Chinese New Year's Eve Feast (2026)
A collection of traditional and innovative Chinese dishes perfect for a festive New Year's Eve dinner, featuring a variety of seafood, meat, and vegetarian options.
Nutrition· per serving · estimated
Ingredients95 items
Instructions
- 1
Soak dried seahorse in hot water until soft. Cut open the belly, clean thoroughly. Microwave for 30 seconds to add a roasted aroma and remove fishy smell.
0:30 timer - 2
Select a pigeon aged 3 years or more. Blanch the pigeon and pork shank in boiling water. Remove and rinse thoroughly.
- 3
Place all ingredients (pigeon, pork shank, seahorse, dried longan, goji berries, huangqi, tianqi, ginger slices, and water) into a stew pot.
- 4
Steam for 2 hours.
120:00 timer - 5
Add salt to taste.
- 6
Cut razor clams open lengthwise with a knife. No need to soak in water to remove sand.
- 7
Peel and cut luffa into desired shapes.
- 8
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and ginger slices. Blanch luffa until cooked, then remove and arrange on a serving plate.
- 9
Add razor clams to the boiling water. Keep on high heat. As soon as the water is about to boil again (but not fully boiling), immediately remove the clams and transfer them to ice water. This hot-cold shock makes them crispier.
- 10
Remove the black line from the clams. Rinse twice.
- 11
In a cold pot with cold oil, add ginger, scallions, and red onion. Fry on low heat until caramelized and fragrant.
- 12
In a measuring cup, combine light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, white pepper powder, and water. Stir well.
- 13
Pour the sauce mixture into the hot scallion oil. It will sizzle. Stir well.
- 14
Arrange the blanched razor clams on top of the luffa. Filter the scallion oil sauce and pour it over the clams. Garnish with fresh scallions.
- 15
Clean the fish thoroughly, especially the internal cavity, to remove any fishy smell. Slice the fish along the spine to open it up, allowing it to stand and cook faster.
- 16
Prepare a marinade with water, salt, sugar, minced garlic, and lemon slices. Submerge the fish in this marinade for 20 minutes. Press down with a plate to keep it submerged.
20:00 timer - 17
Before steaming, pat the fish dry thoroughly with paper towels.
- 18
Mix salt and peanut oil. Rub this mixture all over the fish, inside and out. This adds flavor and locks in moisture.
- 19
Place two pairs of chopsticks on a plate to elevate the fish. Arrange the fish on top. Add white clams and small river shrimp around the fish (optional, for extra umami). Place a few strips of dried tangerine peel on the fish.
- 20
Bring water to a boil in a steamer. Steam the fish for 7-8 minutes (adjust based on fish size, smaller fish 5-6 minutes).
8:00 timer - 21
Remove the steamed fish. Garnish with scallion shreds and red chili shreds. Heat hot oil until smoking and pour over the garnish and fish. Serve immediately.
- 22
Select prawns with roe. Cut along the back of the prawns to allow better flavor absorption.
- 23
Marinate prawns with salt and white pepper powder for a while to give them a base flavor.
- 24
Lightly coat the marinated prawns with cornstarch.
- 25
Heat cooking oil in a wok. Pan-fry the prawns until they change color, then remove and set aside.
- 26
Leave a little oil in the wok. Add minced ginger, garlic, red onion, and small red chilies. Sauté until fragrant.
- 27
Return the prawns to the wok. Deglaze with rice wine. Stir-fry on high heat.
- 28
In a bowl, combine satay sauce, sugar, white pepper powder, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, and water. Mix well.
- 29
Pour the prepared satay sauce over the prawns. Stir-fry until the sauce thickens and coats the prawns. Add basil leaves and stir-fry briefly to release their aroma.
- 30
Transfer the stir-fried prawns to a serving plate.
- 31
Soak dried shiitake mushrooms until soft. Squeeze out excess water. Remove stems.
- 32
Heat cooking oil in a wok. Sauté minced ginger and garlic until fragrant.
- 33
Add shiitake mushrooms to the wok. Add rice wine and stir-fry until fragrant.
- 34
Add oyster sauce, white pepper powder, and dark soy sauce. Pour in the filtered mushroom soaking water. Add chicken powder if desired.
- 35
Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
20:00 timer - 36
Remove the lid. Add cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce until it's glossy and coats the mushrooms.
- 37
Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Add salt and cooking oil (this helps keep the greens vibrant). Blanch choy sum for 1 minute, then immediately remove.
1:00 timer - 38
Arrange the blanched choy sum around the edge of a serving plate. Place the braised shiitake mushrooms in the center.
- 39
Wash glutinous rice several times until water runs clear. Soak overnight (or at least 4 hours) until grains can be easily crushed. Drain thoroughly.
