We all have our favourite Chinese recipe, whether it be crispy peking duck, dim sum or five-spice pork belly. On Chinese New Year, the Chinese serve particular Chinese New Year food according to their symbolic meaning. We have pulled together our favourite recipes to make sure you have a prosperous year, from noodles to dumplings, Chinese chicken to easy fish recipes.
Chinese dumplings – wealth
Pan fried soup dumplings (sheng jian bao)
Try our soup dumplings recipe for the best Chinese dumpling recipe. A pork, and sometimes prawn, filling is encased in a thin, chewy dough, crisped on the bottom, beautifully pleated at the top, and the first bite unleashes a torrent of heady, fragrant stock. The dumplings are served with chilli oil and black vinegar.
Pork and prawn dumplings
Small, delicious parcels of succulent meat and fish with a kick of chilli and ginger, pork and prawn dumplings are a dim sum favourite. Learn how to make them with step-by-step help from our test kitchen.
Chicken and sweetcorn dumpling soup
Easy-to-follow recipe for chicken soup at its heartwarming best. With noodles and wanton dumplings, this Asian-flavoured broth is both light and filling.
Open-top pork and scallop dumpling
Dumplings are a symbol of wealth, so serve this light and impressive appetiser to celebrate good fortune. Filled with scallops and pork mince in an oyster sauce, these little parcels are a delicious burst of flavour.
Noodles – longevity
Looking for more noodles recipes? Try our other ideas here.
Beef, ginger and spring onion noodles
Make this quick and easy noodle recipe with succulent sirloin steak, fiery ginger and crunchy spring onions. Ready in just 20 minutes, this dish is a simple midweek meal for two.
Shanghai fried beef noodles
Ready in just 30 minutes, our Shanghai fried beef noodles make a great, easy meal for two midweek.
Szechuan prawn noodles
These hot and spicy Chinese-style noodles only take 15 minutes to whip up so they’d make a great quick and easy mid-week meal if you’re stuck for time or craving some healthy, low cal fast food.
Sweet soy aubergine noodles
Ditch the take away menu and grab a pan, these low calorie vegetarian noodles are a quick and easy mid-week meal idea guaranteed to hit the spot.
Seared sesame tofu with noodle salad
A great vegetarian option, the sesame seeds and red chilli liven up this tofu dish. According to the Chinese, the noodles bring longevity, bonus!
Fish – prosperity
Want to cook fish for Chinese New Year? Try one of our easy fish recipes here.
Ginger lemon sole with Chinese greens
A quick, easy and healthy recipe for mid-week flavour. Fish celebrates prosperity and greens symbolise longevity, so you are sure to eat your good fortune’s worth.
Five-spice – just because we love it
Crispy five-spice and sriracha pork belly
Check out this punchy, easy, crispy pork belly with Chinese five-spice. This flavoursome pork recipe is great with rice, noodles or bao buns.
Five-spice roast duck with clementines and port
This easy five-spice duck is a great roast for when there’s just a few of you for dinner. It feels celebratory to bring out a whole roast bird to the table and the clementines and spices will make the kitchen smell really festive.
Five-spice beef with sesame greens
An easy-to-follow recipe for slow-cooking a cheap cut of beef. With Asian flavours and sesame greens, this is a one-pot that friends and family will enjoy together.
Chinese duck recipes – for a Chinese banquet
Crispy duck and peach pancakes
Tangy peach sauce makes a great, simple twist to classic crispy duck pancakes. It’s so much more satisfying than calling a takeaway.
Sticky duck with cucumber and spring onion salad
This recipe for sticky duck with cucumber and spring onion salad takes a little extra time but is easy to make and under 500 calories, so it’s great for midweek.
Slow-roast duck with sweet tamarind
This tender and sticky duck serves four and would make for a great centre pieces for a casual dinner party. Get everyone involved and carve this one on the table before you serve it up with basmati rice and pay choy.
Other Chinese recipes
Home-style cabbage
This fancy cabbage side dish showcases the Sichuan love of dried chillies. It’s great served alongside mapo tofu, cold sesame noodles, or dumplings in hot and sour broth.
Smacked cucumbers
By ‘smacking’ the cucumbers in this Sichuan side dish you create more rough surfaces – all the better for soaking up the zingy pickle.
Kung pao caramel chicken
Using caramel in savoury cooking adds a smoky, sweet depth to marinades and braises, and brings an extra dimension to this Chinese classic. Discover our best chicken thigh recipes here.
Smacked cucumbers with cheat’s XO sauce
Jazz up your cucumber salad with this simple recipe tossed in our cheat’s spicy seafood sauce. Make this easy side dish for your next dinner party with friends.
Kung pao chicken
Check out this punchy Chinese kung pao recipe with chicken. The traditional Szechuan version is made with dried chillies, but we’ve used fresh instead.
Crispy Chinese chicken
Check out this crispy Chinese chicken recipe with crunchy greens. This super easy meal for 3 is packed with punchy flavour and comes in at just over 400 calories.
Healthier sweet and sour chicken
Jazz up chicken breasts in this healthy version of a Cantonese classic recipe, sweet and sour chicken. Plenty more healthy chicken meal ideas here.
Crispy chilli beef stir-fry
No need to order from your local Chinese takeaway when you can rustle up this flavorsome beef stir-fry in less than 30 minutes. This recipe is not only quick and easy to make, it’s also low in calories too.
Sticky Chinese ribs
These sticky Chinese pork ribs are really easy to make and a great dish to treat your family and friends at the weekend. Serve with some rice and tuck in!
Kung pao prawns
This Kung Pao shrimp recipe is a really low calorie stir-fry and is served in a homemade sauce with noodles or rice. The Szechuan peppercorns and chilli flakes add some spice to the prawns while the cashew nuts add a crunchy texture to the dish.
Twice-cooked Chinese pork
This delicious twice-cooked Chinese pork belly is really tender and packed with great flavours. Serve with green vegetables and steamed rice.
Chinese style purple sprouting broccoli with tofu
This Chinese-style purple sprouting broccoli with tofu recipe is easy, vegan and under 500 calories.
Smacked cucumber
Check out our recipe for buffalo smacked cucumbers. ‘Smacking’ cucumbers is a Chinese technique allowing them to absorb more flavour. Their cool crunch tempers the hot buffalo sauce.
Stir-fried smacked cucumber
Regional Chinese cuisines are slowly spreading across the UK, breaking the hold of Hong Kong style Cantonese cuisine. This recipe for stir-fried smacked cucumber is traditionally a beer snack, so you can serve it with drinks, or use it as a side dish.
Chinese red-braised chicken
This Chinese-inspired chicken dish is quick, easy and perfect for a midweek meal. It’s called red-braised because of the colour that is infused by the spices.
Chinese red-cooked pork
This Chinese recipe from John Torode takes time but the result you get will be well worth it – sweet, juicy, delicious pork that will be so addictive you’ll want some in the fridge at all times.
