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At Buddakan in Chelsea, one of the chefs is getting ready to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

The current issue of Edible Manhattan features a Chinatown tour with chef Yang Huang in honor of the year of the dragon. That begins Monday, when the Cantonese cook will eat special foods designed to bring him luck, wealth, health and happiness.

The first dish of the day is always one made without meat. It's a mix of vegetables, chiles, egg, three kinds of chives, Chinese leeks and really, really, really long noodles made from soybeans.

In this dish, the red and gold are lucky colors. The greens symbolize the coming of spring, and the ultra long noodles ensure a long and good life.

“That's the longevity noodles, vegetarian style, for Chinese New Year’s,” says Huang.

Another dish Huang always makes at home is a whole, steamed black sea bass. The word for fish in Chinese—yi—sounds like the word for “surplus” or “abundance.”

“We always say in Cantonese nian nian yeo yu—every year is gonna be better than another,” says Huang.

Huang usually tops his fish with shredded ginger, chiles and scallions, which are cooked by a spoonful of sizzling oil. It makes for a fancy-looking dish for the New Year, but if you try it home, he says, you won't break the bank.

“This fish probably cost me nine, seven, eight bucks,” says Huang. “You go out to eat this, it probably costs you 30 bucks.”

At Buddakan, Huang will also make New Year's specials, including a two pound lobster topped with sliced fennel and tangerines. Lobster sounds like “dragon shrimp” in Chinese, says Huang, while tangerines are one of the most common ways to ensure a year filled with good fortune. When they're whole, says Huang, they resemble nuggets of gold.

For more of Huang's Chinatown shopping recommendations and recipes, visit ediblemanhattan.com.