Chinese New Year may have started two days ago, but the celebrating and especially the eating can go on for days. And one of our favorite ways to keep the Chinese New Year spirit alive is with sesame seed balls called jin doi. These deep-fried glutinous rice flour dumplings are crunchy on the outside, chewy below the crust and filled with a sweet smooth azuki bean paste – although folks often make homemade jin doi with roasted peanuts and coconut for the holiday. You can find the beany ones year-round on the fried goods carts at dim sum brunches in restaurants or in most Chinese bakery cases for no more than 55 cents. Some of our faves come from Hong Li’s Bakery (2339 S. Wentworth Ave.), Furama Restaurant (4936 N. Broadway) and the New Hong Kong Bakery (see box above). If these sesame-dappled treats leave you hungering for even more Asian culture, check out the Chinese New Year Parade, which steps off at 12:30 p.m. Sunday from the 2200 block of South Wentworth Avenue, winds around Cermak Road and through Chinatown Square. 312-225-6198.
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New Hong Kong Bakery
1052 W. Argyle Ave.
773-878-3226
Happy New Year in Cantonese: “Gung Hay Fat Choy”