THE ESSENTIAL YUEN FAMILY NEW YEAR’S MENU:

1 A pot of profit soup

— Made with pork bones, pork shanks, pig tongues and rehydrated dried oyster. The pronunciation of tongue is “profit” and for dried oyster it is “good business.”

2 Lettuce wraps of gems

— We call lettuce “Sarn-choy,” which means making money. The contents of the stuffing are regarded as “gems.”

3 Eight-treasure vegetar

ian platter — A medley of eight vegan ingredients including pulses, root vegetables and fresh greens put together to become “Jai,” which signifies peace and calm.

4 Wok-fried prawns

of laughter — Prawns or shrimps are “Ha,” the sound of happiness.

5 A houseful of money

— Braised mushrooms on a bed of green vegetables. Mushrooms resemble ancient coins and ingots and the vegetable “Choy” is money.

6 A bird flying toward

a bright future — Chicken plays the role of the phoenix that soars high into the sky. The roasted chicken is served whole with both head and tail fully intact, a symbol of completeness and fulfilment.

7 A fish of abundance

— Fish “Yu” sounds the same as abundance. The steamed fish is again served whole with the head and tail on.

8 A handful of prosper

ity — Braised pig trotter is the hand to rake in prosperity. Hairy moss “Fat Choy” sounds exactly like “moneyrich.”

9 A dessert soup of

harmony — Sweet and harmony go hand in hand. Good harmony invites good karma. *** The number of dishes can be six ( fortune), eight ( prosperity), nine (everlasting) or 10 (confidence and perfection).