Feast Mode: How to Throw a Lunar New Year Party with Uber Eats
The Year of the Dragon is upon us! If you are looking for a reason to celebrate in 2024, why not throw a party for the Lunar New Year? We’ve teamed up with Uber Eats and their multiple simultaneous delivery function to help you host the most hassle-free soirée. Use code: CHARLUNAR24 for a tenner off selected orders over €15.
Asian countries have long used the lunar calendar, and so their new year begins on the New Moon. There are a wide variety of customs and traditions, varying country by country, but often this time is a 7–15 day celebration that involves food, family, and traditions that are practised to start the new year off with good luck.
Asian cultures have been documented in Ireland since the 1950s. Since 2008, the Dublin Lunar New Year programme has been an annual occasion. Lunar New Year celebrations promote and deepen the understanding of the Asian-Irish relationship.
Throwing a Lunar New Year Party is a way we can mindfully practise cultural appreciation. Showing up alongside a community can be this simple. It shows that we are here to honour, respect, celebrate, and protect. So, with that in mind, here is how to throw a Lunar New Year party at home for the year of the dragon.
The Bits
First things first, consult your Asian friends. They will know best. Lean into it and go for the red and gold decorations; this brings luck. Be sure to support your local Asian-owned businesses.
Pro Tip: Use UberEat’s multiple simultaneous order system to handle the food preparation for the special day. You can order all the best bits from a variety of different spots so that you get the very best of everything you need right to your doorstep.
Pick up some snacks from Asia Market for a New Year’s cake, some gluttonous rice balls, and citrus fruits. It’s the best place to hit up for the components of a Tray of Togetherness. Often divided into six or eight compartments (the number six symbolizes luck, while eight symbolizes fortune), the round Tray of Togetherness represents peace and family harmony. Fill the tray with an assortment of small treats like dried fruit, nuts or milseáin. It’s the perfect assortment to have on the table while everyone arrives.
If you want to do a little cooking, try your hand at some recipes from Masarap, or Wok. But if you’re not one for labouring in the kitchen for hours cooking up a storm, there are plenty of options for a sumptuous and awe-inspiring feast.
Here’s your guide to ordering a Lunar New Year banquet that’ll make your soirée the toast of Dublin Town. May the Year of the Dragon bring you joy, prosperity, and a serious food coma!
Northside
1. Minori: Dumplings
Dumplings, my friends, are the legit institutionalised heroes of Lunar New Year. According to Food & Wine, the holiday’s most important dish is jiaozi or dumplings. While at other times, dumplings are steamed or pan-fried, Lunar New Year is an occasion for boiled dumplings. Minori, in Drumcondra, offers 4 different types of jiaozi. They’re like the delivery dumpling HQ, and here’s the TLDR – these little pockets of joy symbolise wealth. So, when you’re downing prawn, chicken, pork, and veggie gyoza, you’re basically inviting prosperity into your belly for The Year of the Dragon. It’s like edible good luck.
2. Raheny Chinese Takeaway: Spice Bag
What happens when Ireland and China do a fusion dance? You get a spice bag from Raheny Chinese Takeaway. It’s more than a seggsy bag of goodies; it’s a symbol of the beautiful fusion of cultures. So, when you dig into that spicy goodness, you’re celebrating the unity of flavours and, symbolic integration of Asian cultures into Irish society. It’s really quite wholesome, plus the ones from Raheny are next-level spice tier.
3. Hilan Chinese and Korean Restaurant: Dayu Darou – Whole Duck
Dayu Darou is the name given to the tradition of eating a whole meat or fish dish for Lunar New Year. At Hilan, you’ll hit the jackpot spot. They sell a whole duck and have a rake of fish dishes. For Lunar New Year celebrations, whole fish or meat symbolises prosperity and progress. These kinds of dishes aren’t just nourishing; they’re a cosmic high-five to the universe, saying, “Bring on the Year of the Dragon! I’m ready for whatever luck you throw my way.”
4. Shangri-La: Veggies
Shangri-La is slinging veggies that slap with luck. Bok choy, Chinese broccoli – they’re not just greens; they’re symbols of ‘spring,’ ‘renewal,’ ‘energy,’ ‘progress,’ and ‘wealth.’ Your plate becomes a canvas of veggie good vibes. Shangri-La has a whole section of veggie-oriented dishes. So get some fibre, feed your vegetarian friends and bring all that Lunar New Year spring energy to the table.
5. Chef Chinese Tyrrelstown: Spring Rolls
Chun Juan, aka spring rolls, aren’t just about the tasty, tasty crunch. When you munch on these, you’re basically investing in a delicious financial future. So, if you ever need an excuse to double-order spring rolls, this is your chance.
6. Chef Chinese Ongar: Noodles
Chef Chinese in Ongar serves up some serious Changshou Mian. A big part of Lunar New Year celebrations for Asian cultures is giant noodles. These are longevity noodles. The literal translation of Changzhou mian is “long-life noodles.” These two-foot-long noodles make an appearance at birthdays in addition to the Lunar New Year, representing the wish for a long, happy, and healthy life.
7. RamenCo: Ramen
If you’re more of a broth man, then RamenCo in Stoneybatter is bringing a noodle revolution to your Lunar New Year. It’s not just about slurping noods; it’s about wishing for a long, happy, and healthy life because long noodles symbolise longevity. Fried, sauced up, or in a simple broth – these noodles are like the elixir of eternal yumminess. Slurp up those ramen strands, and you’re basically saying, “I’m in it for the long haul, Year of the Dragon!”
