As the New Year approaches, many cultures around the world turn to symbolic foods to ensure a year filled with luck, happiness, and prosperity. In various Asian traditions, especially Chinese culture, dumplings—which are shaped like ancient Chinese currency (ingots) or money pouches—are perhaps the most significant and delicious way to usher in good fortune.
Eating these little pockets of flavor symbolizes financial fortune and wealth accumulation in the coming year. The more dumplings you eat, the more money you'll make!
We've gathered 10 incredible New Year's dumpling recipes, each with its own special significance, to make your holiday celebrations both festive and fortunate.
1. Classic Gold Ingot (Jiaozi)
The traditional crescent shape of these dumplings is meant to perfectly mimic the shape of yuanbao, or ancient Chinese money ingots. This is the quintessential New Year's dumpling for wealth.
Description
A classic steamed or pan-fried pork and cabbage filling encased in a simple, perfectly pleated wheat wrapper.
Ingredients
Ground Pork: 1 lb
Napa Cabbage: 1 cup, finely shredded
Ginger: 1 tablespoon, grated
Soy Sauce: 1 tablespoon
Dumpling Wrappers: 1 package
Directions
Mix the pork, cabbage, ginger, and soy sauce thoroughly.
Place a spoonful of filling in the center of each wrapper, fold into a crescent, and seal by pleating the edge.
Steam for 8-10 minutes or pan-fry until the bottoms are golden brown.
2. Green Prosperity Dumplings
Green is the color of growth, health, and vibrancy. Incorporating a green vegetable into your dumpling skin or filling symbolizes a year of lush growth and progress.
Description
Dumplings with a vibrant green spinach-infused dough, filled with a mixture of chicken and fresh spinach.
Ingredients
Ground Chicken: 1 lb
Fresh Spinach: 1 cup, blanched and chopped
Garlic: 1 clove, minced
Sesame Oil: 1 teaspoon
Spinach Dumpling Wrappers (or plain wrappers)
Directions
Combine the chicken, spinach, garlic, and sesame oil for the filling.
Fill and seal the green wrappers using a simple fold.
Boil the dumplings until they float and the filling is cooked through (about 5-7 minutes).
3. Shanghai Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao)
The name Xiao Long Bao is often associated with the phrase "getting what one desires," making them a wish for a year where all your hopes come true.
Description
Delicate, thin-skinned dumplings filled with pork and a flavorful, savory broth that melts into a soup when steamed.
Ingredients
Ground Pork: 1/2 lb
Aspic (Pork Stock Gelatin): 1/2 cup, chilled
Ginger and Scallions: for flavoring
Soy Sauce: 1/2 teaspoon
Thin Dumpling Wrappers
Directions
Mix the pork and seasonings. Fold in small cubes of the chilled aspic.
Fill each wrapper, gathering the edges at the top to form a tiny pleated pouch.
Steam in a bamboo basket for 8-10 minutes until the skin is translucent and the broth has liquefied.
4. Long Life Noodles (Wonton)
While technically not a classic dumpling shape, the practice of serving wontons (which means "swallowing clouds") alongside long noodles on New Year's is a wish for longevity and a long, successful life.
Description
Pillowy, traditional pork-and-shrimp-filled wontons served floating in a clear, flavorful chicken broth.
Ingredients
Ground Pork and Shrimp: 1/2 lb each
Ginger: 1 teaspoon, grated
Rice Wine: 1 teaspoon
Wonton Wrappers: 1 package
Chicken Broth: for serving
Directions
Mix the pork, shrimp, ginger, and rice wine for the filling.
Place a small amount of filling on the wrapper and fold it into a triangle, bringing the two long corners together.
Boil the wontons until they float (about 3 minutes). Serve immediately in hot chicken broth.
5. Silver Coin Potstickers
Potstickers, or Guo Tie, are the pan-fried version of the classic ingot shape. By frying the bottoms, the crispy, golden crust further symbolizes accumulated wealth.
Description
Crispy-bottomed, chewy dumplings filled with a savory mixture of beef and carrots.
Ingredients
Ground Beef: 1 lb
Shredded Carrots: 1/2 cup
Green Onion: 2 tablespoons, chopped
Hoisin Sauce: 1 tablespoon
Dumpling Wrappers
Directions
Mix the beef, carrots, green onion, and Hoisin sauce.
