Moo Year Moo Eats

Usher in the Moo Year with AFN's delicious lunar new year recipes. Delight your family & guests with delicious classics like Sarah's Easy One Pan Roast Duck with Plums, or the plump, decadent Golden Phoenix in Mandarin Sauce to amp up the festivities & bring 'gold' to the table. Learn how to make Yu Sheng, the most essential dish at every dinner table during Chinese New Year that brings everyone to the table.

This year, celebrate Chinese New Year in elegance whilst social distancing with our deliciously crafted recipes for the best comforting meals this Moo Year.

Make Ili's Comforting Lunar New Year Recipes, Deliciously Savoury & Easy To Recreate At Home

Spice up your hot pots with Ili's deliciously spice Braised Spicy Chicken Hotpot, sweetened with prawns & brewed for protection, or impress your relatives with an impressive Spring Roll Starter Board! Going vegetarian? Try Ili's Vegetarian Poon Choi (Pen Cai), a perfect mix of greens & mushrooms that makes this dish a must-make.

Under 60 mins

Salted Egg Almond Cups

There’s just something about almond and salted egg that reminds you of Chinese New Year, and with these two ingredients, I’ve made these delicious Salted Egg Almond Cups to celebrate the festive season. This is my take on gooey meringue cookies with a gluten-free and Asian twist. Crunchy and super addictive, these sweet treats are best eaten fresh out of the oven.

DIY Spring Roll Starter Board (with Aromatic Crispy Duck and Tiger Prawns)

I love a good charcuterie board and have decided to incorporate my love of spring rolls into this Asian-inspired platter. During the festivities, you are probably busy in the kitchen preparing your food, so this DIY Spring Roll Starter Board is something you can prepare in advance. With a gorgeous array of fillings and sauces available, your guests are free to have fun and build their own spring rolls while you prep and cook the main dishes

Braised Spicy Chicken Hotpot

There’s nothing like a good hotpot. I love it so much I started my own hotpot business in Malaysia. It’s the perfect dinner party feast as you can customise the ingredients - the types of meat, vegetables, and dipping sauces - to suit the preferences of your guests. The recipe for my Spicy Braised Chicken Hotpot is flexible in that you can make it kid friendly by separating the chili oil, for a less spicy option. If you want to crank up the heat, feel free to go all out and add in the chili oil into the broth - guaranteed to fire up your Chinese New Year festivities!

Vegetarian Poon Choi

An auspicious dish that is rooted in tradition, Poon Choi is a must have for any Chinese New Year family gathering. This year, my family has decided to be more sustainable and a little lighter on the stomach during the festivities, so I found joy in adding a modern twist to this classic dish by creating my Vegetarian Poon Choi. Filled with over 16 different mushrooms, vegetables and meat free proteins, this veggie delight makes for an equally delicious and filling yet healthy meal.

Feast Healthy This Year with Sarah's Delicious CNY Recipes & Add A Little Spicy Punch To Delicious Classic Recipes

Sarah's Hae Bee Hiam Oatmeal Cookies ticks all the flavour boxes for spice, sweet, melt-in-you mouth delicious with a healthy twist - or make her appetising & delicious charcuterie board, chinese style.

Chinese

Hae Bee Hiam Oatmeal Cookies

This Hae Bee Hiam Oatmeal Cookie is an addictive treat that just screams Chinese New Year! They may not sound like natural companions, but I find that oatmeal cookies and hae bee hiam (dried shrimp sambal) go together surprisingly well. The bold flavors of the spicy and savory hae bee hiam complements the overall sweetness perfectly, creating a unique taste that you simply can’t get enough of.

CNY Charcuterie Board

A Charcuterie Board is a classic grazing dish for any party, but this Chinese New Year version injects a whole lot of fun and Asian character into a familiar option. Impress your guests with a platter filled with bak kwa (best enjoyed with Five Spice Apple Compote), mixed nuts, Mandarin oranges as well as keropok and other crackers, paired with sambal or better yet, a unique Salted Egg Aioli.

