Lunar New Year

Taiwanese-American cook Lisa Cheng Smith rings in the Lunar New Year with a regional (and highly cookable!) spread.

Sweet potato flour makes the crispiest crust for these pork cutlets, while a soy marinade gives them extra depth.

This salad is palate-cleansing and refreshing. A little spicy, a little tart—and you can prep it in advance.

These richly flavored ribs are a riff on kalbi jjim, a traditional Korean special-occasion dish.

Chewy. Crunchy. Salty. Spicy. These veggie-packed fritters have it all.

During Chinese New Year, eating (and making) dumplings symbolizes unity, togetherness, and harmony.

Simone Tong's red-braised pork belly is a must-have on Chinese New Year. You can see why.

The higher you toss the salad with your chopsticks, the more luck you'll bring into the new year.

This is Sohui Kim's recipe for tteokguk, which is traditionally eaten to welcome New Year’s Day.

The sesame balls will float to the surface before they’re done frying. Use a spider or a slotted spoon to keep them submerged until they’re golden brown and puffed up. This recipe is from Mister Jiu's in San Francisco, CA.

The secret to flaky scallion pancakes isn’t a long ingredient list. It’s in the rolling and coiling, which takes practice.

And if they don't bring you wealth, at least you'll have dumplings.

Why waste time with a knife? A simple whack to a cucumber yields jagged surfaces eager to soak up this tangy dressing.

A hearty thanks to Pamela Lau, the talented home cook (and mom of our former staff photographer, Alex Lau!) who generously shared her proportions for the dough, soup, and filling to help us create this recipe.

Crunchy shrimp (thanks for the help, cornstarch!) gets its zesty, floral heat from Sichuan peppercorns. It's hard to believe that a main course this complex comes together so quickly.

Find long beans at Asian or specialty grocers.

These crisp, fresh pickles are often offered along with fresh herbs at the table. Tuck them into a lettuce-leaf wrapper or use them to doctor brothy soup.

Baijiu isn't the most palatable of alcohols, but we finally found one we liked, from Vinn Distillery in Portland, Oregon

A step-by-step guide to making your own Sichuan-style chili oil, with ingredients you can get at Asian supermarkets or online

The mushrooms are not salted as they cook—this is intentional. The teriyaki sauce they’re tossed in adds plenty.

Spicy Sichuan pepper will leave your lips buzzing. Use any leftover chili oil from this sesame noodles recipe in dressings or marinades.

From wrappers and fillings to dipping sauces, all you need to know to make dumplings for Chinese New Year, courtesy of Beijing's Black Sesame Kitchen