8. Kimchi Hop House: Fried Chicken
Chicken isn’t just about the cluck; it’s a symbol of ‘good luck’ and ‘prosperity.’ Chicken is a homophone for ji (吉, meaning ‘good luck’ and ‘prosperity’). That is one thing that makes it such a welcome dish at reunion dinners. Kimchi Hop House knows this, and their Korean Fried Chicken is some of the finest, as well as some of the first in Ireland. You can order an entire chicken from them, which is the option to go for. A whole chicken symbolises ‘unity’ and ‘wholeness’, while also signifying ‘a good beginning and end’ to the year. Plus it’s deep friend and comes with amazing sauce options. You couldn’t go wrong if you tried.
South
Don’t worry; you can get all the essentials south of the Liffey, too.
1. Wangs: Chicken
Wangs on the Southside knows that Lunar New Year is no time to chicken out. They have a whole, wide and varied selection of chicken bits so you can go whole hog (or rooster) and get a bit of everything. Traditionally braised or roasted, a chicken reunion meal infused with ginger or soy is eaten to celebrate the drawing of a new zodiac. It’s a sacred offering to ancestors and gods, a sort of edible prayer for blessings and protection. Feast like a deity!
2. Dalang Korean Restaurant: Salad
Dalang Korean Restaurant is flipping tradition on its head with a Yusheng toss that’s as high-flying as your aspirations. Here you can also get The Yusheng, or Lo He. This is a fish salad that, when tossed high, brings abundance and auspiciousness to your life. Make a mess, toss it high, and watch the fortunes soar as you usher in the Year of the Dragon with vigour.
3. Hasu Japanese & Thai: Dragon Roll
At Hasu Japanese & Thai, they know that in the Year of the Dragon, you need dragon vibes on your plate. Order their Dragon Roll, a feast for your senses that aligns with the spirit of the dragon. This roll is not just sushi; it’s a flavourful omen of good luck and fortune. Yusheng (鱼生）, which means “raw fish” in Mandarin and is a homonym for “increase” or “abundance,” is thought to bring good luck and fortune. The dish is frequently consumed on the eve of the Lunar New Year. So go all in on a sushi platter, and you can’t go wrong.
4. The Odd Plate: Spring Rolls
Spring rolls from The Odd Plate are not just rolls; they’re golden bars of prosperity. A tradition during the Spring Festival, these Cantonese dim sum delights are filled with veggies, meat, or sweetness, then fried to a golden-yellow hue. Why? There is a Lucky Saying for Eating Spring Rolls that’s 黄金万两 (hwung-jin wan-lyang/). This translates to ‘A ton of gold’ because fried spring rolls look like bars of gold. Go figure.
5. Little Dumpling: Soup Dumplings
Almost all festive dishes enjoyed during Lunar New Year involve auspicious wordplay, and these chewy dumplings are no exception. Literally meaning “soup balls”. “Tong yoon” sounds like “tun yun,” which means reunion in Cantonese. Filled with black sesame paste or peanuts, these mochi-like dumplings are served in hot ginger soup, ensuring a sweet and sticky start to the Lunar New Year. Little Dumpling notoriously do whole platters of various dumplings which couldn’t be more appropriate for Lunar New Year, just make sure you get the soup ones for extra luck and fortune.
6. M&J Chinese: House Special
M&J Chinese in Clonskeagh is bringing the house down – or rather, the basin – with Poon Choi, a communal feast symbolising unity and prosperity. Originating from the walled village communities, Poon Choi layers expensive ingredients at the top, emphasising prosperity, while ingredients like pork and Chinese dried mushrooms pad out the middle. It’s a symbolic gathering for a joyous Lunar New Year. Just throwing a Lunar New Year party with loads of bits could be, in essence, a Poon Choi, but a large house special dish with any sauce from M&J would be perfect. It’s got all the bits in it, and it’s made to share, keeping in essence with the tradition, if it’s a twist.
7. Arisu Korean Kitchen: Tteokguk or Tteobokki
Arisu Korean Kitchen is dishing out Tteokguk for the season. Tteokguk is a traditional Korean New Year dish. Meaning rice cake soup, Tteokguk symbolises gaining another year of age and wisdom. Chef Kim’s secret? A rich broth from beef bones, soy sauce-marinated stir-fried ground beef and aged kimchi. It’s a flavour-packed tradition believed to bring good luck for the year. It is a tradition to eat tteokguk on New Year’s Day because it is believed that the dish will grant diners good luck for the year as they gain another year of age and wisdom. Not everyone sees this as a welcome thing, however: so some people humorously avoid eating tteokguk to avoid getting old, and sometimes joke that one gets two years older if they eats two bowls of tteokguk at a go. The dish might not be on their menu right now, but Tteobokki is and it is very similar. Tteobokki is also a must-try if you’ve never had glutenous rice balls. They are a phenom that needs to be adopted more here.
8. Mao: Shrimp
Roll out the red carpet because this Lunar New Year, if you’re not ordering prawns, you might as well be handing out bad vibes. Why shrimp, you ask? Well, these crustaceans aren’t some seafood sensation; they’re twinkling stars of Lunar New Year dishes, especially for the Cantonese crew. Why? Because shrimp is the Beyoncé of the seafood world, representing ‘liveliness,’ ‘happiness,’ and ‘good fortune.’ In Cantonese, the word for shrimp, ha, is like the sound of laughter. So, when you’re chomping down on those Mao shrimp, you’re basically feasting on a plate of good vibes and happiness. So order up and let the laughter – and flavours – roll in!
May your Lunar New Year be filled with good vibes, laughter, and a banquet of the best bits Uber Eats has to offer.
The Year of the Dragon is upon us! If you are looking for a reason to celebrate in 2024, why not throw a party for the Lunar New Year? We’ve teamed up with Uber Eats and their multiple simultaneous delivery function to help you host the most hassle-free soirée. Use code: CHARLUNAR24 for a tenner off selected orders over €15.
