32 Lunar New Year Dishes That Symbolize Luck, Wealth, and Longevity Celebrate the Year of the Horse with dumplings, whole fish, noodles, and more. By Jodie Kautzmann Jodie Kautzmann Jodie Kautzmann is an editor, baker, and confectioner with more than 15 years of experience in content creation, recipe development, and pastry production. She's obsessed with the fine details and ingredients that take dishes from tasty to outright otherworldly. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on February 9, 2026 Add Us On SAVE ALL RECIPES NEW! Save as a collection on MyRecipes Close Credit: Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Ali Ramee The Year of the Horse kicks off on February 17, 2026, marking the start of Lunar New Year celebrations across Chinese, Indonesian, Malaysian, Singaporean, South Korean, Taiwanese, Tibetan, and Vietnamese communities worldwide. Also known as the Spring Festival, the holiday is all about coming together with loved ones and sharing foods meant to usher in good luck, prosperity, and happiness. From long noodles and savory dumplings to sweet, celebratory desserts, these dishes are delicious ways to welcome the new year — and boost your fortune along the way. Keep all of your recipes at your fingertips. With the MyRecipes app you can easily save and organize your favorites from anywhere, including Instagram and TikTok, in one convenient place. Get the free app. 01 of 32 Lunar New Year Dumplings Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Lucky Chow producer Danielle Chang offers these succulent steamed dumplings at her Lunar New Year celebration to encourage longevity and wealth. They're stuffed with a fragrant, flavorful blend of garlic, ginger, scallions, and Chinese chives bound with juicy ground pork and served alongside a simple homemade dipping sauce. Get the Recipe Save 02 of 32 Tteokguk (Korean Rice Cake Soup) Jennifer Causey This Korean soup of chewy-soft rice cakes cooked in steaming translucent broth is a good-luck dish with symbolic meaning. The white color of the rice cakes signifies purity for a fresh start, while the coin shape calls forth prosperity. Though it can be prepared with chicken, pork, pheasant, or seafood, tteokguk is most typically made with beef, as it is here. Get the Recipe Save 03 of 32 Whole Fish Drizzled with Hot Ginger-Scallion Oil Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Yú, the Mandarin word for fish, is a homonym for the Chinese term for abundance, so serving this dish on the Lunar New Year is an invitation for prosperity. Prepare it with a whole snapper, carp, or sea bass. Get the Recipe Save 04 of 32 Peking Duck Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Prissy Lee With crispy, intensely golden brown skin and tender meat, our quicker version of traditional roast duck gets plenty of flavor from soy sauce, honey, Chinese five-spice powder, and hoisin sauce. Serve it alongside Chinese buns or pancakes. Get the Recipe Save 05 of 32 Microwave Bánh Deo (Mochi Mooncakes) with Black Sesame–Chocolate Filling Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Ali Ramee Pastry chef Doris Hô-Kane of Ban Bè in Brooklyn uses a microwave to make both the chewy mochi skin and rich black sesame–chocolate filling of her stunning bánh deo, which are a fun, festive project for Tết, the Vietnamese New Year celebration. Get the Recipe Save 06 of 32 Napa Cabbage Pockets with Tofu Charissa Fay / Food Styling by Nora Singley / Prop Styling by Maeve Sheridan Usher in good fortune with chef Zoey Xinyi Gong’s refreshing and savory make-ahead cabbage pockets. They're stuffed with a medley of shiitake mushrooms, Chinese chives, and crisp mung beans. Get the Recipe Save 07 of 32 Mandarin Pancakes Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Shell Royster Made only from all-purpose flour, water, and a touch of sesame oil, these easy, chewy pancakes are a terrific accompaniment for Peking duck or moo shu pork. Get the Recipe Save 08 of 32 Pearl Balls Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver Rolled in sticky rice and steamed to perfection, these tasty pork meatballs are served hot with soy sauce, pickled ginger, rehydrated Chinese mustard powder, and small romaine lettuce leaves. Get the Recipe Save 09 of 32 Five-Spice–Braised Short Ribs Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle “This is, without question, my favorite Lunar New Year’s dish,” says Erling Wu-Bower, the chef and co-owner of Maxwells Trading in Chicago. “It is the dish that most reminds me of the combination of luxurious texture, deep flavor, and immeasurable soulfulness that has come to represent my Lunar New Year memories." Get the Recipe Save 10 of 32 Japchae (Korean Stir-Fried Glass Noodles) Jen Causey Glossy sweet potato noodles are tossed with beef, mushrooms, spinach, and sesame in this festive recipe from F&W senior food editor Ann Taylor Pittman. Each component is cooked separately for vivid color and perfect texture. Get the Recipe Save 11 of 32 Sheng Jian Bao (Pan-Fried Pork Buns) Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Savory, pillowy, and crisp, these buns from recipe developer Tiffany Chen are packed with the rich flavors of pork, dashi powder, oyster sauce, and green onions. Assemble them ahead of time and stash them in the freezer until you're ready to cook and serve. Get the Recipe Save 12 of 32 San Bei Ji (Three-Cup Chicken) Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Shell Royster The three cups in the name of this recipe refer to the generous amounts of rice wine, soy sauce, and sesame oil used to braise the chicken for this classic Taiwanese dish; plenty of ginger, garlic, and basil provide a powerful aromatic lift. Make it with pork if you prefer. Get the Recipe Save 13 of 32 Pork Bakso Dumplings Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell These delicate pork dumplings from Gado Gado in Portland, Oregon, a 2020 F&W Best New Restaurant, were inspired by carts selling noodles and pork meatballs in Indonesia. Wonton skins stand in for noodles; an aromatic blend of ground coriander, ginger, and lemongrass pairs with umami-rich fish sauce to season the pork filling. Get the Recipe Save 14 of 32 Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Shell Royster Immensely popular in Taiwan, this fragrant soup derives its richness from meltingly tender braised beef shank, complemented by star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, and the classic aromatics of garlic, ginger, and scallions. Get the Recipe Save 15 of 32 Scallion Pancakes with Soy Dipping Sauce Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Shell Royster Chef Joanne Chang uses pizza dough for her iteration of this popular Chinese snack. The pancakes cook for only three minutes until the edges are crispy and the centers are chewy. Eat them hot, right out of the skillet. Get the Recipe Save 16 of 32 Galbi Jjim Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster Beef short ribs braise in a soy, pear, and ginger broth until tender but not falling apart. Chef Bill Kim serves his with plenty of braising liquid, making it ideal over rice. Garnishes of toasted pine nuts, scallions, and dried chile threads add texture. Get the Recipe Save 17 of 32 Yin-Yang Tang Yuan (Sweet Sticky Rice Balls in Soup) Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen A symbol of harmony and togetherness, these round rice balls stuffed with black sesame seeds are bathed in a soothing, rock sugar–sweetened Chinese dessert soup for the perfect Lunar New Year's treat. Get the Recipe Save 18 of 32 Longevity Noodles Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Light, umami-seasoned lo mein noodles are tossed with crunchy snow peas and water chestnuts for this quick dish that's thought to bring luck, prosperity, and, as its name suggests, a long life. Get the Recipe Save 19 of 32 Steak and Shrimp Hot Pot Justin Walker In this recipe from Houston chef Nick Wong, tender rib eye, fresh mushrooms, and sweet shrimp are cooked tableside for an interactive holiday meal — plus, guests can customize each bowl to their liking. Get the Recipe Save 20 of 32 Shochu Punch Charissa Fay Citrus fruits symbolize luck and fertility, making this vibrant punch flavored with lemon peel and garnished with pomelo or grapefruit a festive choice for your Lunar New Year celebration. The fruits, flowers, honey, and aromatics that fill the punch bowl give it four distinct tastes: sweet, sour, spicy, and bitter. Get the Recipe Save 21 of 32 Lu Jitui (Braised Soy Sauce Chicken) Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen In this classic Taiwanese dish, juicy braised chicken legs are