I've already started planning my dinner menu for the Chinese New Year on Jan. 23. Like many Chinese people around the world, I look forward to the lunar New Year with great excitement. My love of this holiday has nothing to do with dragon parades and red envelopes stuffed with lucky money; for me, Chinese New Year is all about the food.
New Year's dinner is always one of the biggest meals of the year. According to Chinese tradition, several foods are considered auspicious, consumed to bring health, wealth, harmony and happiness. Chicken, usually served whole, symbolizes family unity, and noodles or long green beans express the wish for longevity. Fish and pork represent abundance, while lettuce and crispy fried spring rolls — which resemble wads of cash and bars of gold — signify money.
My family always made sure to cover all the bases. Every year, my mother cooked a feast that included boiled chicken with a soy-dipping sauce, a bacon-topped variation on Cantonese steamed fish, pig's trotters and peanuts simmered in a piquant vinegar sauce (a tradition I've since dropped from my menu) and some tangerines thrown in for good luck.