Four special holiday dishes to try in Kunshan

Chinese New Year follows hot on the heels of Christmas in 2017, on Jan 28, and the two holidays have more than just their proximity on the calendar in common: much like Christmas in Western countries, Chinese New Year is all about family, fun, and, of course, food!

Like Christmas Day in the West, it is traditional in China to cook up an enormous feast on Chinese New Year, with dinner tables groaning under the weight of dozens of dishes.

The combinations of dishes vary a lot between families even within Jiangsu province, but there are a few traditional staples that you're sure to find on almost every table. If you're in Kunshan over the holidays, be sure to give these four tasty delicacies a try:

Shizitou, or lion's head meatballs [Photo from WeChat account kslydjq]

Lion' heads (shizitou)

Shizitou, a giant pork meatball dish known as "lion's heads", is the must-try for every family in Kunshan during the Spring Festival. Made from selected lean and fatty pork, the meatballs can be simply fried or braised with soy sauce, bringing out a tender and juicy taste.

The gold ingot shape of egg dumplings, omelet stuffed with minced meat, symbolizes wealth and good luck. [Photo from WeChat account kslydjq]

Egg dumplings

The egg dumpling, omelet stuffed with minced meat, is usually the highlight of the New Year's dinner as its gold ingot shape symbolizes wealth and good luck.

The dumplings are generally cooked in a soup with meat, fish, bamboo shoots and mushroom balls, representing the solidity of a family, and vermicelli to signify longevity.