Celebrate the Year of the Snake with These 45 Lunar New Year Recipes

Christine Gallary
Christine GallarySenior Recipe Editor
After graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, I worked at Cook's Illustrated and CHOW's test kitchens. I've edited and tested recipes for more than 15 years, including developing recipes for the James Beard-award winning Mister Jiu's in Chinatown cookbook. My favorite taste testers are my husband, Hayden, and daughter, Sophie.
updated Jan 9, 2025
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Chả giò (fried spring rolls) on a platter with hands setting the platter down on a table.
Credit: Photo: Jenny Huang; Food Styling: Thu Pham Buser; Prop Styling: JoJo Li

Lunar New Year is celebrated across many different Asian cultures, including Vietnamese, Chinese, and Korean communities. It’s always been one of my favorite holidays because in Chinese culture, it centers so much around family and feasting. My family starts with a big, multi-course family dinner on the eve of new year, but family visits and eating are an integral part of the whole extended holiday. This year, 2025, marks the Year of the Snake, and it is said those born under the snake sign are thought to be intuitive, sensitive, and passionate.

Lunar New Year dishes are full of color and symbolism, and you can go all out and prepare an epic reunion dinner or just try a few new-to-you dishes to celebrate. From fried spring rolls and juicy dumplings to hand-pulled longevity noodles and whole steamed fish, here’s a list of 45 delicious recipes to usher in the Year of the Snake.

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Lucky 8 Stir Fry
This mixed vegetable dish takes its inspiration from Buddhist vegetarian cooking and can include any combination of ingredients that represent good luck, prosperity, happiness, family wholeness, and longevity.
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Cheung Fun (Rice Noodle Rolls)
When steamed fresh, these rice noodle rolls are bouncy, chewy, a little slippery, and the perfect blank canvas for your sauce of choice.
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Dan Dan Noodles
The secret to these dan dan noodles is in the savory, spicy, and nutty sauce.
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Sheng Jian Bao (Pan-Fried Pork Buns)

You can make your own Chinese restaurant-worthy pork buns at home.

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Cha Siu
In this classic Chinese dish, a boneless pork roast is cooked in a sweet and savory glaze until tender.
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Taiwanese Cucumber Salad

Rice vinegar and mirin are flavor stand-outs in this crunchy, cold salad.

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Chinese Sticky Rice

This comforting combination of sweet rice, Chinese sausage, and mushrooms is a classic Chinese dish.

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Pan-Fried Chive Pockets
This traditional Chinese delicacy can be found both as a casual street food and also as a Lunar New Year mainstay.
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Cantonese Hot Pot at Home

At-home hot pot is a fun and simple meal that gets the whole family involved.

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Galbi Jjim (Korean Braised Short Ribs)

These Korean braised short ribs are the definition of umami-rich winter comfort food.

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Chinese Bao Board

What is a Chinese bao board, you ask? It basically deconstructs the elements in the delicious buns found at Chinese bakeries and dim sum restaurants and presents it on a board, making them perfect for parties and gatherings.

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Scallion Pancakes
You’ll be surprised by how easy it is to whip up a batch at home with ingredients you already have in your pantry.
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Sizzling Fish
This Cantonese steamed whole fish is topped with ginger, green onions, and fermented black beans and sizzled with hot oil.
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Chinese Steamed Pork Buns

Steamed pork buns are a comforting and filling breakfast item that can be found in many Chinese bakeries next to the steamer. With its fluffy skin and delicious savory pork filling, each bun has the perfect balance of flavors.

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Red XO Sauce

Chinese XO sauce at its core is an oil infused with dried seafood, salted meat, and aromatics. Stir-fry the sauce with noodles or veggies.

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Sesame Noodles

The ultimate refreshing cold noodle dish of chewy noodles tossed in a tossed in a sesame-peanut sauce.

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Ma Lan Tou (Chrysanthemum and Tofu Salad)

An easy, refreshing chrysanthemum and tofu salad tossed with lots of cilantro.

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Mapo Tofu

Cubes of tofu are braised in an almost too-hot-to-handle sauce flavored with fermented black beans and chili paste, and dotted with pieces of crispy beef or pork.

