Chinese New Year Food Recipes for Health and Prosperity

China is big on symbolism and superstition. While I'm personally not superstitious, I still like to keep the following symbols in mind when preparing Chinese New Year food.

Chinese New Year Food: Chicken

Chicken symbolizes happiness and prosperity, so it makes an excellent ingredient for your Chinese New Year meal.

Chinese New Year Food: Oranges

Since oranges are China's most plentiful fruit, food prepared with oranges symbolizes wealth and good fortune.

Chinese New Year Food: Noodles

Noodles symbolize longevity, so make sure not to cut them!

Chinese New Year Food: Eggs

Eggs symbolize fertility. It's easy to incorporate eggs into your Chinese New Year menu, by starting the meal off with Egg Drop Soup.

Chinese New Year Food Recipes: Egg Drop Soup

4 cups chicken broth, divided

1 teaspoon finely grated ginger root

2 tablespoons sliced green onions

2 well beaten eggs

Bring 3 1/2 cups of broth, ginger, and green onions to a rolling boil.

While waiting for the broth to come to a boil, whisk together the remaining broth with 2 tablespoons cornstarch until smooth.

Using a fork, drizzle the egg a little bit at a time into the boiling broth mixture. The egg will cook as soon as you drop it into the soup.

Stir in the cornstarch mixture until the soup is the desired consistency.

Garnish with green onions.

Chinese New Year Food Recipes: Orange Chicken Stir Fry

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

½ cup orange juice

2 tablespoons soy sauce

½ teaspoon brown sugar

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 cloves of garlic, minced

½ tablespoon grated ginger root

1 tablespoon corn starch mixed with ½ cup water

Oil

Mix together the orange juice, soy sauce, brown sugar and red pepper flakes.

Heat a wok or large skillet. When wok is hot, add a couple of tablespoons of oil. You should use enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.

When the oil is hot, add in the garlic and ginger and stir fry till the delicious smell of the garlic and ginger begins to permeate your kitchen. This should take a minute or less. Be careful not to brown the garlic.

Add the chicken and stir fry it until it is lightly browned on all sides.

Add in the orange mixture, bring to a boil, and cook for about two minutes.

Stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook till desired consistency. If the sauce is thicker than you'd like, gradually stir in small amounts of water till sauce is the as thin as desired.

Chinese New Year Food Recipes: Easy Chicken Chow Mein

1 cup thinly sliced celery

1 tablespoon oil

1 cup bean sprouts

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1 7-oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained

2 cups cooked, chicken, diced

3 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ cup water

1 ½ cups chicken broth (dissolve 2 bullion cubes in hot water, or use a 10-oz can of chicken broth)

¼ cup soy sauce

16 oz cooked chow mein noodles or cooked spaghetti

Sauté celery and mushrooms in oil until celery is crisp tender.

Add in bean sprouts, water chestnuts, and chicken

In a good sized bowl, mix water and corn starch. When well mixed, stir in chicken broth and soy sauce.

Add the cornstarch mixture to the chicken and vegetables and bring to a boil. Cook and stir until the sauce thickens.

Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook on low for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir into hot cooked noodles.

I hope you enjoy these recipes. For more information on the Chinese New Year, I recommend reading Chinese New Year of the Rat Starts February 2, 2008by Carol Bengle Gilbert