4:00 timer - 40
Line a bamboo steamer with cheesecloth. Spread the drained glutinous rice evenly. Poke a few holes with chopsticks for even steaming.
- 41
Steam for 30 minutes over boiling water.
30:00 timer - 42
Put crabs to sleep by inserting a knife into their belly for 10 seconds. Clean the crabs thoroughly, scrubbing off any dirt. Cut into 8 pieces. Remove gills and any other undesirable parts.
- 43
Dice Chinese sausage, cured pork belly, fresh pork belly, soaked shiitake mushrooms, dried shrimp, and shredded dried scallops.
- 44
Heat a pan. Add diced fresh pork belly and render out the fat until crispy. Remove crispy pork belly and set aside.
- 45
In the rendered pork fat, add ginger slices. Sauté until fragrant. Add diced shiitake mushrooms, dried shrimp, dried scallops, Chinese sausage, and cured pork belly. Stir-fry until fragrant.
- 46
Deglaze with rice wine. Add light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and white pepper powder. Stir-fry until well combined. Add red onion oil.
- 47
Pour in the filtered mushroom soaking water. Simmer on low heat for 5 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
5:00 timer - 48
Transfer the sautéed ingredients and sauce to the steamed glutinous rice. Mix thoroughly.
- 49
Line a steamer basket with soaked lotus leaves. Spread the mixed glutinous rice evenly. Arrange the crab pieces on top. Steam for another 8-10 minutes.
10:00 timer - 50
Remove from steamer. Garnish with chopped scallions. Pour hot oil over the scallions. Serve immediately.
- 51
Cut beef brisket into large chunks. No need to blanch if fresh.
- 52
Heat a wok until hot. Add beef brisket directly. Deglaze with rice wine. Stir-fry on high heat until the surface is caramelized (Maillard reaction). This also renders out excess fat. Remove beef and set aside.
- 53
In the same wok with residual oil, add ginger, red onion, and minced garlic. Sauté until fragrant.
- 54
Add Pixian Doubanjiang, hoisin sauce, satay sauce, red fermented bean curd, white fermented bean curd, and Guilin chili sauce. Stir-fry until fragrant.
- 55
Pour in boiling water. Add rock sugar, bay leaves, star anise, cinnamon stick, dried tangerine peel (scraped clean), cloves, and cracked black cardamom. Add chicken powder and white pepper powder.
- 56
Transfer the seared beef into a large pot. Pour the prepared sauce and spices over the beef. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to the lowest setting and simmer for 2 hours.
120:00 timer - 57
Peel the white radish (peel two layers to remove fibrous parts). Cut into large chunks.
- 58
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add a little sugar. Blanch radish chunks for a few minutes to remove any raw taste.
- 59
After 2 hours, add the blanched radish chunks to the beef. Continue to simmer for another 15 minutes until radish is tender.
15:00 timer - 60
Remove the beef and radish from the pot. Strain the braising liquid to remove solids. Return the beef and radish to the wok. Pour the strained braising liquid over. Add oyster sauce and dark soy sauce. Stir gently. Reduce the sauce on high heat until it thickens. Drizzle with sesame oil.
- 61
Transfer the braised beef and radish to a clay pot or serving dish. Garnish with fresh scallions.
- 62
Finely chop the peeled water chestnuts.
- 63
In a large bowl, combine water chestnut flour with 800ml of water. Stir well until no lumps remain. Strain the mixture.
- 64
In a saucepan, melt 200g of white sugar over low heat until it caramelizes. Carefully add 700ml of water and stir until the caramel dissolves into a syrup.
- 65
Ladle a few scoops of the water chestnut slurry into the hot caramel syrup. Stir continuously over low heat until the mixture thickens and becomes translucent. This is the "cooked slurry" (熟浆). This step is crucial for texture.
- 66
Pour the hot cooked slurry back into the remaining raw water chestnut slurry. Stir well. Add the chopped water chestnuts.
- 67
Pour the mixture into a heatproof container. Steam for 30 minutes. Do not use a non-stick container, as the water chestnut cake will not stick.
30:00 timer - 68
Let the cake cool completely. Once cooled, slice into rectangular pieces.
- 69
For a crispy exterior, pan-fry the slices in a little cooking oil until golden brown on both sides.
- 70
Finely chop the peeled water chestnuts.
- 71
Soak tremella until soft. Chop finely.
- 72
In a pot, combine sugarcane pieces, coconut water, and 1000ml of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour. (The video implies no added sugar, relying on natural sweetness from coconut water and sugarcane. If using only water, add rock sugar).
60:00 timer - 73
Add chopped water chestnuts and tremella to the pot. Continue to simmer until the mixture thickens slightly.
- 74
Pour the dessert into serving bowls. Grate a little lime zest over each bowl.