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Chả Giò (Fried Spring Roll)

Andrew X. Pham's chả giò (fried spring roll) recipe is one his family goes back to time and again.

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Fried Rice with Scallops and Five-Spice

This scallop fried rice with five-spice can be prepared in 30 minutes, which makes it a go-to dish to round out a Lunar New Year dinner.

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Tang Yuan (Chinese Glutinous Rice Balls with Black Sesame Filling)
A traditional Chinese dessert that’s perfect for any Lunar New Year celebration.
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Japchae (Korean Sweet Potato Noodle Stir-Fry)
Sweet potato glass noodles get stir-fried in a sweet-savory sauce with baby spinach and thinly sliced carrots, onions, mushrooms.
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Three Cup Chicken

This Taiwanese dish boasts a sweet, savory, umami-rich flavor, thanks to its hallmark trio: soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice wine.

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Braised Shiitake Mushrooms with Baby Bok Choy

The classic Chinese combination of braised shiitake mushrooms in a sweet-savory sauce over vibrant baby bok choy.

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Nian Gao
A chewy, sticky, traditional steamed Chinese cake to celebrate Lunar New Year.
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Pineapple Tarts

A pastry synonymous with Lunar New Year celebrations, these mini tarts have a melt-in-your-mouth cookie base and a pineapple compote topping.

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Xôi Gấc (Red Sticky Rice)
This red sticky rice can be eaten on its own with toppings, or paired with savory dishes.
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Char Siu Bao (Chinese Steamed Pork Buns)

A complete step-by-step guide to making the dim sum favorite of soft fluffy buns filled with sweet Chinese barbecued pork (char siu).

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Taiwanese Fresh Peanut Mochi

Pleasantly Q-textured fresh mochi has a subtle sweetness and a nutty aroma from the peanut mixture that coats each bite-sized piece.

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Shrimp with Lobster Sauce

Learn how to make the classic Chinese takeout dish at home in just 30 minutes.

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Sesame Balls
These fried sesame balls are a dim sum classic and stuffed with black sesame filling for a crunchy, chewy, and sweet treat.
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Taiwanese Cold Noodles

Full of crunchy textures and bursting flavors, these Taiwanese cold noodles take under 30 minutes to make.

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Chinese-Style Spicy Eggplant Salad
Chinese eggplants are steamed, torn into pieces, then coated in a moderately spicy sauce and served cold or at room temperature.
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Chinese Sausage Fried Rice

Chinese sausage is the easiest way to amp up the flavors in fried rice.

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Oxtail Soup
This comforting, hearty soup from Mister Jiu's cookbook is full of meaty oxtails, roasted veggies, star anise, ginger, and two kinds of peppercorns.
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Hong Shao Rou (Red-Braised Pork Belly)

Pork belly is braised until meltingly tender with sugar and soy sauce.

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Easy Homemade Noodles with Ginger Scallion Oil
These hand-pulled noodles are a fun and easy weekend project that results in one seriously satisfying dinner.
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Jiaozi (Classic Chinese Dumplings)
Dumplings look like the gold ingot currency used in ancient China and represent wealth and prosperity for the coming year.
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Shanghai Style Sweet & Sour Sauce
This sweet and sour sauce is the one I grew up with in Shanghai. It's made with black vinegar, rock sugar, and generally served atop tender pork riblets.
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Chow Mein

Chewy noodles, tender chicken, and crisp veggies are tossed together in this easy 20-minute chow mein recipe.

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Honey Walnut Shrimp

This flavor-packed dish is a must-add to your celebratory table.

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Mandu (Korean Tofu Kimchi Dumplings)

The dumplings are filled with a mixture of tofu, cabbage kimchi, carrots, and bean sprouts, plus a little ginger and a lot of alliums – garlic, onions, leeks, scallions. Toasted sesame oil and a couple of eggs bring it all together.

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Chicken Lettuce Wraps

The Cantonese word for lettuce sounds like "rising fortune," and the leaves are stuffed with other lucky ingredients into one tasty appetizer.

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Mứt (Candied Meyer Lemon with Chili and Licorice)
This recipe infuses the low-acid mellowness of Meyer lemons with the kick of hot chilies and camphor licorice.
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