29 Festive Potluck Recipes for Christmas and New Year: Still not decided on what to cook for your upcoming Christmas and New Year parties and potluck gatherings? Never fear, this list comprising our most festive Asian and Western favourites will get you sorted in no time!
Its just 5 DAYS to Christmas, and I’m sure most of your calendars for this weekend are chock-ful with Christmas events, potluck parties and gatherings! I have a few potlucks coming up, and my friends are all very excited to know what I’m bringing to the party! As I was deciding what to bring, I went through all the recipes in our database, and listed out 29 of our most festive dishes to usher in Christmas and the New Year!
These party-perfect dishes should suit both Western and Asian palates, and are organised by food group and listed from the shortest to longest cooking time. Whether you are looking for a quick 20 minute recipe, or something more elaborate, we hope that you will find something here that suits the occasion! And just in case we don’t catch you again before Christmas, here’s wishing you a blessed and joyful Christmas, sincerely, from our family to yours!
Photo Credit: Confessions of a Homeschooler
MEAT / SEAFOOD
1. 30-Minute Pan-fried Rosemary Lamb Cutlet
Don’t have an oven, or no time to roast a whole leg of lamb? Try this quick and easy alternative for your lamb fix! Pan-fried lamb cutlets don’t need much seasoning and take only 6 minutes to pan fry!
Cooking Time: 30 min
Serves: 8
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
2. Blue Ginger Fried Chicken Wings
These ultra juicy, flavour-packed chicken wings are marinated overnight in freshly extracted blue ginger juice, then fried to golden perfection. Top with cilantro, chilli flakes and Thai sweet chilli dressing, and serve piping hot!
Cooking Time: 50 min, start 1 day before
Serves: 5
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
3. Crispy Roast Chicken with Drip-Tray Vegetables
Everyone loves to eat crispy roast chicken but did you know that it is really easy to roast chicken to perfection with that oh-so-crispy skin on the outside and tender juicy meat on the inside?
Cooking Time: 1 h
Serves: 5
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
4. Sticky Coffee Pork Ribs with Kahlua (咖啡排骨)
This dish was famously invented by local celebrity chef Sam Leong, and has now become a staple menu in practically any local eatery (Zi Char stall) due to its overwhelming popularity with food-loving Singaporeans! Mum’s version of this dish adds Kahlua to give a stronger aroma and coffee kick to the dish!
Cooking Time: 1 h, Start the day before
Serves: 8-10
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
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5. Crispy Roast Pork Belly
Crispy Pork Belly is probably everyone’s favourite Cantonese roast meat! The skin is so crispy golden you can hear the crunch as you bite into it, and the meat is so moist and succulent. Its so yummy, I guarantee you won’t be stopping at just one piece!
Cooking Time: 1 h, Start 2-3 days before
Serves: 4
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
6. Roast Beef Tenderloin with Grilled Vegetables
Beef tenderloin is one of the best cuts of beef you can get. All you need is roast beef tenderloin is to add a little salt and ground black pepper to bring out the naturally rich and savoury flavour of the beef. Simple, fuss-free and looks so gorgeous with the colour sides of grilled vegetables!
Cooking Time: 1 h 10 min
Serves: 6
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
7. Sweet and Sour Pork (Gu Lou Yok)
The winning combination of crispy pork and pineapples in the sweet and sour sauce have a kind of universal appeal that make this one of the most popular Chinese dishes worldwide. The tangy sweet and sour sauce is the main highlight of the dish, and the aroma of the sauce being cooked always brings hungry family members to the kitchen to pinch a bite!
Cooking Time: 1 h 15 min
Serves: 6
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
8. Shrimp Paste Fried Chicken (Har Cheong Gai)
Juicy Deep-Fried Shrimp Paste Chicken more popularly known by its Cantonese name ‘Har Cheong Gai’, is one of Singapore’s most beloved homegrown dishes that you can find at any Cze Char stall islandwide.
Cooking Time: 1h 15 min, start 1 day before
Serves: 6
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
9. Ngoh Hiang (五香 / Lor Bak)
Ngoh Hiang is a favourite dish especially among the Hokkiens, Teochews and Peranakans, so its no wonder that each dialect group has a slightly different way of preparing this dish. Penang has its own version too, and they call it ‘Lor Bak’.
Cooking Time: 1 h 20 min
Servings: 7-8
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
10. Chinese-Style Chicken Curry Recipe
This chicken curry dish has been my family’s favourite picnic meal since my children were young. Now they are grown up and have their own families. However this dish still brings us together and reminds us of those happy memories! This dish goes best with french loaf or steaming hot white rice, so be sure to cook extra rice to go with it!
Cooking Time: 1 h 40 min
Serves: 6
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
11. Sticky Chinese Honey Pork Ribs (蜜汁排骨)
This may well be the most succulent, melt-in-your-mouth, fall-off-the-bone pork ribs you have ever tasted. The secret lies in first braising the pork ribs for over an hour to tenderise the meat, and then grilling it at high heat briefly to achieve that sticky shiny glaze and smoky aroma!
Cooking Time: 2 h
Serves: 4
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
12. Mexican Beef Stew
This chunky Mexican beef stew is slow-cooked in a hearty tomato-based gravy for 3 hours to get a tender, succulent and gelatinous texture! Best accompanied by Mexican Rice, an appetising rice dish infused with olive oil, tomato, garlic and onions, and topped with a generous sprinkling of raisins.
