Spring Rolls

Spring rolls, also named spring pancakes (春饼) or thin pancakes (薄饼), are a traditional festival food among the Han ethnic group. It is popular in China, especially in regions south of the Yangtze River. Spring rolls are made by the following steps: mix white flour with a little water and salt, knead into a dough and bake it into round wrappers, put the fillings — a vegetable and meat filling in most places while a red bean paste filling is used in the northern area of China — on the wrappers, roll the wrappers and fold the two edges right up, then deep-fry the spring rolls until they are golden brown and crispy.

Chinese spring rolls are generally small. A dish of 20 centimeters in diameter can contain more than ten. Spring rolls served in the Chinese restaurants of America have meat fillings, they are as big as hamburgers, and can be a complete meal. Spring rolls were also a dish of the second feast in the Manchu Han Imperial Feast (满汉全席).

History and Origin

According to records, before the Tang Dynasty, everyone made a kind of thin pancake with flour on the day of the Beginning of Spring. People put them in a dish and added special vegetables and fruits; this was called the "Spring Dish (春盘)". It was sent to relatives and friends to show their welcome of spring and its blessing.

In the Tang Dynasty, the Spring Dish was generally decorated with carrots and celery while it had various decorations in rich families. Except for pancakes, there were sauces, baked and salted meat, and varied fried dishes, such as spinach, chives, beansprouts, bean vermicelli and eggs. In the Song Dynasty, the Spring Dish served in the imperial palace was more luxurious.

In the Ming and Qing dynasties, with the development of cookery skills, cooks were able to change flour pancakes into mignon spring rolls. They were not only well-liked by the common folk, but were also famous in the palace. During the Qing Dynasty, when the grand banquet — the Manchu Han Imperial Feast (满汉全席) with 128 dishes — was held, spring rolls were served as one of its nine main pastries.

At present, spring rolls have different varieties, are distinctively shaped and are delicious; they are better than ever before.

Local Features

Spring rolls in Chengdu City

The people of Chengdu consider spring rolls to be non-fried, being made with flour, water and a bit of Chuan salt. The wrappers are made in a pan called "Yun Ban". They fill the wrappers with cold vegetables or fried dishes, such as sliced pork with spring onions or garlic meat. Then mustard powder, soy sauce, vinegar, paprika, processed sesame seeds and crushed peanuts are added as seasonings.

Spring rolls in Xiamen City

Spring rolls are called pancakes in Xiamen. The wrappers are filled with all kinds of ingredients. The main ingredients are bamboo shoots, peas, beansprouts, dried tofu, eggs, fish, shrimp meat, diced meat, oysters and carrots. Dried tofu should be cut or shredded, the thinner the better. After being fried, they can absorb the fluid from the fish, shrimp and meat, which prevents the wrappers from being destroyed by the fluids. Spring rolls like that are crispy, tender, sweet, delicious and rich in nutrients.

Spring rolls in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, spring rolls are one of the common pastries eaten when people talk over a cup of tea in a teahouse. They are about four inches long and about an inch in diameter. The wrappers are fried until they are golden brown. Inside the wrappers, the fillings are abundant and can include dried sliced mushrooms, shredded pork, dried bamboo shoot slices, vermicelli and agarics. Usually, a dish contains three ingredients. When eating, people use scissors to cut the spring rolls in half and dip them in sauces. There are various spring rolls in Hong Kong. Spring rolls sold in stalls by vendors are two inches or more in diameter. The wrappers are crispier than traditional ones, and the fillings are more abundant, therefore they are very popular as street snacks.

Chow Mein

Chow mein

Chow mein refers to stir-fried noodles with little  soup that are characterized by a salty taste. The name is from the Taishan Chinese dialect (a kind of Cantonese). Taishan is a county of Guangdong province. There are many varieties of chow mien all over the world. It is a famous Chinese cuisine.

