All You Need to Know About Special Sweets Made for Chinese New Year

Most Asian countries have sweets that span centuries in their existence and are an integral part of most festivities and celebrations. Most of these sweets are a simple affair being made with rice, fried or soaked in syrup or baked and sold across bakeries, restaurants and handmade at home to be shared among family and loved ones.

1. Nian Gao

Nian gao is a sweet rice cake that is a popular dessert always eaten during Chinese New Year celebrations. The name "nian gao" sounds like the Chinese words for "year" and "high," symbolizing the wish for a prosperous new year with growth and advancement. This sweet rice cake is believed to have origins in legends about offering it to the Kitchen God to prevent him from speaking ill of the household, or in using it to save starving people during a siege centuries ago. The rice cakes can vary in flavors and preparation styles across different Chinese regional cuisines, but they all represent auspicious symbolism for the Lunar New Year.

2. Sesame Seed Balls

A tasty fried treat, sesame seed balls are made from glutinous rice flour filled with red bean paste and coated in white sesame seeds. These have a crispy exterior and soft interior being deep fried, sort of like Buenelos. There is another variation of this fried snack - sesame seed baguette. These are also fried until crisp, but shaped into cylindrical forms which have a longer shelf life making them a common sight during Chinese New Year festivities. While pre-packaged sesame baguettes can be found in supermarkets, the balls are only available at local bakeries.

3. Fa Gao

This sponge cake signifies good fortune and prosperity and is seen quite a lot during the Chinese New Year. They resemble muffins in a way because the end product cracks and blossoms like a muffin on top. It’s similar to fortune cookies in a way and unlike the fortune cookie which tells you your luck, this one is a talisman of sorts that is eaten to bring prosperity.

4. Tang Yuan

Translating to “first evening”, Tang Yuan or tangyuan is a common sweet that is made from glutinous rice that envelops sweet red beans, black sesame or peanut paste, served in a sweet syrupy soup. They are a staple at Chinese Lantern Festival that start towards the end of Chinese New Year celebrations. It represents unity in the family and is more popularly eaten on Dongzhi or the Winter Solstice, at least the Southern part of China.

5. Fishskin Peanut

Peanuts are considered "longevity nuts'' in Chinese culture, which symbolize vitality and longevity, so they are perfect for Chinese New Year. Fishskin peanuts are one such sweet where shelled peanuts are coated in a syrupy brown sugar and flour mixture, then baked until browned. The Japanese version from where it came from, probably, is made of peanut, glutinous rice flour, white sugar and starch.

6. Twisted Fried Dough

Distinct from the sesame snacks, fried dough twists have a slightly more rigid texture. Created by twisting two or three bars of dough together before frying, these crispy treats are particularly beloved in Northern China. The fried dough twists from Tianjin are especially renowned, celebrated for their exceptional crispness, rich flavors, and creative variations.

7. Tang Huan

In South China, sugar rings are a beloved New Year's dessert, especially for children and for most folks they are a reminder of grandma’s home baked goodies. These flower-shaped treats are crisp and sweet and almost look like a mooncake, but they are thin and airy. It’s almost like the Achappam or Rose cookies from Kerala that are similar in looks and taste.

8. Peanut Brittle

Locally known as Huasheng Tang, peanut brittle, a sweet, crisp, and fragrant dessert made primarily from shelled peanuts and malt sugar. Beautifully packaged peanut brittle is a common sight in markets during the Lunar New Year. We have our version of this delicious snacky dessert called chikki that uses a lot of caramelized sugar and shelled peanuts too.

9. Caramel Treats

Also symbolizing fortune, these soft and sweet delicacies can be found in supermarkets and bakeries. These are nothing but strips of paste-like dough that are fried until golden, then mixed with syrup to hold them together before being cut into cubes and sold.

10. Walnut Cookies

Another sweet snack that is popular during Lunar New Year dessert across China, walnut cookies feature a soft, crumbly biscuit that has the delicious aroma of the nutty walnut. Made primarily from walnuts and flour, these yellowish cookies have a cracked appearance and stand as a symbol of happiness.