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35 Asian & Chinese Christmas Recipes

Sharing food makes everyone happy! :)

Christmas is a big holiday in Singapore, even if you're not Christian. Here are some easy Asian and Chinese Christmas Recipes for you if you want to do something different this year.

Close-up of a soy sauce whole chicken on a white plate.
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Jewish People and Chinese Christmas Food

Did you know that American Jews have the tradition of eating Chinese cuisine on Christmas Day?

You may be wondering what's the connection between Jewish immigrants and chow mein, lo mein, dim sum and egg rolls. Well, here are some of them:

  • Jewish and Chinese immigrants lived in close proximity on the Lower East side, New York City
  • Chinese restaurant owners welcomed Jewish families.
  • Chinese dishes are usually free of dairy, and they look relatively kosher (as any pro is usually presented in a non-obvious way.)
  • Chinese Food Restaurants are open on Christmas!

Did You Know?

  • Celebrating Christmas is a relatively modern tradition for in China.
  • Christmas Eve is translated as "Ping An Ye" (literally Safe Night), so gifting apples for the holiday season is 1 of the Christmas traditions in China (translated as "Ping Guo" and thus a homonym.)

🥘 Starters

Singaporean Curry Puffs

A hand holding a half-bitten mini curry puff.
Look at that flaky crust! (Extra flaky because I used homemade lard for the crust.)

Curry puffs are great party appetisers as you can batch make them in advance. Although best served hot, they taste good at room temperature too!

Curry Puff Recipe (Potato)
A savory, flaky and crispy curry puff recipe with potato filling- easily made vegan or vegetarian- that uses cupboard staples. Delicious and perfect for meal prep as it tastes good hot and cold!
Check out this recipe
Vegan potato curry puff fried to a crisp golden brown on a plate.

Chinese Pumpkin Soup

Close-up of a bowl of Chinese steamed soup in a pumpkin bowl.
Chinese Pumpkin Soup with Carrots
A deliciously savory dish, this Chinese Pumpkin Soup with carrots is also very nutritious and really easy to make in a few simple steps! (Basically, cut + steam!)
Click here for the pumpkin and carrot soup recipe.
A hand holding Chinese pumpkin soup served in a small pumpkin and white bowl.

Potstickers

Every Chinese family has their own homemade dumplings recipe- the shape represents good fortune to the Chinese people!

Note: click here for good potstickers sides.

🐖 Alternatives to Turkey

Instead of getting a turkey for Christmas Dinner- I've never developed much of a taste for turkey as it can get so dry! - why not make 1 of these Asian cuisine alternatives to turkey meals?

12345 Chinese Pork Ribs

3 pieces of caramelised 12345 spare ribs on a plate.
12345 Chinese ribs taste very similar to tang Chu pai gu (vinegar ribs) but are much easier to make!
12345 Chinese Spare Ribs (5-ingredients)
These Chinese Spare Ribs are delicious, finger-licking Asian-style pork spare ribs that are as simple to cook as 12345 (a mnemonic device that will also help you recall the recipe.) Using only the Asian pantry staples of wine, dark soy sauce, vinegar and sugar to braise the meat, with only a few minutes of active cooking, this is the best easy sticky Chinese Spare Ribs for a lazy food lover.
Check out this recipe
Close-up of a pork rib with fingerlicking sticky sauce and caramelised bits.

Soy Sauce Chicken

Close-up of a soy sauce whole chicken on a white plate.
Best Poached One Pot Chinatown Soy Sauce Chicken Recipe
This Cantonese classic chicken is an easy-to-recreate-restaurant dish that can be made in 1 pot! It's also the gift that keeps giving as the leftover poaching liquid can be used for so many things (see post above). (Inspired by 4 recipes: Woks Of Life, SCMP, Burning Kitchen and Red House Spice)
Click here for the Cantonese See Yao Gai Recipe.
A plate of Cantonese soy sauce with white rice and green onions.

This Cantonese Chicken does require quite a long poaching time though, so if you're in a rush, you can try this quicker version.

Note: leftovers are delicious in this rotisserie chicken porridge.

Easy Chinese Braised Soy Sauce Chicken Thighs
A simplified but still delicious version of the most popular recipe on my website (Chinatown soya sauce chicken): this easy Chinese braised soy sauce chicken thighs recipe is simple to make in one pot and done in ⅓ the time!
Click here for the braised chicken recipe.
A plate of soy sauce chicken with hard boiled egg and spicy sambal

Peking Duck

I'll be honest, Peking Duck is not an easy dish to make, which is why it's great for special occasions such as Christmas! It's also hot to prepare, so perfect for the cooler weather of the Christmas season.

