Auspicious Food For The Lunar New Year

The Chinese community always look forward to the eve of the Lunar New Year.  The main reason is the reunion dinner where members of the family will return to the family home, from far and near to re-bond over a dinner. Thus, there is always a great exodus from the cities to smaller towns or villages, wherever the family home is.  Since it is only once a year, it is de riguer for the male members of the family to return home to pay respects to their parents. They will bring their own families with them, hence the reunion is a large and much celebrated event.

The food that is placed on the table are usually delicious and symbolic. Many will be delicacies that are only eaten at this time of the year. First, there is the fish dish, which is usually steamed whole, together with its head and tail. It signifies surplus and encompasses the belief and hope that one will always have more than one needs.

The glutinous rice cake or “Nian Gao” denotes gaining prosperity and reaching new heights in life. This is usually fried with a slice of yam on one side and sweet potato on the other. Or it is sometimes served with fresh grated coconut. It has a sticky texture and is served to the “Kitchen God” before the New Year so that he will only have good reports of the family when he goes to meet the God in Heaven.

Prawns are also a must as its name indicates laughter and everyone wants a year that is filled with joy and laughter.

Chinese dumplings which are shaped like ingots indicate .prosperity.

Another must-have dish is the braised sea cucumber (symbolising happiness), mushrooms, dried oysters ( symbolising  good deeds), dried scallops and black moss or fatt choi which means having struck rich. Sometimes families opt for the "Poon Choi" or Prosperity Pot which has all the auspicious food inside including abalone and prawns.

 Other dishes would include, chicken, pork, noodles and the style of cooking would depend on what the family fancies.

However, the dish that is most significant is the “Yee Sang” or raw fish salad which is colourful and contains many different types of ingredients such as shredded vegetables like radish (green for eternal youth, white for promotions at work and increasingly good business), carrot ( good luck), Pomelo sacs ( wealth), crushed peanuts representing gold and silver, crackers and sesame seeds which denote prosperity.

Then, after these ingredients are arranged on the platter, the raw fish, usually salmon is added. This is a wish for abundance throughout the year that is coming in. Pepper is then sprinkled over the dish, in the hope that wishes will be fulfilled and wealth will flow in. Next, oil is poured over the dish, in a circle, signifying money flowing in from all directions and smooth sailing throughout the in-coming year. This is followed by the addition of a sweet plum sauce which augurs for a year of sweetness.  Sometimes, the raw fish is substituted with jelly fish or abalone as not everyone has a taste for raw fish. When the dish is done, the family will gather round the table.

Using long chopsticks, they will toss the salad as high as possible, uttering good wishes, such as wishes for prosperity, good health, excellence in whatever they do, etc., etc.  The higher the toss, the better the fortunes for the year.

No celebration is complete without this dish and it has grown very popular, even among the non-Chinese.

Needless to say, most of us will gain an extra kilo or two after all this feasting! But, the consensus is "eat first and worry about the weight later" with which I fully agree!