Louise-Adélaïde Boisnard 7:02 p.m., January 29, 2022

February 1, 2022 is Chinese New Year.

The opportunity to organize a great convivial meal with all your loved ones... But there are rules and superstitions to respect to prepare a buffet worthy of welcoming the year of the Tiger under the best auspices.

André Tan, Laurent Mariotte's guest gives us the keys to make this meal a success.

He is the head of 4 restaurants in Paris: Tiger Tiger, Panda Panda, Dumpling Queen and Bao Bar.

What to put on a banquet for Chinese New Year?

André Tan, Laurent Mariotte's guest gives us the keys to a successful meal on February 1st.

He is at the head of 4 restaurants in Paris: Tiger Tiger, Panda Panda, Dumpling Queen and the youngest Bao Bar.

A friendly party where everyone participates

Generally, the whole family meets with the eldest in the morning to cook, explains André Tan.

Everyone pitches in to help prepare the dishes: take care of the garnishes, fold the ravioli, make the sauces... Everyone has their own area of ​​speciality.

"Everything is homemade and with several people" insists the chef.

Everything is served at the same time

Unlike a French meal marked by different stages - starter, main course, dessert - the Chinese serve everything at the same time on the table.

"Always in this friendly spirit" adds André Tan.

Thus, all the dishes arrive at the same time.

No plate service, everyone picks from the large dishes placed in the center of the table.

Rules to follow for happiness

"You should know that the Chinese are very superstitious people. The new year is a new beginning, so there are a lot of symbols in the meal to spend the year under the best omens" summarizes André Tan.

What are the essential dishes?

  • The noodles: "they are very long because they represent longevity. When I was young, I was always told never to cut them because it was a bad omen."

  • Fish, which represents prosperity because in Chinese the two words are pronounced the same way.

    It is served whole and you must not eat either the head or the tail, always with the aim of not bringing bad luck and guaranteeing a rich start and end to the year.

    It should not be returned either, as this would result in a reversal of fortune.

Finally, each family has its own recipes.

"It's a family celebration, everyone prepares the dishes in their own way and according to the region they come from."

So there is not one but many New Year's meals.