Mala Steamed Fish

A whole steamed fish is a classic element of a Chinese New Year feast, but I have a recipe that amps those traditional flavors up by adding a boost of spicy, tingly mala. An absolute treat for the senses, this Mala Steamed Fish can be prepared in under an hour for a fuss free meal that will delight the whole family.

Braised Dong Po Wintermelon

This is a plant-based take on the classic Chinese dish Dong Po Rou, replacing meat with wintermelon that looks surprisingly like the original pork belly! I love how the wintermelon absorbs the flavors of the sauce and becomes beautifully soft. Perfect for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike, this Braised Dong Po Wintermelon is a must-have at your Chinese New Year gathering.

Family Kitchen with Ann & Sherson: Make Deliciously Fragrant Classic CNY Dishes Perfect For Family Sharing

AFN's mother-son duo has got you covered with a delicious menu to impress your loved ones & friends this year: a refreshing Almond Pudding with Goji Berries after a heavy meal to cool your 'qi', crispy, juicy Deep Fried Prawns with Yam; tender, pull apart Salt Baked Fish & fall off the bone Five Spiced Stewed Duck.

Chinese

Deep Fried Prawns with Yam

Impress your loved ones this Chinese New Year with a restaurant quality dish that can be easily replicated at home with little effort to prepare. Inspired by the classic Yam Basket, Ann creates a unique seafood recipe where she fries prawns in a batter made of yam paste instead of the usual flour. These Deep Fried Prawns with Yam is as yummy as it sounds, offering a satisfying crunch that gives way to a savory juicy prawn with every bite.

Salt Baked Fish

Fish lovers rejoice! This Salt Baked Fish by Sherson Lian is sure to whet your appetite with its fresh savory flavors and gorgeous presentation. Baking the whole fish in a thick salt crust allows it to be evenly and gently cooked in the oven, resulting in a dish that’s delicious, simple and juicy. A feast for the senses, this fish would make an eye-catching main for festive gatherings including Chinese New Year reunion dinner.

Five Spice Stewed Duck

There can never be enough ways to cook poultry and this time, Ann impresses with a lovely Five Spice Stewed Duck. For those wary of cooking duck, this foolproof recipe will set you on the right track. With all the cooking being done in one pot, the duck is stewed in a broth that has been seasoned with bold Chinese flavors. This results in a deliciously savory dish that is worthy of a spot on your Chinese New Year reunion dinner table.

Almond Pudding with Snow Fungus & Goji Berries

Sweet dessert soups are often a favorite for many people as they’re not only refreshing but also full of healthy herbs and ingredients. Ann’s Almond Pudding with Snow Fungus and Goji Berries is an innovative twist on a sweet Chinese dessert soup turned into a pudding. Silky soft with a bit of bite from the goji berries and chopped almond bits, it’s great for tea time or even as a post-meal treat at a festive Chinese New Year gathering.

Learn How To Make The Best Chinese New Year Snacks So You'll Save Moolah & Time

The last minute new year snacks rush. The inflated prices, the mad buying, the lack certainty in the taste department. We've all been there. But just like the hard working Ox, we're making our own goodies this time.

Make heavenly melt-in-your-mouth pineapple tarts, or join the salted egg craze with our savoury twist on the traditiaon Nan Gua Bing for a satisfying chewy snack. You can't ever go wrong with the classic gula melaka pandan cookies, a delicious sweet addition to your tray of goodies your guests won't get enough of.

Or make traditional nonya kuehs this year to impress your bibiks with old time favourites.

Under 60 mins

Almond Cookies

Treat your guests to a batch of these buttery Almond Cookies this Chinese New Year. With a crumbly texture that simply melts in your mouth, this sweet treat is definitely a crowd favorite and will be wiped out in no time. Good thing it’s super easy to bake! In under an hour, this well-loved cookie will be ready for you and your loved ones to devour, fresh out of the oven.

