Easy recipes to ring in Chinese New Year!
It’s Chinese New Year which means it’s time to celebrate! There are foods that bring special meaning to this annual celebration, like noodles for a long life and mandarin oranges for prosperity, but most important is bringing your family together for a homecooked meal. Below, a few of my favorite Chinese New Year recipes that are quick, easy, and perfect for ringing in the new year with your loved ones.
Coconut Shrimp
My kids go crazy for Coconut Shrimp, which is why it’s always a feature at our Chinese New Year dinner. This dish features subtle coconut flavor that adults and kids love. The shrimp is tossed with cherry tomatoes, sweet onions, and tender baby spinach and garnished with toasted coconut. If you like, you can serve this dish over brown or jasmine rice. Trying to cut back on carbs? Serve it sans rice. Either way, it’s delicious and ridiculously easy.
Get the Recipe: Coconut Shrimp
Clay Pot Chicken with Bok Choy
This simple stir-fry recipe is an easy version of one of my favorite Asian comfort foods: clay-pot chicken. It delivers a big, cozy umami flavor with very little effort. One of my go-to weeknight recipes, it’s easy to prepare, tastes delicious, and can make an encore appearance in lunchboxes the next day.
Get the Recipe: Clay Pot Chicken with Bok Choy
Asian Meatballs
I love this recipe because I can make the meatballs ahead on a weekend and pop them into the freezer. On busy weeknights, I just toss a few onto a baking sheet, roast ’em up, and we’re good to go. Pair them with sauteed green beans or bok choy, brown rice, and a selection of dipping sauces. So easy.
Get the Recipe: Asian Meatballs
Chinese Hot Pot
Like fondue, but without the cheese, Chinese Hot Pot is a colorful combination of vegetables, meats, seafood, and noodles that each diner cooks for themselves in a big pot of simmering water on the table. That may sound like a recipe for disaster for small children, but I assure you it is one of the easiest ways to get your kids to: 1) stay at the table for more than 10 minutes, and 2) eat loads of colorful, wholesome foods. And it’s perfect for celebrating Chinese New Year!
Get the Recipe: Chinese Hot Pot
Cinnamon Beef Noodle Soup
This simple beef noodle soup is one of my favorite winter dishes. The smell of cinnamon, ginger, and beef simmering is cozy and comforting. It’s also a great way to get your kids to try a variety of leafy green vegetables. Bok choy, spinach, and kale all work well with this dish. You can make this recipe ahead and its flavor improves with time.
Get the Recipe: Cinnamon Beef Noodle Soup
Easy Satsuma Granita
This easy granita recipe is a simple twist on a favorite winter fruit, Satsuma mandarin oranges, and a healthy alternative for dessert (no sugar added!). We tried the recipe two ways: one with clementine and the other with Satsuma. The Satsumas were far superior, both in color and taste, so we’d highly recommend hunting them down for this recipe. It will be well worth your effort!
Get the Recipe: Easy Satsuma Granita
