The start of the new year brings a slew of festivals around the world that celebrate culture and faith. In China, this advent is exceptionally relevant and beautiful, with the commencement of the Chinese New Year, which begins on the 15th day of the year.
The first day of the Chinese New Year begins on the new moon that falls between January 21st and continues until February 20th. Also known as the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, it is one of the most important and widely celebrated festivals in Chinese culture.
Kamei, a modern Asian restaurant and cocktail bar in the heart of South Delhi, is excited to bring you a taste of the traditional Chinese New Year with a special menu that celebrates culture, family, and fortune from January 28 to February 3, 2025.
The Chinese New Year tradition of giving red envelopes, known as Hóngbāo in Mandarin, is a way to express good wishes and gratitude for the new year and the colour red symbolizes good luck and protection from evil spirits. Lanterns are also a significant part of the Chinese New Year celebrations since they symbolize the start of a new year with hope and optimism and represent letting go of the past year and welcoming good fortune in the months ahead.
Every year is dedicated to an animal from the Chinese Zodiac with special relevance to what that animal signifies, the year 2025 is the Year of the Snake. The Snake is considered a symbol of good fortune and fertility which means that the year symbolizes wisdom, transformation, renewal, and good fortune.
The team at Kamei has created a special menu to honour the tradition with a classic Yu Sheng salad, also known as a Prosperity Salad Toss or Lo Hei, this is eaten during Chinese New Year to symbolise abundance, good fortune, and long life. Traditionally, this salad is tossed together with family and friends, who say auspicious phrases and wish each other well.
The menu also features the Ham Sui Gok (savoury Chinese fried dumplings), Cheung Fun, Black Pepper Xi’an Prawns, and more. This menu (available from 28th January to 3rd February 2025) uses Chinese ingredients associated with the Lantern Festival, like Green Pepper, Sichuan Chilli, Mochi, and Chrysanthemum flowers which are in season at this time of the year.
The bar menu is prepped to add to the celebrations with cocktails like Ming & Qing, a blend of vodka, jasmine and lemongrass tea, and spiced honey; Anhui, featuring gin, peppercorn, and galangal; Celestial Breeze, made with gin, capsicum, and basil shrub; and Mist, a mix of tequila, shiitake, and truffle.
Head to: Eldeco Centre, New Delhi
Price for two: ₹4,000 (exclusive of taxes)
Call: +91 9319496374
Follow: @kamei.asian