deeply flavored with soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, garlic, and star anise; a touch of sugar balances out the salty, savory soy. Ready in just over half an hour, it's especially easy to put together since everything goes into the pot at the same time. Get the Recipe Save 22 of 32 Chow Dau Miu (Garlicky Stir-Fried Pea Sprouts) Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Green vegetables are an integral part of any Lunar New Year spread because green is a color of money. This recipe works with most tender leafy greens — including baby bok choy and choy sum (flowering cabbage) — so opt for the market's finest. Swirled into the garlic-scented oil, fermented soybean paste adds a layer of savory pungency. Get the Recipe Save 23 of 32 Ba Bao Fan (Eight-Treasure Rice) Charissa Fay Though you can use any mix of dried and candied fruits to adorn this lightly sweet sticky rice, tradition calls for eight types. In Chinese, ba, the word for eight, sounds like fa, or prosperity, giving the dessert its lucky symbolism. Get the Recipe Save 24 of 32 Thit Kho (Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly) Anna Stockwell In Vietnam, this essential holiday dish can shift from sweet to salty depending on the region. All versions have savory, golden brown pork. Serve with crisp vegetables for contrast and crunch. Get the Recipe Save 25 of 32 Wontons with Hot and Sour Sauce Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley These plump and juicy wontons from legendary chef Martin Yan, inspired by northern and southern Chinese cuisines, are filled with a ground pork and shrimp filling that's seasoned with fresh cilantro and ginger. Get the Recipe Save 26 of 32 Prosperity Toss Salad Charissa Fay Tradition holds that the higher this salad is tossed, the greater the luck it brings in the year ahead. Each colorful component carries auspicious meaning: Cucumbers, taro root, and carrots are shaved into long, noodle-like ribbons to represent longevity, while radishes, pomelos, and green veggies stand for good fortune. Get the Recipe Save 27 of 32 Yusheng © Evi Abeler Often made with salmon as it is here, this raw fish salad — a variation of the prosperity toss — is a New Year's staple in Malaysia and Singapore. The ingredients are placed individually on a serving platter, the dressing is poured over the top, and then all the guests toss the salad up in the air with chopsticks for good fortune. Get the Recipe Save 28 of 32 Hakka Salt-Baked Chicken Greg DuPree Serving a whole chicken signifies a complete family and togetherness for the upcoming year. Called yim guk gai, this salt-baked bird is the most famous dish of Hakka, in southeast China. Though you'll need nearly five pounds of kosher salt to make it, the chicken emerges super juicy but not overly salty. Get the Recipe Save 29 of 32 Putri Salju Pandan (Pandan-Flavored Indonesian "Snow White" Cookies) Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell League of Kitchens cooking instructor Shandra Woworuntu's take on the Indonesian holiday favorite, which is traditionally made with almonds, peanuts, or cashews, swaps the nuts for fragrant pandan, giving the cookies a pretty green hue. Get the Recipe Save 30 of 32 Singapore-Style Noodles with Roast Pork © Jonny Valiant Egg noodles, Chinese broccoli, and thinly sliced roast pork come together for this classic Singaporean dish. Add more vegetables if you prefer to make it heartier without additional meat. Get the Recipe Save 31 of 32 Nian Gao © Evi Abeler Break from tradition and bake the typical Chinese New Year cake instead of steaming it. Evi Abeler makes a few more swaps, using butter instead of oil, white sugar rather than the usual brown, and including dairy milk and almond extract for a version with a similar texture and flavor profile. Most importantly, it's made in the same spirit of good luck and prosperity for the year to come. Get the Recipe Save 32 of 32 Shrimp and Pork Spring Rolls © Michael Turek Malaysian designer Zang Toi fills his crispy spring rolls with a combination of marinated shrimp, ground pork, and colorful julienned vegetables. If you'd like, assemble and refrigerate for up to three hours before frying. Get the Recipe Save Explore more: Food Holidays & Occasions Lunar New Year Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit