What To Eat During 15 Days of Lunar New Year
Here’s what to eat during the 15 Days of Lunar New Year. Happy Lunar New Year! Did you know that the full New Year Celebrations actually last 15 days? To welcome a good year, there’s specific dishes to enjoy on specific days based on traditional mythology. But, different regions have their different traditions. I’ve included a few major days I’ve learned about, from the Day of Wealth to the Lantern Festival. But, if your family does something different, I’m so curious to hear what your traditions are!
Day 1: New Year’s Day 初一
New Year’s Day is the 1st day of the lunar year. Many families will celebrate with a Lunar New Year Eve Feast the night before. On the day of, they start with a vegetarian meal as a way of “starting the year clean”. There’s also various foods from turnip cakes to rice cakes 年糕 that people will enjoy. The Chinese name for these cakes sound like “high”, so you can reach new heights in the new year.
Turnip Cake
There’s nothing more lucky for a Day 1 breakfast or snack than Turnip Cakes for people in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and some parts of China. To keep it traditional, some will opt for fully vegetarian option, but it’s not a strict rule. It’s generally sliced, and pan-fried until crispy. Often times, this is made ahead of times before new years to prepare for the busy days of visiting relatives.
- 2.5 lb Chinese Turnip/Daikon
- 1 tbsp Dashi Powder/Chicken Powder
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 6 Chinese Sausages
- 2 cups Water
- 400 g Rice Flour
- Oyster Sauce OR Vegetarian Oyster Sauce For Dipping
Day 2: Married Daughters Return Home 回娘家
Day 2 of New Years traditionally is when married daughters bring their husbands back to their maternal homes to spend some time with their families, or 回娘家. To welcome their daughters and son-in-laws, many families will have another feast day. These foods, which can include whole chickens, wonton noodles, lettuce with dried oysters, and more, represents the family’s wishes for their daughters in their marriage.
Whole chicken
Eating a whole chicken symbolizes completeness and wholeness, representing the family’s wish for the daughters to have a perfect, happy marriage. This whole soy chicken is easy to make in an Instant Pot, and super delicious with simple ingredients.
- 3.5 lb Whole Chicken
- 1 cup Soy Sauce
- ¼ cup Dark Soy Sauce
- ½ cup Chinese Cooking Wine optional
- 1 tbsp Five-Spice Powder
- 10 cloves Garlic smashed
- 3 thin slices of Ginger
- 2.5 tbsp honey
wonton Noodles
Some parts of Northern China will enjoy wonton noodle soup as part of Day 2 of New Years. Since wontons 雲吞 look like gold ingots, and the name in Chinese sounds like “swallowing luck”, it’s another lucky food for New Years people love. The noodles signify longevity, so families enjoy the two together to wish their daughters wealth and health in the next year.
- 1 lb Ground Pork
- 1 lb Shrimp minced into a paste
- 1 inch Ginger grated or 2 tbsp of Grated Ginger
- 2 Green Onion chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic grated
- ½ pack Dashi Powder
- 1 tsp White Pepper
- 1.5 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tsp Cornstarch
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 50 Wonton Wrapper
Soup
- 3 slices Ginger
- 4 cups Chicken Stock
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Dried Shallots
- Noodles
- Bok Choy of vegetable of your choice
Day 3: Red Dog Day 赤狗日
Day 3 is a day where the regional variations really change for New Years. The most common is Red Dog Day (赤狗日) or Red Mouth Day is a day of honoring the Red Dog, a god of wrath in mythology. This day focuses on avoiding conflict and chaos, so you don’t bring that energy into the rest of the year. Some things to avoid for this day include visiting people, cooking elaborate foods, and getting into arguments.
Another tradition for this day is the Rat’s Wedding and the Grain God’s Birthday, so some people will have traditional grain-based treats left out as well! Often times, this is the day for staying home, sleeping in, eating leftovers and snacks, and relaxing after all the big celebrations of the previous days.
Shredded Chicken Cucumber Salad
This Shredded Chicken Cucumber Salad is a great recipe for day 3. It uses up the leftover whole chicken from the day before, and doesn’t require heating anything. It’s super tasty, and super quick to make too! It’s an easy, tasty way to make sure you get plenty of rest on Day 3.
- 2 cups leftover Rotisserie chicken or any leftover cooked chicken
- 1 whole cucumber
- 1 carrot optional
- 2.5 tbsp Four Season Scallion Sauce
- 2 tbsp Golden Shallot Oil
- 2 stalks green onions
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 1.5 tbsp sesame seeds
Sesame Balls
Sesame balls are such a classic new years treat! This is a dessert that work well to celebrate both the Rat’s Wedding and Grain God’s birthday. It’s a sweet treat that isn’t just delicious, but packed with a ton of symbolism as well. The golden color, the expansion during frying, the round shape, and the grains of sesame seeds all have the meaning of grains and gold rolling into the home.
