For as long as I can remember, the Lunar New Year has been the most important holiday of the year. Sure, you might say Iβm biased because Iβm from Taiwan. But itβs not just in my head: Billions of people across the world celebrate the Lunar New Year. And with hundreds of millions of them returning home to visit their families, itβs one of the planetβs largest human migrations.
The beauty of the Lunar New Year is that many cultures, from Malaysia to Korea to Vietnam to Tibet to China, celebrate it in their own unique way. While I might not be an expert on how every group celebrates this special holiday, I have celebrated the Taiwanese Lunar New Year over twenty times.
In Taiwan, the rituals and traditions revolve around welcoming the new year and spending time with family. There are clear rules for what to do each day, whether thatβs decorating spring coupletsβpropitious verses, written in black or gold ink on red paper, that express luck in the year to comeβthe day before the new year; wishing each other good fortune (we say βwish you get richβ as a greeting); staying up past midnight on New Yearβs Eve (the literal translation for this practice is βguarding the yearβ); or wearing new clothes. And of course, a big festive meal is an essential part of the holiday.
While it might be challengingβif not impossibleβto host a large meal for a crowd this year, I think we can still find ways to celebrate and pay tribute to the traditions. My mini-but-festive menu fills my diaspora stomach with nostalgia, bringing a little Taipei to New York for meβI hope it brings joy to your table.
The rice
First up is youfan, my favorite rice dish of all time. This Taiwanese sticky rice specialty is enjoyed on special occasions, like when a baby turns one month old. Itβs got a satisfyingly dense texture and is usually flavored with umami-intense ingredients. My version is made with fried ginger, dried mushrooms, dried shrimp, black sesame oil, fried shallots, rice wine, and soy sauce. Everything gets steamed together in one bowl so that the glutinous rice can absorb all the delicious flavors. To make this dish vegan and gluten-free, omit the shrimp and seek out gluten-free soy sauce.
The main
For the main dish, Iβm making something traditional: steamed whole fish. What you cook and eat on Lunar New Yearβs Eve is all about auspicious puns, and the whole fish is a classic example. It symbolizes excess fortune for the year because the word βfishβ in Mandarin sounds the same as the word for βexcess.β And who doesnβt want to carry over extra fortune into the coming year?
But since it can be challenging to steam a whole fish at home (you need a big pan and some bulky equipment), I opt for a smaller fish. And my twist is that I steam it directly on a bed of aromatics (in this case, onions, scallions, and ginger) rather than on a plate set atop a rack. The result is an excellent whole fish that checks off the prosper-pun box, plus incredibly saucy vegetables to serve it with.
The greens
We canβt have a proper dinner without some greens, and I love this tasty cucumber salad from chef Justin Lee of Fat Choy. It adds the necessary freshness to the spread, and itβs a simple side dish everyone loves.
The sweet
Finally, letβs end the meal with something sweet: mochi-stuffed jujubes, or as we call them in Taiwan, εΏε€ͺθ» soft hearts. Itβs a beautiful dessert in which dried jujubesβa common ingredient in East Asian desserts and herbalismβare filled with balls of glutinous rice flour dough, then simmered in (and doused with) a simple syrup infused with dried osmanthus flowers. The fruity, woodsy aroma of the jujubes pairs with the floral, honeyed syrup, and their dense, spongy texture complements the chewy mochi.
This dessert is also my own attempt at an auspicious pun for the next year: We all went through challenging times over the past couple of years, and I hope we can soften our hearts and treat each other gently in the next year. My wish is that we can be like soft mochi, easily bent but too stretchy to break.
