A New Year Table Worth Celebrating
Tet — Vietnamese Lunar New Year, and the start of the Lunar New Year across many Asian cultures — is one of the biggest food holidays on the calendar. It’s a time for family reunions, for sweeping out the old and welcoming the new, and for a table loaded with food that means something. Many families choose dishes with intention: whole fish for abundance, long noodles for longevity, greens for prosperity, and plenty of red and gold on the table for luck and joy.
This menu is a festive pan-Asian feast inspired by that spirit. It isn’t a claim to any one family’s Tet traditions — every family has its own must-have dishes, and those are sacred. Instead, it’s a full celebration menu built from our recipe collection: dramatic enough for the holiday, flexible enough for a mixed crowd, and planned so you can actually enjoy the evening instead of spending it in the kitchen.
Everything below links to a recipe on this site, with a day-of timeline and make-ahead guide at the end.
The Menu at a Glance
| Course | Dish | Recipe |
|---|---|---|
| Appetizer | Vietnamese Shrimp Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce | Vietnamese Spring Rolls + Peanut Sauce For Spring Rolls |
| Appetizer | Chinese Scallion Pancakes | Scallion Pancakes |
| Soup | Tom Yum Soup (served in small cups) | Tom Yum Soup |
| Main | Chinese Steamed Fish with Ginger & Scallions | Chinese Steamed Fish |
| Main | Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken | Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken |
| Main (vegetarian) | Lemongrass Tofu | Lemongrass Tofu |
| Side | Egg Fried Rice | Egg Fried Rice |
| Side | Garlic Bok Choy | Garlic Bok Choy |
| Side | Do Chua (Pickled Carrots & Daikon) | Do Chua |
| Salad | Vietnamese Chicken Salad (Goi Ga) | Vietnamese Chicken Salad |
| Sauce | Nuoc Cham | Nuoc Cham |
| Sauce | Ginger Scallion Sauce | Ginger Scallion Sauce |
| Dessert | Make-ahead coconut mango sticky rice | No recipe needed — see below |
Appetizers: Start the Celebration
Vietnamese Shrimp Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce
A festive table needs something beautiful on a platter, and spring rolls deliver — translucent rice paper, pink shrimp, green herbs, a rainbow of crunch. They’re light enough to start with and fun to eat, which makes them perfect for guests arriving hungry. Roll them in the morning, cover with a damp towel, and set out the peanut sauce for dipping. Make extra sauce; it will disappear: Vietnamese Spring Rolls and Peanut Sauce For Spring Rolls.
Chinese Scallion Pancakes
Flaky, golden, and pulled apart at the table — scallion pancakes are the snack that gets people talking. They fry up in minutes, and the dough actually improves with a day in the fridge, so this is a dream make-ahead appetizer. Serve them warm with a small dish of dipping sauce and watch them vanish: Scallion Pancakes.
Tom Yum Soup (Small Cups)
Lunar New Year celebrations often open with something warm, and a small cup of hot, sour tom yum — fragrant with lemongrass, lime, and galangal — wakes up the palate and sets a festive tone. Serve it in teacups or small bowls as guests settle in, ahead of the mains. The broth can be made a day ahead; add the shrimp at the last minute so they stay plump and tender: Tom Yum Soup.
The Mains: A Centerpiece Worth Gathering Around
Chinese Steamed Fish with Ginger & Scallions
If this menu has a centerpiece, this is it. A whole fish, steamed until silky and finished with sizzling oil, julienned ginger, and scallions, is dramatic on the platter and deeply tied to festive symbolism — in Chinese, the word for fish sounds like the word for “surplus” or “abundance,” so many families serve it at New Year meals to wish for plenty in the year ahead. The cooking itself is almost entirely hands-off: the steamer does the work while you finish everything else. Freshness and timing are the whole game, both covered here: Chinese Steamed Fish.
Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken
Fragrant, golden, and caramelized at the edges — lemongrass chicken is the crowd-pleaser of this table. The marinade is simple (lemongrass, garlic, fish sauce, a little sugar), the flavor is unmistakably celebratory, and it scales easily for a crowd. Serve it on a big platter with fresh herbs and let people help themselves: Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken.
Lemongrass Tofu (Vegetarian Main)
Every festive table needs a vegetarian main with real presence, and lemongrass tofu delivers: golden, fragrant, with just enough chili heat to hold its own next to the fish and chicken. It also happens to be one of the fastest dishes on this menu — weeknight-fast, holiday-worthy: Lemongrass Tofu.
