39 Asian & Chinese Christmas Recipes Your Family Will Love This Holiday Season

39 Asian & Chinese Christmas Recipes

Christmas is a big holiday celebration across Asia, and the food that shows up on those tables looks nothing like a standard roast bird. This collection gathers 39 easy Asian Christmas recipes, from Filipino braises to Chinese banquet dishes, for anyone who wants something different this year.

If you are tired of dry roast turkey but still want something special on the table, this sticky Chinese pork rib recipe with just a few pantry ingredients is about to become your new Christmas favorite.

The recipes work beautifully as dinner party dishes. You will find appetizers, side dishes, main courses, and desserts, so you can build a whole menu or pick one standout dish. For more inspiration beyond this list, browse this Asian Christmas recipes collection.

• Alternatives to turkey
• Curries
• Asian flavoured turkey
• Seafood
• Noodles
• Vegetable sides
• Vegetarian and vegan options
• Other dishes
• Chinese desserts

A little context before you cook: celebrating Christmas is a relatively modern practice in China. Christmas Eve is translated as “Ping An Ye,” which literally means Safe Night, and giving apples is a Chinese Christmas tradition because the word for apple, “Ping Guo,” is a homonym.

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Alternatives to Turkey

Turkey is not for everyone. It can turn out dry, and it takes up the whole oven. If you would rather serve something else as the centerpiece, pick one of these instead.

12345 Chinese Pork Ribs

These ribs taste very similar to tang chu pai gu, or vinegar ribs, but they are much easier to make.

Wine, dark soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar do the braising, and the name is a mnemonic for the simple method.

The result is sticky Chinese spare ribs that hold their own next to any holiday roast.

Soy Sauce Chicken

A one pot poached Chinatown soy sauce chicken is a Cantonese classic, and it is easy to recreate at home. The leftover poaching liquid is useful for many other dishes, so nothing goes to waste.

This version needs a long poaching time, so if you are in a rush, look for the quicker braised soy sauce chicken thighs version, which takes about a third of the time. Leftovers work well in rotisserie chicken porridge.

Pork Adobo

Pork adobo is a Filipino braised pork dish that is perfect for a winter dinner.

It comes from a Filipino family recipe, which is exactly the kind of home cooking that belongs on a Christmas table.

Peking Duck

Peking Duck is not an easy dish to make, and that is part of why it suits a special occasion like Christmas. It is served hot, which fits the cooler weather of the season nicely. The collection also points to side dishes that pair well with it, so you can plan a full spread around the bird.

Eight Treaures Duck

This Shanghainese and Cantonese dish gets its name from the eight ingredients used to stuff the duck. Examples include glutinous rice, diced mushrooms, water chestnuts, Chinese sausage, Chinese dried shrimp, bamboo shoots, and jujubes, along with salted egg yolks, Jinhua ham, barley, dried lily, red beans, lotus seeds, and peanuts.

Asian Porkballs

Asian pork meatballs come served in a tangy caramel sauce, and they are batch friendly and freezable, which makes them a smart pick if you are also cooking for the New Year.

Salt and Pepper Pork

Salt and pepper pork chops deliver crisp edges and juicy meat, so they work as a main course or as a shared plate in the middle of the table.

Fish Sauce Chicken Wings

Crispy fish sauce chicken wings are Vietnamese style, inspired by Pok Pok wings, and they are baked rather than fried. The glaze is sweet, salty, and tangy, with big flavors that stick to your fingers.

If you are not a fan of fish sauce, other Asian chicken wing recipes are suggested as alternatives, and the same sauce can marinate a whole roast chicken.

General Tso’s Chicken

General Tso’s Chicken is one of the most popular Chinese takeout items in the USA, and this sweet and savory deep fried chicken is a crowd pleaser on a holiday table too.

Asian inspired Beef

An Asian inspired chimichurri flank steak is easy and foolproof, and the sauce is also recommended for roast beef, so it doubles as a holiday sauce.

Curries

Curries are ideal meal prep dishes for a party because they taste even better the next day. Make one a day ahead and you will have less to do on the day itself.

