Stuck On What To Order Or Cook For Your Chinese New Year Celebrations? Then You'll Want To Check Out These Must-Have Traditional Chinese New Year Food In Singapore
Chinese New Year is a time for us to gather with our loved ones and celebrate the new zodiac year. Of course, the celebrations would not be complete without Chinese New Year delicacies, which are an integral part of the festive season.
Many of these delicacies can be prepared from the comfort of your home, especially when you have Cosmic Cookware essential kitchenware to recreate traditional flavours with ease. Each iconic dish here tells a story and bears its auspicious symbol, bringing you and your loved ones closer than ever for the Lunar New Year celebrations.
We have compiled a list of must-try Chinese New Year delicacies typically found in popular Chinese New Year menus that will delight your taste buds and symbolise abundance and harmony.
Whether it's a modern hot pot feast, or a traditional one that begins with a classic lo hei, these traditional Chinese New Year dishes will gather your loved ones from all over to indulge together and welcome the new year with joy and unity.
11 Traditional Chinese New Year Food In Singapore To Enjoy With Relatives And Loved Ones For A Joyful & Auspicious Lunar New Year
1. Yu Sheng (Yee Sang)
Yu Sheng, also known as Yee Sang, is a classic raw fish salad dish that you will find in every reunion dinner and almost all Chinese restaurants during the Lunar New Year celebrations in Singapore. Yu Sheng is commonly associated with abundance and symbolises welcoming the new year with luck.
Everyone gathers around a round table to toss Yu Sheng, an act known as lo hei, into the air while chanting auspicious wishes. Many toss the ingredients as high as they can with their chopsticks since it's believed that the higher the lo hei, the more good fortune the diners will have. Having this dish at a reunion dinner definitely fosters a lively atmosphere that embodies togetherness and harmony with your loved ones.
This colourful salad comprises strips of raw fish (commonly salmon), as its name suggests in Chinese, along with a variety of condiments, shredded vegetables, crispy crackers, crushed peanuts, and pomelo. These ingredients are topped with a variety of condiments, such as plum sauce and sesame oil, for more flavour and texture. Unlike other cooked dishes, the ingredients for Yu Sheng are meticulously assembled on a large round plate, creating an Instagram-worthy display.
Fun Fact: Did you know that you can also opt to have "soy" fish, jellyfish, abalone, grilled eel, char siu, or fruits for the Yu Sheng instead of raw fish slices?
2. Lap Mei Fan
Lap Mei Fan, also known as waxed meat rice, is a hearty dish commonly served during Chinese New Year. In the past, families in China would preserve meat during the long winter months and celebrate the end of winter by enjoying Lap Mei Fan, which also symbolises prosperity and good fortune. Until today, this hearty dish remains a staple during Chinese New Year in Singapore, reminding us of our heritage and the importance of family.
You can easily prepare this dish at home as it only requires simple ingredients. Start steaming your preferred preserved meats in your trusty Cosmo Non-Stick Casserole, where you can go for a combination of sausage, pork, and duck for extra texture and flavour.
While the preserved meats are steaming, you can prepare the rice in the rice cooker, then give it a quick sizzle by stir-frying it over high heat in a wok. The fragrant steamed rice will be infused with a combination of soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and sugar for more umami and savoury notes.
Once the preserved meats are tender and aromatic, slice them before topping them on your wok fried glutinous rice with some blanched bak choy on the side. Every bite of this delicious meal will make you feel warm all over. The preserved meat's rich, smoky flavour complements the aromatic rice, making it a comforting meal to bond over on festive occasions in Singapore. 
3. Pen Cai (Poon Choi)
Pen Cai, also known as Poon Choi, is a classic one-pot wonder of various ingredients to enjoy during the Lunar New Year in Singapore. Traditionally, the ingredients are arranged in a minimum of three layers in a large pot or casserole, and each layer represents fortune and abundance.
Instead of stirring the premium ingredients together, diners will enjoy each layer of food with noodles or a bowl of rice. Sharing a pot of Poon Choi during reunion dinner symbolises unity and harmony among your loved ones as you pass out portions of each layer for everyone to enjoy.
The bottom layer is typically made up of bean curd and vegetables before placing Chinese dried mushrooms and pork on top as the middle layer, creating a blend of unique textures and flavours. Luxurious ingredients such as giant prawns, sea cucumber, dried oysters, scallops, abalone, fish maw, and other dry ingredients will be placed on top so they can easily absorb the sauce that trickles down the layers.
You can easily prepare this dish at home by layering your ingredients in Cosmo Non-Stick Casserole before serving at reunion dinner. Many restaurants also make it convenient for you to order online so you can have a stress-free reunion dinner at home this year. Whether you're preparing Pen Cai at home or enjoying it at a restaurant, sharing this traditional dish is a heartfelt way to celebrate Chinese New Year and bond with your loved ones in Singapore.
