Chinese New Year: Year of the Rabbit

So I wasn't sure what traditional dishes are served for Chinese New Year. I wasn't sure if there were regular key players or an all out feast where you make what you want and eat however much you can. One thing is certain - food is the heart of this holiday.

I found a couple of interesting ideas/features on Chow. It has an array of dishes to choose from.

But I found something more impressive and inspiring: 10 Good Luck Foods for Chinese New Year, published last year. This is a list of ingredients and what they represent in these contexts.

Here's an excerpt that caught my attention:

6. Jai. This vegetarian dish is eaten because it’s “part of the
Buddhist culture to cleanse yourself with vegetables,” says Lum. It’s also
packed with good-luck foods, writes Gong, breaking it down by ingredient: sea
moss for prosperity; lotus seeds for children/birth of sons; noodles for
longevity; lily buds to “send 100 years of harmonious union”; Chinese black
mushrooms to “fulfill wishes from east to west”; and more.

If you are interested in hosting a Chinese New Year dinner (and practically effortlessly) on short notice, try a stress-free DIY Vegetarian Dim Sum Entertaining Menu by Vegetarian Times. I've tried this and it's FABULOUS and you can just consider it "semi-homemade" entertaining. It relieves you of the stress and allows you to focus your attention on your guests.

Cheers to the Year of the Rabbit (Food)!