The Lunar Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is celebrated among Chinese communities around the world. In fact, Chinese New Year is a perfect time to rekindle relationships and friendships. The celebrations last for a full 15-days every year, signifying the beginning of spring. Chinese families will spruce up and decorate their homes, put on new clothes and get together with close relatives and friends for feasts and revelry. In addition to sumptuous meals, traditional Chinese New Year cookies and snacks are often served during these family get-togethers and open house functions. Here are some of the most popular “must-have” Chinese New Year snacks.
Honeycomb Cookies
Honeycomb cookies are prepared from a mixture of rice flour, wheat flour, sugar, and coconut milk. It is then poured into a special rose-shaped mould and fried until golden brown. It is ultra-thin and super crispy. Because the mould used for frying in the batter is made of brass (Loyang), it is also called “Kuih Loyang”. The honeycomb cookie signifies unity and close family ties.
Kuih Bangkit
Kuih Bangkit is another popular snack served during Chinese New Year in Malaysia. It is prepared using ingredients like wheat flour, cassava flour, sago or arrowroot flour, some sugar and pandan leaves. While most Kuih Bangkit are white, some bake them in other colours, such as green, according to their taste.
Kuih Bangkit generally comes in the shape of a sunflower or goldfish. Both the sunflower and goldfish symbolize prosperity, abundance and good fortune.
Pineapple Tarts
For the Chinese Hokkien community, pineapple is known as “ong lai,” which sounds like “prosperity coming”. This pineapple jam-filled butter pastry is a classic festive favourite during Chinese New Year. The Chinese community believes that serving pineapple tarts to guests can bring prosperity and good luck to the whole family.
Nian Goa
Nian Goa, also known as sweet rice cake, is very popular during the Chinese New Year. It is made of glutinous rice flour and brown sugar. After mixing, the batter is steamed over boiling water until it becomes firm. Nian Gao is also often placed as a Chinese New Year food offering on the ancestor’s altar.
Kuih Kapit (Love Letters)
Kuih Kapit, which means “pressed biscuit” in Malay, is unique to Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. Also commonly known as “Love Letters” – it is light, crispy, sweet, and eggy with coconut aroma. These wafer-like festive snack is a popular favourite because of its thin texture. Traditionally, the kuih kapit is made and heated over a charcoal stove.
Kuih Bahulu
Light, fluffy with a tinge of sweetness, Kuih Bahulu is a small sponge cake made from a mixture of wheat flour, eggs, baking powder, and sugar. Kuih Bahulu remains a popular snack during Chinese New Year and they come in different shapes, including a fish, which symbolises abundant food.
Mini Sambal Prawn Rolls
The mini sambal prawn rolls look like a miniature version of fried “popiah”. These delicious crispy snacks are especially popular during get-togethers with families and friends. The filling is normally made from dried prawns. Shrimp sand prawns are said to represent good fortune and happiness while spring rolls represent wealth. The shape of the roll is meant to evoke imagery of gold bars.
Peanut Cookies
Peanut cookies are traditionally served during Chinese New Year. This cookie is fragrant and gives a very nutty taste as it is made by grounding and pounding peanuts into a fine powder, then kneading them into a dough along with flour and sugar. They are rolled into thumb-sized balls and then baked until golden brown. These festive cookies are incredibly delicious and simply melts in your mouth.
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