FOOD FRIDAY: Lucky Foods for Year of the Dragon

Thanks to our friend Bill Daley at the Chicago Tribune for this article to celebrate the Chinese New Year this week.  YUM!

Usher in the Year of the Dragon with foods considered particularly auspicious for the lunar New Year.  Make one or more of these dishes at home or go out to your favorite Chinese restaurant and enjoy both the flavor and the good fortune.

Spring Rolls (Photo by L. Mueller for MCT)

Potsticker dumplings – Similar in shape to ancient gold ingots, dumpling symbolize wealth.
Spring rolls – Golden color means good fortune.
Noodle dishes – Long noodles equals long life. Eat the longest noodles you can find – don’t cut them!
Stir-fried lettuce – The Cantonese words for lettuce sounds like “growing fortune.” Find recipes here in my Good Eating story, “Good greens, good fortune.”
Whole fish – While any food served whole promises prosperity, the word for fish sounds like “riches.”
Oranges – Golden to symbolize wealth, round for unity.

Stir-fried Hokkien noodles with shrimp, chili and bean sprouts (Photo by Bob Fila for Chicago Tribune)

Red-cooked chicken – Red is a lucky color. The dish symbolizes happiness, good fortune
Tea eggs – Fertility
Lion’s head meatballs (pork balls braised in greens) – Lions stand for power and strength.
Barbecued duck – Fidelity