The different kinds of noodles used in chow mein include rice noodles, flat noodles, fine noodles, sliced noodles, filleted noodles, silk noodles, and more., Chow mein is usually stir fried with brown and glossy soy sauce.

Varieties of Chow Mein

There are many kinds of chow mein including shredded meat (pork, beef, mutton, or  chicken) chow mein, egg chow mein, seafoodchow mein, and plain chow mein.

The following is an introduction of cooking methods for various kinds of chow mein.

Beef Chow Mein

Beef chow mein is a main course with noodles and beef being its main ingredient . It is very delicious, and  nutritious.

Ingredients and Condiments

200 g salted beef, one section of fried noodle, and an appropriate amount of scallions, ginger slices, oil，amylum, and oyster sauce

Cooking Method  

1. Cut the fried noodle into several pieces.

2. Add oil into the wok and heat it up to thirty-five percent hot. Place the noodles into the wok and fry them crisp, then put them into a bowl touse later.

3. Drizzle with a dash of oil again, and stir-fry with beef until well-done. Pour them out and filter out the oil.

4. Add scallions, ginger slices and beef into the wok, then add some cooking wine.

5.Mix soup andamylum together evenly with oyster sauce, and stir them into a starchy sauce.

6. Spare the sauce evenly on the noodles, pile them onto a plate and it is done.

The cooking methods of pork, mutton, and chicken chow mein are the same as beef chow mein. The only difference is the meat.

Egg Chow Mein

Ingredients and Condiments

Noodles (200g), eggs (100g), vegetables (100g), scallions(10g), salt (3g), soy sauce (25g), peanut oil (50g).

Cooking Method

1. Break the eggs and put them into a bowl. Beat the eggs with chopsticks until thoroughly mixed . Add a little refined salt  and set them aside to  use later.

2. Wash vegetables and cut them into small pieces. Clean the scallions and dice them finely. Set them by to use later.

3. Cook the noodles until they are well-done. Rinse them with cool water. Dish them out of the wok and leave them to cool.

4. Add an appropriate amount of peanut oil into the wok. Heat up the wok until it is seventy percent hot. Add the egg mixture into the wok and stir the eggs around until they are scattered and broken. Place them in a bowl when done.

5. Get another wok and heat it up with the rest of the peanut oil to seventy percent hot. Then add the scallion pieces into the wok. When the scallions spread their fragrance, drop rape pieces, soy sauce, and refined salt into the wok. Cook them until welldone.  

6. Nextdish them out and leave the juice in the wok. Bring  the juice to a boil then put the noodles into the wok and stir for about 3 minutes. When the juice has cooked out and the noodles are well-done, add the eggs and vegetable pieces. Mix them evenly then  serve.

Seafood Chow Mein

Ingredients and Condiments

Hand-pulled noodles (boil to well-done), fresh oysters (soak in ice water after being boiled to well-done, then drain), fresh shrimp (boil the shrimp to well-done), short necked clams ( the remaining  meat after being boiled to well-done), mushrooms, peppers, gingers, and scallion pieces.

Condiments: a large tablespoon of garlic lobster sauce and oyster sauce eachcooking wine, soup stock (soup which is used to boil short necked clams), half a bowl of rice, and a little salt.

Cooking Method

Heat up the wok with two lager tablespoons of oil. Add peppers, gingers and scallion pieces. Fry them until the fragrance bursts out. Drop oysters, shrimps, clams, and mushrooms into the wok. Stir-fry them immediately for a fewminutes , and then remove from dish.

Boil half a bowl of soup stock with some salt. Put the well-done noodles into the wok and stir-fry them until the soup cooks out. Add the seafood back, fry evenly, then the dish is finished.

Plain Chow Mein (素炒面)

Plain chow mein is a kind of noodles stir-fried with vegetables.  This colorful dish is very appetizing.