- 1 cup Glutinous Rice Flour
- 2.5 tbsp Sugar
- 100 ml HOT Water Make sure it’s HOT**
- ¼ cup RAW Sesame Seeds
- ½ cup Red Bean Paste or Filling Optional
Day 5: Day of Wealth 破五
Day 5 of Chinese New Years, also known as 破五, is the return of the God of Wealth 財神. Business reopen on this day to welcome more wealth for the year. Many families put out offerings and set off firecrackers to invite money to come in. This is an especially auspicious day for food that symbolizes wealth, like dumplings and sesame balls!
Pork and Chive Dumplings
Dumplings are the classic symbols of wealth for New Years! Since they look like gold ingots in ancient times, eating them means you’re bringing in more money on this day. They’re an absolute must have to welcome the God of Wealth’s return. Of course, dumplings are eating not just on this day. But, for a day dedicated to wealth, there’s no other food better than these Pork and Chives dumplings!
- 1 lb Chives Chopped
- 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1.5 lb Ground Pork or Chicken
- 2 tbsp Oyster Sauce
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Ginger
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Chicken Powder
- 1 tsp White Pepper
- 50 Dumpling Wrappers
Dipping Sauce:
- 2 tbsp Black Vinegar
- 0.5 tbsp Homemade Chili Oil
- 1 tbsp Sesame Seeds
Vegetarian Alternative
- 7 Eggs scrambled
- 2 tbsp Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
- 1 tsp Mushroom Powder
Whole Pork Belly
For many Taiwanese families, they will put out offerings like whole chicken, whole fish, or a whole piece of pork bellies. Leaving them unsliced maintains the “wholeness” as a respect to the gods. This Soy Glazed Pork Belly is one recipe that does just that. Of course, this isn’t a traditional pork belly recipe. But, it still maintains that “cooking pork belly whole”. And, it’s absolutely delicious!
Day 7: Everyone’s Birthday 人日
In Cantonese and Chinese culture, this day is known as Everyone’s Birthday (人日). This is the day that Nuwa create all humans in Chinese mythology. On this day, everyone officially ages a year. In China, many people willclimb mountains to symbolize climbing in status for the year. For people in Malaysia and Singapore, they often enjoy a raw fish salad called 魚生 or Prosperity Toss to bring in extra luck for the year.
Vegetable Congee
In Hong Kong and Southern China, they enjoy a 7-veggie congee that includes vegetables like celery, leeks, chives, mustard leaves, coriander, and spinach, each symbolize a different type of luck. Eating a light congee of 7 vegetables on the 7th day is also a way of lighting the diet after a week of feasting. You can make your own version using my Vegetable Congee recipe as a base!
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 5 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1/2 cup chopped broccoli
- 3 stalks green onions chopped, separate whites and greens
- 10 shitaake mushrooms chopped
- 2 tbsp Golden Shallot Oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp Four Season Scallion Sauce
- 1 tsp white pepper adjust to own spice level
- Salt to taste
- 2 eggs beaten, optional
Day 9: Jade Emporor’s Birthday 天公生
In Taiwan, the Jade Emporer’s Birthday 天公生 is an important day to pray for good luck throughout the year. In honor of the Jade Emporer 玉皇大帝, the ruler of the heavens, families flock to the temples or set up offerings for his birthday. Some offerings will include red turtle cakes 紅龜粿, red eggs, steamed fortune cakes 發糕, longevity noodles, and more.
Longevity Noodles
After offering the noodles to the Jade Emporer, the noodles are taken home and enjoyed to bring longevity for the families. This traditional Longevity Noodles recipe is one of a few that Taiwanese families enjoy during New Years. To maintain longevity, you avoid “snipping” or “cutting” the strands of noodles.
Day 15: Lantern Festival 元宵節
On the last day of New Years is the Lantern Festival 元宵節. This is another big celebration to round out the New Years celebration and the first full moon of the year. It’s celebrated with Lion and Dragon Dances, Lantern Riddles, and of course, Tangyuan. If you remember making lanterns as a kid for New Years, it was definitely for this day!
Tangyuan
Tangyuan 湯圓 is an absolute must-eat dish to end on a sweet note on the last day of New Years. The roundness of these sticky rice balls symbolizes both the full moon on this day and the reunion of family. Plus the sweetness of this dessert brings happiness for the rest of the year. They’re often eaten with a ginger syrup, which I include with my Hot Mochi recipe, or with fermented sweet rice.
- 250 g Glutinous Rice Flour
- 100 g Sugar
- 140 ml Water