Chicken Curry with Pumpkin

This easy pumpkin chicken curry gives you juicy chicken in an aromatic, well spiced but not spicy sauce, all made in one pot. It is flexible enough to be made with coconut cream, regular cream, pumpkin puree, or none of these, and it is easy to bulk up with extra vegetables.

Sorpotel Curry

Goan pork sorpotel, or Indian pork curry, is one of the favorite dishes cooked for Christmas in Goa and is perfect for the cold festive season.

Asian flavoured Turkey

If you still want a bird in the middle of the table, you can keep the tradition and change the flavor. These two options cover both a whole roast and a lighter approach.

5 spice Roast Turkey

A five spice Christmas turkey uses an Asian spice rub for a familiar centerpiece with a new accent.

Homemade five spice powder is recommended for the most flavor, and any extra powder can be used in other Chinese five spice dishes.

Turkey Balls

Asian flavored turkey meatballs are a keto friendly way to include turkey in a Christmas menu without roasting a whole bird, and they present turkey in a completely different form.

Seafood

Seafood has a strong place in Chinese cooking.

Sea bass is popular and usually cooked whole, though it is increasingly available filleted, and a pan seared sea bass marinated with an Asian sauce is a fine place to start. These four recipes show how versatile fish can be on a holiday menu.

Gochujang Salmon

Gochujang salmon is savory and quick, cooking in under ten minutes.

Both pan fried and broiled versions are documented.

Pan frying gives crispy skin, while broiling gives charred bits.

Singaporean Assam Fish Curry

This Singaporean tamarind coconut fish curry is an eight ingredient curry with flaky fish in a spiced, creamy sauce.

Tamarind juice adds citrusy acidity and prevents a fishy flavor.

It is dairy free, cooked on the stovetop, and satisfying with white rice.

Teriyaki Salmon

Pan fried teriyaki salmon is sweet, savory, and full of umami, and it takes under ten minutes. Directions are included for both pan fried and baked versions.

Honey Garlic Salmon

Asian honey garlic salmon is a baked sheet pan dinner with a soy sauce and ginger marinade.

It is not spicy, and it works well as a salmon rice bowl or served with a simple salad.

Noodles

In Chinese culture, long noodles are associated with longevity, which makes them a good luck dish at celebrations. That alone earns them a spot on a Christmas menu.

Mee Siam

Mee Siam is sweet, spicy, and tangy, and it is popular in both Singapore and Malaysia. A stir fried version is mentioned as an alternative to the sour soup version, and it makes a lively addition to a holiday table.

Stir Fried Rice Noodles

Singapore fried vermicelli, or Bihun Goreng, is delicious, easy, and quick to make in under thirty minutes with simple ingredients and no chicken broth. It is a complete meal in itself, and it is cheap enough that hawker centers sell it for around two Singapore dollars, roughly one and a half US dollars.

Vegetable Sides

Every holiday table needs something fresh and crunchy to balance the rich dishes. These vegetable sides are simple, and a few of them are even better when made ahead.

Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad

A refreshing Asian cucumber salad should be made ahead and chilled so the flavors can absorb. The trick is to smack the cucumbers open, which helps them take on the dressing. If you want a version to try at home, this easy Asian cucumber salad is a good starting point.

Lao Gan Ma Salad

For fans of the famous chili sauce, a Lao Gan Ma cold cucumber salad needs only three ingredients and delivers plenty of flavor for very little work.

Cabbage Salad

An Asian cabbage salad is a five star alternative for anyone who does not want cucumber, and it keeps its crunch on a buffet table.

Soy Mushrooms

Quick eryngii mushrooms take twenty five minutes and use three ingredients, and their meaty texture works well as a meat substitute in vegan meals.

The soy butter sauce is also delicious mixed with popcorn.

Teriyaki Mushrooms

Easy teriyaki mushrooms are coated in a sweet and savory sauce, ready in ten minutes, and very good with white rice.