Chinese Sweet Lotus Pancake

Usually served at the end of Chinese wedding dinners to symbolise a “sweet ending”, these yummy pancakes are a treat!

Chinese Peanut Cookies

Sweet and savory all in one bite, these Chinese Peanut Cookies are extremely addictive and are commonly found in households during Chinese New Year celebrations. Enjoy the aroma of the roasted peanuts as each cookie melts away in your mouth after a satisfying crunch. Remember to store them in airtight containers to keep them fresh!

Honey Cornflakes Cups

Be it for Chinese New Year or Hari Raya, this sweet treat is no stranger to festive occasions - you’re bound to see a bottle (or two!) of these Honey Cornflakes Cups in every household. It’s no wonder when you can easily whip up a batch of these delightful cookies with just 6 ingredients and just 20 minutes of your time. Be sure to make more as it can be very addictive and will be gone as soon as you serve them.

Recipe

Pineapple Tart

How can Chinese New Year go without Pineapple Tarts? Pineapple tarts are a must-have snack during Chinese New Year for your guests to enjoy.

Salted Egg Pumpkin Cake (Nan Gua Bing)

These extremely chewy and satisfying doughy glutinous rice cakes should be devoured with a cup of tea in hand. Indeed, it’s a salted egg yolk deviation from the traditional Nan Gua Bing that’s just pumpkin-stuffed. Here, mashed also with creamy salted duck yolks, it’s then fried and bubbled in hot oil, and will make a perfect snack in the moon-marvelling Mid-Autumn festival. If you want some crunch, sprinkle nutty pumpkin seeds on top before frying. Best munched on while still hot.

Onde Onde (Klepon)

In what can only be described as a party in your mouth, the Onde-Onde is a cute, little ball that quite literally bursts when you take a bite. Imagine a jelly-filled donut but soft –the dough is made of glutinous rice flour infused with pandan, or screwpine leaf, juice, then filled with palm sugar and rolled in with grated coconut. A traditional pastry that is popular in Malaysia and Singapore, it is eaten as a snack or a dessert.

Toothsome Pandan and Pumpkin Kueh Kosui

These soft and bouncy dimpled kueh are naturally coloured and flavoured with pandan, pumpkin and topped with salted coconut, making them a moreish treat.The rough and smooth textures makes this a delight in the mouth and will definitely have you reaching for just one more (especially one of a different color –got to try them all!). If you don’t have the appropriate mould, simply use your muffin tray and fill it to the midway point to make bigger kuehs.

Recipe

Arrowhead Chips

Want to impress your relatives with Homemade Chinese New Year snack? Try making your Arrowhead chips with this simple recipe that we have for you! Not only is Arrowhead chips, an addictive Chinese New Year snack in Singapore, but it is healthy. Besides that, this Chiku recipe only requires four ingredients and can be easily picked up within three steps.

Salted Egg Kale Chips

The Asian egg sensation is now paired with kale, and it doesn't disappoint. The superfood is baked in buttery goodness, curry leaves, the heat of chillies and the super side-kick -creamy umami-filled salted eggs. Need some sweetness? We used gavia instead, it's a sugar replacement and a rare sugar equivalent. But other sugar replacements work too. Be warned though, it's addictive and absolutely keto-friendly.

Lotus Root Chips with Two Dips

Vegetable chips are all the rage these days. This Lotus Root Chips with Two Dips is easy to make your own at home and though it might take quite a bit of oil, it introduces and encourages kids to eat their vegetables. We would say Lotus Root is probably the best deep-fried vegetable as its starchy and fibrous natural texture allows it to hold up its shape when it in the fryer. Not to mention they are super-addictive kind of crunchy! You can air fry or bake these for a healthier alternative. Two dips, including a sweet savory soy honey is perfect with these chips. One tip – I added a dash of apple cider vinegar in the dip as it’s good for building immunity and adds a delicious tangy taste that my son loves.