Note: these are some side dishes that go well with Peking Duck.

Eight Treaures Duck

This Shanghainese and Cantonese dish gets its name from the fact that the duck is stuffed with 8 different ingredients, such as glutinous rice, diced mushrooms, water chestnuts, Chinese sausage, Chinese dried shrimp, bamboo shoots, jujubes, salted egg yolks, Jinhua ham, barley, dried lily, red beans, lotus seeds and peanuts

Asian Porkballs

You could also make these delicious Asian pork meatballs which come in a tangy caramel sauce!

A pair of chopsticks picking a meatball out of a bowl
Asian pork meatballs in a tangy sauce
Make a huge batch of these 5-star meatballs and the rest can be frozen for the New Year!
Click here for the tangy pork recipe.
A pair of chopsticks picking a meatball out of a bowl

Salt and Pepper Pork

Or try these crispy and juicy pepper pork chops!

Fish Sauce Chicken Wings

2 baked chicken wings that are super crispy and have been tossed in a sticky Vietnamese glaze.
You can also use the sauce as a marinade for a whole roast chicken!
Crispy Fish Sauce Wings Recipe (Baked)
Inspired by the famous Pok Pok wings, this Vietnamese Crispy Fish Sauce Chicken Wings Recipe has big, punchy flavors. Though baked and not fried, it is still super crispy, tangy and delicious with a fingerlicking, sweet, salty and tangy sticky glaze! 
Check out the crispy baked wings recipe.
2 baked chicken wings that are super crispy and have been tossed in a sticky Vietnamese glaze.

If you like chicken wings but not fish sauce, try these other Asian chicken wing recipes.

General Tso's Chicken

This sweet and savory deep fried chicken recipe is 1 of the most popular Chinese takeout menu items in USA.

Asian-inspired Beef

Sliced Asian Flank steak with greens on a plate

The sauce would also go superbly with roast beef!

Chimichurri Asian Flank Steak
This Asian-inspired flank steak recipe by Drivemehungry has 5 stars from 38 people, so you shouldn't miss it! Moreover, the recipe is so easy it's as foolproof as it is delicious.
Click here for the steak recipe.
Sliced Asian Flank steak with greens on a plate

🍛 Curries

Curries, with all their delicious flavors, are ideal meal prep dishes for parties because they taste better the next day!

Chicken Curry with Pumpkin

Someone scooping up thick pumpkin chicken curry with white rice.
Easy Pumpkin Chicken Curry from Scratch
This easy pumpkin chicken curry is made of juicy, tender chicken morsels simmered in a deliciously aromatic sauce that is full of warm spiced flavor. It's well- spiced but not spicy and can be bulked up with healthy veggies, all in one pot. Plus it's super flexible: it can be made with coconut cream, regular cream, pumpkin puree or none of the above!
Click here for the Pumpkin Curry with Chicken recipe.
A plate of jasmine rice and chicken pumpkin curry with coriander.

Sorpotel Curry

A bowl of Indian pork curry (sorpotel) next to a dried chilli
Goan Pork Sorpotel, or Indian Pork Curry
One of the favourite dishes to cook for Christmas in Goa, and perfect for the cold festive season. Best of all, curry tastes even better the next day so you don't have to worry about cooking too much!
Click here for the Sorpotel Curry recipe.
A bowl of Indian pork curry (sorpotel) next to a dried chilli

🦃 Asian-flavoured Turkey

5-spice Roast Turkey

For those who are traditionalists at heart, jazz up your turkey by using this Asian spice rub. Get the most flavour by using homemade 5-spice powder- extra can be used in these Chinese 5-spice dishes!

Five Spice Christmas Turkey
If you think it's not Christmas without Turkey but are tired of the regular flavour, try something new with this 5-spice turkey roast by What A Girl Eats!
Click here for the Chinese Turkey recipe.
A table of Christmas dishes, including Asian Roast Turkey

Turkey Balls

A great idea to incorporate turkey into your Christmas menu, but in a new form, is to make these Asian Turkey Meatballs!

A pile of Asian Turkey meatballs on rice
Asian-flavoured Turkey Meatballs
And this Wholesomeyum recipe is keto too! Who says Christmas turkey must always be in the form of a roast?
Click here for the Keto Meatball recipe.
A pile of Asian Turkey meatballs on rice

🍥 Seafood

Seared Sea Bass on a plate with lemon on the side
Pan Seared Sea Bass marinated with an Asian Sauce
Sea Bass is a very popular fish in Chinese cooking, although we usually cook it whole (head and tail included)! Recently, fancy Chinese restaurants have taken to filleting the seabass and selling them in per-person portions. Make your own at home by marinating the fish with an Asian-inspired sauce then searing on the stove, as shown in this Drive Me Hungry recipe.
Click here for the Sea Bass recipe.
Seared Sea Bass on a plate with lemon on the side

Singaporean Assam Fish Curry

Someone scooping up a bite of simmered fish in coconut milk and jasmine rice.