Garlic Mushrooms

Garlic mushrooms with cauliflower are full of umami, and this is another five star recipe worth putting on the table.

Vegetarian & Vegan

Vegetables can be the star of a Christmas feast rather than an afterthought. These two dishes are hearty enough to anchor a meatless menu.

Kung Bao Cauliflower

Kung Pao cauliflower is praised for how well cauliflower soaks up flavor, so each piece carries the sauce instead of hiding behind it.

Vegan Bao Buns

Vegan bao buns are traditionally filled with pork belly, but this version uses aubergine, which acts like a flavor sponge.

Mushrooms or tofu are often used instead, so there is room to adapt.

Others

A few dishes do not fit neatly into a single category, but they belong on the table all the same. These are the party snacks, soups, and dumplings that fill the gaps.

Singaporean Curry Puffs

Singaporean curry puffs have a flaky, crispy crust and a potato filling.

They are great party appetizers because they can be batch made in advance.

They taste best hot, but they are also good at room temperature, and they can easily be made vegan or vegetarian.

Chinese Pumpkin Soup

Chinese pumpkin soup with carrots is savory, nutritious, and very easy to make. It is essentially cut and steam, which makes it a low effort starter for a busy holiday kitchen.

Potstickers

Every Chinese family has its own homemade dumpling recipe, and the shape of the dumpling represents good fortune. The collection also links to ideas for potsticker sides and a dumpling dipping sauce.

Chinese Desserts

Chinese desserts finish a holiday meal with something lighter and less sweet than a heavy Western cake. If you enjoy these flavors, you might also like this Chinese egg cake dessert.

Auspicious Koi Fish Jelly

Koi fish agar jelly is usually associated with Chinese New Year, but it is welcome at any Chinese meal because of the fish shape and its connection to good fortune.

Chinese Peanut Cookies

Chinese peanut cookies are traditionally eaten at Chinese New Year, but they make a great after dinner Christmas snack. The recipe was developed after baking over a thousand cookies, and someone once ordered more than twenty jars at once.

Vegan Egg Tarts

These vegan egg tarts are a five star vegan version of one of the most popular Chinese desserts, especially in Hong Kong.

Chinese Walnut Cookies

Chinese walnut cookies, also known as Hup Toh Soh or He Tao Su, are classic vegetarian cookies made with store cupboard ingredients and they can be made vegan. They are crispy, crumbly, and fragrant, and they go well with coffee or milk tea.

Pumpkin Cake

Chinese pumpkin cake, or Nan Gua Bing, is crisp on the outside and soft, gooey, and chewy on the inside. It is described as a must make fall dessert, a good confidence building Asian street snack, and an easier alternative to pumpkin pie.

Bird’s Nest & Wolfberries in Coconut

Bird’s nest and wolfberries in coconut is a special occasion dessert often served at weddings, and serving it in a coconut adds to the presentation. A coconut that is already cut open is recommended, since an unopened coconut lasts longer in the fridge, and cutting it open at home can leave coconut splinters that fall into the coconut water.

Jewish People and Chinese Christmas Food

American Jews have a well known tradition of eating Chinese food on Christmas Day, and the dishes involved often include chow mein, lo mein, dim sum, and egg rolls.

Several practical reasons explain how the tradition took hold:

• Jewish and Chinese immigrants lived in close proximity on the Lower East Side of New York City.
• Chinese restaurant owners welcomed Jewish families.
• Chinese dishes are usually free of dairy and look relatively kosher.
• Chinese food restaurants are open on Christmas, when many other places are closed.

Together these reasons make a convincing case for a Chinese Christmas dinner, whether you are hosting a crowd or ordering in. For more background on Chinese Christmas food traditions, that collection is worth a look.

I have other recipes you may like here! 🙂

The original collection ends by wishing readers a Merry Christmas and inviting them to subscribe to the Asian food newsletter, and that is a good place to leave things.

If you want more ideas for the season, browse the rest of the site, try the cucumber salad as a cool side, or finish with a Chinese dessert. Merry Christmas, and happy cooking.