In 2024, communities across the world will be celebrating Lunar New Year on 10 Febrauary. Although commonly known as Chinese New Year, the annual celebration marks the beginning of the year according to the lunisolar calendar, and is celebrated over a number of days in countries such as China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore, as well as those diasporic communities in living Australia.
Lunar New Year involves visiting family and friends, paying respects to ancestors, giving (or if you’re lucky, receiving) packets of “lucky money”, and dining on banquet-style feasts. Whip up some noodles for long life, fry up some crisp spring rolls, or try Kylie Kwong’s twist on the Cantonese classic dish, sweet and sour pork. Plus, we have recipes for mango pancakes, festive trifles and Indonesian layer cake to end on a sweet note.
Here are our favourite Lunar New Year recipes for the Year of the Dragon, from dumplings and mushroom noodle stir-fry to a rice cake recipe and dishes of crispy duck and pork.
What are the lucky foods for Chinese New Year? Read our guide to the celebratory dishes eaten during Lunar New Year.
Want more Lunar New recipes? Lee Ho f*ck chef Victor Liong has collaborated with Aurum Poultry this year to create four auspiscious dishes.
How to make kek lapis (Indonesian layer cake)
How to make kek lapis (Indonesian layer cake)
Duck sang choi bau recipe by Alvin Quah
Duck sang choi bau recipe by Alvin Quah
Best fried rice recipes
Best fried rice recipes
Best dumpling recipes
Best dumpling recipes
Fast mango pancakes
Fast mango pancakes
-AND-Nasi-ula.jpg?fit=650%2C542&ssl=1 "Our favourite Lunar New Year recipes (6)")
Malaysian-style spicy roast chicken (Ayam percik)
Malaysian-style spicy roast chicken (Ayam percik)
Victor Liong’s Southern rock lobster with Cantonese garlic butter and longevity noodles
Victor Liong’s Southern rock lobster with Cantonese garlic butter and longevity noodles
Victor Liong’s rose tea and red fruit trifle with vanilla cream and osmanthus
Victor Liong’s rose tea and red fruit trifle with vanilla cream and osmanthus
PS40’s Lunar Eclipse co*cktail
PS40’s Lunar Eclipse co*cktail
Restaurant Anchovy’s Vietnamese spring rolls with mustard leaves and herbs
Restaurant Anchovy’s Vietnamese spring rolls with mustard leaves and herbs
Aunty 5’s rice cakes with tiger prawns and pork floss
Aunty 5’s rice cakes with tiger prawns and pork floss
Vietnamese rice paper rolls
Vietnamese rice paper rolls
Victor Liong’s three sliver salad
Victor Liong’s three sliver salad
Tony Tan’s eggplant and broad beans with soy-sesame dressing
Tony Tan’s eggplant and broad beans with soy-sesame dressing
Tony Tan’s cucumber salad
Tony Tan’s cucumber salad
Sichuan sliced pork with garlic and chilli sauce
Sichuan sliced pork with garlic and chilli sauce
Victor Liong’s white-cut chicken, aromatic chilli oil and peanuts
Victor Liong’s white-cut chicken, aromatic chilli oil and peanuts
Chiu chow raw fish salad
Chiu chow raw fish salad
Victor Liong’s cold silken tofu with peanuts, salted daikon, coriander and black vinegar
Victor Liong’s cold silken tofu with peanuts, salted daikon, coriander and black vinegar
Cloud-ear salad with tofu and soy beans
Cloud-ear salad with tofu and soy beans
Kylie Kwong’s prawn dumplings with organic tamari and chilli dressing
Kylie Kwong’s prawn dumplings with organic tamari and chilli dressing
Steamed pork buns with Shanghai chilli vinegar
Steamed pork buns with Shanghai chilli vinegar
Lau’s Family Kitchen’s salt and pepper whiting
Lau’s Family Kitchen’s salt and pepper whiting
Black pepper crab
Black pepper crab
Stir-fried blue swimmer crab with salted black bean, chilli and native basil
Kylie Kwong’s stir-fried blue swimmer crab with salted black bean, chilli and native basil
Dan Hong’s mud crab with XO sauce
Dan Hong’s mud crab with XO sauce
Singaporean Chilli Crab
Singaporean Chilli Crab
Victor Liong’s masterstock-braised meats and tofu
Victor Liong’s masterstock-braised meats and tofu
Tangerine duck by Lau’s Family Kitchen
Tangerine duck by Lau’s Family Kitchen
Malay fried chicken with curry leaves
Malay fried chicken with curry leaves
Chinese-style roast chicken
Chinese-style roast chicken
Kylie Kwong’s deep-fried chicken with finger-lime sauce
Kylie Kwong’s deep-fried chicken with finger-lime sauce
Hakka salt-baked chicken
Hakka salt-baked chicken
Butter prawns (nai yow ha)
Butter prawns (nai yow ha)
Vietnamese yellow curry
Vietnamese yellow curry
Chinese barbecue pork with pickled watermelon rind
Chinese barbecue pork with pickled watermelon rind
Bar H: Suckling pig with roast fennel and warrigal greens
Bah H’s suckling pig with roast fennel and warrigal greens
Kylie Kwong’s sweet and sour pork with Davidson’s plum
Kylie Kwong’s sweet and sour pork with Davidson’s plum
Cheong Liew’s pork hock and wood fungus
Cheong Liew’s pork hock and wood fungus
Braised pork belly with soy sauce
Braised pork belly with soy sauce
Ricky & Pinky’s steamed snapper with coriander and ginger
Steamed snapper with coriander and ginger
Steamed barramundi, chilli black beans and pickled mustard greens
Steamed barramundi, chilli black beans and pickled mustard greens
Soy-roast duck with mandarin
Soy-roast duck with mandarin
Lau’s Family Kitchen’s scallops stuffed with prawn mousse
Lau’s Family Kitchen’s scallops stuffed with prawn mousse
Fish-fragrant eggplant (Yu xiang qie zi)
Dainty Sichuan’s fish-fragrant eggplant (Yu xiang qie zi)
Good Luck Pinbone’s Sichuan chilli eggplant with wood-ear fungus
Good Luck Pinbone’s Sichuan chilli eggplant with wood-ear fungus
Char kway teow
Char kway teow
Minced pork tossed noodles (Zhajiang mian)
Minced pork tossed noodles (Zhajiang mian)
Braised Yi-fu noodles
Braised Yi-fu noodles
Shanghai-style chilled noodles
Shanghai-style chilled noodles
Stir-fried gai lan
Stir-fried gai lan
Sesame doughnuts with custard (jin deui)
Sesame doughnuts with custard (jin deui)
Spice Temple’s custard buns
Spice Temple’s custard buns
Louis Tikaram’s mango pudding with lime tapioca and coconut ice-cream
Prosperity salad (yusheng)
Prosperity salad (yusheng)
The Gourmet Traveller Team
Gourmet Traveller is Australia’s trusted authority on food, travel and luxury lifestyle, bringing the latest news and trends to life through quality journalism, enticing recipes and evocative photography. For more than 55 years, it has been inspiring and informing Australians with the best in cooking, dining, travelling and shopping. Our critics bring the expertise of years of critical eating, drinking and writing to the table. Plus, as the country’s leading title in the luxury sector, Gourmet Traveller works closely with Australia’s leaders in the travel and hospitality industries to give our readers exclusive access. The Gourmet Traveller legacy is one of trust, prestige and relevance.
