3 Aussie Creatives Share Their Must-Try Lunar New Year Dishes

At its core, Lunar New Year is a reset button. A chance to hit pause after the chaos of the year just gone, and spend time with the people you love. 

It’s widely celebrated across China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and Korea, as well as being a big deal for Asian communities here in Australia.

This year, the 15-day celebration kicks off on Tuesday, 17 February, rolling until Tuesday, 3 March, with 2026 marking the Year of the Horse. In zodiac terms, it’s all about ambition, independence and backing yourself as new opportunities pop up—an energy we’re more than happy to carry into the new year. 

And like all good celebrations, LNY revolves around food—lots of it. Forget standard weekly recipes, these are the special dishes, cooked together with family and packed with flavours that take you straight back to childhood.

From long noodles for longevity to dumplings for wealth, there’s a whole lot of symbolic treats filling the table, too. And of course, you have to have plenty of red and gold around; colours bursting with luck, prosperity and good fortune. 

We caught up with three Asian-Aussie creatives to talk Lunar New Year plans, and what they’re cooking with a little bit of help from Asian Inspirations.

Keep scrolling to discover the must-try LNY dishes they swear by.  

Amy Ho

Amy Ho, Urban List’s SEO whiz, has been celebrating Lunar New Year (Tết) with her family every year since she was a kid. Growing up in a Vietnamese household, it's one of the biggest holidays of the year, packed with traditions her parents still go all out for. 

“Tết is a special occasion for our entire family to come together and wish each other well for the new year,” Ho says. “It's also a day when I feel like I really get to celebrate my roots.”

Her celebrations are a full-on family affair. “We'll typically go around to my aunt and uncle's houses exchanging red packets and greetings for the new year. We prepare and eat traditional foods reserved for Tet like banh chung, banh tet, and xoi and then play traditional Vietnamese games.”

This year, Ho's making Asian Inspiration’s Mini Potato Korokke to share with her fam. The golden bite-sized snacks are a super simple panko-crumbed potato ball recipe, deep-fried to perfection and topped with a dollop of Japanese mayo. 

Hot tip: Take it up a notch and opt for KEWPIE Sriracha Mayonnaise and KEWPIE Wasabi Mayonnaise for a spicy kick. Crafted with authentic, high-quality ingredients—this is a sauce that’s hard to beat.

Maddy Ainsworth

Coming from a Singaporean-Australian background, Urban List’s client services manager, Maddy Ainsworth, says the Lunar New Year is one of the most important events on the calendar for her family.

“It represents coming together, wishing prosperity, happiness and good health to my loved ones for the year, and most importantly, eating good food.” 

For this LNY, Ainsworth is bringing Chilli, Garlic and Honey Prawns to the table, a deliciously sweet and light recipe coated in high-quality Lee Kum Kee Oyster Sauce, Lee Kum Kee Chilli Garlic Sauce and Lee Kum Kee Chiu Chow Style Chilli Oil. 

“We also eat traditional meals like Steamboat, which symbolises reunion, unity and abundance for the new year, alongside large helpings of Peking Duck,” Ainsworth adds.  

She doesn’t skimp on dessert either. “Another traditional dish we have is pineapple tarts. We make a huge batch ahead of LNY, painstakingly making the pastry and jam from scratch. These delicate little pastries are so moreish it's impossible to stop at one!” 

This year, she plans to jet back to Brissy to spend Lunar New Year with her fam. 

“Traditionally, LNY is spent at my grandparents' place. We have two LNY celebrations—we come together first for the new moon, and the second celebration is the first full moon after the new year.”

Hot tip: Keep a generous serving of Lee Kum Kee Chiu Chow Chilli Oil and Lee Kum Kee Gluten Free Soy Sauce on the table for extra dipping. Created with premium ingredients, you’re getting an authentic kick with every dip.

Stella Li

“LNY is a bigger celebration to us than Christmas!” says Stella Li, Urban List’s designer. 

With all of her grandparents living in Sydney, Li’s family keeps a lot of the traditions and customs that are popular back in China alive at home.

“We make sure our hair is washed, the house is fully clean the day before to avoid washing and sweeping away the New Year's good luck and fortune,” Li shares. 

She also always has a big dinner with her entire family and serves specifically eight dishes, as it's the luckiest number in Chinese culture.  

“We’ll have apples and traditional lollies displayed, and of course, wear red!”

One of the dishes she’s keen to make this year is the Roasted Chicken Party Salad. It's packed with sliced chicken, crisp sunny lettuce, mizuna, boiled baby potatoes, sautéed pearl onions, cauliflower, brown mushrooms and red capsicum, then drizzled and tossed together with creamy KEWPIE Roasted Sesame Dressing for a nutty finish. 

She follows it up with a sweet glutinous rice cake called Nian gao that her family pan-fries and eats together to symbolise a more prosperous year. 

“My sister and I will also receive lai see (Cantonese for red packet) from our parents and grandparents while exchanging greetings like 'Happy New Year/Prosperity’ and 'wishing for good health,” she adds. 

Level up your Lunar New Year spread this Year of the Horse with Asian Inspiration’s range of authentic and premium recipes and products, here. 

Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by Asian Inspirations and proudly endorsed by The Urban List. To find out more about who we work with and why read our editorial policy here.

Image: Asian Inspirations.