Clarissa Wei

Clarissa Wei · NYT Cooking

A hearty plate of chopped cabbage, shiitake mushrooms and carrots stewed in aromatics, chap chye is ubiquitous on the Lunar New Year table in Singapore, though every family has a different way of making it depending on its heritage. This recipe comes from Darren Ho, a Singaporean chef of Teochew, Hainanese, Cantonese and Peranakan descent. Other cooks like adding cubes of pork for flavor, lily buds for texture and a heaping of black moss fungus on top because its Cantonese name — fat choy — is a homophone for good luck. Mr. Ho flavors his vegan version with fermented bean paste and bean curd cubes, which lend distinct creamy undertones. Serve with white rice. Clarissa Wei

Clarissa Wei · NYT Cooking

This rendition of chicken rice, where the chicken is delicately poached with aromatics then served at room temperature, is common throughout Southeast Asia and parts of China, but every family is likely to have a slightly different technique. This recipe is from 93-year-old Nancy Fam of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, who used to offer a whole poached chicken, with its head and feet still attached, as part of an elaborate altar ritual for deceased family members. After the spirits had been satiated, she’d carve up the chicken and serve it to the living, paired with a dipping sauce made with shallots, lime and ground bean sauce (a fermented soybean paste), a recipe she inherited from her late mother. A celebration of family both present and past, the chicken is served at room temperature, but eaten with a piping hot serving of jasmine rice. Clarissa Wei

Clarissa Wei · NYT Cooking

Mooncakes are pastries timed to the Mid-Autumn Festival, a holiday that celebrates the commencement of the harvest season. Traditionally, they showcased the best ingredients of a region, like sweet lotus seed paste in Guangdong, China, melon seeds in Hainan or pork in Yunnan, but you can stuff mooncakes with whatever you’d like, as long as the fillings are encased in dough and the exterior is aesthetically pleasing. In her forthcoming cookbook, “Mooncakes and Milkbread,” the Chinese-American baker Kristina Cho has channeled that spirit by stuffing her mooncakes with blitzed pistachios and honey, a combination commonly found in baklava. The blend is enveloped in a classic Cantonese crust that uses lye water to bump up the pH of the dough, giving it a gentle amber hue, and golden syrup, which lends the cake a chewy, soft bite. Clarissa Wei

Clarissa Wei · NYT Cooking

Because of its vibrant multiethnic population, Singapore is one of the few places where biryani — a dish with origins in the Indian subcontinent — is regularly eaten for Lunar New Year. This recipe is from Shila Das, a second-generation Singaporean of Indian and Vietnamese descent who grew up celebrating the festivities. You first prepare chicken curry as you’ll use its sauce in this dish and serve the chicken with it. As a prolific home cook, Ms. Das has been tasked with making this dish for annual Lunar New Year potlucks. She learned how to make it from her father, who prepared it for Diwali. Clarissa Wei

Clarissa Wei · NYT Cooking

Nian gao is a homonym for the Chinese phrase “nian nian gao sheng,” which means increasing prosperity year after year. It is a dish indigenous to southern China in sweet and savory forms, and traveled with the diaspora to southeast Asia. This modern spin on classic nian gao comes from the food writer Christopher Tan, who wrote a book on Singaporean pastries titled “The Way of Kueh.” He incorporates coconut milk, butter and mashed sweet potato into this nian gao for richness. The rice cake is usually steamed, but Mr. Tan bakes the batter in small molds for the contrast of a fudgy inside and crisp outside. The key to a smooth texture that stays soft after baking is resting the wet glutinous rice dough overnight. Clarissa Wei

Clarissa Wei · NYT Cooking

The Singaporean cookbook author Sharon Wee, who wrote “Growing Up in a Nonya Kitchen,” customarily makes these slick noodles tossed in a savory sauce for Lunar New Year’s Eve to mark the beginning of the two week-long celebrations. Her mother taught her how to throw proper Peranakan feasts, which include a unique blend of Malay, European and Chinese influences. They spent weeks pickling vegetables in spiced vinegar, making pork liver meatballs and braising duck in a tamarind gravy. This simple stir-fry is anchored by juicy pork belly and shrimp, and topped with pale yellow egg strips, bright red chiles and vibrant mustard greens. It is best enjoyed with a dollop of sambal belacan, which gives it a hit of heat, and served with braised cabbage and chicken curry. Clarissa Wei

Clarissa Wei · NYT Cooking

For many families in Singapore, a meal is not complete without a generous side of sambal belacan. The highlight of the condiment is belacan, fermented shrimp paste, which lends an aromatic pungency. This popular hot sauce, accented with makrut lime leaf, is slung over noodles, stuffed into fried mackerel, or used as a dip for crispy prawn crackers. This recipe is adapted from food writer Sharon Wee’s cookbook, “Growing Up in a Nonya Kitchen.” Ms. Wee, who is Peranakan (an ethnic group with mixed Malay, Chinese and European heritage), said in her book that no Peranakan woman “would be worth her salt if she could not concoct this at home.” Clarissa Wei

Clarissa Wei · NYT Cooking

Mooncakes are pastries timed to the Mid-Autumn Festival, a holiday that celebrates the commencement of the harvest season, and this variety is specific to Suzhou, China, a city on the outskirts of Shanghai. Stuffed with juicy ground pork, these savory, glazed mooncakes burst with the flavor of sweetened soy sauce. The shells are crisp and flaky, a texture achieved by layering then rolling two types of dough with lard. This recipe comes from “My Shanghai: Recipes and Stories From a City on the Water” by Betty Liu, whose mom made them each year when autumn rolled around. Traditionally, the pastries are cooked on the stovetop in a giant cast-iron skillet, but popping them into the oven ensures an even bake. Clarissa Wei

Clarissa Wei · NYT Cooking

In Singapore, there are countless versions of curry. Families have their own formulas depending on heritage, and this recipe comes from Shila Das, a second-generation Singaporean of Indian and Vietnamese descent. She makes it as an integral part of her nasi biryani for special occasions, including the Lunar New Year, when she brings the dish to a celebration with her best friend. Spices and aromatic pandan leaves infuse the sauce with lovely, complex flavors. Clarissa Wei

Clarissa Wei · NYT Cooking

Known as siu yuk in Cantonese, this pork belly features two contrasting textures: a crunchy, crispy skin that crackles and pops and a tender slab of meat underneath. To achieve success with both components, a lot of care and time has to be put into the prep. The pork belly needs to be cooked low and slow to break down the tough sinewy bits, then the skin needs to be dried overnight until leathery and blasted under high heat until crisp. This recipe comes from Hong Kong resident Cherry Tang, who used to make siu yuk in the supper clubs she hosted back when she lived in London. Ms. Tang prefers to broil the meat under direct heat, which guarantees a crackling crust — but do keep an eye on the skin, so that it doesn’t char. Clarissa Wei

Clarissa Wei · NYT Cooking

Gemma Lin, a chef and co-owner of the restaurant Bad Mama Keelung, in Taiwan, was taught from a very early age that a proper meal should always contain some form of seafood. For special occasions, her mother liked to pan-fry a whole sea bass and then blanket it with a sour, savory sauce. This recipe is Ms. Lin’s spin on that family classic. Here, a whole sea bass or other white-fleshed fish is marinated with rice wine, then rubbed with sweet potato starch and shallow-fried. It’s topped with a hearty portion of fresh vegetables and a delectable sweet-and-sour dressing made with tomato paste, mirin, vinegar and a gentle splash of soy sauce. Clarissa Wei