Dog-Safe Recipes for the Lunar New Year

For those who celebrate the Lunar New Year, you know that it’s bad luck to cry or argue. Instead, it’s better to focus on the highlights of your year, happy events, and good memories.

Whether or not you celebrate this traditional holiday, it’s a message that’s particularly apt for this year. As people around the world still struggle to come to grips with the COVID-19 pandemic and its ongoing fallout, it’s easy to focus on our struggles.

But like so many others, we’re hopeful that the new year will treat us better than the last. We’re ready to face the coming months with optimism, positivity, and a cadre of coping mechanisms (just in case).

And in that spirit, we’re going to dive into an activity that’s both essential to the Lunar New Year and a newly-uncovered quarantine passion: cooking.

Though 2021 is the year of the ox, you can still celebrate the Lunar New Year with your dog! And what better way to do this than cooking up some tasty recipes for you and your furry friend?

You’ve no doubt already kicked off your celebration with a reunion dinner on New Year’s Day. Even so, the meals can keep coming.

So grab your outfits and a spoon, because it’s time to delve into some of the best-loved Lunar New Year recipes for you and your pet.

Dog-Safe Appetizer Alternatives

For quicker meal prep, here are some common Lunar New Year appetizers and their dog-safe alternatives.

Appetizers are particularly great for dogs because they come in smaller quantities. And when it comes to your pets, less is always better.

• Spring Rolls – Forgo the spring roll wrappers and simply give your dog some mixed pork loin, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, bamboo shoots, and cabbage.
• Fried Prawn Crackers – Try some plain saltine crackers or dog-specific biscuits in lieu of fried prawn crackers.
• Braised Kaofu – Wheat gluten (kao fu) is fine for your dog to snack on, as are ginger and shiitake and dried wood ear mushrooms.
• Taro Cake – Dogs can’t have taro or glutinous rice flour, but they’ll certainly appreciate it if you slip some sausage and shrimp their way.

And for an added flair, you can use edible ink to write an upside-down 福 on some of these dishes, a fu character that represents good luck.

If your four-legged best friend’s not a parent, you can also gift them some red envelopes with chocolate— sort of.

Dogs can’t actually eat chocolate, but they can have an alternative called carob.

With a simple mold, you can quickly pour and chill the carob “chocolate” coins. Though they may not be able to say “xin nian kuai le” or “Happy New Year,” they can certainly still beg for these treats.

Keep reading to learn more dog-safe alternatives for traditional Lunar New Year meals.

Savory Rice Cakes & Tang Yuan Dumplings

Every family has their own take on a rice cake or dumpling dish and a recipe that they absolutely swear by. Though the recipe may not be a secret, chances are your dog still hasn’t had a taste.

If you want to change this and finally treat your dog to some steamed awesomeness, check out the suggestions below.

• Rice Cakes – Create a version of your own rice cakes with these dog-safe ingredients: shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, pork, and radish. Instead of glutinous rice flour, use the zong (bamboo leaves) as a wrap. Once steamed, it’s ready for your dog!
• Tang Yuan Dumplings – Just like rice cakes, dogs can have many ingredients used in dumplings, including shrimp, pork, shiitake mushrooms, radish, and cilantro. Wrap this in lettuce or zong or feed the cooked mixture to your dog sans wrap.

While regular cooked rice is fine for your dog, pets can’t properly digest meals made with glutinous rice flour. This can cause bloating, stress, and other intestinal issues later on.

Because of this, it’s better to err toward vegetable alternatives for wraps. Though these alternatives may not look as timeless or elegant as a traditional dumpling, they’ll still taste just as great.

Fried or Dried Oysters (With Optional Black Moss)

It’s a common sight to find seafood like lobster, fish, and shrimp dishes scattered across the table. But oysters are also a popular choice for the Lunar New Year.

They also happen to be healthy for dogs to eat! Check out the variations on two popular oyster recipes below to make a meal that your four-legged family members can also enjoy.

• Fried Oysters – Oysters are the star of this dish; lucky for you and your dog, they’re also safe for pets to eat. Wrap some cooked oysters in iceberg lettuce to create a healthy, dog-safe version of this meal.
• Dried Oysters – When you’re preparing this meal, save a small portion of oysters, dried moss (fat choy), shiitake mushrooms, chicken base, chicken stock, ginger, and romaine or iceberg lettuce. Mix them all up and you’re ready for the dinner table.

Make sure to thoroughly cook your oysters and shrimp before giving it to your dog. While seafood can be a great source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamins and minerals, giving it needs to be completely cooked first.

Generally, it’s better to feed dogs seafood and meat that’s been boiled or steamed rather than fried. However, fried food is okay if fed in very small quantities.

Braised or Roasted Pork Belly

Is there anything more delicious than a savory Hong Shao Rou or Dong Po Rou? We certainly don’t think so.

Seeing a plate of steaming pork belly waiting on the table can instantly make you salivate in anticipation— and your dog is no different! The smell alone is enough to make anyone’s tastebuds tingle in anticipation.

If your dog wants a piece of the pork instead of pie, it’s actually very easy to do!

• Braised Pork Belly – Hold back on the rock sugar and soy sauce, but definitely you’re your pup some pork belly, bean curd, and arrowhead root. But heed this word of warning: though arrowhead root is safe, every other part of the plant is toxic for dogs.
• Roasted Pork Belly – Just like the recipe above, pork belly is fine to feed your dog. You can also soak it with a bit of Shaoxing wine before cooking for an added flair.

Keep in mind, you should never let your dog drink wine or other alcoholic beverages. However, it’s safe to give your dog foods that have been cooked with small amounts of alcohol in moderation.

During the cooking process, most of the alcohol itself should burn out. However, the extent to which this is true depends on the amount of time you braise or roast your pork.

It takes three hours to remove all traces of alcohol. Since most pork belly recipes call for a cook time of anywhere from 1 – 2 hours, it’s likely your meat will still have anywhere from 5 – 30% of the alcohol.

Bok Choy & Ru Yi Cai “As You Wish” Vegetables

With the flavor-packed recipes that are a staple of the Lunar New Year, it won’t be a struggle to get your kids or your pets to eat their vegetables.

Dishes like Bok Choy are quick and easy to adapt into pet-safe meals since they’re so straightforward. Because they contain mostly vegetables, which are usually safe for dogs, you can simply set aside the dog-safe ingredients to create a raw version of your cooked meal.

• Bok Choy – Bok choy, the main ingredient in this recipe, is safe for dogs, as is ginger and chicken stock. Prepare a small bowl of this traditional dish for your pet and they’ll have one more thing to celebrate.
• Ru Yi Cai – Keep the soybean sprouts and tatsoi, but don’t add the oyster sauce, sugar, or other ingredients. These are so tasty that your pup may not be able to wait for dinner; if you can’t resist puppy eyes, feel free to give some to your pet during dinner prep.

Many seasonings, such as garlic, as toxic for dogs despite being totally safe for humans. Because of this, it’s always best to double check if a food is safe before adding it to your best friend’s meal.

Additionally, always make sure to feed your dog in moderation. Though the Lunar New Year is known for overflowing with food, signaling prosperity and hope for the coming year, it’s best not to let your pet overindulge.