Lincoln Tan rounds up some of the best Auckland restaurants to celebrate Lunar New Year (February 10-24), and what to eat, from hot pot, to Canton-style crayfish and a spot of high tea.
It’ll be just over a week before many thousands of people in New Zealand will join a
Steeped in traditions and superstitions, the festival tied to the lunar-solar calendar was originally observed as a time to honour ancestors and the gods. Today, it is about celebrations of new beginnings, luck and prosperity.
For the Chinese, Lunar New Year festivities span 15 days starting on February 10 and ending on February 24 this year.
Definitely my favourite festival, as a child growing up in Singapore I looked forward to receiving hong baos, or red envelopes filled with money that married relatives handed out for good luck. Not so much now, when I’m the one having to give them out.
But one thing that hasn’t changed about why I love this festival so much is the food.
I love food, and central to Lunar New Year celebrations is feasting. It’s taboo to go hungry during the 15-day observance of the festival to ensure you will not encounter any hunger in the coming year — on the contrary, you are encouraged to overeat to get a year of abundance and surplus.
It is believed that eating the right food could be tied to luck and fortune for the coming year — things like whole steamed fish for abundance, dumplings for wealth, longevity noodles for long life, and prawns for happiness.
The coming year is a special one, represented by the most powerful and only mythical creature in the 12-animal Chinese zodiac, the Dragon. It is a symbol of honour, authority and dignity and has been used to represent imperial power since ancient times in China.
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Advertise with NZME.For many Chinese families, including thousands from the 283,000-strong population in New Zealand, they will begin their feasting on Lunar New Year’s Eve (Friday, February 9). It’s considered the most important meal, also often referred to as “reunion dinner”, where the whole family gathers to reaffirm the love and respect that binds them as a unit.
Koreans, Vietnamese and many from across the Chinese diaspora also partake in the festivities, which in Auckland starts with a Chinese New Year Festival and Market Day at the ASB Showgrounds on Saturday (February 3) and ends with the massive Auckland Lantern Festival that runs from February 22-25.
This year, I’ll be leading a series of six Lunar New Year walking food tours for Heart of the City and my reunion dinner with the family will be at Guangzhou Hot Pot in Mid City Mall after the New Year’s Eve tour.
It is believed the hot pot symbolises reunion because of its circular shape and the communal way it’s relished; it represents unity in the family. Typical hot-pot ingredients include thinly sliced lamb, pork, beef and seasonal vegetables, but on this festive evening almost certainly there’ll be “auspicious” additions such as abalone (pāua), fish and crayfish.
To immerse yourself in the true spirit of the festivities, make a reservation at one of the bigger Chinese restaurants, most of which will have set menus or special menus that include “lucky food” to ring in the new year.
Alternatively, you could join in the festive feasting at ticketed dinners like Rotary North Harbour’s Chinese New Year banquet at the Golden Phoenix Restaurant and Chow Luck Club’s Lunar New Year dinner at Treasure Kitchen.
Being the Year of the Dragon, demand for crayfish is expected to soar and many restaurants are stocking up their live seafood tanks with the premium crustacean.
The crayfish, called long xia in Mandarin or loong har in Cantonese literally translates as “dragon prawn” and is regarded as a status symbol among the Chinese.
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Advertise with NZME.“When the crayfish is cooked, it turns red and this is considered a lucky colour for Chinese New Year,” says chef Yuhua Xu, of Sum Made Restaurant.