The Most Popular Cny Snacks Across Asia

By Author: Ann Liu
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The Chinese New Year better known as CNY, is arguably the biggest celebration associated with many Asians. Such festive delicacies come into focus during the occasion of dining and hanging out with family and friends during this festivity. Savoring the different kinds of seasonings used in preparation is sure to remind one of the different states of Asia. Here are some of thewish list Chinese New Year goodies that are relished in various Asian counties from Singapore to Malaysia.
Singapore - Bak Kwa
Bak kwa is barbecued pork which is popular as CNY snack in Singapore. Thick chops are soaked in sugar, soy sauce, honey, and spices for the preparation of a sweet marinade used for the pork slices. The meat slices are then barbequed over charcoal which yields the immensely popular jerky like bak kwa with a caramelized surface. Bak kwa is kind of sweet and salty, really soft that when you bite into it, it just melts on your tongue and it’s really addictive.

Roaming around the many roads of Singapore, one is bound to smell the selling of bak kwa at the peak of the CNY season. People stand in long lines at big bak ...
... kwa stalls, Lim Chee Guan, Bee Cheng Hiang, Fragrance brand, etc, to buy bak kwa to share with their friends, co-workers and family during the festive times. The red plastic bags with the chopped bak kwa return to each family visiting during the Every house during new year or reunion dinner.
Malaysia - Kuih Kapit
Kuih kapit, sometimes called love letters, are an exciting type of pastry that is native to Malaysia, and especially popular during the Chinese New Year. The specialty at this place was crepes made from rice flour and coconut milk which is spread over a very thin layer of batter over a flat pan. They then flatten it and cut into narrow strips like folded letters that is why it was given such a name.

The Kuih Kapit classification is characterized by the soft and moist texture of the product and the coconut scent. When you take a bite, the tastes of sweetness from banana leaves bursts in the mouth, combined with the roasted from being cooked over charcoal. The thin layers of kuih kapit signify togetherness of the family and during New Year household members offer pack of kuih kapit to others as sign of love and good wishes.
Indonesia - Kue Keranjang
In Indonesia, bamboo containers called kue keranjiang loaded with babies of exotic treats or a list of desires for the coming year is placed in the homes during lunar New year. A set of these beautiful woven bamboo trays packed with Indonesian sweets and cremes crackers baked especially for the celebrations.

Traditional CNY kue keranjang treats are the ang ko kueh or Chinese red tortoise cakes, the akar lotus or fried carrot cake, kue kelepon or green rice balls filled with palm sugar, and most importantly buttery pineapple tarts, sesame cookies, and sweet potato crackers. Their different colours, rough to touch and different sizes make one consider them as symbolizing financial prosperity in the coming year to the Indonesian families.

These trays are used to placed on altars and offered to the elders during home visits and used throughout the 15 days celebration of the CNY festivities in Indonesian Chinese society.
China - Nian Gao
Nian gao or Called Chinese New Year Cake, is a traditional sweet which symbolizes china and its wishes for the new year to come. It is prepared using rice or glutinous rice flour and sugar, chestnut, jujube dates and other ingredients before it is steamed to get the texture that is more sticky or chewy.

In Mandarin the words nian gao sounds like the term higher year wish to represent prosperity and greater achievements in the new year. It is traditionally moulded into an ingot bar or round cake like a coin which top and bottom look like the ancient Chinese money – symbol of prosperity of CNY. When prepared, it is cut into shapes that are in squares or rectangle which also symbolizes safety and wholeness for the new year.

In CNY, nian gao turns up in all forms of snacks such as nian gao sandwiches, fried nian gao and as a stuffing for CNY cookies. It is one among the most common bounty foods accessible in the Chinese homes and marketplace kiosks in readiness for the prosperity Spring Festival.
Korea - Tteokguk
Koreans celebrate the arrival of the new year in Korea by consuming rice cake soup known as tteokguk. Ttoek-guk is a soup, which include thin oval-shaped rice cake slice called tteok boiled in the thick meat or seafood soup. The most popular type of broth is beef but occasionally it can also be fish or Anchovy or clam or dumplings or eggs or green laver seaweed.

