New Year’s Dishes from Around the World
Around the world, the turn of the year has its own dishes. These recipes are tied to New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day in their own countries: Japanese mochi soup and osechi side dishes, Russia’s Olivier salad, Georgia’s chicken in walnut sauce, Haiti’s January 1 pumpkin soup, Guyana’s New Year’s Eve rice and more. Each recipe explains the custom behind the dish and how to make it at home.
Zōni: Aichi-Style New Year Mochi Soup in Clear Broth
Zōni from Aichi, Japan: square mochi simmered ungrilled with chicken and greens in clear dashi. Learn the soy-last order, doneness cues and safe mochi eating.
Kinpira Gobo: Japanese Burdock and Carrot Stir-Simmered Until Almost Dry (Kinpira Gobō)
How to make kinpira gobo (きんぴらごぼう), the Tokyo home side dish of burdock root and carrot stir-fried in sesame oil with red chili and simmered in soy sauce, sugar and sake until the liquid is almost gone. Covers the two-serving amounts, scrubbing instead of peeling, the order of the pan, how to judge the finish, related variations, and the dish's place on Japanese tables.
Shoyumame: Kagawa Roasted Fava Beans in Sweet Soy
Shoyumame from Kagawa, Japan: dried fava beans dry-roasted, soaked overnight in hot soy-sugar-chili liquid, then simmered. How to roast and judge doneness.
Hanabiramochi: Japanese New Year Sweet with White Miso and Candied Burdock (花びら餅)
How to make hanabiramochi (花びら餅), the Kyoto-style January sweet of soft white gyuhi folded over a pale pink square, white miso bean paste and candied burdock. Six pieces, made with a 500W microwave, with the burdock started the day before and cooled and refrigerated overnight. Includes the dish's ties to New Year and the first tea ceremony of the year, regional mochi and gyuhi styles, and honest notes on substitutions.
Sōki: Okinawan Bone-In Pork Rib Soup with Kombu
Sōki jiru from Okinawa: bone-in pork ribs simmered with kombu and shiitake. Learn the skimming, the low simmer to a loose bone and the final broth balance.
Takayama Ramen: Hida Clear Soy Broth with Thin Curly Noodles
Takayama ramen from Hida in Gifu, Japan: chicken and fish broth with the soy simmered in, how to keep it from clouding, and which thin curly noodles to buy.
Olivier Salad Recipe: Russia's New Year Salad
Olivier salad is a Russian celebration dish of potatoes, eggs, pickles, and meat cut into small cubes and chilled. A chicken breast version: cooking so the ingredients keep their shape and stay dry, how to toss, New Year's culture, regional differences, substitutes, and storage.
Satsivi (საცივი): Georgian Chicken in Cold Walnut Sauce
A recipe for satsivi, the Georgian New Year dish, made with ordinary chicken thighs. A golden walnut sauce of walnut paste with coriander, fenugreek, and saffron is poured generously over boiled chicken, and the dish is chilled so the flavors soak in. Walnut freshness, tempering the egg yolks, spice substitutes, variations, and storage.
Ghapama: Armenian Stuffed Pumpkin with Rice, Dried Fruit and Nuts
Ghapama is Armenia's festive pumpkin filled with rice, dried fruit and nuts and baked. Here are the quantities for a small pumpkin, how to par-cook the rice, 180°C baking, how to cut and serve it, storage, and what to pair it with.
Banitsa: Bulgarian Rolled Phyllo Pie with White Cheese (Баница)
How to make banitsa (баница), Bulgaria's well-known breakfast pastry, as a rolled home version: 400g of thin phyllo, each sheet spread with a yogurt, egg and white-cheese filling, rolled and baked. Covers choosing sirene versus feta, handling phyllo, keeping back filling for the top, checking that the egg filling is fully cooked, and how banitsa fits the Bulgarian breakfast table.
Sarmale: Romanian Sour Cabbage Rolls with Pork, Rice and Mămăligă
Romanian sarmale, cabbage rolls stuffed with pork and rice, made at home. A stand-in for fermented cabbage leaves, how much rice to put in the filling, the gentle heat that keeps the rolls from breaking, serving with mămăligă, and reheating the next day, plus shopping notes and common mistakes.
Pelēkie Zirņi ar Speķi: Latvian Grey Peas with Bacon and Onion
How to make Pelēkie zirņi ar speķi, Latvian grey peas with bacon: a family recipe of 1 kg dried grey peas soaked overnight and simmered until soft, topped with fatty bacon and onion fried in their own fat, with kefir on the side. Covers the dish's place at the Latvian Christmas table, what makes the protected Latvian grey pea different, how to choose peas and bacon, fixing common problems, and household variations.
Ragoût de Boulettes: Quebec's Spiced Meatball Stew for the New Year
A recipe for ragoût de boulettes, the Christmas and New Year dish of Quebec, Canada: pork meatballs scented with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in a sauce thickened with browned flour. Covers the origin in an 1840 cookbook, how to make the browned flour, and checking the core temperature.
Soup Joumou: Haiti's New Year's Day Pumpkin Soup
Soup joumou, eaten in Haiti on January 1, as one pot where the sweetness of squash meets the green aroma of epis. Covers how long to tenderize the beef, when to add vegetables and pasta, adjusting Scotch bonnet heat, substitutes for squash and turnip, storage, and what is worth seeking out, drawn from overseas sources and the Haitian table and brought into a home kitchen.
Guyanese Cook-Up Rice: A One-Pot of Beans and Coconut
Guyanese cook-up rice is a one-pot dish of rice, black-eyed peas, chicken and coconut milk. Covers parboiled rice, substitutes, scorched rice and storage.