Dishes for Entertaining VIP

The Chinese New Year reunion dinner is the most important meal of the year—a time to honor tradition, celebrate family, and welcome good fortune. When hosting honored guests, you want dishes that are impressive yet approachable, flavorful yet meaningful. These ten classic recipes strike the perfect balance: simple enough for home cooks to master, yet elegant enough to serve at the most special gatherings. Each carries auspicious symbolism for the new year ahead.

1. Braised Prawns (Oil-Simmered Shrimp)

Forget boiling! This method creates prawns that are caramelized on the outside and impossibly tender within—so delicious you'll eat the shells.

Why It's Special: The quick braise concentrates flavor while keeping the flesh incredibly juicy.

How to Make It: Remove heads and veins from fresh prawns, then score the backs for better flavor absorption. Marinate briefly with ginger, scallion, and salt. Pan-fry in hot oil until golden, add garlic and scallions, then pour in a sauce of light soy sauce, cooking wine, sugar, and pepper. Toss for one minute until the sauce coats each prawn beautifully. Finish with more scallions. The aroma alone will bring everyone running.

2. Braised Beef Ribs

Once you try beef ribs prepared this way, you'll prefer them over pork ribs every time.

Why It's Special: Low-and-slow cooking transforms tough ribs into fall-off-the-bone tenderness.

How to Make It: Blanch fresh beef ribs with hot water and high-proof liquor to remove impurities. Stir-fry a spoonful of broad bean paste until the oil turns red, then add the ribs and brown them evenly. Add aromatics (ginger, scallion, dried chilies, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves), light and dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt, chicken essence, rock sugar, and a bottle of beer. Add enough water to cover, cover, and simmer for one hour. Reduce the sauce at the end. The meat will be incredibly tender and deeply flavorful.

3. Yellow Braised Beef

This foolproof method yields beef so tender it rivals tofu in softness.

Why It's Special: A saltwater soak before cooking tenderizes the meat and draws out impurities.

How to Make It: Soak beef in salted water for 10 minutes—you'll be amazed at how much blood emerges. Stir-fry until golden brown, then add ginger, scallion, star anise, dried chilies, bay leaves, rock sugar, light and dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, soybean paste, salt, and chicken essence. Always add boiling water to lock in nutrients. Simmer for 50 minutes, then add carrots and potatoes and cook 20 minutes more. Finish with garlic sprouts and reduced sauce. It's as easy as cooking instant noodles!

4. Saucy Braised Beef Shank

No New Year's feast is complete without this classic cold appetizer.

Why It's Special: The spice-infused braising liquid transforms beef shank into something extraordinary.

How to Make It: Start beef shank in cold water with ginger, scallion, and cooking wine. Transfer to a clay pot with ginger, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, dried chilies, soybean paste, rock sugar, salt, chicken essence, light and dark soy sauce, and half a can of beer. Add water to cover and simmer for 90 minutes until a chopstick pierces easily. Cool completely, then slice thinly against the grain. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. It's absolutely magnificent.

5. Thousand-Line Prawns (Symbolizing Wealth)

This stunning dish symbolizes endless prosperity—perfect for wishing guests abundant fortune.

Why It's Special: The delicate vermicelli "threads" wrapped around each prawn create a beautiful presentation.

How to Make It: Soak vermicelli until soft, then coil on a plate. Make a small cut on each prawn's back and thread the tail through. Arrange on the vermicelli. Top with a fragrant mixture of sautéed garlic and chili seasoned with sugar and oyster sauce. Steam for 10 minutes, then drizzle with steamed fish soy sauce and sizzling scallion oil. The combination is as beautiful as it is delicious.

6. Classic Braised Pork Belly

This iconic dish is the ultimate test of a cook's skill—and this version makes it foolproof.

Why It's Special: Proper technique renders the fat perfectly, creating meat that's rich without being greasy.

How to Make It: Toss pork belly chunks with flour, then soak to remove impurities. Dry-fry in a pan (no oil needed!) to render excess fat—this is the secret to non-greasy results. Add ginger, scallion, star anise, cinnamon, dried chilies, and rock sugar. Caramelize the sugar over low heat—this creates that gorgeous red color. Add a can of beer, water, light soy sauce, and dark soy sauce. Simmer covered for 40 minutes, then reduce sauce over high heat. The pork becomes meltingly tender with a glossy, caramelized exterior.

7. Crystal Radish Balls (Symbolizing Reunion)

A light, vegetable-based dish that balances the richness of the feast while symbolizing family togetherness.

Why It's Special: The simple preparation yields surprisingly elegant, translucent spheres.

How to Make It: Julienne radish and potato, blanch briefly, then cool and squeeze dry. Season with salt, chicken essence, five-spice powder, dried shrimp, and starch. Form into small balls and steam for 10 minutes. The result is晶莹剔透—crystal-clear, beautiful, and delicious.

8. Oyster Sauce Lettuce (Symbolizing Rising Fortune)

This dish's name sounds like "rising wealth" in Chinese—making it an essential New Year's dish.

Why It's Special: The quick blanching method keeps lettuce perfectly crisp and brilliantly green.

How to Make It: Soak lettuce in water with baking soda to remove impurities. Blanch in boiling salted, oiled water for exactly 10 seconds—this preserves color and crunch. Make a sauce by simmering generous oyster sauce, light soy sauce, starch, and water until thickened. Pour over the arranged lettuce. It's refreshing, elegant, and far more delicious than its simplicity suggests.

9. Golden Meat Egg Rolls (Symbolizing Prosperity)

This beautiful rolled dish represents blooming prosperity and family happiness.

Why It's Special: The golden egg wrapper encloses savory meat filling in perfect harmony.

How to Make It: Season minced pork (30% fat, 70% lean) with salt, chicken essence, ginger, scallion, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, and egg whites. Mix sweet potato starch with water and incorporate. Make thin omelets with beaten eggs, spread with starch paste, top with meat filling, and roll tightly. Prick a few holes to prevent bursting, then steam for 30 minutes. Cool, slice diagonally, and arrange beautifully. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

10. Restaurant-Style Pickled Cabbage Fish

Why order takeout when you can create this Sichuan classic at home?

Why It's Special: The technique ensures silky, never-tough fish in a perfectly balanced sour broth.

How to Make It: Have your fishmonger fillet the fish. Massage slices with salt for one minute to remove impurities, rinse thoroughly, then season with salt and pepper until sticky. Add egg white, then a little starch. Pan-fry fish bones until golden, add ginger, scallion, pickled chilies, and sliced pickled cabbage. Pour in boiling water and simmer 10 minutes until the broth turns milky white. Season with salt, chicken essence, and vinegar. Remove solids to a serving bowl, then gently poach fish slices for 30 seconds. Top with garlic, chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, and sizzling oil. Restaurant quality at home!