Our first port of call was the HK Chinese Chef’s Association chairman, Mango Tsang, who is also the Chinese executive chef for the Ritz Carlton. The most important thing to remember, says Tsang, is that New Year foods are typically symbolic and their names are often homonyms for wealth, prosperity, luck and fortune. For example, fat choy ho see (black moss with preserved oysters), a dish typically eaten at New Year dinners, roughly translates to ‘good wealth and good business’, something everyone wants for the coming year. “In fact, many people don’t like black moss seaweed and oysters, but they order it anyway and leave it on the table because they want good luck for the coming year,” laughs Tsang.

Nelson Chow, the manager of food and beverage operation training at the Chinese Cuisine Training Institute (CCTI) of the Vocational Training Council (VTC), says the tradition of eating dishes with lucky names has not changed for hundreds of years and it’s unlikely to do so. New Year is the time to attract good fortune; in this festive period everything is done with the intention of reaping excellent fruits in the coming year. Foods like pork tongue (dai lei – homonym for ‘good profits’) and lettuce (sang choy – ‘making money’) will always be in New Year dishes, says Chow, because of the lucky sounding names.

Tsang says almost all restaurants will have similar titles for their dishes, although a few ingredients might differ. However, he agrees with Chow that the dishes have not changed much over the generations. Perhaps the only real change he’s seen is people becoming more health and hygiene conscious when it comes to the food they eat, especially with seafood like oysters.

Sam Leung, a chef and senior instructor at the CCTI, has noticed this trend as well. He has accordingly adapted his recipes to make them lighter and less greasy – a concern for many Chinese of newer generations more aware of healthier eating practices. Methods of cooking such as braising and steaming are more popular because they result in lighter, healthier dishes. Also people might be trying modern recipes with the traditional ingredients: “You might have preserved oysters in a honey glaze with the sea moss,” says Chow. Modern research is also affecting the type of food seen on tables during the New Year: recent findings that black sea moss is harmful to health has prompted Leung to remove it from the CCTI’s restaurant and training course and use a more expensive green sea moss from Japan.

Chow notes that while the ingredients and names of the dishes might not have changed through the ages, appearance and methods of cooking have: “Nowadays people are more concerned about presentation and the aesthetics of the dish,” he says.

Food and Fortune

Neen go (New Year’s cake)
Neen go comes in two flavours: coconut, which is white, and brown sugar, which is tan. First steamed and left to cool, it is then sliced and pan-fried – traditionally dipped in egg first – and served hot. The round shape of the cake is said to symbolize family unity – which is imperative for the beginning of the year.

Lor bak go (turnip cake)
This cake is very popular at New Year because of the homonym ‘go’ – which sounds like ‘good fortune’, or ‘prosperity’ – hence it is eaten in abundance to increase wealth in the coming year.

Pork’s tongue (dai lei)
The name of this meat is very important – it’s a homonym for ‘good profits’ and the tongue is often a feature at business banquets to ensure high returns for the coming year.

Noodles
Noodles are traditionally served uncut at New Year’s time because they symbolize longevity.

Lettuce (sang choy)
Sang choy, a homonym for ‘making money’, often comes with many other traditional ingredients in New Year dishes.

Fish and chicken
Both fish and chicken are served whole, including head and tail (and feet in the bird’s case), because they symbolize completeness and togetherness. ‘Yu’ the word for fish also sounds like the words for ‘wish’ and ‘abundance’, so yu represents wishes for abundance in the coming year.

Tangerines and oranges
Homonyms for ‘luck’ and ‘wealth’ respectively, these are very prominent features in homes during the festive period – the little tangerine trees are very popular indoors and outside.

Yau gok (deep fried puffs)
This crescent-shaped biscuit is deep fried to a golden brown and filled with a mix of nuts and sugar. Said to look like the traditional gold ingots used in imperial China, it symbolizes wealth and prosperity.

Chuan hap (Tray of togetherness)
This is an eight-compartment circular or octagonal tray containing sweets and nuts traditionally served to New Year visitors. Each snack has its particular meaning, but can be substituted for by something else (for example, sugar sweets and chocolates are now quite popular) as sweets are generally eaten for a happy year ahead. Typical items found in the tray include red-dyed melon seeds signifying joy, happiness and many children, coconuts for unity, candied melons for good health and kumquats symbolizing wealth and prosperity.

Jai choi
Buddhist traditions say the food on the first day of the New Year must be vegetarian to start the year off with a clean slate and good karma. A traditional dish
of root vegetables (including lotus root) is supplemented with dried tofu, bamboo shoots, different types of mushrooms and bean sprouts.