Ingredients and Condiments

Noodles (500g), dried beancurd sticks (40g), fresh mushrooms (60g), winter bamboo shoots (60g), flowering cabbage (100g), scallions (10g), gingers (5g), salt (6g), monosodium glutamate (3g), soy sauce (4g), cooking wine (5g), sesame oil (10g), peanut oil (35g).

Cooking Method

1. Cut the mushrooms into slices, flowering cabbage into sections, and bamboo shoots into pieces. Soak the dried beancurd sticks with warm water, wash them, then chop into pieces. Slice scallions and gingers into filiform pieces after removing their peels. Set them aside for later use.

2. Cook the noodles until they are well-done. Put them out and leave them to cool.

3. Heat up the wok with peanut oil. Then add the noodles and stir-fry until they take on a golden color. Dish up and remove the oil.

4. Get another wok. Spread a little peanut oil, and heat the wok to seventy to eighty percent hot.

5. Drop the filiform scallions and gingers to stir into the wok.

6. Then add mushrooms, dried beancurd sticks, fresh bamboo shoots, and flowering cabbage and fry themthoroughly.

7.Add the cooking wine, soy sauce, refined salt, and light soup and bring to a  boil.

8. Then mix the fried noodles in and stir-fry together. Turn down the heat and braise with a cover for a while.

9.Put in the monosodium glutamate and drop the sesame oil, and then the dish is done.

How to Cook Dumplings

Dumplings

It is said that the dumpling was invented by the Chinese medical sage Zhang Zhongjing of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220). Whether this is true or not, it is a popular food with a long history. It is the staple food and snack of northern Chinese people and it is also indispensable during the Spring Festival in northern China. There are many ways to cook dumplings, with different fillings. Here we introduce dumplings with pork and pumpkin filling. If you do not like them, replace them with another food.

Ingredients:

600g wheat flour, 400g ground pork, 100g pumpkin, 2 eggs, some ginger, green onion and some garlic

Seasoning: some salt, soy sauce, sugar, cooking wine, sesame oil and chicken powder

Note: The amount of the seasonings listed above can be adjusted according to personal taste.

Preparation and Cooking Instructions:

• Make the dumpling wrapper: Put the wheat flour in a basin. Add some salt and mix evenly. Pour water in the center of the flour. Knead and stir the flour into dough. Cover the dough with a wet cloth to rise for about half an hour. Sprinkle some flour onto a board and place the dough on the board. Knead the dough into a long strip and cut into small pieces. Roll the small piece flat with a rolling pin to make the dumpling wrapper. Put the wrappers aside. Sprinkle some flour on them to prevent them from sticking together.
• Make the dumpling filling: While the dough is fermenting, make the filling. Clean and mince the pork into ground pork. Clean and mince the pumpkin. Mix the ground pork with the minced pumpkin, salt, cooking wine, chicken powder, sugar, eggs and some water and stir them evenly.
• Make the dumpling: Put a spoon of filling into the center of each wrapper. Fold and pinch the wrapper edge together hard. Make sure the wrapper edge is tight.
• Make the dipping sauce (depends on your taste): Clean and mince some green onion and garlic. Put them in a small dish. Add some white sugar, vinegar and paprika. Heat some cooking oil and soy sauce, and when they boil, pour them in the dish.
• Cook the dumplings: Boil some water. When the water boils, add the dumplings one by one. When the water boils again, add about a small cup of water. Cover and repeat twice more. While boiling the dumplings, stir them to prevent them from sticking together or to the pot.
• The dumplings are ready. Drain them into a dish.

How to Cook Wonton

Wonton

Wonton (pronounced "hún tún" or "hún tun" in Chinese pinyin, pronounced "wěn tēn" in Cantonese, and "wonton" in English) is a traditional regional pasta of the Han nationality in China. Originating from northern China, wontons are similar to dumpling and are usually served in soup.