Or why not make a fish curry? Curries are great to cook for parties as they heat up so well!

Singaporean Tamarind Coconut Fish Curry
An 8-ingredient curry with flaky fish in a spiced, creamy curry sauce. The tamarind juice gives the flavorful Singapore Tamarind Coconut Fish Curry a delicious citrusy acidity (and makes sure there is no fishy flavor)- unusual for a curry, but makes for a super satisfying meal with white rice. (Dairy-free) (Stovetop)
Check out the tangy fish curry here.
Close-up of a white plate of tamarind fish curry with coconut and rice.

🍝 Noodles

Long noodles are associated with longevity in Chinese culture.

Dan Dan Noodles

For those whose taste buds lean to the spicy, try these Sichuan noodles.

Mee Siam

A bowl of sumptuous Mee Siam Noodles with prawns, egg, tofu and Chinese Koo Chye.

If you're not a fan of sour soup, try stir-fried Mee Siam, which I find even more delicious!

Singapore Mee Siam Recipe (with Soup)
This Singapore Mee Siam Recipe (with Soup) is sweet, spicy, tangy and altogether delicious! No wonder it is such a popular noodle dish in Singapore and Malaysia!
Click here for the spicy and tangy noodle recipe.
An overhead shot of a bowl of Singapore Wet Mee Siam with soup.

Bihun Goreng

A pair of chopsticks grabbing some fried vermicelli noodles with sliced carrots.
Singapore Fried Vermicelli (Bihun Goreng)
Singapore Fried Vermicelli, also known as Bihun Goreng, is delicious, easy to cook and quick to make in under 30 minutes. Using only simple ingredients (no chicken broth needed), it's a complete meal in itself. It's also cheap enough that some hawker centres (street food stalls) in Singapore sell it for only S$2/ US$1.50!
Click here for the stir-fried rice noodle recipe.
A plate of Singaporean fried vermicelli noodles with egg, carrot and fish cake.

🥬 Vegetable Sides

Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad

Refreshing Asian Cucumber Salad
After all the roasts and heavy dishes, a refreshing cucumber salad by Iheartumami is called for! This is a favourite of 1 of my London besties so I used to make my own version very often. Make it beforehand and chill in the fridge to better soak up the flavours. And don't forget to give the cucumbers a good smack so that they're split open to help absorption!
Click here for the Din Tai Fung Salad recipe.
Asian Cucumber Salad

Lao Gan Ma Salad

Close-up of red spicy asian cucumber salad.

Fans of the famous chili sauce would love this easy and refreshing side dish!

Cold cucumber salad recipe
If you're short on ingredients, try this cucumber salad which only requires 3 ingredients!
Click here for the Chinese cucumber dish.
Close-up of red spicy asian cucumber salad.

Cabbage Salad

A platter of Asian-inspired Cabbage Salad
Cabbage Salad with Asian flavours
Not a fan of cucumber? Try this 5-star Asian Cabbage Salad by Wholesumyum instead!
Click here for the Asian Slaw recipe.
A platter of Asian-inspired Cabbage Salad

Soy Mushrooms

A plate of seared mushrooms tossed in a butter soy sauce.

Note: the soy butter sauce is also delicious mixed with popcorn.

Quick Eryngii Mushrooms (3-ingredients)
A 25-minute, easy to make and delicious eryngii mushroom recipe. These have a nice meaty texture which make them great meat substitutes for vegan meals.
Click here for the soy sauce mushroom recipe.
A plate of seared mushrooms tossed in a butter soy sauce.

Garlic Mushrooms

A pan of garlic mushrooms with cauliflower sprinkled on top

Note: if you love these fungi, click here for more delicious Asian mushroom dishes.

Mushroom with garlic and cauliflowers
Mushrooms are one of my favourite dishes, as they're full of umami. Guess I'm not the only 1 as this is another 5-starred recipe by Iheartumami!
Click here for the mushroom and cauliflower recipe.
A pan of garlic mushrooms with cauliflower sprinkled on top

🥗 Vegetarian & Vegan

If you're not a meat eater, you can still cook up a delicious Asian Christmas meal. Veggies don't always have to be an afterthought, they can be the star of the feast too!

