Longevity Noodles for Chinese New Year
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Make this recipe for Longevity Noodles for Chinese New Year to celebrate and welcome new beginnings. The long noodles represent good luck and long life, and as such, should not be cut or broken when cooking them. If the noodles can be eaten without biting through them, it’s considered even more auspicious.
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Noodles for Chinese New Year
We love celebrating Chinese New Year in this house – my Chinese Banquet for the Year of the Dragon is one of my dinner party crowning achievements!
I’ve not actually thrown such an elaborate dinner party since then! But I will always cook Chinese food to celebrate the Chinese New Year, and this year will be no different.
I remember as a child going to Chinatown in London with my family and seeing the Lion Dance which always had me in complete awe. Of course, we would also enjoy some Chinese food too.
My dad was really into Kung Fu in his younger days, so maybe that’s where it all stemmed from!
You can read more about Chinese New Year on my blog here.
If you want something meaningful to make for the New Year celebration, or anyone’s “New Year” such as their birthday, then you have to try these noodles.
This soup is very delicious and satisfying. With the inclusion of chicken meatballs and egg, it’s earthy and filling.
This is also a great dish to enjoy on a cold winter day; true comfort food.
The noodles (known as e-fu noodles, yee-fu noodles, yi noodles, yifu noodles) used in Longevity Noodles are considered to be very special because of their length. They are egg flour made with wheat.
(You can use any type of noodle in this recipe if you can’t find e-fu noodles. We used the Japanese style Tomoshiraga noodles.)
The noodles are usually created from one dough ball, and then folded and stretched until there are 1000 strands, which symbolizes luck for the New Year.
The longer the noodle, the better. So be sure not to cut the noodles when cooking them. In some families, this dish is served with an egg to signify fertility or new beginnings.
I found this video on YouTube demonstrating how noodles are handmade and it is amazing to see such skill!
Ingredients used in this recipe
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, but here is a brief outline so you know what to expect from the recipe.
I highly recommend always reading a recipe all the way through before starting.
As well as some basic ingredients like salt, pepper, garlic, oil, etc., you will also need:
- Chicken
- Corn Starch (Cornflour in the UK)
- Chicken Broth (Chicken Stock in the UK)
- Chicken Bouillon (optional)
- Dried Chinese Mushrooms (portabella or shiitake mushrooms can be used)
- E-Fu Noodles (or any type of noodle you like)
- Hard-Boiled Eggs
More Recipes Using Noodles
Since the main ingredient in this recipe is noodles, here are some more recipes using the same:
- Beijing Braised Lamb & Noodles
- Crunchy Vegetable Noodle Salad with Peanut Dressing
- Chinese Sweet Chilli Chicken & Noodle Soup
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy! Please feel free to check them out too.
More Soup Recipes
Need some more soup ideas? Take a look at these recipes next:
I’ve got more Easy Soup Recipes for you to enjoy – right click and open these other recipes in a new tab so that you can read them after this one!
Longevity Noodles with Chicken Meatballs
Make this recipe for Longevity Noodles for Chinese New Year to celebrate and welcome new beginnings. The long noodles represent good luck and long life, and as such, should not be cut or broken when cooking them!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 450g/1 lb chicken, cut into chunks*
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- ½ tsp corn starch (cornflour in the UK)
- 4 cups chicken broth or stock
- 4-5 large dried Chinese mushrooms soaked until soft and sliced (portabella or shiitake mushrooms can be used)
- 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon (optional)
- 3 cups water
- 3 bundles of noodles (around 300g/3.5oz)
- Chopped green onions for garnish
- 4 hard-boiled eggs
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a small frying pan and add chopped garlic. Cook on medium heat until garlic is golden. Set aside.
- In a food processor, place the chicken chunks, salt, white pepper, and corn starch. Process until no large chunks are found. Set aside. (If you prefer, you can prepare this ahead of time).
- In a large pot, bring chicken broth to a boil.
- Add salt or chicken bouillon, if using.
- Turn heat down to medium and add sliced Chinese mushrooms.
- Using a small ice cream scoop or a teaspoon, spoon processed chicken to create small meatballs about ¾"/2cm diameter. Drop into the soup and gently boil until meatballs are cooked - about 15 minutes.
- When ready to eat, in a smaller pot, bring water to a boil.
- Add noodles to boiling water, cook till soft - about 2-3 minutes. Do not overcook or noodles will be too soft.
- Drain noodles using a strainer and immediately dip noodles into cold water. You can also run them under cold water.
- Put the desired amount of noodles into a bowl (3 bundles should serve about 4 bowls). Ladle broth into the bowl with the desired amount of meatballs and mushrooms.
- Add one hard-boiled egg to each bowl.
- Garnish with green onions and the prepared garlic oil combo from step 1. Serve immediately.
Notes
*you can use pork instead of chicken if you prefer.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 523Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 298mgSodium: 1315mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 40g
This site uses an outside source (Nutritionix) to provide estimated nutrition. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.