Origin

Wontons can be dated back to the Han Dynasty over 2000 years ago. Wontons arecrescent shaped and were originally used in activities of sacrifice and worship. During the Winter Solstice Festival of the  Song Dynasty (960 － 1279), shops would close temporarily ehilr every family made wontons as sacrificial offerings for ancestor worship. Afterwards all the family members shared the wontons.

A plate of sacrificial wontons in wealthy and honored families called "Hundred Flavor Wontons" included dozens of flavors with different fillings After the Southern Song Dynasty (1127 – 1279), wontons became popular amongordinary people.

Ancient Chinese regarded wontons as a kind of sealed steamed bread. At that time, wonton s were no different fromdumplings.

For thousands of years dumplings showed little change, but wontons slowly became different especially in southern China. Wontons were distinguished from dumplings and got their own name since Tang Dynasty (618 -- 907).

It is said that in Han Dynasty (202 B.C. – 220 A.D), the Xiongnu, an ancient tribe  in northern China, always harassed the border area so that local people suffered a lot. Hunshi (浑氏) and Tunshi（屯氏） were the two leaders of the Xiongnu .

Because of their cruelty local people hated them but had no way to kill them. So people began to call their dumplings "Hun" and "Tun" and pretend they were eating the flesh of the two warlords.

Allegedly this took place on the Winter Solstice Festival, so after that, people always eat wontons on that festival.

In the past, there was a saying in Beijing  "Eat wontons in the Winter Solstice Festival and eat noodles in the Summer Solstice Festival".

Wonton Described (Compared with Dumpling)

A piece of wonton wrapper is a 6×6 cm square, or a 5×7cm isosceles trapezoid; and a piece of dumpling wrapper is a circle 7cm in diameter.

Wonton wrapper is thinner than dumpling’s and looks crystal after cooking. If you cook the same amount of wontons and dumplings in boiled waterthe wontons will cook  easier and faster.

The soup of wanton is the key of its flavor, while the dip is all-important to dumpling.

Different Names of Wonton

Beijing (northern China): wonton.

Sichuan: Chaoshou, Sichuan people like spicy flavor, so there is a famous dish named "Red oil (chili-made soup) Chaoshou红油抄手/hóng yóu chāo shǒu".

Hubei Province: it is called "boiled dumplings (Shuijiao)" in Wuhan region, and called "Baomian /包面 bāo miàn" in other regions of Hubei.

Anhui Province: Baofu /包袱bāo fú.

Regions in the south of the Yangtze River: Shanghai, south Jiangsu, Zhejiang province call it "wěn tēn", which is similar to the pronunciation in Cantonese.

Jiangxi Province: known as "Qingtang/清汤 qīng tāng", also "Baomian" and "Yuntun".

Guangdong Province: in Chinese, the two words of "wen tun" were infrequently written, and in the past, few people knew how to write them. So "wen tun" was generally written into "yunton" (in Cantonese), where its English name "wonton" originated from.

Fujian Province: known as "Bianshi /扁食biǎn shí", "Bianrou /扁肉biǎn ròu". The of meatfilling is usually hammered together by mallet.

How to Cook Wonton

Ingredients

175g minced pork, 340g chopped fresh vegetable (Chinese cabbage or celery), 24 (3.5 inch square) wonton wrappers, 1 green Chinese onion, 2 tablespoon Chinese rice wine, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon sugar, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon chopped green onion, and ginger, moderate soy sauce, chicken powder, oyster sauce, five spice powder to taste. Water should not be added into ingredients.

Preparation

In a large bowl, combine pork, sugar, salt, wine, soy sauce, green onion, and ginger. Blend well, and let stand for 10 minutes.

Direction

The way of making wonton varies from regions to regions. The easiest way is to place, roll it up with a chopstick, and press the top corner and the bottom to seal it.

