How to Prepare Food for a Chinese New Year Party

Contributor

By eHow Contributing Writer

Article Rating: (1 Ratings)

To be truly authentic, the food you prepare for a Chinese New Year party must incorporate traditional Chinese New Year dishes. You don't need to spend days preparing an intricate menu. Just incorporate a few simple dishes to serve along with your favorite party food.

How to make spicy rice powder
This powder is mainly from the Szechuan Chinese cuisine… More
How to Make Szechuan Spicy Shrimp
The secret to this shrimp dish is an Asian technique called "velveting" or "passing," in which the shrimp … More
How to Make Ma Po Tofu - Spicy Szechuan Bean Curd
Bean paste gives this easy meatless dish a rich flavor. Make it at home and it's as spicy or as mild as yo… More
About Chow Mein
There are few more popular dishes in Chinese-American cuisine than chow mein. Popular, tasty and known thr… More
How to Prepare Food for a Chinese New Year Party
To be truly authentic, the food you prepare for a Chinese New Year party must incorporate traditional Chin… More
How to Make Beef and Broccoli
Beef and broccoli is a common staple in many Chinese restaurants. However, making beef and broccoli at hom… More
How to Make Orange Chicken
Orange chicken is a favorite dish for Chinese and Asian food lovers. It usually consists of battered and f… More
How to Make Stir-Fried Tofu With Chinese Mustard
The key to any stir-fry is having everything ready before you actually start to cook. This mixture of chew… More
How to Make Shrimp Dim Sum
Dim sum, individually-sized Chinese appetizers, can be healthy and delicious. Dim sum can be made from a v… More
How to Make Chinese Take Out
Save money, eat healthier and have fun by making a Chinese take-out feast at home. All you need are a few … More

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

List of Chinese New Year foods
Symbolic meanings of Chinese New Year food
Serving platters and bowls

Step 1

Know the meaning behind the food. Many foods are symbolic for this celebration. For example, spring rolls are symbolic of wealth, and crescent-shaped dumplings of wealth and prosperity.
Step 2

Plan your menu around the symbolic meanings. It will give your guests' an educational dining experience.
Step 3

Buy pre-made foods. Substitute spring rolls for egg rolls. Pre-made dumplings and crab rangoon also are good choices. You can find them in the frozen food section of the grocery store. Purchase these items the week of the party.
Step 4

Complete prep-work two days before the party. Chop, slice and dice vegetables and store them in the refrigerator to save time.
Step 5

Make your dishes one day before the party. Mix the ingredients and put together items such as spring rolls and crab rangoon one day before and store them in the refrigerator until it is time to cook.

Tips & Warnings

If you don't have time to prepare the food and can't enlist anyone's help, call your favorite Chinese restaurant. Order take-out and serve everything in platters and bowls.
When preparing dishes the night before, label them with a piece of tape and include the name of the dish, cooking temperature and cooking time. This is critical for dishes containing pork and chicken.
Don't cross-contaminate. Wash you hands, utensils and cutting boards thoroughly after handling all raw meat. Use a different cutting board for preparing vegetables.

Resources