Introduction
Chinese New Year is a special festive time when there is a increase in the amount of food changes effected. Chinese food is very diverse and the CNY season is a perfect time to celebrate different meals with the family. With the start of the Chinese New Year: the Year of the Ox, let’s take a break and learn more about traditional or creative CNY snacks you can prepare for the occasion.
1. Honey Glazed Walnuts
Honey Glazed Walnuts also known as 榨菜 are eaten during Chinese New Year Festival. It normally involves roasting walnuts in honey and sesame oil traditionally to enable it to be sweet nutty and crunchy. This simple and tasty treat represents the sweet purpose of personal effort, so it can be enjoyed with guests or preparing for a contribution for new year celebrations.
2. Pineapple Tarts
It is an injustice to celebrate Chinese New Year without any pineapple tarts in the house. Many people in China and Southeast Asia savor these flaky pastries with pineapple jam as it is one of the most popular dessert type products. Pineapple tarts are also gifts and considered as an essential item during any occasion. This snack was invented but you can try out coconut or chocolate as your fillings and give it a unique taste as desired.
3. Chinese New Year Popcorn
The most important thing about popcorn is that it is a very flexible snack which can be prepped in numerous guises. For Chinese New Year, it is recommended to make colorful popcorn delicacies with fruits, nuts and spices. These vibrant snacks symbolize luck, wealth and happiness when taken and preparing these together with relatives and friends is an interesting activity.
4. Sesame Seed Balls
Sesame Seed Balls, or 紫薯薯餅, are a kind of snacks which are simple in preparation as well as mouth-watering. This is formed from mashed yam or sweet potato into which sesame seeds have been incorporated; is fried until crisp on the surface and tender on the inside. Fritters coated with sesame seeds are delicious and sweet or sticky, and as the name suggests, they represent family, so bring the balls into your house to enhance your Chinese New Year.
5. Five-Spice Candied Nuts
Consisting of cinnamon, star anise, cloves, Sichuan pepper, fennel seeds and ginger, five-spice powder is a common seasoning in all Chinese dishes. Try to use this blend in the following way marinate mixed nuts like almonds, cashews, and pecans, and enjoy with a crispy texture. This can also be varied with regards to spices, herbs and dried fruits of choice making it a candied nut mix with the five spice powder.
6. Lotus Seed Pastries
There is another snack during Chinese New Year called Lotus Seed Pastries or when translated in mandarin is 蓮香水餅. These contain glutinous rice flour and come filled with lotus seeds and red bean paste and are sweet, nutty pastries. They are associated with fertility, fertility and wealth and as such are ideal for your Chinese New Year celebrations.
7. Gold Coins fortune cookies
Those tasty biscuits, sometimes referred to as golden fortune cookies, are a post modern reflection of the original Chinese product. These green, Dann most prosperous Cookies are made from a dough that contains egg yolks and golden syrup and are turned the colour of gold during the cooking process. However, you can also write your personal messages which you can slip into these fortune cookies making your New Year’ New Year more touching.
8. Chocolate Love Letters
Chocolate Love Letters, or 巧克力愛心 are another delicious addition resulting from the influence of the love letters cookie. These cookies are thin and fragile in texture and crispy in nature and highly flavoured with chocolate to taste. They are of the heart shape, representation of love and friendship, therefore the best moments to present are during this Chinese New Year moment.
9. Chinese New Year Pretzels
Pretzels are known and enjoyed globally and for CNV, you may decide to make delicious pretzels with sweet fillings including red bean paste or peanut butter or any other get your creative juices going. These sweet pretzels could be made and rolled in sesame seeds, sprinkles or crushed pistachios for that extra flavor as well as color.
10. Mango Sticky Rice
Mango sticky rice is a sweet sticky rice dish enjoyed during the Chinese New Year and is known as 鳳梨飯. This dessert is very delicious, creamy and consists of glutinous rice which is grounded with coconut milk and ripe mangoes. Spoon into bowls and consume with additional shredded coconut and the palm sugar syrup on the side of the plate.
Conclusion
It is a time for eating successful and tasty foods that will bring happiness and prosperous into people’s lives. Whether you prefer classic sweet treats such as honey-glazed walnuts and pineapple tarts or novelty them and us products like chocolate love letters or Chinese New Year pretzels, there are a number of snacks to taste this year of the ox. So get your family and your friends and ring in the Chinese New Year with these delicious and lucky snacks! Enjoy!