Norwegian Salmon Fillet Yee Sang. — Photos: GLENN GUAN/The Star
New take on dishes loaded with meaning signifying prosperity and abundance
Chinese New Year is when family and friends from far and near bond over good food and company.
At Zuan Yuan, the Chinese restaurant in One World Hotel, Petaling Jaya, head chef Liu Chang Sing, 43, and his team have come up with five set menus to usher in the Year of the Dragon.
Each set incorporates ingredients like prawns, fish, chicken and fatt choy (sea moss) which traditionally has an auspicious significance linked to Chinese New Year.
“With the different ingredients, we are combining them to symbolise ‘nian nian you yu’ which means ‘prosperity and abundance’,” said Liu.
For starters, there is the Norwegian Salmon Fillet Yee Sang.
Served with thick cuts of fresh salmon, this Cantonese-style salad has a refreshing sweet-and-sour sauce brightened with hints of lime juice and a tangy plum sauce.
For soup, there is the Braised Crab Meat Soup with Sun Dried Scallop and Sea Treasure.
Liu presenting this year’s lunar new year dishes.
Packed with collagen-rich fish maw and shiitake mushrooms, the soup is velvety and rich with seafood flavours.
The Roasted Chicken with Crispy Potato Wedges was my favourite.
Liu said it was his idea to pair the meat with fluffy potato wedges.
“It’s like eating chicken and fries. This combination is my favourite way of eating roast chicken,” he said.
To achieve a crisp skin, vinegar is sprayed over it, allowing the skin to dehydrate and lock in the moisture in the meat. After three hours, the bird is roasted. The result is a crispy, golden-hued roast.
One of the menu highlights is the Steamed Red Snapper with Hunan Pickled Chillies.
Steamed Red Snapper with Hunan Pickled Chilli.
Liberally decorated with pickled red chillies, the fish is surprisingly gentle in its spice profile.
According to Liu, the chilli sauce is made with specially selected chillies and prepared with fermented black beans, which lends the dish an earthy saltiness.
The Wok-Fried Grass Prawns with King Soy Sauce, Golden Garlic and Black Pepper is also on the same menu.
Prawns are an essential ingredient for Chinese New Year dishes.
At Zuan Yuan, black pepper adds a slightly spicy hint to thick soy sauce covering their shells.
In the spirit of Chinese New Year, abalone is served to represent abundance. It is served with broccoli, beancurd, sea moss and mushrooms and comes in a thick, flavourful oyster sauce.
For a rice dish, there is the Wok-Fried Fragrant Rice with Waxed Meat and Chinese Chicken Sausage.
Roasted Chicken Served with Crispy Potato Wedges.
The sausages are made from duck, chicken and goose liver. The red chicken sausage is firm and fragrant while the darker goose sausage is smoky and melts in your mouth.
For dessert, there is pastry and Chilled Sea Coconut with Lotus Seed, Lily Bulb, and Snow Fungus. The pastry is filled with red bean paste and has a crisp exterior.
“When we planned the menu, we discussed with the team how to include different tastes and textures.
“What we try to convey (with the menus) is a sense of nostalgia and comfort that appeals to people of all ages and backgrounds,” said Liu.
The Chinese New Year set menus are available until March 3. They are priced between RM1,688 and RM2,888 nett. A vegetarian set is also available.
ZUAN YUAN CHINESE RESTAURANT, One World Hotel, First Avenue, Bandar Utama City Centre, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. (Tel: 03-7681 1113). Business hours: noon to 2.30pm and 6pm to 10.30pm. Weekends and public holidays, 10am to 2.30pm, 6.30pm to 10.30pm. Pork-free.
This is the writer’s observation and not an endorsement by StarMetro.