Or, you can place about one teaspoon of the filling at the center of each wonton wrapper. Moisten all 4 edges of wonton wrapper with water, and then pull the top corner down to the bottom, folding the wrapper over the filling to make a triangle. Press edges firmly to make a seal. Bring left and right corners together above the filling. Overlap the tips of these corners, moisten and press together. Continue until all wrappers are used.

For soup

Bring some chicken soup to boil. Carefully place wontons (usually 10 – 15 wontons for each person) into boiling soup without crowding, and cook for 3 – 5 minutes till the wontons float to the surface. It’s best to serve with some white pepper powder, several drops of sesame oil, and oyster oil.

Wonton Menu

English	Chinese	Characters
Chinese cabbage and pork stuffing wontons	báicài xiānròu húntún	白菜鲜肉馄饨
Fragrant-flowered garlic and pork wontons	jiǔcài xiānròu húntún	韭菜鲜肉馄饨
Preserved egg and pork wontons	xiānròu pídàn húntún	鲜肉皮蛋馄饨
Beijing wontons	jīngwèi húntún	京味馄饨
Jade wontons (with green vegetable stuffing)	fěicuì húntún	翡翠馄饨
Yuanbao wontons (look like shoe-shaped gold/silver ingot)	yuánbǎo húntún	元宝馄饨
Tea aroma wontons	chá xiāng húntún	茶香馄饨
Deep-fried wontonsStation	zhà húntún	炸馄饨
Ham and pork wontons	huǒtuǐ xiānròu húntún	火腿鲜肉馄饨

How to Cook Mapo Tofu

Mapo tofu, one of the most notable regional Chinese dishes has become a popular Sichuan dish around the world. It can be said that, "Tourists who don't taste mapo tofu have not really visited Sichuan." Because of its tasty flavor, it has become a famous dish not only in China, but also in Japan, Singapore, and many other countries.

The Dish Described

Mapo tofu is a combination of tender tofu and spicy chili-and-bean-based sauce, sprinkled with minced meat, usually pork or beef, and topped with some chopped scallion pieces. The snow-white bean curd, red beef, and green scallion contribute to a colorful, spicy, tender, and aromatic dish.

Origin

The Original Brand

The most authentic brand is Sichuan Chenshi Mapo Tofu (四川陈氏 麻婆豆腐). It is a dish handed down from imperial times, and the signature dish of Chen Mapo Tofu Restaurant (陈麻婆豆店).

The Story of Mapo Tofu

As to the beginning of Mapo Tofu, there are a lot of stories. The most popular one is that the dish was created in the early years of Tongzhi reign in Qing Dynasty (1856–75) by Chenshi, the wife of the owner of a small restaurant, located under Wanfu Bridge, in the northern suburbs of Chengdu.

Mapo (/maa-por/) is the way Chinese describe a woman who has pitted face. Chenshi was the mapo ('pit-faced woman') who created the tofu dish, hence (Chenshi) mapo tofu.

The restaurant where mapotofu appeared was originally called Chen Xingsheng Restaurant, located under a short but broad wooden bridge — Wanfu Bridge. Many passing street vendors and common workers liked to have a rest in the restaurant.

Oil couriers were major customers. They would buy some tofu and beef there, scoop out some vegetable oil from their consignment, and ask Mapo (Chenshi) to cook it into one dish. As time passed by, Mapo learned some unique skills and created a special dish.

The tofu she cooked was so tasty that everyone liked it, and her tofu gradually became famous during her lifetime. Therefore people called the tofu she cooked Chen Mapo Tofu, and her small restaurant was eventually renamed Chen Mapo Tofu Restaurant.

Thanks to the efforts of descendants of Chen Mapo over many generations, the restaurant has achieved lasting fame for more than 140 years, gaining high praise among connoisseurs.

How to Cook Mapo Tofu

Ingredients

MapoToufu

500g fresh tofu, 120g vegetable oil, 150g minced (scalped) beef, 5.5g salt, 20 ml Mapo tofu sauce (soy sauce), chili powder (to taste), 20g Pixian bean paste, 250g double-boiled soup (made from bone with ginger and pepper), 50g green garlic sprouts, soy sauce (to taste), 40g soy flour and water (the starchy sauce), (2g chicken powder), chili powder and chopped scallions (to taste).