Cooking Time: 3 h 25 min
Serves: 8
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
CARBO / STAPLES
13. Vegetarian Bee Hoon (Zai Mi Fen)
This is a favourite (but not so healthy) breakfast food in Singapore. My healthier version uses less oil and zero MSG, with just one small indulgence – crispy mock goose (Zai Er) which you can get from the local wet markets.
Cooking Time: 1 h
Serves: 6
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
14. Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee
When I travel overseas, I will always miss our local Singaporean fare. And the moment I reach home, I will without fail go and order myself a plate of fried Hokkien Mee. Its so satisfyingly good, full of umami flavours and topped with crispy lard!
Cooking Time: 1 h
Serves: 6
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
15. Thai Pineapple Fried Rice (Khao Phad Saparod)
This one-wok crowd-pleaser boasts a plethora of flavours and textures ranging from sweet, savoury, spicy, crunchy to fluffy! Made using fresh pineapple and served in a beautiful pineapple boat.
Cooking Time: 1 h 10 min, Start 1 day before
Serves: 6
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
16. Peranakan Dry Mee Siam
This local favourite boasts a unique blend of sweet, sour, savoury, spicy and tangy flavours that is sure to tantalise your taste buds and keep you coming back for seconds!
Cooking Time: 1 h 25 min
Serves: 8
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
17. Yang Zhou Fried Rice (扬州炒饭)
There are many versions of Chinese Fried Rice, but as a meat lover, Yang Zhou Fried Rice is one of one favourites, with a yummy combination of Chinese sticky roast pork (Char Siew) and Chinese Sausages (Lup Cheong).
Cooking Time: 1 h 30 min, Start 1 day before
Serves: 6-7
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
STARTERS / SIDES
18. Cold Crab Salad in Citrus Vinaigrette
Inspired by the original Canele Salad, this combination of citrus, crab, avocado, hard boiled egg and pine nuts is decadent, refreshing and so good! Not a skinny salad, but as healthy as decadence gets!
Cooking Time: 25 min
Serves: 6
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
19. Home-Style Creamy Mushroom Soup
My favourite mushroom soup recipe by far! Creamy but not overwhelmingly so, gluten-free, full of earthy mushroom flavour and a beautiful texture and mouthfeel!
Cooking Time: 50 min
Serves: 8
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
20. Crispy Wonton with Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce
Dig into this decadent golden crispy treat served with Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce for that burst of juicy, crispy, sweet and savoury flavours with each bite! Serve with Hong Kong noodles or simply on its own!
Cooking Time: 55 min
Serves: 5
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
21. Chunky Chicken Salad in Toast Cups
This is a easy and delicious finger food that you can make ahead of time and just leave in the fridge until ready to serve! Perfect way to entertain your guest while you finish up preparing the main meal!
Cooking Time: 1 h 20 min, Prepare ahead of time and chill in fridge overnight
Serves: 10-12
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
DESSERTS
22. Watermelon Christmas Trees
These Watermelon Christmas Trees are so easy to do and will add loads of festive cheer to the upcoming joyous Christmas season when we celebrate God’s love and gift of new life to people all around the world! Also, don’t miss our exclusive professional Chef Knife giveaway on Facebook (details below)!
Cooking Time: 20 min, Chill overnight
Serves: 10
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
23. Steamed Tapioca Cake (蒸木薯糕 / Kueh Ubi Kayu)
Nothing beats freshly steamed Tapioca Cake! This steamed cake is soft, moist and aromatic as it uses freshly grated tapioca and coconut.
Cooking Time: 30 min
Serves: 15
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
24. Soft and Chewy Gingerbread
This recipe is the culmination of countless rounds of experimentation, before we finally arrived at the perfect recipe for the softest, chewiest and crumbliest gingerbread man we have ever tasted!
Cooking Time: 50 min
Serves: 5
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
25. Thai Red Ruby Dessert (Tub Tim Grob)
If you love Thai desserts like Mango Sticky Rice, you will probably love this refreshing and and vibrantly coloured dessert with its ruby-hued crunchy water chestnuts coated in tapioca jelly, swimming in a soup of freshly squeezed coconut milk. We like to call this the Thai version of bubur cha cha!
Cooking Time: 55 min
Serves: 6-8
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
26. Bubur Cha Cha (Bobo Cha Cha)
This popular Nyonya dessert boasts a delicious combination of steamed sweet potato and taro swimming in freshly-made coconut milk and topped with vibrantly-coloured translucent tapioca jelly cubes. Simply divine!
Cooking Time: 1 h
Serves: 8
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
27. Steamed Kueh Lapis (Steamed Layer Cake / Jiu Ceng Gao)
This delicious kueh never fails to put a smile on my face. After all, who can forget having these as a child, peeling off the layers one by one and slowly savouring each soft, springy layer of coconut-y goodness!
Cooking Time: 1h – 1h 30 min
Serves: 15
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
28. English Strawberry Trifle
This is the easiest dessert to whip up for a dinner party that is sure to wow your guests with its vibrant and beautiful layers of jelly, sponge and custard. Perfect for Christmas and New Year parties!
Cooking Time: 2 h
Serves: 10-12
CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
29. Thai Mango Sticky Rice (Khao Neow Ma Muang)
This nationally acclaimed Thai dessert is made from sweet glutinous rice steamed with coconut milk and topped with ripe mangoes, a sweet treat for any occasion! Colourful and festive recipe for any occasion!
Cooking Time: 1 h 10 min
Serves: 4 – 8 (depending on portion size)
