Introduction: The annual reunion dinner showcases the mutual respect and love among family members of the Chinese nation, which strengthens the bonds within the family. With the New Year just a few days away, it's time to properly prepare for the reunion dinner, whether dining out or cooking at home.
For more recipes for traditional reunion dinner dishes, we recommend our special feature: The Flavor of Home for the New Year
The reunion dinner (the dinner on New Year's Eve), also known as the reunion dinner, is a meal on Chinese New Year's Eve (the last day of the lunar year). On this day, people prepare to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, gathering as a family for a celebratory dinner. The annual reunion dinner demonstrates the mutual respect and love among family members of the Chinese nation, a bond that makes the family relationship closer. With the New Year just a few days away, it's time to properly prepare for the reunion dinner, whether dining out or cooking at home. If you are having the reunion dinner at home, then shopping, preparing recipes, and cooking will be a considerable task. Dining out also has its own set of ordering techniques. We have compiled some experiences from experts and seasoned individuals to provide you with the following references:
Reference One: Auspicious Purchases
To seek good omens and have an auspicious year, what to eat and how to eat for the reunion dinner has been a matter of great significance for many years. For example, "longevity vegetables" (mustard greens) should be eaten from stem to end to ensure a long life; "cai tou" (radish head) signifies good luck; a "whole chicken" symbolizes the family's togetherness; eating fish balls, shrimp balls, and meat balls refers to "passing all three examinations" (i.e., the top scholar in the provincial, metropolitan, and palace examinations); and a whole fish symbolizes having a surplus year after year.
Reference Two: Nourishment to Ward Off Cold
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, conditioning from the inside out is the fundamental way to resist the cold. If you choose the right foods in your daily diet, the delicious food you eat can help you fight off the cold, allowing you to enjoy winter and a happy new year. To warm up through food, lamb and dog meat are the top choices, while beef and pork are also good options to help you get through the winter. In the fresh food sections of major supermarkets, there is a continuous stream of customers purchasing meat products every day.
Reference Three: Nutritious Eating
"A table full of big fish and meat" or "vegetables holding up half the sky"? Many friends often worry about not being able to balance their recipes well when preparing the reunion dinner.
We remind everyone to follow a golden principle: refer to the "seven parts meat, three parts vegetable" ratio. Of course, you can also adjust according to the preferences of your family members. When planning the menu, simple dishes like green leafy vegetables and carrots stir-fried and placed on the table are often more appealing to family members accustomed to rich and heavy dishes. Carrots are nutritious, and pickled large red chilies and green chilies are both beautiful and delicious. If you buy a few pounds of cauliflower, making a "large plate of cauliflower" is also a very popular dish.
Regional Special Reunion Dinner Recipes
Beijing Reunion Dinner Menu
I. Cold Dishes
1. Sliced Beef 2. Chinese Sausage 3. Osmanthus Duck 4. Salted Duck Leg
5. Cold Mixed Abalone Trim 6. Century Egg 7. Spicy Peanuts 8. Cold Jellyfish Head
9. Braised Pork Tongue 10. Cold Bean Thread Salad
II. Braised Dishes
1. Braised Ribbonfish 2. Braised Lion's Head Meatballs 3. Egg Dumplings 4. Lamb Hot Pot
5. Old Duck Hot Pot 6. Braided Eel 7. Assorted Hot Pot 8. Grass Shrimp
III. Stir-fried Dishes
1. Colorful Shredded Squid 2. Stir-fried Kidney 3. Stir-fried Bullfrog 4. Stir-fried Soft-shelled Turtle
5. Stir-fried Pork Liver 6. Stir-fried Beef Tenderloin
IV. Steamed Dishes
1. Steamed Sea Bass 2. Steamed Opium Fish Head
V. Soup
1. Old Hen Soup
Hangzhou Reunion Dinner
Cold Dishes: Joyful Gathering (A large platter of 10 items including Suzhou-style chicken feet and dried tofu, suitable for drinking)
Hot Dishes (Three meat, three vegetable): Fresh Youth (Mushrooms and winter melon balls) Flowers Bloom in All Seasons (Crab roe on broccoli) Golden Hall Full (Sautéed soybean sprouts with chives)
Family Health (A one-pot meal with meatballs, egg dumplings, and mushrooms) Rising Later (Steamed young chicken) Surplus Every Year (Scallion and ginger Mandarin fish)
Desserts:
Everyone Sweet (Longan eight-treasure rice) Everyone Neat (Fried spring rolls)
Fujian Reunion Dinner Menu
Joyful Gathering (Assorted platter)
Hot Dishes Golden Grains and Jade Green (Mushroom and winter melon balls) Flowers in Bloom (Crab roe on broccoli) Golden House Full (Baked stuffed tofu)
Fiery Auspicious (Chopped chili young chicken) Surplus Every Year (Scallion and ginger Mandarin fish)
Dessert Wealth and Sweetness (Longan eight-treasure rice)
Hainan Reunion Dinner Menu
Cold Dishes:
Jellyfish Head, Chicken shreds with Buddha's hand, Fermented soybeans, Drunken conch, Sweet and sour lotus root, Spiced pigeon, Braised cuttlefish, Coriander with arctic bay scallops, Salmon sashimi, Cucumber
Hot Dishes:
White rice shrimp, Grilled shrimp on skewers, Steamed scallops with vermicelli, Longjing shrimp fried with rice cakes, Fried steak, Seafood trotter tendon, Asparagus and ginkgo stir-fried with pork tripe, Crab roe with salted egg yolk, Squirrel-shaped Mandarin fish, Pickled vegetable steamed silverfish, Braised bamboo shoots, Ham with bamboo shoots,
Soup: Seafood Soup
Desserts: Eight-treasure rice, Spring rolls with three fillings, Hong Kong-style wontons
Fruit: Cherry, longan, and kiwi fruit platter