Preparation

Choose a 500g piece of fresh and tender soft white tofu, not a pickled tofu. Check whether it is fresh by smelling it or kneading it. Dice the tofu into 2 cm (½–1") cubes, and put them into a bowl of hot water to remove astringency.

Cooking

Heat up a wok with the prepared vegetable oil to around 80 °C. Fry the chopped beef in the wok till it becomes light brown, and then add the salt, Mapo tofu sauce, chili powder and Pixian bean paste. Keep frying.

Add the double-boiled soup and diced tofu, and use a moderate heat to cook till tasty. Add the garlic sprouts and soy sauce, cook for a few seconds and thicken with the starchy sauce. (Add chicken powder if you like.)

Serve in a shallow bowl, topped with chili powder and chopped scallions.

There is a four-word Chinese saying for cooking Mapo tofu: 'numbing, spicy, hot, and integrated'.

How to Cook Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao chicken is a famous Han dish made with spicy diced chicken and peanuts. The most important ingredient is of course the chicken with red pepper and fried peanuts as the auxiliary ingredients. In some Western countries, this world-famous dish is synonymous with Chinese cuisine.

History

It is said that the dish was created by Ding Baozhen, a governor of Sichuan province during the Qing Dynasty. He came from Niuchang Town, Zhijin County, Bijie City, Guizhou province.

According to the legend, Ding Baozhen was very interested in cooking. He liked eating chicken and peanuts, and especially loved spicy flavor. He created a delicacy made of diced chicken, red pepper, and peanuts while in office. It is originally a private home cuisine of Ding family, but as time passed it became a well-known dish. However, few people know why it is named "Kung Pao".

Kung Pao is actually the honorable official title of Ding Baozhen. He was a good governor during his 10-year service inSichuan; he contributed a lot to the local people and died in the 11th year of the emperoror Guangxu's reign. So the Qing government conferred upon him posthumously an official title: "Kungbao", which means an officer who tutors the crown prince. 

Therefore, the delicacy created by him was named "Kung Pao chicken" following his official title and commemorates his great contributions.

How to Cook Kung Pao Chicken

Preparation

Main ingredients: chicken drumstick or breast, dried red pepper, peanuts.

Other ingredients: shallot, ginger, garlic, edible cooking oil, chili powder, cooking wine, cooking starch, salt, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar.

Cooking

1. Prepare the ingredients above.

2. Soak peanuts in hot water for 10 minutes to remove peanut skin.

3. Use a moderate amount of oil to fry peanuts until they turn yellow, drain them, and set them in a bowl until cool. Cool peanuts are crisper.

4. Pick the bones, tendons and needless fat out of the chicken drumstick, retain a part of the chicken skin on the shank, and remove all the skin from the thigh because it is too greasy. Cut a cross on the chicken so that it can be pickled thoroughly.

5. Dice the chicken, add cooking wine, cooking starch, salt, ginger slice, stir together, and pickle them more than half an hour.

6. Slice the garlic, dice the shallot.

7. Use high-temperature fire to fry the dish. Make a bowl of starchy sauce by using sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and cooking wine before cooking.

8. Heat oil in a hot wok, and then add peppercorns into the hot oil. Fry until it is fragrant then turn the fire down and add sliced pepper then fry until  bronze. The oil temperature must be low, or the pepper will be burnt.

9. Add sliced garlic and fry for a few seconds. Next add diced chicken and turn up the fire. Add cooking wine and chili powder, fry until the oil becomes red, and then add the starchy sauce.