Fill and seal the wrappers.
Pan-fry the dumplings in oil until the bottoms are golden. Add a splash of water, cover, and steam until the liquid evaporates.
6. Crystal Shrimp Har Gow
Har Gow, or crystal shrimp dumplings, are a wish for transparency and clarity in the new year. Their translucent skin represents an open and honest path forward.
Description
Steamed dumplings with a smooth, translucent tapioca and wheat starch skin, filled primarily with whole or chopped shrimp.
Ingredients
Whole Shrimp: 1/2 lb, chopped
Bamboo Shoots: 1/4 cup, minced
Ginger: 1/2 teaspoon, minced
Sesame Oil: 1 teaspoon
Special Har Gow Wrappers (Tapioca/Wheat Starch)
Directions
Mix the shrimp, bamboo shoots, ginger, and sesame oil.
Use the special wrappers to form small, round, pleated dumplings.
Steam for 5-7 minutes until the wrapper is clear and translucent.
7. Red Happiness Dumplings
Red is the ultimate color of luck and happiness in Chinese culture. Adding red ingredients, like red bell peppers or beets, symbolizes joy and festivity for the New Year.
Description
A celebratory, vibrant red-colored dough (colored with beet juice) filled with a simple, lucky mix of pork and chives.
Ingredients
Ground Pork: 1 lb
Chives: 1/2 cup, chopped
Oyster Sauce: 1 tablespoon
Red food coloring or Beet Powder: for color
Dumpling Wrappers
Directions
Prepare a dough that has been colored red (or use red food coloring/beet powder in the filling).
Mix the pork, chives, and oyster sauce.
Fill and seal the wrappers. Boil or steam until cooked through.
8. Treasure Bag Dumplings
These dumplings are tied at the top, resembling a money bag or pouch that collects and holds onto fortune. This shape is a direct wish for financial retention and prosperity.
Description
Small, purse-shaped dumplings filled with chopped mushrooms and vegetables, tied at the neck with a blanched chive.
Ingredients
Assorted Mushrooms: 1 cup, finely chopped
Water Chestnuts: 1/4 cup, chopped
Vegetable Broth: 1 tablespoon
Fresh Chives: 1 bunch, blanched (for tying)
Round Dumpling Wrappers
Directions
Sauté the mushrooms and water chestnuts until tender; stir in a tablespoon of vegetable broth.
Place a spoonful of filling in the center of the wrapper. Pull the edges up around the filling to form a bag.
Use a blanched chive to gently tie the neck of the bag closed. Steam for 8 minutes.
9. Peanut Butter Dessert Dumplings (Tangyuan)
Tangyuan, or sweet rice balls, are traditionally eaten at the Lantern Festival, but their round shape symbolizes family unity and completeness for the new year.
Description
Sweet, chewy glutinous rice balls filled with a rich peanut and brown sugar paste, served in a lightly sweetened ginger broth.
Ingredients
Glutinous Rice Flour: 1 cup
Warm Water: 1/4 cup (to mix dough)
Peanut Butter: 1/4 cup
Brown Sugar: 2 tablespoons
Ginger: for soup
Directions
Mix the rice flour and water to form a soft, pliable dough.
Mix the peanut butter and brown sugar for the filling.
Roll small portions of dough, flatten, fill with peanut paste, and re-roll into a smooth ball.
Boil until the balls float to the surface. Serve in a light ginger-infused broth.
10. Fish and Dill Dumplings
The Mandarin word for "fish" (yú) sounds like the word for "surplus" or "extra" (yú). Eating fish dumplings is a wish for a year that brings you an abundance of both money and resources.
Description
Savory boiled dumplings filled with flaky white fish (such as cod or tilapia) and fresh dill.
Ingredients
Flaky White Fish: 1 lb, cooked and flaked
Fresh Dill: 1/4 cup, chopped
Egg White: 1
Lemon Zest: 1 teaspoon
Dumpling Wrappers
Directions
Flake the cooked fish and mix it with the dill, egg white, and lemon zest to bind the filling.
Fill and seal the wrappers using a simple fold.
Boil the dumplings until cooked through, about 5 minutes, and serve with a vinegar-based dipping sauce.