The Lunar New Year celebration or also known as Chinese New Year (CNY) is colourful, full of joyous reunion with love ones and not to mention full of mouth watering food. Saying this, of course, you will find many local CNY snacks such as love letters, pineapple tarts and bak kwa all over Singapore and other countries in South East Asia but over the years, Singapore has come up with CNY goodies of its own which are not common ;
So if you’re visiting Singapore during the festive period, make sure to venture beyond the usual bakeries and try these 7 unusual CNY snacks that locals love to snack on:
Yu Sheng
Of all the strange traditional CNY snacks sold in Singapore, it cannot go without mentioning Yu Sheng, or Lo Hei. It is a special dish of sliced raw fish seasoned, and is prepared To be tossed on the dining table,and as people do that they must make lucky sayings of the new year.
Sashimi or raw fish dishes are popular throughout the area but Singapore has bestowed upon this dish its colourful array of ingredients – Tender raw fish usually salmon, crackers, pickled ginger, julienned carrots, oil, plum sauce, pepper and many more are tossed together to be served in a big heap. Slightly before tucking in, the prosperity toss swimming on top of it is the dressing for Yu Sheng made from rice vinegar, sugar, oil, and pepper.
The more you tip the container, the more money and luck you will receive in the new year – or at least that is what people believe. And every CNY without fail, you will find Singaporean families sitting around the Yu Sheng with their chopsticks raised, wishing for that Prosperity…
Mandarin Orange Chocolate
Another local favourite CNY snack is Mandarin Orange Chocolate. It incorporates China culture’s premium mandarin oranges as symbols of prosperity and nobility together with chocolates.
It is a common sight during CNY in Singapore, to find chocolate boxes filled with Chocolates that have little pieces of orange. But what sends it over the top is that the shapes of these are like plump mandarin oranges, fabulous chocolate exteriors surrounding fragrant, orange-flavored chocolate centers. A little bit of creativity makes traditional CNY symbols look like chocolates but it deliciously surprising!
Golden Pillow Cookies
For something a little less extravagant there is Golden Pillow cookies. Contrary to its cute, dissolve-in-your-mouth title, these traditional cookies are firm and crunchy. Some are traditionally shaped as CNY gold bars representing wealth or soft round cushions, which represent comfort and good things in the new year.
Golden crackers have a sweet peanut or sesame filling in between and gives a good nutty smell to it with each cracker snap. It’s perfect for CNY home visits or random tea time with old friends over tea and nice nibbles.
Crispy Shrimp Rolls
It is such a great pity Mandarin crispy shrimp rolls mix Asian into one delicious CNY item. Minced shrimp is mixed with minced water chestnuts and coriander, rolled with the wonton skins and deep fried.
But its all a crunch exterior with bouncy juicy tasty shrimp filling on the inside. Sweet Thai chili sauce provided on the side helps to offset its heavily savoury taste. The wishbox is limited: you do need to wish; you’ll want to pop these little golden rolls non-stop – it’s an addictive SG twist on shrimp spring rolls you’ll only find during CNY!
Wishing Tree Candy
But if there is a candy that embody Singaporean’s dreams, that candy is the “Wishing Tree” candy. The old-fashioned hard candy is in the form of a small pine tree with sugar-like leaves and painted in green, pink and purple colors.
Also, this crystalline candy is believed to fulfill wished made for the Chinese New Year by anyone who consumes it. It also just looks like it is nicely candy during the traditional CNY candy containers! Although Wishing tree candy is not exclusive to Singapore, it is a CNY essential in this country and extremely hard to come by during the rest of the year.
Sugee Cookies
Another classic CNY cookie till today still available in Singapore is the sugee cookies. At first glance, its simple exterior gives the impression of an old fashion bun but the flakiness is a joy to that deceiving eyes because the inside is tender whilst some parts remain crispy from the sesame seeds. It includes natural flavours such as pandan that is Embedded in the butter enriched dough.
Despite it being round, which is symbolic to the lunar new year, its green color with speckle of golden sesame seeds is very suitable for CNY as well. For a mere touch of vintage this holiday season, serve sugee cookies with your kopi or tea.
Pineapple Cubes
Last but not least, pineapple tarts are oily pastry with something akin to pineapple jam in between the crusts. Singapore’s version is one of them and has pineapple cubes that are bright yellow. It is completely different from the regular, open tart shells; the jam is entirely contained within the pineapple cubes or ‘cubes’.
The cubes burst open with an awesome sound with every bite of the pineapple tart paradise inside. Singaporeans love buttery pastry and you can feel like snacking like one as you search for the big chunks of pineapple in these CNY bakes.
Conclusion
The Lunar New Year, or Chinese New Year (CNY), is a time of vibrant celebrations filled with joyous reunions, love, and, of course, an abundance of mouthwatering food. While traditional CNY snacks like pineapple tarts, bak kwa, and love letters are enjoyed across Singapore and Southeast Asia, Singapore has also created its own unique twist on CNY goodies over the years. These local innovations, such as Mandarin Orange Chocolate and crispy shrimp rolls, offer a fresh and exciting take on festive treats, blending tradition with creativity. So, if you’re visiting Singapore during the festive season, don’t just stick to the usual fare—venture beyond and explore the lesser-known, yet beloved, CNY goodies that locals hold dear.