Chef Mei Lin shares her insights and recipes for an easy Lunar New Year at home.
Imagine streets ablaze with vibrant lanterns, families gathered around tables laden with symbolic dishes, and the air filled with laughter and the crackling of fireworks. This is Lunar New Year, a time when revelers around the world, from the bustling streets of Beijing to the vibrant Chinatowns of London and New York, travel far and wide to reunite with family for a fifteen-day celebration. Just as Thanksgiving wouldn't be complete without turkey and stuffing, Lunar New Year festivities revolve around symbolic dishes like spring rolls, whole steamed fish, noodles, dumplings, sticky rice cakes, and almond cookies, each carrying wishes for good fortune in the year ahead.
For Top Chef champion Mei Lin, these dishes evoke vivid memories of childhood celebrations. Mei Lin was born in Guangdong, China, but grew up in Dearborn, Michigan, where her parents owned and operated a Chinese restaurant. She remembers celebrating Lunar New Year for a full week at home every year as a kid. “It was the biggest holiday we celebrated, and it's very food oriented,” Lin recalls. “There are lots of superstitions surrounding preparing for the big day too. No cleaning because you'll sweep your luck away, and not washing your hair because you'll wash your luck away.” She remembers enjoying whole fish and lots of vegetarian dishes for the Lunar New Year, due to Buddhist influences on Chinese culture.