While dumplings are traditionally boiled in water, Low shares her recipe for potstickers — the dumplings are pan-fried so they’re crispy, and they’re dipped in a sauce. You can save time by buying potsticker wrappers in an Asian market instead of making them from scratch.
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WONTON SOUP
For Low’s wonton soup, she uses wontons filled with shrimp. She says the Cantonese sound of shrimp — “ha” — sounds like laughter, and signifies happiness. Plus, like with the potstickers, the wontons are formed in the shape of a gold ingot.
She uses low-sodium chicken broth for the soup base as a healthier alternative to the instant soup base sold at Asian markets.
SPRING ROLLS
“Spring rolls are a great appetizer for Chinese reunion dinner,” Low says. “You want something crispy as a starter — everyone loves spring rolls.” She says that authentic spring rolls aren’t served with a dipping sauce, but Chinese-American restaurants often serve them with sweet-and-sour sauce. She recommends a sweet chili or mild chili-garlic sauce instead.
KUNG PAO CHICKEN
The dried red chilis in kung pao chicken signify luck, since the color red means good luck in Chinese culture. “Red is the luckiest color for Chinese — when we see red we love it,” Low says.
She acknowledges that kung pao chicken probably wouldn’t be served at a traditional Chinese New Year celebration, but she includes her recipe because the dish is so popular in the United States. Her version uses dried red chilis, which tone down the heat compared to the authentic version, made with Sichuan peppercorn.
MONGOLIAN BEEF
The classic Mongolian beef dish completes the Chinese reunion dinner, Low says: “It’s a legit, traditional Chinese dish.” It doesn’t hold any special significance, it’s just delicious.
“Every dish doesn’t have to mean luck. If you already have lucky dishes, you can eat something just because you love it,” she says.
After a 30-minute marinade, this dish comes together in just 15 minutes.
CHOW MEIN
The long chow mein noodles signify longevity, Low says. Her version includes chicken and shrimp. She says vegetable lo mein would be a good alternative if you prefer your noodles wet and mixed with sauce rather than stir-fried in the chow mein style.
FRIED RICE
Fried rice is made from leftover rice, and having food left over signifies abundance. Low says fresh rice has too much moisture and will clump. She recommends ordering an extra container of white rice when you eat in a Chinese restaurant or get takeout — it will be perfect for making your own fried rice the next day.
GARLIC BOK CHOY
Low’s simple garlic bok choy stir fry comes together in 10 minutes and requires just four ingredients. “Bok choy is the healthiest Chinese vegetable for a balanced dinner,” she says. And bok choy is easy to find in just about any supermarket.
More better than takeout dishes
- Korean dishes to try tonight
- Indian dishes you can make at home
- Better-for-you versions of your Chinese favorites
- Thai dishes you’ll love
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