Sides & Rice: The Bright Stuff
Egg Fried Rice (Egg Fried Rice) is the workhorse starch of the table. Use day-old rice, high heat, and it comes together in 15 minutes. Make a generous batch — it anchors plates and reheats beautifully.
Garlic Bok Choy (Garlic Bok Choy) brings glossy greens to the table, and greens carry their own New Year symbolism for many families: prosperity, growth, new beginnings. It’s also a five-minute stir-fry, which makes it the easiest dish on this menu.
Do Chua (Do Chua) — sweet-sharp pickled carrots and daikon — adds jewel-bright crunch that cuts through richer dishes. Make it at least a day ahead; it only gets better with time and keeps for weeks.
Vietnamese Chicken Salad (Goi Ga) (Vietnamese Chicken Salad) with shredded cabbage, herbs, and peanuts keeps the whole meal feeling fresh. Prep the components ahead and dress it at the last minute so everything stays crisp.
Sauces: The Finishing Touches
Keep these on the table and guests will use them on everything:
Nuoc Cham (Nuoc Cham) — the classic Vietnamese dipping sauce of fish sauce, lime, sugar, and chili. It’s the drizzle this whole menu is built around.
Ginger Scallion Sauce (Ginger Scallion Sauce) — warm oil poured over minced ginger and scallions until it blooms into something fragrant and savory. Spoon it over the steamed fish, the tofu, the fried rice — everything.
Something Sweet: Make-Ahead Coconut Mango Sticky Rice
End the feast the way many festive meals end: with something sweet, cold, and make-ahead. Coconut mango sticky rice needs no recipe link and no day-of effort — steam sweet (glutinous) rice a day ahead, warm it with sweetened coconut milk, and serve chilled or room temperature with fresh mango and a sprinkle of toasted sesame. Sweet, creamy, tropical, and it can be assembled entirely before guests arrive.
Make-Ahead Timeline
Two days before:
- Make the do chua (pickles need at least 24 hours; they keep for weeks).
- Make the peanut sauce, nuoc cham, and ginger scallion sauce.
- Make the scallion pancake dough; refrigerate.
One day before:
- Make the tom yum broth (without shrimp); refrigerate.
- Cook the rice for tomorrow’s fried rice (day-old rice fries better).
- Steam the sticky rice for dessert; refrigerate.
- Marinate the lemongrass chicken.
- Wash and chop all vegetables and herbs; store in containers.
- Roll the spring rolls; cover with a damp towel and refrigerate.
Day of — morning:
- Set the table. For a Lunar New Year touch, add red and gold accents — napkins, a small vase of flowers, anything festive you have.
- Prep the goi ga salad components (keep dressing separate).
2:00 PM — guests arriving soon:
- Reheat the tom yum broth gently; keep warm.
- Set out spring rolls, scallion pancakes (fry them now), and nibbles.
4:00 PM:
- Start the steamed fish (hands-off once going).
- Cook the lemongrass chicken and lemongrass tofu.
- Make the egg fried rice and garlic bok choy (fast — do them last).
- Dress the goi ga salad.
- Warm the sticky rice with coconut milk; top with mango.
4:30 PM — dinner.
Tips for Hosting a Lunar New Year Feast
- Serve family-style. This menu is designed for big platters in the middle of the table, not individual plates. It looks more abundant, it feeds a crowd, and it means less plating stress for you.
- The fish is the clock. A whole steamed fish waits for no one — time it to finish just as guests sit down. Everything else on this menu holds warm; the fish should go from steamer to table.
- Make a garnish station. Extra herbs, lime wedges, sliced chilies, crushed peanuts, and the sauces in small bowls. It makes the table look generous and lets guests customize their plates.
- Cook rice twice. You’ll want a big batch of day-old rice for the fried rice, plus fresh steamed rice for the sticky rice dessert. Plan the quantities the day before so you’re not short.
- Dress salads at the table. Cabbage and herb salads go limp if dressed ahead. Prep everything, dress when guests are seated.
- Delegate the easy stuff. Hand a guest the spring rolls and the garnish station as their “job.” People love to contribute, and Lunar New Year is about togetherness — let the table be a group effort.
- Keep it joyful, not perfect. The point of the holiday is renewal and family, not a flawless spread. If one dish runs late, nobody will remember — they’ll remember being together.
Chúc Mừng Năm Mới
However you celebrate the Lunar New Year — with a house full of family or a small table of friends — the wish is the same: health, abundance, and good fortune in the year ahead. This menu gives you a festive, flavorful way to mark the occasion, with all the planning done for you. Chúc mừng năm mới — happy cooking, and happy Lunar New Year.