food
Chinese New Year Snacks 101
All we can say is, go nuts! – HungryGoWhere pic, January 27, 2016.Let your guests snack to their heart’s desire while everyone plays cards, mahjong, or gossips away. HungryGoWhere brings you some of the bestselling and most popular snacks of all time during this auspicious season, so you know what should be in your tray this year!
Peanut Butter Cookies
Who doesn’t love these?! Peanut butter cookies melt in your mouth, with an intense nutty flavour that’ll last for a long time. They’re usually moulded into circular shapes or domes, with just a few nut bits in them for that extra crunch! Be sure to down a glass of water after having these – they have a reputation for making things heaty!
Pineapple Tarts
Chinese New Year is just not done without pineapple tarts. Either open-faced or rolled up in a softer pastry, these snacks are sweet and tart at the same time, while the gooey pineapple paste mixes perfectly with crumbly, buttery crust.
A whole lot less prickly, and whole lot more sweet. – HungryGoWhere pic, January 27, 2016.If you’re lucky, you’ll get to try some from Malacca!
Preserved Fruit
We hope our humour isn’t too dry for this. – HungryGoWhere pic, January 27, 2016.At every Chinese house, dried fruit is a must. We know some of your uncles and grandmothers would even ask for them! We love the taste of the sour dried orange skin and sweet candied plums on our tongues while chatting with relatives and friends. The best part is that these snacks keep for quite a while, so your conversations can go on and on and on…
Nian Gao
We’re really stuck on this snack. – HungryGoWhere pic, January 27, 2016.Eaten on its own or cut into slices then deep-fried with flour, nian gao is a must-have at every Chinese New Year. Sometimes you might find these fried with sweet potato or even taro for more texture and taste! It’s a family favourite snack that’s sticky, sweet, and downright delicious.
Kueh Ros
This gives us a really rosy outlook on life. – HungryGoWhere pic, January 27, 2016.This incredibly crunchy snack is so-called for its unique shape that resembles a rose. We’ve had far too many memories watching them being fried and then breaking them into pieces before eating them! They also come in other shapes (though it is quite rare), and can either be sweet or savoury.
Arrowroot Chips
Legend is an adventurer took one to the knee. – HungryGoWhere pic, January 27, 2016.The Chinese alternative to potato chips, arrowroot chips are much healthier and crunchier too! You may find these either lightly salted, orange from seasoning, or covered in a sticky sweet chili paste. Either way, they’re a favourite festive snack to munch on!
Kueh Bangkit
It’s delicious. Bank on it, the bangkit that is. – HungryGoWhere pic, January 27, 2016.These crumbly, powdery cookies are melt-in-your-mouth delicious! Made from coconut and tapioca, great care is put into making this delicacies – much like the rest of these Chinese New Year snacks. They come in all shapes and sizes: zodiac animals, leaves, hearts, fish, and frogs. Most are stark white, but some may be slightly browned from the oven, with a characteristic red or pink dot on each cookie.
Shrimp Rolls
These shrimp are on a roll today. – HungryGoWhere pic, January 27, 2016.Who can ever say they aren’t addicted to these when Chinese New Year “rolls” around? These tiny fried poppers are too easy to eat, and you’ll find yourself finishing half a tub before realising the damage done. Meat floss (usually shrimp) is tucked into a mini flour roll, then deep-fried to make these snacks. They can be spicy, but most are just savoury.
What other Chinese New Year snacks should you prepare to the delight of guests and family? Don’t skimp out with our full CNY Snacks 101, there is no excuse to not feed your guests as they pay your abode a visit. If you’re rebellious, or really late in getting these treats, you might want to try hunting down some other Malaysian kuih instead. – January 27, 2016.
Snack out if you’re tired. Just download our new HungryGoWhere app which shows you what places are around your current location up to a radius of 5km! Or you can just look up any location, and see what's popular among fellow foodies. Share your suggestions too! Now available on iTunes and Google Play.
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