Tteok represents becoming bigger and stronger in the upcoming year and the broth to warm the people removing the winter cold and positively refreshing them for the upcoming spring. It is recommended that tteokguk is particularly nutritious and gentle on the digestive system; thus, it is eaten on Seollal, New Year’s Day morning, so that having this soup will make the person age and prosper through the year. It is also offered to family members after praying for the ancestors at New Year prayers.
Vietnam - Mut
In Vietnam, families prepare a special sweet rice cake known as banh chung or mut on the first day of Lunar New Year the cake looks like a square parcel containing green bean and pork fillings enclosed in banana leaves.

Preparing and consuming mut is an ancient, emotional and truly savored experience that reminds family and friends about their unity and similarly about a better tomorrow and about a richer year to follow in Egypt.

The glutinous rice dough in mut represents the earth, and the mung beans which are plants and life tightly encased inside nature’s pectoral – bamboo leaves. Some areas also combined with something over the years like ground black pepper, mushrooms or tea leaves. However, the basic recipe remains as a CNY traditional cookies in Vietnam till date throughout Vietnam.

Mut is prepared in home according to the family recipes and taken several days before Tet and is always prepared before Tet festival and then distributed among the family members when everyone is gathered for prayers of ancestors on Tet’s evening. Sealing flower patterns are also used to design elaborate ornaments of the mut that elders give to the newly wed couples or the young adults during the celebration of Lunar New Year festival.
Japan - Osechi Ryori
In Japan, families enjoy specific new year feast dishes refer to as osechi ryori.The osechi ryori consist of many dishes arranged in small boxes or own. This wonderful procession of small steamed minifricres is full of lucky motifs to express a prosperous, fortunate year.

Other colorful dishes include red and white kamaboko fish cakes, black soy beans, orange Mikans ripe orange fruits, colorful latticed rolled eggs known as tamagoyaki and pickled vegetables presented in Kyoto-style pink and green. Savory braised black soy beans (Kuromame) are familiar all house holds and mean good health while dried baby sardines (chirimen jako) symbolizing prosperity that is believed to precede the newly alloted year.

Every part of osechi ryori is symbolic of a new year, prosperity and good fortune in Japanese CNY traditions. The combination of 30-40 fashionable small portions looks extremely impressive when presented in a tiered lacquer casket. Osechi ryori is eaten by households for three festive days with much of Japan having shut down to revel to and share o setsubo new year wishes.
India - Naivedya
In eastern states of West Bengal and Odisha particularly, CNY has a Oriental influence as the traditional Indian and Chinese Ala-cart of sweet and savoury food called naivedya. These are first offered to gods then to members of one’s household during new year prayers.

Some traditional Bengali naivedya for Lunar New Year are narkel er nadu — balls of coconut and khoya, pithe — pancakes with fillings of jaggery, sesame and more, chhena rasmalai — paneer cheese dumplings and coconut laddu made with spices like cardamom, nutmeg and mace to bring health and fortune in the year ahead.

At the same time, the Odiya families make colorful pyramid shaped rice cakes known as Pitha gaja which literally means elephant, and everyone knows that ‘elephant’ signifies ‘auspicious’. In addition, Khaza ladoo –the edible silver leaf or arisa pitha – fried savory pancake type, is also offered on the table with much style. For the one or the other Friends, relatives and neighbours are bringing sophisticated offerings of naivedya and pitha gaja during the manner of the fortnight Celebrations and enjoy the gourmet of the Indianstyle CNY Flavours.
Conclusion
Chinese New Year is celebrated by various Asian communities, each sharing common traditions yet embracing the holiday with their own unique CNY goodies and snacks. From Singapore’s crispy bak kwa to Malaysia’s buttery kuih semperit, chewy Chinese nian gao, or Vietnam’s mut rice cakes, these treats highlight Asia’s rich culinary heritage. They epitomize family bonding over festive staples, symbolizing hope for a prosperous new year ahead. Each snack offers a taste of tradition, infused with regional flavors, making CNY goodies and snacks an essential part of the celebration.