good luck because red is the color of fire, a symbol of good fortune and joy. “Red cooking” is a Chinese method of stewing or braising with both dark and light soy sauces and caramelized sugar; it imparts a red color to the prepared food. Despite its appearance, dark soy sauce is actually not as salty as the light variety, and it is often the soy sauce of choice for hearty dishes like stews that require added body and color.

Not to be confused with the Sichuanese dish ma po tofu, ma lan tou is a refreshing and easy-to-compose cold salad that is frequently served as part of a selection of small plates at the start of a Shanghainese feast. Along with crumbled firm tofu, chrysanthemum leaves (known as shungiku leaves in Japanese, or tong ho in Cantonese) are the co-star of the dish. They impart a fragrant and mildly grassy note to this herbaceous salad, and are easily found in Asian groceries.

In Chinese homes, dumplings (or jiaozi in Mandarin) are a traditional must-eat food on New Year’s Eve; families wrap them up and eat them as the clock strikes midnight. Dumplings symbolize longevity and wealth; their shape resembles gold shoe-shaped ingots, an early form of Chinese currency. From Polish pierogito to Italian raviolito to pan-fried Japanese gyoza, dumplings are universal comfort food.