13 Lunar New Year Recipes To Welcome the Year of the Snake

Here are 13 recipes from various cultures that celebrate the Lunar New Year, including insights into the traditions and tips for cooking.

13 Lunar New Year Recipes To Welcome the Year of the Snake
Overhead view of Korean pork and chives dumplings on a plate.
Simply Recipes / Uyen Luu

January 1, the Gregorian New Year, brings with it the promise of salads, smoothies, and more joy. About a month later (this year, it falls on January 29) Lunar New Year arrives. With it comes an abundance of foods that, depending on the culture, bring health and luck.

For Koreans like me, it's the biggest holiday of the year. I'm making mandu (dumplings) and tteokguk (rice cake soup) for my family to welcome in the year of the snake. If this millennia-old tradition is worth its weight, it will bring them great wealth, and they will live healthily until they are 100!

Here are 13 recipes from various cultures that celebrate the Lunar New Year, including insights into the traditions and tips for cooking.

Fried Spring Rolls

Overhead view of a platter of fried spring rolls with a dipping sauce on the platter and another dipping sauce next to it.
Simply Recipes / Uyen Luu

"Fried spring rolls are typically eaten for the Chinese Lunar New Year because their shape and color are similar to that of a bar of gold, symbolizing wealth and prosperity for the new year." —Vivian Jao, Simply Recipes Contributor

Whole Steamed Fish

Whole steamed fish
Simply Recipes / Uyen Luu

"Traditional Chinese dishes are given significance not only because the dish looks impressive or tastes good but also often for the play on words in their names. The Chinese word for fish is a homophone for the word surplus. Thus, you want to leave a little of the fish uneaten so that there will be surplus in the new year." —Vivian

Wonton Soup

Overhead view of a bowl of pork and ginger wontons in chicken soup.
Simply Recipes / Vivian Jao

"The brands of wonton wrappers I see at my local supermarket tend to be too thick and heavy. The ones I buy are sold in the refrigerated section of Asian markets. They should be thin and square. I prefer the Twin Marquis brand square Hong Kong-style wonton wrappers. Shanghai wrappers are thicker." —Vivian

Nian Gao (Baked Sticky Rice Cake with Red Bean Paste)

Side view of red bean paste rice cake stacked on a plate.
Simply Recipes / Uyen Luu

"There are two stories behind eating Nian Gao for the Lunar New Year. The first is that the translation is "sticky cake" with the homophones also meaning "high year," a reference to advancement.

"The other story has to do with feeding the Kitchen God something sticky so his mouth is stuck shut and he can't report anything negative to the Gods."—Vivian

Sticky Rice with Lạp Xưởng, Dried Shrimp, and Shiitake Mushrooms

Steamed rice with sausage, dried shrimp, and mushrooms
Simply Recipes / Uyen Luu

"During Tết, Vietnamese Lunar New Year, there are many meals to be had with family, close friends, and colleagues. These meals always include sticky rice, which can be part of a grand feast or as simple as a quick bite to offer guests who are passing by." —Uyen Luu, Simply Recipes Contributor

Lotus, Purple Sweet Potato, and Coconut Rice Pudding

Coconut rice pudding with lotus and sweet potato served in a bowl with a spoon.
Simply Recipes / Uyen Luu

"Food is medicine in the Vietnamese culture. You are what you eat and what you eat is what you reap. This dish is rich with ingredients we value for their nutritional and medicinal benefits." —Uyen

Thịt Kho Trứng (Braised Pork Belly and Eggs)

Pork belly and eggs braised in sweet coconut water in a bowl.
Simply Recipes / Uyen Luu

"Low and slow. That’s the only way to braise the pork belly and eggs. Set the pot over the lowest heat with the lid on." —Uyen

Mandu (Korean Dumplings)

Overhead view of Korean pork and chives dumplings on a plate.
Simply Recipes / Uyen Luu

"Everyone’s Mandu looks unique and has their own personal touch. Even if you don’t have any experience filling and shaping them, it shouldn’t cause you stress! It gets easier with practice." —Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee, Simply Recipes Contributor

Mandu Guk (Korean Dumpling Soup)

Overhead view of a bowl of beef soup with dumplings.
Simply Recipes / Uyen Luu

"Although Mandu Guk is eaten throughout the year, for Lunar New Year Koreans add rice cakes called tteokguk tteok, which translates to “rice cakes for rice cake soup.” This makes me chuckle! The rice cakes make it a celebratory meal that symbolizes growing another year older." —Cecilia

Tteokguk (Korean Rice Cake Soup)

A table set with a bowl of Dduk guk (Korean rice cake soup) and spoons.

"Tteokguk, always served on Seollal, is full of symbolism. The oval shape of the rice cakes symbolizes coins for prosperity. They are cut from long ropes of rice cakes—its length represents long life. The white color symbolizes purity and the fresh start of a new year." —Cecilia

Galbi Jjim 갈비찜 (Korean Braised Short Ribs)

Galbi jjim (braised short ribs) in a bowl along with rice.
Simply Recipes / Uyen Luu

"The ribs used for galbi jjim are cut shorter than the standard English-cut short ribs. They’re short and stocky, 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide and 2 1/2 to 3 inches high. 

"If you can’t get to a Korean market, ask your butcher to cut English-cut ribs crosswise into halves or thirds. If you can find thicker flanken-style ribs, cut the ribs so there is one bone in each portion." —Vivian

Hot and Sour Soup

Sweet and sour soup in a bowl.
Elise Bauer

"The predominant flavors in the soup are spicy and sour with earthy flavors from the mushrooms. The textures are also a contrast between silkiness from the tofu and egg and the crunchy, chewiness of the mushrooms." —Elise Bauer, Simply Recipes Founder

Chinese Almond Cookies

Almond cookies scattered on a rimmed plate.
Michelle Becker

"Set out a plate of these for the upcoming Chinese New Year. Almond cookies symbolize coins and will be sure to bring you good fortune." —Garrett McCord, Simply Recipes Contributor

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