Classic Chinese New Year Recipes You Need To Master

A comforting 3 dish 1 soup (or in chinese, "三菜一汤", san cai yi tang) on the dinner table, delicately prepared with love by your grandparents, & relatives are always a treat to look forward to every New Year feasting.

Start off the new lunar year by learning how to cook these comforting dishes you can't get enough of!

Recipe

Braised Beancurd with Mushroom

The Braised beancurd with mushrooms is a traditional vegetarian Chinese dish that will warm up even the coldest of souls. Everything about this dish is gentle, down to its earthy colours –the juicy mushrooms, soft tofu, the subtle flavour of the sauce. It takes no time to cook too! Enjoy it warm, and over a hot bowl of steaming rice.

One-Pan Slow-Baked Wuxi Pork Ribs

Combining Asian and Western cooking techniques makes this an easy, one-pot dish. All the flavour from the Chinese sauces penetrates the ribs during a low and slow bake in the oven, where they become meltingly soft and fall-off-the-bone tender.

One-Pan Roast Duck with Plums

Roast duck is a beautiful show stopper of a dish, perfect for Christmas. This recipe incorporates Asian flavours by matching the rich duck meat with Chinese five spice and plums.

Salted Vegetable Duck Soup

As with most dishes in Teochew, a city in the eastern province of China, the key to making the best Salted Vegetable Duck Soup lies in the freshness and quality of the ingredients, as well as to cater enough time for simmering. This ensures that the duck meat falls off the bone! Fun fact -This soup is known to boost one’s appetite because of its salty savoury taste.

Under 60 mins

Beancurd Prawn Roll

Yet another favorite in the dim sum category, this crispy and juicy Beancurd Prawn Roll is so addictive that each mouth-watering bite will leave you wanting more. This dish is just as it sounds –chopped up pieces of sweet prawns wrapped in a beancurd skin, deep-fried until crispy and golden-brown. Serve it hot and with mayonnaise on the side!

Cook the Crispiest Smoked Duck Crepes in 20 Minutes

An easy to prepare and delicious snack or starter for a meal.The smoked duck breast meat provides an alternative to Peking Duck and its quickto fix

Pomelo & Prawn Salad

There’s nothing like good mornings with a fresh, summery salad in a chilled bowl. Chinese pear, floral and juicy, gives water-bursting crunch in a mouthful of cashew nuts, cucumber and perfumed pomelo sacs. A dab of heat and savory comes from stir-fried prawns with chilli padi, sharp garlic and grassy coriander that is the contrasting layer of flavor in this bright, clean and refreshing salad. This is one dish that can be made ahead and eaten straight from the fridge.

Apple and Pear Pork Rib Soup

Yes, you read that right -Soup made from apple and pear! Originating from China, the Apple and Pear Pork Rib Soup is rumoured to be nourishing for your throat and lungs, andhave anti-aging properties. There is some prep work involved, and some time is required for the soup to be simmered to perfection but it is well worth the effort!

More Recipes You Need To Try This Year

Recipe

Golden Phoenix with Mandarin Sauce

It's time to impress your loved ones with some fancy dish - our Golden Phoenix with Mandarin Sauce! We have the perfect recipe for you to challenge yourself, and we make sure that the extra time taken will be worth it. The Golden Phoenix with Mandarin Sauce gives a tangy twist to our usual roast chicken. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, this might be one of the best chicken dish you ever tried making!

Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry

Easy peasy and an absolute pleasure to eat –the beef and broccoli stir-fry! Found in quite possibly every Chinese restaurant, this savory dish is at its best when the beef is sliced against the grain and allowed to sit in the marinate. And the icing on the cake? It uses the simplest of ingredients found in any kitchen, such as ginger, soy sauce, and oyster sauce.