10. Add cool peanuts and diced shallot, fry together. Dish up.

Chinese Vegetarian Food

Soybean and Toufu

Most Chinese vegetarians are Buddhists, following the Buddhist teachings about minimizing suffering. In addition, many Yoga enthusiasts in China are vegetarians or vegans.   Nowadays, in order to keep healthy and fit, more and more Chinese people who are not vegetarians or vegans, tend to eat vegetarian food from time to time. Therefore, vegetarian food is common and readily available in China, though vegetarianism is only practiced by a relatively small fraction of the population. Moreover, an emphasis on fresh vegetables makes Chinese cuisine perfect for vegetarians. The mainstays ofChinese cuisine, noodles, rice, tofu, and vegetables, are all fine for vegetarians. It takes some effort and a bit of flexibility to find fine vegetarian food in many restaurants, which do not have vegetarian menus.

Besides large varieties of vegetables, Chinese vegetarian food often usestofu (bean curd), dry bean curd, nuts, mushrooms, fungi and water plants as its ingredients. Interestingly, you will frequently find dishes resembling a type of meat or seafood. For example, in Fried Mock Oyster, mashed tofu pieces are shaped like an oyster. Besides good taste, Chinese vegetarian food emphasizes appearance, displaying a harmonious balance of colors and textures as well as flavors.

Also read: Gluten Free Travel in China

Here is a list of common Chinese vegetarian dishes and/or street food, including names in Chinese, Pinyin and English.

Chinese New Year Food

Chinese New Year Foods are very important to Chinese people. All family members come together to eat at Spring Festival. Chinese New Year foods are not only delicious, but also steeped in tradition. Chinese dumplings, fish, spring rolls, and niangaoare usually eaten at Chinese New Year. 

Fish 鱼 Yú /yoo/

Beer fish

In Chinese, "fish" sounds like 'surplus'. Chinese people always like to have a surplus at the end of the year, because they think if they have managed to save something at the end of the year, then they can make more in the next year.

Fish can be cooked in various ways such as boiling, steaming, and braising. The most famous Chinese fish dishes include steamed weever, West Lake fish with pickled cabbage and chili, steamed fish in vinegar sauce, and boiled fish with spicy broth.

The Meaning of Various Fish

What fish should be chosen for the New Year feast is based on auspicious homophonics. 

Crucian carp: As the first character of ‘crucian carp' (鲫鱼 jìyú \jee-yoo\) sounds like the Chinese word 吉 (jí /jee/ ‘good luck'), so eating crucian carp is considered to bring good luck for the next year.

Chinese mud carp: The first part of the Chinese for mud carp (鲤鱼 lǐyú /lee-yoo/) is pronounced like the word for gifts (礼 lǐ /lee/). So Chinese people think eating carp during the Chinese New Year symbolizes wishing for good fortune.

Catfish: The Chinese for catfish (鲶鱼 niányú /nyen-yoo/) sounds like 年余 (nián yú) meaning ‘year surplus'. So eating catfish is a wish for a surplus in the year. Eating two fish, one on New Year's Eve and one on New Year's Day, (if written in a certain way) signifies a wish for a surplus year-after-year. If only one catfish is eaten, eating the upper part of the fish on New Year's Eve and the remainder on the first day of the new year has the same meaning (上鲶鱼下鲶鱼; 上年余下年余).

Fish is an auspicious Chinese New Year symbol

The Origin of Eating Fish During the Spring Festival

Once upon a time, in the New Year's Eve meal, fish not only represented the auspicious sound of surplus, but was also thought to repress evil. Dating back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD), fish played a symbolic role in keeping down demons, and were painted on door knockers. In the Tang Dynasty (618–907), all doorknobs, including on house doors, cabinet doors, and case doors, were designed with a fish pattern, which also possessed the same function. This doorknob belief maybe contributed to the tradition that Chinese eat fish for the New Year's Eve meal. However, the demon repression meaning has gradually been forgotten.

