- KUALA LUMPUR
Top Chinese New Year Food And Snacks To Try With Kids In Kuala Lumpur
Must-Try Treats For The Whole Family!
Just like Christmas, Chinese New Year is a time for getting family and friends together to tuck into some delicious traditional food such as yee sang, nian gao, tang yuan, bak kwa, pineapple tarts, and more. Most of these treats have auspicious meanings and are consumed to ensure a prosperous, healthy, and wealthy year ahead. We’ve rounded a list of CNY snacks that you’ll want to get your hands on this festive season and where you can buy them!
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YEE SANG IN KL
A must for the Chinese community during CNY month, yee sang or lou hei is a standard inclusion in CNY meals during this festive month. In Malaysia, this Cantonese-style raw fish salad comprises of a mix of ingredients including thinly sliced vegetables chosen for the significance of their Chinese names such as pomelo, papaya, white radish, and cucumber, as well as the key ingredient, raw salmon, along with crackers, sesame oil, plum sauce, peanuts, and more, the ingredients can vary as different homes and restaurants tend to customize them according to their preference. How to eat it, you ask? The idea is that everyone stands up around the dish and uses their chopsticks to toss the ingredients as high as possible while exclaiming well wishes and stating what they are hoping for in the coming year. The kids will enjoy the mess it makes and will most likely find it pretty tasty!
Where To Find Them:
Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara
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THE TRAY OF TOGETHERNESS – TRAY OF CANDIED FRUIT IN KL
The kids will love this one because it's a tray of goodies with sweet treats like candies, dried fruits, and nuts. There are usually preserved kumquats, coconut chunks, longans, red melon seeds, lotus seeds and peanuts typically filled in trays with six or eight compartments, as the number six symbolizes luck, and eight, fortune. Each of the individual fruits also represents positivity for the new year: kumquats for prosperity, coconut for togetherness, red melon seeds for happiness, and the rest for a good life and wealth.
Where To Find Them:
All major supermarkets
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NIAN GAO – STICKY CAKE IN KL
Nian gao, kuih bakul or sticky cake, which translates literally as ‘year cake’ is a delicious glutinous rice cake that all the family won’t be able to have just one piece of. Eating nian gao is said to be auspicious as the name sounds like the Chinese for ‘higher year’. It’s said that this sweet pud signifies greater success for adults and will help children grow taller over the coming year. Usually found in supermarkets and Asian grocers during the month leading up to Chinese New Year, they are traditionally wrapped in banana leaves although the modern version now comes wrapped in plastic. How to eat them? They're usually sliced thinly and dipped into batter and deep fried, or sometimes sandwiched between yam or sweet potato before being deep fried, so you can expect a crunchy outside and a soft chewy center – delicious!
Where To Find Them:
All major supermarkets
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YU - FISH IN KL
The identical sounds of the word yu for fish and yu meaning extra or surplus, make a fish dish a must at any CNY celebration dinner. Having a whole, preferably freshwater fish complete with head and tail, symbolizes the end of the old year and the beginning of the new one. Tradition dictates that you should leave some of the fish uneaten to represent the surplus of the coming year. Make your own steamed fish dish this year, just order them early to ensure you don't run out of supplies.
Where To Find Them:
All major supermarkets
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TANG YUAN - GLUTINOUS BALLS IN KL
These tasty little glutinous rice balls filled with peanuts, sesame, or red beans are consumed in their thousands over CNY. It’s common for Chinese families to eat tang yuan on the 15th day of Chinese New Year also known as Chap Goh Mei because they symbolize reunion and togetherness. They are fairly easy and lots of fun to make with the kids!
Where To Find Them:
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DRIED SWEET MEAT - BAK KWA IN KL
A favorite snack that gets mostly eaten around Chinese New Year although it's available all year round, the barbecued dried sweet meat or bak kwa is usually made of pork or chicken, and has a sweet-salty taste that can be quite addictive, and might probably not be too kind on your waistline but it certainly tastes delicious!
Where To Find Them:
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LOVE LETTERS - KUIH KAPIT IN KL
Typically making its appearance around CNY, love letters or kuih kapit is a type of crispy, wafer biscuit that is usually brittle and tasty. The making of these biscuits is laborious using special moulds over charcoal grill, and folded or rolled while still hot. In the olden days, families have known to gather to make these lovely snacks and bond over the painstaking process. These days, however, the biscuits can be easily bought off the shelf. Just be sure to keep them in an airtight container so that they stay crisp.
Where To Find Them:
All major supermarkets
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PINEAPPLE TARTS IN KL
These sweet, tangy, crumbly tarts practically melt in your mouth. Made of pineapple and pastry, this delicious treat has become a common sight during the CNY festive period as pineapples in a Chinese dialect sound like the arrival of prosperity.
Where To Find Them:
All major supermarkets
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FESTIVE COOKIE BOXES
If you are a lover of all sinful delicacies, then this is the box for you. From melt-in-your-mouth butter cookies and fragrant Nyonya Pineapple tarts to crunchy sweet almond and nutty Florentine cookies, here’s a selection of some of the well-known cookie vendors to make the preparation process easier for you.
The Studio: Prices start at RM$138
Wholesome Treats: Prices start at RM$62
Jenny’s Bakery: Prices start at RM$88
Lacher Patisserie: Prices start at RM$255
Granny Doris: Prices start at RM$98
Ming Ang Confectionary: Prices start at RM$22.80
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NGAKU - ARROWHEAD CHIPS IN KL
Ngaku or fried arrowhead chips are a must-have during the Chinese New Year period. This addictive snack is crispy, delicious and great for all ages. Making them yourself can be quite tedious, so we recommend buying them off the shelf.
Where To Find Them:
All major supermarkets
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MANDARIN ORANGES - LOKAM IN KL
A must in every Chinese household during CNY, mandarin oranges or lokam symbolize good fortune due to the sound of the word in Mandarin means 'gold'. Usually sold in boxes or crates in major supermarkets, they also make a great gift to families and friends.
Where To Find Them:
All major supermarkets
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WANT MORE CNY TREATS IN KL?
Lots of Chinese families will have their recipes passed down through the generations. However, you can find the ready-made varieties in most restaurants, hotels, bakeries, and supermarkets. Here are just a handful of our faves:
- Aeon Supermarket
- Ben's Independent Grocer
- Oriental2Yu - CNY takeaway from Oriental Group
- Putien - Classic Chinese dishes
- Xin Chinese Cuisine, Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur - yee sang, nian gao & more
- Chai Huat Hin - Asian grocer
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