Kung Bao Cauliflower

Kung Pao Cauliflower
I confess to not being a fan of cauliflower but I must admit it soaks up flavour wonderfully well, and I do like it in dishes such as Har Cheong Cauliflower, Korean Fried Cauliflower and, of course, this amazing Kung Pao Cauliflower!
Check out this recipe

Vegan Bao Buns

3 Vegan Bao Buns with Extra Bread at the side
Vegan Bao Buns
Traditionally filled with pork belly, vegans can enjoy this traditional Chinese dish too, by subbing the meat with vegetables. Mushrooms or tofu is often used but this recipe by The Classy Baker calls for aubergine, which is a flavour-sponge
Click here for the Vegan Bao recipe.
3 Vegan Bao Buns with Extra Bread at the side

🍧 Chinese Desserts

Auspicious Koi Fish Jelly

CNY dessert of koi fish jelly on top of lots of red packets.
Koi Fish Agar Jelly
Although this is usually associated with Chinese New Year, the fish shape and its association with good fortune makes it a welcome dessert at any Chinese meal.
Click here for the Chinese agar agar jelly recipe.
Close-up of 2 CNY koi fish jelly

Chinese Peanut Cookies

They're usually made for Chinese New Year, but Chinese Peanut Cookies make a great after-dinner snack for Christmas too!

Chinese peanut cookies on a plate with its ingredients peanuts, peanut oil, flour, sugar and egg
Inspired by the "How to cook the Perfect..." column in The Guardian (UK newspaper), I baked over 1000 cookies before coming up with this ultimate Chinese peanut cookie recipe. Typically eaten over Chinese New Year, but there's no reason why you can't have it on regular days as well 🙂
Chinese Peanut Cookies
A recipe that was developed after making over 2000 of these cookies- someone once ordered over 20 jars at a go!
Click here for the Chinese peanut recipe.
12 types of Chinese peanut cookies made from 12 different recipes on a plate

Vegan Egg Tarts

Vegan Egg Tarts served on a pretty plate with tea at the back
Vegan Egg Tarts
Egg Tarts are 1 of the most popular Chinese desserts, especially in Hong Kong- try this vegan version by Rainbow Nourishments which is a 5-starred recipe.
Click here for the vegan tart recipe.
Vegan Egg Tarts served on a pretty plate with tea at the back

Chinese Walnut Cookies

Cantonese walnut cookies for Chinese New Year with red packets
Chinese Walnut Cookies (Hup Toh Soh)
Also known as He Tao Su, these classic vegetarian cookies are easy to make at home, using store cupboard ingredients, and can be made vegan as well (info below). Crispy, crumbly and fragrant, they go well with coffee or milk tea!
Click here for the Cantonese walnut biscuits recipe
Chinese Walnut Cookies with Chinese New Year red packets

Pumpkin Cake

A pair of chopsticks picking up a very soft orange glutinous rice cake.

Instead of Pumpkin Pie, why not try this much easier to make, soft and gooey sweet treat?

Chinese Pumpkin Cake
Crisp on the outside but soft, gooey and chewy on the inside, Chinese Pumpkin Cake or Nan Gua Bing is a must-make dessert in fall! If you've ever felt intimidated by the thought of making your own Asian street snacks, try this easy Chinese recipe to give you confidence! It's simple enough to make perfectly the very 1st time!
Click here for the Chinese Nan Gua Bing Recipe.
Many fried orange pancakes with sesame seeds in a bowl on baking paper.

Bird's Nest & Wolfberries in Coconut

Bird's nest and wolfberries Chinese dessert served in a coconut bowl
If you can, try to get a pre-cut coconut. This was cut open at home (the unopened coconut lasts longer in the fridge) and you can see all the coconut splinters at the side- some fall into the coconut water which isn't very pleasant!

Bird's nest is often on the menu during special occasions, such as weddings, so why not at Christmas? Serve it in a coconut for presentation points!

Note: If you end up with more coconut than you need, here are some ways to cook with coconut water.

Easy Swallow Nest Soup (Bird's Nest Dessert)
The easiest Chinese bird's nest dessert you could ever make!
Click here for the easy Chinese Bird's Nest recipe.
Close-up of a spoonful of steamed bird's nest sweet soup.

Here's wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas!

If you've found something to serve during Christmas time from this list of Asian and Chinese Christmas Dishes, why not subscribe to my Asian food newsletter?

I have other recipes you may like here! :)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Julie says

    Woah so many beautiful recipes to choose from!!! 5 stars!

    Reply

    • Zen says

      Glad u like them Julie, hope to see some on your IG feed one day 🙂

      Reply

  2. Cynthia | What A Girl Eats says

    Thank you for including me! Pinned, yummed and tweeted!

    Reply

    • Zen says

      Aw thanks for popping by and for all the support, and for letting me include your awesome recipe! Happy holidays to your family and you!

      Reply

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