It is traditional to have a big dinner on New Year Eve.  Since number 9 is auspicious, prepare at least 9 different dishes.  Fish are important during this festivity, because they are consider to be "good luck" food.   But an important part is that whatever you cook, must be whole, fish, chicken, duck, etc, can not be cut or any piece removed prior to dinner table, if you want to preserve the good fortune.  Other dishes could be spring rolls, steamed dumplings, chinese sticky cake,hrimp with cashew nuts, steamed bass or carp with black bean sauce, and do not forget the homemade Chinese fortune cookies.  Bean curd is also a must.

People in northern China will eat jiaozi, or dumplings, for breakfast, as they think "jiaozi" in sound means "bidding farewell to the old and ushering in the new". Also, the shape of the dumpling is like gold ingot from ancient China. So people eat them and wish for money and treasure.
Southern Chinese eat niangao (New Year cake made of glutinous rice flour) on this occasion, because as a homophone, niangao means "higher and higher, one year after another."
On New Lunar Year Day, most food should be in the form of vegetables, or vegetarian meals.