Buddha's Delight

Forget what you know about vegetarian food. Buddha’s Delight, or Luohan Zhai, makes for a moreish, satisfying dinner. Traditionally eaten by Buddhist monks, this vegetarian stew is chock full of earthy shiitake mushrooms, crisp cabbage leaves simmered till tender, and a tangle of glass noodles bubbling in a base of sesame and kecap manis, or sweet soy sauce.

Cantonese Supreme Soy Noodles

Get your chef’s hat on and get ready to have a wokkin’ good time with the Cantonese Style Soy Sauce Supreme Soy Sauce Fried Noodles. An all-time favorite in dim sum restaurants and Chinese homes, it is frequently eaten for breakfast... lunch and dinner! And you will see why –it is an extremely delicious and holistic dish made only from the simplest of ingredients. Quick tip: Cook with chopsticks instead of a spatula for easy maneuverability!

Learn How To Make Lou Hei (Yu Sheng), The Good Luck Dish

This cheerful, loud dish is a must at almost every household when house visiting. Tradition dictates that this vegetable dish - which precedes the festive feasts - is tossed by all diners around the table as high off the platter as possible. As you toss it, an auspicious verse is recited for "luck". Make this easy dish in your very own kitchen, deliciously easy to recreate, colorful & fun.

Recipe

Yu Sheng

Chinese New Year is here and what better way to start this festive by putting together a Yu sheng also know as Lo Hei. Lo Hei is a popular chinese dish to be enjoyed during Chinese New Year and the ingredients consists of strips of raw fish, ,shredded vegetables, pickles and a variety of sauces and condiments.What makes Lo Hei so unique are the lo hei sayings and sequence and if you know what to say during lo hei, we promise you that this will impress many.

Don't Skip The Tong Sui, It's Too Addictively Good

There's always room for your dessert stomach. Polish off a good meal with delectable, elegant dessert soups. Cooked in a big pot, it's an easy & happy occasion after every host meal to break out the dessert spoons, bowls & cups & share a large pot of tong sui. Learn how to share the love & make these delicious recipes at home, or modify the recipes to suit your own low calorie, low sugar diet needs for all!

Recipe

Peanut Soup with Glutinous Riceballs

Golden brown peanuts first roasted then crumbed and tossed into rich butter. Then, they are portioned gently into chewy rice flour balls and bubbled in a brown sugared soup. When still warm, eat this traditional Chinese festive dessert comfortably, popping it whole or delightfully stretching it into two.

One-Pot Apple, Osmanthus, and Cranberry Dessert Soup

A refreshing dessert soup is a classic for Chinese New Year, and is sure to get your year off to a sweet start. This one uses dried cranberries for an easy interesting twist, adding lots of tartness and texture to this dish. The osmanthus adds a wonderful floral note for an elegant touch.

Snow Fungus Dessert

Snow fungus contains dietary fibers that helps to lower cholesterol in the foods that we eat but also control the sugar absorption. It basically acts like a filter for your body. It also makes you even more beautiful by replenishing the collagen that we need to make our skin nice and bouncy.

Steamed Ginger Milk Pudding

Guaranteed to make you fall “love-in-first-sight/smell/taste” is the Ginger Steamed Milk. Made predominantly of egg white and milk custard, and infused with the pungent flavor of ginger, this silky white pudding is the perfect summer dessert, served chilled, after a heavy meal! Fun fact: Ginger is known to be good for blood circulation and digestion.

Recipe

Sweet Black Sesame Soup

Hailing from China, the Sweet Black Sesame Dessert is a good ol’ fashioned dessert that has managed to beat the trends and remained popular throughout the years. Rumoured to be good for your hair and kidney, this dessert is made from rice and sesame seeds, and has the consistency of a cream-based soup. Eat it warm after meals as a dessert, or a mid-afternoon snack!

Honeydew Sago Pomelo

There’s nothing quite as satisfying as an ice-cold bowl of Honeydew Sago on a hot summer’s day, and you will see why! Balls of cold melon, sago and pomelo floating in a cooled mixture of honeydew and evaporated milk that is both sweet yet incredibly refreshing. Not into Honeydew? It can be replaced with durian, jackfruit or mango!

