The word fish (yu) in Chinese sounds like the phrase for “may the new year bring prosperity” (nian nian you yu). A whole fish is required, as it symbolizes unity within the family. Preparation methods differ depending on regions. The most common one is steamed fish – garnished with ginger and infused with a light soy sauce. But try Chengdu Taste’s lion fish on for size. The Monterey Park restaurant whips up an expertly fried tilapia, served amazingly intact and glazed with a sweet and spicy sauce. It’s quite a sight and a welcome addition to any Instagram feed.

Rice cakes (nian gao) come in both sweet or savory forms. The savory versions are more common; they’re usually shaped into thin disks and then stir-fried. The sweet ones, baked and stuffed often times with red bean, start appearing in local Chinese supermarkets exclusively around the holiday time. The word nian gao correlates to the phrase “increasing prosperity year after year (nian nian gao sheng).” Most Shanghainese restaurants around town sell the savory renditions. Shanghai No. 1 Seafood Village whips up a very traditional version sautéed with onions and leafy greens.

The dumpling (jiao zhi) is shaped like an ingot, which personifies wealth. They’re the hallmark of the fifth day of the Chinese New Year. It’s the birthday of the God of Wealth. The associated saying is gen shui jiao zhi, which means “ring out the old year and ring in the new.” Luscious Dumplings in Monrovia is a solid choice for fantastic homemade jiao zhis. According to popular legend, the more dumplings you eat during the new year, the more money you can accumulate in the upcoming cycle.

Noodles are a symbol of longevity, the longer the better. They’re usually served uncut. Head over to Rowland Heights’ Silk Road Garden for some of the lengthiest noodles the county has to offer. Silk Road is a Xinjiang specialist and their laghman noodles are strikingly long. They’re served with lamb, tomatoes, wood ear mushrooms and bell peppers.

A whole poultry is symbolic of unity and a harmonious marriage between families. Chicken or duck is usually served whole with the head and feet attached. Sam Woo sells whole duck by the dozens. The carcass is air-dried for hours until the skin is like paper and then glazed with a maltose sugar coating. This is the Cantonese method of preparation. You can order a whole duck for the family, or if you dine in, get it served cut-up accompanied with a wonderfully tasty sweet and sour sauce on the side.

Mustard greens (jie cai) are a standard vegetable dish for the celebration. They’re also known as chang nian cai, which translates to "perennial vegetables." This vegetable is a symbolic proponent for longevity - the associated phrase is chang chang jiu jiu, which means "long life." They can be found at any Chinese restaurant around town. Tofu King in Arcadia has a simple version, topped with a bit of minced pork for extra flavor.

Turnip cakes are embraced in Taiwan because the Taiwanese pronunciation for turnip cake (cai tao gui) is a homonym for a Taiwanese phrase of good luck, "hao cai tao." These cakes are made from daikon radishes, steamed and then pan-fried on the sides. They’re typically found at your local dim sum eatery or at Taiwanese breakfast establishments. For a quick bite, head to Four Sea Restaurant, which has one of the largest selections of Taiwanese breakfast items in LA. Their turnip cake is made crispy on all sides and topped with a fried egg.

The Chinese word for spring roll (chun juan) literally mean "spring" and "roll." The golden color of the fried spring rolls represent gold bars, which of course, symbolizes wealth. Most Cantonese dim sum restaurants carry the rolls on their menu. At Lunasia in Alhambra, the portion sizes are massive and the spring rolls are deep-fried and stuffed with a generous helping of shrimp.