Food for Luck | OpenRice Singapore

With the coming of the year of the rabbit, how do we make sure that we have a good year ahead? Aside from all the necessary preparations such as spring cleaning the whole house or shopping for new clothes, another way to do this is through selecting the kinds of food we serve at our table during our reunion dinner. Here are some must-haves for our CNY celebration:

1. Noodles

They may vary in shape, size, or length, but noodles are very popular and a staple in Chinese cuisine. These are usually served in special celebrations such birthdays as well as Chinese New Year. However, for these celebrations, the noodles shouldn’t be cut. The cook should maintain its length for the belief that it would lead to a long life. Who doesn’t want to live a long and prosperous life, right?

2. Oranges/Tangerines

These fruits are usually given as gifts during the reunion dinner for their names in Chinese sound like gold and wealth.

3. Chicken

During the two-week celebration, no one really uses knives or cleavers when preparing the dishes to be served. Why? Because it is considered unlucky and using it during the special occasion might sever your family’s good fortune. Serving these dishes with heads and feet also represent family togetherness and prosperity. It also means a good beginning and ending for the New Year for us! So, let’s start the year right and prepare these dishes whole!

4. Dumplings

These Yummy delights symbolise family togetherness. They also represent wealth and prosperity because of their crescent shapes, which look like the ancient Chinese money. In preparing these goodies, one dumpling is usually inputted with a gold coin and whoever bites into it is considered lucky.

5. Sticky Rice Cakes

Like noodles, these sticky rice cakes are also a common sight in every Chinese New Year celebration for they have so many symbolic meanings. Its sweet flavor means a sweet life, while the different layers mean abundance for the New Year. The round shape represents family togetherness. We may have grown accustomed to seeing these foods at our table every time we celebrate the Chinese New Year. However, it is still nice to look back and remember all those beliefs deeply rooted to these dishes. For more CNY articles, click here. Discover the best steamboat restaurants around Singapore Other Chinese meals options for the Lunar New Year celebration