Rhia's Kitchen : A Menu to Celebrate Chūnjié, the Chinese Lunar New Year!

Vivian Jao's Small-Scale Celebration of Chūnjié

Of her childhood experience with Chūnjié, the Chinese New Year, Vivian Jao writes, "As a child, Chinese New Year meant large family gatherings with my mother's side of the family, where there would be several dishes including dumplings, noodles, whole steamed fish, and spring rolls if we were lucky."

However, as she grew older, Vivian's family settled into their own tradition of a more low-key and small-scale celebration. She has continued this annual ritual with her own family. One of the things that's great about a small group, Vivian says, is that "we can splurge on the pricier, higher quality meats we would normally consider too extravagant and certainly too expensive."

Below, enjoy Vivian's Lunar New Year story and a few of the recipes she grew up eating!