A culinary celebration of Chinese New Year in London

As Chinese people celebrate the Chinese New Year and Spring Festival, food remains a traditionally essential way to express best wishes and aspiration for a prosperous new year.

In London, Chinese restaurants have created special menus for one of the most important occasions, featuring dishes with Chinese names which express auspicious meanings printed on red menus for the New Year. Ingredients are carefully selected for their symbolic meanings, often based on their pronunciation in Chinese.

For example, fish in Chinese is yu, which sounds the same as the Chinese word for abundance, inspiring the dish niannian youyu, which means having more than enough every year. Similarly, glutinous rice balls, tangyuan in pinyin, symbolize family unity and are named tuantuan yuanyuan, meaning family reunion and togetherness.

Inspired by the Chinese zodiac sign of snake, Toh Chye Siong, corporate chef at Hakkasan, a Cantonese restaurant in London, has incorporated the Year of the Snake in the Chinese New Year menu using auspicious ingredients, traditional Chinese motifs and symbolic plating.

For instance, Golden Yuanbao, is a baked dim sum shaped like traditional Chinese ingots, symbolizing wealth. Another dish, a salad of snake fruit, persimmon and avocado, is layered with thinly-sliced grapes in a curved formation, resembling the shape of a snake.

Pineapple, which shares the same Cantonese pronunciation as "fortune coming," is featured in fried rice and braised beef short ribs, adding a touch of prosperity to the dishes.

In addition to using ingredients associated with prosperity and renewal to reflect the common themes for the Year of the Snake, Siong said flavors are carefully curated to reflect the nature of the zodiac sign.

"We use contrasting textures to symbolize the transformative nature of snakes, along with a mix of spicy, tangy and umami flavors to reflect the dynamic personality of the snake. The entire menu is designed to bring the guest abundance of luck in the year 2025."

For Siong, creating Chinese New Year dishes provides him with the opportunity to cook in different ways, blending local tastes with Chinese traditions, which is "very satisfying".

"I cook with patience, heart and soul to create art and let emotions come to life," he said. "This reminds me that cooking is so much more than just a recipe. It's all about sharing love through flavors, creating memories and expressing who we are."