4. Longevity Noodles
Longevity Noodles, or as some like to refer to them as yi mein, is a staple Lunar New Year dish in Singapore. It is also commonly served during special occasions such as birthdays and weddings. As its name suggests, the long, unbroken noodle strands symbolise long life and prosperity, which is a big deal in the Chinese community. Chefs usually do not chop these noodles so diners can enjoy the long noodle strands as per tradition and receive blessings of a long, healthy life.
While Longevity Noodles are made up of simple ingredients, this dish is full of flavour that will delight your taste buds. The noodles are typically stir-fried with mushrooms and chives, though many people like to elevate this dish with pork, chicken, or shrimp for more depth and protein. Longevity Noodles are coated in sesame oil, soy sauce, and oyster sauce for an umami taste that complements the chewiness of the noodles perfectly.
5. Ho See Fatt Choy
Since Ho See Fatt Choy symbolises good fortune and success, it has become a staple dish served during Chinese New Year celebrations in Singapore. This auspicious dish comprises luxury ingredients such as dried oysters (ho see), sea cucumbers, whole abalone pieces, black moss (fatt choy), and broccoli or luffa gourd, where "ho see" stands for good things and "fatt choy" means wealth in Cantonese.
The good news is you can prepare this dish at home without much fuss. After soaking the dried oysters for a few hours, braise them with some mushrooms before seasoning them with some soy sauce or oyster sauce for added depth.
The dried oysters and/or sea cucumbers and mushrooms are served with broccoli or luffa gourd for some extra colour to the dish. Green also signifies wealth in the Chinese community, making the dish more meaningful. Place the black moss in the middle of the dish, and you'll be ready to serve this auspicious dish at the reunion dinner.
6. Hot Pot
While hot pot is not a Chinese New Year dish in a traditional sense, Singaporeans have ultimately integrated it as one of the most popular ways to celebrate Chinese New Year in Singapore with loved ones due to its communal nature (and similarity in ingredients to most traditional Chinese cuisine dishes).
The shared experience of enjoying food from the same pot served at the table fosters joy and harmony among loved ones during the gathering feast. It is also said that the sheer variety of ingredients during a shared hot pot feast also represents prosperity and abundance.
A variety of vegetables, meat slices, and fresh seafood are cooked in a pot of flavourful soup, such as the classic creamy pork broth, spicy mala broth, double-boiled chicken soup, tomato, or mushroom broth with fish maw.
Everyone can go for their favourite ingredients dip them into soy sauce, chilli oil, or sesame oil for more savoury notes to their meal. Hot pot is usually enjoyed with noodles, which symbolise longevity for the year ahead.
Hot pot isn't just a versatile meal, but it's also about enjoying food over shared stories and exchanging well wishes for the new year ahead. Whether you're preparing hot pot at home or enjoying it at a restaurant, it captures the true essence of a family gathering for the holidays.
Bonus Tip: Not too sure how to assemble a hot pot dinner gathering at home? Call up your nearest Beauty In The Pot for their takeaway set which comes with a twin pot and portable gas stove, on top of the hot pot ingredients you're eyeing! The only thing you'll have to do is get your own gas canister, which you can easily do so from any convenience store. ;)
7. Roasted Suckling Pig
Roasted Suckling Pig is a decadent, traditional dish served during Chinese New Year in Singapore. The entire pig is roasted until its skin turns crispy, but its insides remain tender and juicy. The crispy brown skin represents good fortune and wealth, and serving the entire pig is known to symbolise harmony within the family.
Many families opt for the entire Roasted Suckling Pig to be served at the table as this dish is a symbol of luxury, prosperity, and wealth. Aside from Chinese New Year, this beloved delicacy is also served at special occasions such as weddings and other significant family gatherings.
While preparing the Roasted Suckling Pig is a time-consuming process and considered expensive, you will end up with a show-stopping dish that is just as delicious. The entire suckling pig is left to marinate overnight in a blend of Chinese wine, five-spice powder, red fermented bean curd, sugar, and salt to ensure the meat absorbs the seasonings better.
Honey or maltose syrup is applied all over its skin before roasting the pig to achieve the signature crispy exterior. Once the pig is done roasting, it is served in smaller pieces, where the tenderness of the meat goes perfectly with a variety of condiments such as sweet plum sauce, mustard, or hoisin sauce.
Fun Fact: Did you know that some Chinese New Year celebrants opt to replace Roasted Suckling Pig with Roasted Duck due to its typically high price tag and time consuming cooking process.
8. Whole Steamed Fish
You've definitely seen Whole Steamed Fish served at reunion dinners during Chinese New Year in Singapore. As fish sounds like surplus in Chinese, the entire fish is served with its head and tail intact to symbolise a successful year ahead with surplus abundance. Sharing this classic dish during Chinese New Year also fosters harmony and unity among family members.
Thanks to their delicate flesh and ability to hold up well during the steaming process. Which is why some of the most popular steamed fish dishes you'll see include the classic steamed Sea Perch, steamed Spotted Garoupa or Tiger Garoupa, steamed Golden Pomfret, and steamed Red Snapper.
After removing the guts and scales, the fish is steamed on top of some spring onions and ginger for extra aroma. If you're planning to try your hand at preparing this dish at home, you can use a traditional steamer or put the fish on a plate and prop it up on a bowl and steam it in a wok.
