Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Popular Chinese New Year Goodies in Singapore

Found the interesting article below ..



The 10 Most Popular Chinese New Year Goodies















Chinese New Year celebrations often come accompanied with lots of festive snacks and treats, so here are some of the 10 most popular goodies during Chinese New Year:
Bak Kwa
Bak kwa is definitely one of the most popular snacks around during Chinese New Year! It is basically a flat and thin sheet of pork meat, marinated with sugar and salt then barbequed to give it a smoky flavour. Bak kwa is commonly offered to house visitors during Chinese New Year, becoming the fast favourite of young kids.

For suggested Bak Kwa outlets, click here.

Love Letters
Love letters are sweet cylindrical biscuits, made from baking sugar, eggs and coconut milk. Sometimes youfind them folded into wedges but they're usually rolled up and stored in tins.

Want some?
Bengawan Solo
Lim Chee Guan

Photo by Vegan About Town

Mandarin Oranges
Mandarin oranges are typically considered as symbols of prosperity and good luck because their name sounds like ‘auspicious’ in Mandarin; and hence, visitors often exchange a pair of them each time they enter a house, as odd numbers indicate loneliness and should be avoided.

To buy mandarin oranges, head to your nearestsupermarket.


Pineapple Tarts
These sweet cookies are a standard staple during Chinese New Year. Small and bite-sized, the buttery base crumbles away easily in the mouth, leaving the generous dollop of pineapple jam in the mouth to savour.

Buy pineapple tarts here:
Carousel
Wah Lok

Photo by Mad Baker
Prawn Rolls
Prawn rolls represent joy and are small and crispy rolls of hebi hiam paste, made from dried shrimps and ground sambal chilli, then wrapped in spring roll wrappers and deep fried.

Get prawn rolls here:
Lim Chee Guan
Bengawan Solo

Photo by Tamarind and Thyme
Kueh Bangkit
Kueh bangkit are traditional Chinese New Year cookies, made from mainly tapioca flour, eggs and coconut milk. They have a thin and crispy exterior, melting away into sweetness once you put them in your mouth.

For suggested restaurants where you can buy Kueh Bangkit, click here.

Photo by Vegan About Town

Peanut Cookies

Peanut cookies are another stalwart of Chinese New Year confectionaries because they symbolise longevity. Similar to kueh bangkit, they crumble and melt away in your mouth but this time filling your mouth with the nutty taste of peanut butter!

Visit Bengawan Solo to munch on these cookies.

Photo by Rasa Malaysia
Yu Sheng
Yu sheng is a raw fish salad dish that symbolises abundance and prosperity. The raw fish used is typically salmon, and some ingredients commonly used are white radish, carrots, turnips and pomelo. Read more about the meaning of Yu Sheng here.

For more restaurants where you can enjoy Yu Sheng and other CNY dishes, click here.

Photo by Peach Blossoms @ Marina Mandarin
Nian Gao
Nian gao is a sticky rice cake that represents self-improvement and good luck, as its name sounds like “higher year” hence to raise up oneself. Made with glutinous rice powder and sweetened with brown sugar, it is then flavoured with rosewater or red bean paste.

If you want to feast on this Nian Gao, head over toSummer Palace.

Photo by Peach Blossoms @ Marina Mandarin

Kueh Bahulu

Kueh bahulu are little dry sponge cakes that were originally Malaysian but now found all over Asia during Chinese New Year. They are mainly made from eggs, sugar and flour, then baked into the classic fluted round shape we see.

For suggested restaurants where you can buy Kueh Bahulu, click here.
Photo by flickr user - swan23
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