Lunar New Year

[corneygirl]

Anybody planning a special meal for the lunar new year?

I'm going to make some kind of dumpling, a lettuce wrap (probably with chicken), some kind of noodle dish, and a couple veggies on the side.

Curious what others are doing!

[caseyjo]

I'm definitely thinking pork dumpling soup. Wish I could have some now, sounds pretty delicious.

[will47]

Not sure what the New Years Eve menu will look like yet. Hopefully, stir-fried niangao with ji cai ("shepherd's purse") will be there. Maybe we'll contribute some kind of eggplant dish.

For regular New Years, I did make these fried wonton things (mine were vegetarian, but the original has ground pork and shrimp):
http://www.runawaysquirrels.com/2012/01/new-year-money-bags/
Those went over pretty well; I'm not sure if the shape is supposed to be bag shaped (see link in comments) or ingot shape, since the recipe mentioned both.

New Years Day, I will probably make this recipe:
http://www.thelittleteochew.com/2009/...
Made it last year, and it's becoming a tradition. Something simple and filling to start off the new year. I'll probably add some (soaked) dried beancurd sticks (fu zhu) this time.

[gimlis1mum]

Rice cake soup (ddeokguk) and a few different types of jeon. Also galbi jim, which is probably too much with the rice cake soup but I just love the stuff. Maybe we'll eat it at separate meals :-)

[asiansupper]

ditto on the deokguk!

[lrostron]

I've held a Chinese New Year celebration every year for the last 18 years, and no, I'm not Asian, just a huge fan of the cuisine, and I find that having a party for no reason in January is a lot of fun. It's a lot of work, but it's fun. Definitely a lettuce wrap, lettuce symbolizes money in the new year. Long beans symbolize wealth, that would be a good veggie side. I typically make spring rolls, pot stickers, shrimp toasts, beef and broccoli, "ants climbing a tree" which is glass noodles with spicy ground pork, chicken in a peanut sauce, plain white rice and fried rice, and a smallish pot of hot and sour soup if it's supposed to be quite cold,

[Chemicalkinetics]

You eat ants? Especially ants on a tree?

[lrostron]

Yes, particularly these "ants" ... they are delicious!

[Chemicalkinetics]

:D Glad you picked up the humor.

[lrostron]

I appreciate the humor, I'm up to my elbows in making pot sticker wrappers. I also forgot to mention two other dishes I traditionally make: Orchid's Cool Tangy Noodles, which are from the older version of "The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking" by Barbara Tropp (ed. 1982) with soy, chile oil and scallions (long noodles = long life) and Sing Chow Mai Fun (Singapore Fried Rice Noodles, thin rice noodles with fresh shrimp and curry.

[Chemicalkinetics]

Make or cook?
I am going to cook year cake (rice cake) and glutinous rice sesame ball (in liquid)

[fourunder]

My best friend's family makes ...

Braised Dried Oyster With Black Moss and Minced Dried Oysters with Fresh Water Chestnuts and Black Mushroom Lettuce Wraps.

I look forward to both every year.