Chinese New Year Food You Can Make with Kids
Whenever we visited Hong Kong, we always chatted with friends and family over dim sum or dinner. My husband concluded that Chinese people like to eat. And he is quite right. As the Chinese saying goes, 民以食為天 (man4 ji5 sik6 wai4 tin1) food is what matters to people. So it doesn't come as a surprise that there are many different kinds of food served during Chinese New Year, and almost all of them carry a lucky meaning.
Here are some you could make with your kids.
Glutinous Rice Balls. 湯圓 (tong1 jyun4). Though dessert doesn't play a very important role in Chinese cuisines, this dessert is a must during Chinese New Year as it symbolizes togetherness. Many families share this dessert during the evening of the Chinese New Year's eve. These little rice balls are traditionally stuffed with black sesame, peanut, or red bean. My favorite recipes include The Gumdrop Button's black sesame dumplings, and Rasa Malaysia's red bean dumplings.
What can your kids do?
Roll the sesame mixture (or whatever stuffing you use) into little balls.
Knead the dough.
Take a small piece of dough and pat it into a round disk.
Put a sesame ball onto each round disk.
If your kids are older, they can even roll the dough round the sesame ball to form a rice ball (you need to make sure the sesame ball is nicely sealed inside the dough).
Turnip Cake. 蘿蔔糕 (lo4 baak6 gou1). It is a custom to eat 糕 (gou1; cake) during Chinese New Year as it symbolizes 步步高陞 (bou6 bou6 gou1 sing1). There are 年糕 (nin4 gou1; sticky rice cake), 馬蹄糕 (maa5 tai4 gou1; water chestnut cake), and 蘿蔔糕 (lo4 baak6 gou1; turnip cake). I would recommend Christine's turnip cake recipe as it does not require too many ingredients and is easy to follow.
What can your kids do?
Grate the turnips. (this can keep your kids busy for a while already!)
Mix the rice flour with wheat flour.
Lettuce Wrap. 生菜包 (saang1 coi3 baau1). This Chinese taco dish may not seem very fancy for Chinese New Year, but it has a lucky meaning as 生菜 (saang1 coi3; lettuce) shares a similar pronunciation with 生財 (saang1 coi4; grow prosperity). This PF Chang's chicken lettuce wrap recipe from Damn Delicious is really yummy.
What can your kids do?
Dice the whole water chestnuts (with safe knives, of course).
Peel off lettuce leaves.
Clean and pat the lettuce leaves dry.
Spoon some chicken mixture into the center of each lettuce leaves.
So there, three yummy dishes you can make and enjoy with your little ones. Why three? Because the number three 三 (saam1) has a similar sound like the word 生 (saang1). It symbolizes 生生猛猛 (saang1 saang1 maang5 maang5; active and fresh).
