🐉 Lunar New Year Food & Festivities

It's not Thai New Year but it's still a BIG deal!

Sawaddee ka! 🙏🏼

Though the Lunar New Year is not the Thai New Year, it's still a big deal for us. There are millions of Thais of Chinese descent in Thailand - like me - so millions of people still celebrate!

Thailand actually has the largest number of Chinese people outside of China. So it’s not surprising that Chinese food is deeply intertwined with Thai cuisine. And with food being at the centre of lunar new year… well… let’s celebrate and eat! 🐉

This week I’m sharing some of my family’s favourite dishes for lunar new year with you so let’s get festive!

PS: If you’re looking for even more lunar new year dishes, you’ll enjoy this collection of 10 “No Fail” Chinese New Year dishes.

Dim Sum Turnip Cake (Lo Bak Go)

This is my mother-in-law’s recipe. She makes this Turnip Cake every new year and she’s famous for it. Seriously… it’s the best I’ve ever had - anywhere! It was so important to me that I preserve this recipe for our family that I insisted on filming her making it for the YouTube video. Now everyone can enjoy it!

Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)

Char Siu might be one of the most beloved Chinese dishes world-wide. And it’s actually really easy to make at home. But, it needs at least 24 hours to marinate (48 hours is better) and you can’t rush this. So plan ahead and you’ll be good (and it will be so worth it for that iconic juicy, salty/sweet flavour)

Hainanese Style Glass Noodle Stir Fry

Pad Wood Sen - or Glass Noodle Stir Fry is a common Thai dish but, in our family, when we make this dish, we’re making it Hainanese style! This is another of my grandma’s signature dishes. She makes it every time I visit and I love that I can share it with all of you for lunar new year!

Steamed Fish with Ginger Soy Sauce

Steamed Fish with Ginger Soy Sauce is a really easy dish to make at home. The dried shiitake mushrooms really stand out in this dish. I strongly recommend using them over fresh mushrooms. They give the dish an earthy quality and a chewy texture that’s hard to resist!

Black Sesame Rice Balls (Tang Yuan)

Black Sesame Rice Balls are one of my favourite desserts. They have a soft, chewy, mochi-like dough stuffed with a black sesame filling and I loved them as a kid. While Chinese people are not shy about making these rice balls with all kinds of filling and broth variations, in Thailand we stick to the black sesame filling and the sweet ginger tea broth. It’s an incredibly comforting dessert!