Cendol

In 2019, CNN named Cendol one of the top 50 world’s best dessert and within reason –it is that good! A mountain of crushed ice soaked in coconut milk infused with pandan, and palm sugar (known as Gula Melaka in Southeast Asia), with a pile of ingredients that add to its colour and texture, such as the green rice flour jelly and kidney beans. Here we have a cute adaptation of Cendol, in jelly form!

Jackfruit Sago

An amazingly creamy and refreshing dessert with the sweetness of jackfruit, juicy chestnuts and creamy salted pistachios all in one. The only “cooking” needed is the first step, as you gently warm the jackfruit with milk, sugar and salt. After that, it’s really assembling the rest and popping it into the fridge for a couple hours.

Counter All The Heaty CNY Food with Our Refreshing Cooling Drinks

Falling sick is worrisome and a hassle. Beat the heaty foods with cooling drinks to wash down the buttery snacks & greasy foods. Deliciously warm yet cooling barley drink, milky soothing barley soya, healthy smoothies & many more delicious recipes for you to choose from.

Recipe

Water Chestnut Drink

A super refreshing, clean and sweet chestnut drink. Under 45 mins, you roughly smash up a bunch of water chestnuts, and let it all simmer in large pot of water. Some drink it just like that. Others like a touch of sweetness, and so melt in some crystal rock sugar for that. You can have it warm or chilled. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it’s believed to reduce body heat, relieve indigestion, and help you breathe easily by clearing phlegm.

Incredibly Invigorating Golden Milk With Ginger & Almond

A hypnotic brew of brilliant yellow turmeric, invigorating ginger and intensely spiced cinnamon makes this warm drink one you must have on a clear morning. But at night too, make some in just 10 mins for a comforting bedtime brew. Simply swirl in grated ginger, turmeric, ground cinnamon and sharp black pepper in a river of smooth almond milk and a goop of honey. Sip when warm and bubbly. Delicious.

Green Bean Water

Green Bean Water is literally, the coolest thing on the block. Boiled under medium heat, it’s incredibly light, mood lifting, and used as an everyday tonic in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Fans of the magical brew believe that the make-in-15mins green beans, or mung beans, help clear heat and toxins from the body, improving circulation in the process. Now isn’t that’s so much good for so little effort?

Make This Super Green Capsicum and Apple Juice Booster

The smell of fresh green apples in a garden. That’s quite the taste of this super quick capsicum and apple juice-that really is all you need for a wake-me-up in the morning. Add a dash of sharp ginger slices and a dusting of super-potent anti-bacterial oregano and you’re all set for the challenges of today.

Under 60 mins

Barley Soya

A refreshing dish, it combines many widely known ingredients in Asian desserts! From pandan leaves to soya beans, there is a variety of fragrant ingredients that just makes this enjoyable. What’s amazing about this is the handmade chewy pandan pearls. The eye catching green color and sweet taste, remember to make more so you have one for every bite!

Deliciously Creamy Matcha Blueberry Smoothie

This might be just the drink that every champion needs. All you need is a quick 10 mins to blend up a beautiful rainbow spread of blueberries, banana, and chia in a creamy blend of Greek yoghurt and milk. And all that sweetness is balanced with zesty ginger, chillingly cool mint leaves and bitter matcha powder for all-round goodness. A completely satisfying super tonic for a mid-week booster.

DIY Citrus Masala Chai

Leftover citrusy peels? Use excess ginger and orange peels to flavour a delicious Masala tea, and as an air freshener for your kitchen. All you’ve got to do is brew a mug of deliciously spiced chai that’s made from a smatter of cardamon pods, sweet cinnamon, sharp peppercorn and a few more things. My version gives the traditional drink a refreshing edge with your unused citrus peels.

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