How to Eat Fish in the New Year

The fish should be the last dish left with some not eaten up, as this has auspicious homophonics for there being surpluses every year (过年鲶鱼余; 过年年余余). This is practiced north of the Yangtze River, but in other areas, the head and tail of the fish shouldn't be eaten until the beginning of the year, which expresses the hope that the year will start and finish with surplus (新年鱼头鱼尾; 新年余头余尾).

There are some rules for positioning the fish. The head should be placed toward distinguished guests or elders, representing respect. The fish shouldn't be moved. The two people who face the head and tail of fish should drink together as this is considered to have a lucky meaning. Diners can enjoy the fish only after the one who faces the fish head eats first. These customs are observed in a lively and light-hearted spirit, full of laughing and banter. 

Lucky Sayings for Eating Fish

• 年年有余 (/nyen-nyen yo-yoo/): May you always get more than you wish for
• 鱼跃龙门 (/yoo-ywair long-mnn/): A fish leaping over the dragon gate — implying successful passing a competitive examination

Chinese Dumplings 饺子 Jiǎozi /jyaoww-dzrr/

With a long history of more than 1,800 years, dumplings are a traditional food widely popular in China, especially in North China. Dumplings generally consist of minced meat and finely-chopped vegetables wrapped in a thin and elastic dough skin. Popular fillings are minced pork, diced shrimp, fish, ground chicken, beef, and vegetables. They can be cooked by boiling, steaming, frying or baking. Dumplings are a classic Chinese food, and a traditional dish eaten on Chinese New Year’s Eve.

Chinese dumplings look like silver ingots. Legend has it that the more dumplings you eat during New Year celebration, the more money you can make in the New Year. Almost all Chinese people can make dumplings. First they mix the dough, second make the dough into round "wrappers" with a rolling pin, third fill the wrappers with stuffing, fourth pinch the "wrapper" together in a jiaozi shape, and fifth cook them.

Eating Dumplings

Chinese don't eat dumplings with Chinese sauerkraut at Spring Festival, because it implies a poor and difficult future. On New Year's Eve it is a tradition to eat dumplings with cabbage and radish, implying that one's skin will become fair and one's mood will become gentle.

When making dumplings there should be a good number of pleats. If you make the junction too flat, it is thought to purport poverty. Some Chinese put a white thread inside a dumpling, and the one who eats that dumpling is supposed to possess longevity. Sometimes a copper coin is put in a dumpling, and the one who eats it is supposed to become wealthy. Dumplings should be arranged in lines instead of circles, because circles of dumplings are supposed to mean one's life will go round in circles, never going anywhere.

Lucky Saying for Eating Dumplings

• 招财进宝 (/jaoww-tseye jin-baoww/): 'Bringing in wealth and treasure' — a felicitous wish to make money and amass a fortune

Spring Rolls 春卷 Chūnjuǎn /chwnn jwen/

Spring rolls are a Cantonese dim sum dish of cylindrical shape. The filling of spring rolls could be vegetables or meat, and the taste could be either sweet or savory. After fillings are wrapped in spring roll wrappers, the next step is frying, when the spring rolls are given their golden-yellow color. It is a dish especially popular in East China: Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Fujian, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, etc. Spring rolls get their name because they are traditionally eaten during the Spring Festival.

Lucky Saying for Eating Spring Rolls

• 黄金万两 (hwung-jin wan-lyang/): 'A ton of gold' (because the fried spring rolls are gold in color they look like gold bar) — a wish for prosperity.

Niángāo (Glutinous Rice Cake) 年糕

In Chinese, niangao sounds like "getting higher year by year". In Chinese people's mind, the higher you are the more prosperous your business is. The main ingredients of niangao are sticky rice, sugar, chestnuts, Chinese dates, and lotus leaves. More on niangao>>

Lucky Saying for Eating Niangao

• 年年高 (niánnián gāo /nyen-nyen gaoww/): Getting higher year by year, can imply children's height, business, study, work, etc.

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