The fish is steamed until just cooked to preserve its freshness and delicate taste. For more umami notes, a combination of soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, white pepper, and a dash of rock sugar is poured all over the fish before serving with fragrant steamed rice.
Fun Fact: Since a whole fish symbolises abundance during the Chinese New Year, did you know that some families save half of the fish to be enjoyed the next day as it symbolises a plentiful future?
9. Mandarin Oranges
Whenever you see boxes of Mandarin Oranges stacked at your local supermarkets, that's how you know Chinese New Year is around the corner! Mandarin Oranges are known as kam in Cantonese, which also sounds similar to gold. The similarity makes these precious oranges a symbol of prosperity and abundance.
Many people exchange these fruits with their family and friends, believing that Mandarin Oranges will bring good fortune to the recipients. It's also customary to bring these fruits along while visiting others during Chinese New Year.
Mandarin Oranges are usually enjoyed fresh after they're peeled and don't need to be cooked. The sweet and refreshing taste makes for a great contrast to the savoury dishes one would typically feast on during the Chinese New Year.
These fruits are also displayed on decorative plates at home and are offered to guests who drop by during the festive season. Sharing these sweet treats during Chinese New Year is also a great way to spread joy and good fortune.
10. Nian Gao
Many Chinese believe that the "Kitchen God" will do a yearly assessment of each family, so they prepare a sticky dessert called Nian Gao. The "Kitchen God" will find it hard to share negative things about the family since it will be busy chewing on the sticky dessert.
Nowadays, Nian Gao is a popular gift commonly given to friends and family during this auspicious occasion in Singapore. It is considered good luck to eat this snack during Chinese New Year as the Chinese characters of Nian Gao is a homonym for growing every year or a prosperous year.
As it's made from glutinous rice flour and sugar, this sweet dessert is also known as rice cake and has a dense, chewy texture. After combining glutinous rice flour, sugar, and water to form a smooth batter, the mixture is steamed for a few hours until it solidifies. While many enjoy Nian Gao at this stage, some even fry it with meat, egg, or sweet potato, giving the fried Nian Gao a crispy exterior.
11. Eight Treasures Box
Many call the Eight Treasure Box the Tray of Togetherness because it is the symbol of family harmony. This traditional snack box is usually placed at home and has become a warm gesture to welcome guests during the Chinese New Year.
You might find candied lotus seeds, melon seeds, nuts, and dried longan assembled in different compartments of the box, and each snack features various auspicious meanings to usher in good luck for the new year. Some families even opt to assemble their own assortment of auspicious snacks and treats that include bak kwa, crispy fish skin, love letters or kueh kapit, and the usual dried fruits and nuts for a sweet and savoury welcome to the New Year.
Not only is the Eight Treasures Box a delicious combination of treats, but it also fosters sharing joy and blessings with others for the year ahead.
What Are The 7 Lucky Food For Chinese New Year In Singapore?
Singapore is no stranger to auspicious food, especially where Chinese New Year is concerned. While there are countless options, 7 lucky foods in particular stand out each year as local favourites.
1) Yu Sheng: A unique tradition to Singapore and Malaysia which gathers the whole family around a large dish of raw fish salad complete with shredded vegetables, crispy crackers, sweet sauces, and seasonings that each bear their own meaning and well wishes. The diners then "toss" the ingredients high in the air with their chopsticks while calling out auspicious wishes for the year ahead.
2) Nian Gao: A sweet, sticky and firm rice cake made by cooking down glutinous rice and sugar into a sweet, sticky mixture. It is then poured into a mould shaped out of banana leaves and left to solidify. Because "nian gao" literally means "year cake", where in Mandarin it sounds like "year higher" - symbolising progress and success for the New Year.
3) Mandarin Oranges: Mandarin oranges are known as "Kam" in Cantonese, which literally means "gold" and in turn, wealth. This very fact is believed to be the reason why Mandarin oranges are synonymous to the Chinese New Year celebrations. It is also often exchanged in pairs when visiting relatives, friends, or open houses during the festive period.
4) Pineapple Tarts: These sweet, tangy, and buttery tarts are believed to bring good luck and prosperity as pineapple in the Hokkien dialect is "ong lai", which sounds like "fortune arrives".
5) Bak Kwa: Would you believe that people queue hours for barbecued pork jerky just before the Lunar New Year? Bak kwa is a sweet and savoury barbecued pork jerky that's hugely popular because its rich red colour is said to symbolise good fortune just like how red is the colour of luck in Chinese culture.
6) Dumplings: Dumplings are a hugely popular lucky food in northern Chinese tradition because their shape resembles ancient Chinese silver ingots, which is a symbol of wealth. It's typically filled with meat and vegetables to represent wealth and togetherness.
7) Tang Yuan: Tang yuan, also known as glutinous rice balls are often eaten during festive celebrations, especially during Chinese New Year and the Winter Solstice Festival as it represents togetherness and harmony for the new year. This comes from its similar word "tuányuán", which means "reunion".
