Clockwise from top left: Roasted duck with spices and truffle sauce, Wok-fried Lobster with XO sauce prawns and pumpkin sauce, as well as Steamed tiger grouper with Japanese soy sauce. — Photos: IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
Elements of blessings, prosperity and joy underscore celebrations
FOR many, Chinese New Year is as much about the feast as it is about the festivities.
Food takes on a special meaning during this season, with each dish carrying symbolic elements designed to bring blessings, prosperity and joy.
At Putrajaya Marriott’s Summer Palace, three set menus are on offer to honour the tradition and are aptly named Prosperity, Happiness and Fortune.
Available until Feb 12, the menu features traditional dishes made with premium ingredients.
Starting off, there are five options for yee sang, a must for those wishing for blessings and good fortune in the coming Lunar New Year.
There are five variations including a vegetarian option, with prices starting at RM88nett for a full portion.
The Fortune set offers a feast of auspicious dishes for RM2,688nett for a table of 10 and includes a complimentary bottle of wine.
The meal begins with Tuna Yee Sang with Crispy Fish Skin and Mixed Pickles, a combination of raw slices of tuna with crispy fish skin and tangy pickles.
For soup, the set comes with the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, which is prepared with abalone, dried scallop, fish maw, sea cucumber as well as morel mushrooms for a satisfying taste.
Tuna Yee Sang with Crispy Fish Skin and Mixed Pickles.
Roasted Duck with dong quai (Angelica sinensis), cinnamon, star anise and truffle sauce stands out with its tender meat, infused with herbal and aromatic spices.
The truffle sauce, while not traditional, adds a luxurious and contemporary touch to the dish.
Fish is a traditional symbol of abundance, making it a must-have during the new year.
Steamed Dragon Tiger Grouper with crispy soybean crumbs and kikkoman soy sauce is a dish to look forward to.
The texture of the fish was smooth and the light soy sauce highlighted its natural sweetness that paired well with the crispy soybean crumbs.
Seafood lovers will relish the Wok-fried Lobster with Golden Pumpkin Sauce and XO Sauce Sea Prawns.
The lobster’s creamy pumpkin sauce brings subtle sweetness, while the prawns offer bold umami notes from the XO sauce.
A dish steeped in meaning is the Stewed Five-head Abalone and Sea Cucumber with Dried Oyster and Sea Moss.
Abalone and sea cucumber are symbols of wealth and resilience, while sea moss – known as fatt choy – is a homonym for prosperity.
The mains are rounded off with Smoked Duck Clay Pot Rice.
Dessert comes in the form of Chilled Dragon Fruit Cream with Sago and Bird’s Nest, offering a refreshing conclusion to the feast.
SUMMER PALACE CHINESE RESTAURANT
Putrajaya Marriott Hotel, IOI Resort City, Putrajaya. (Tel: 03-8949 8888 ext. 1333, WhatsApp 011-5685 5608)
Business hours: 11.30am to 2.30pm, 6.30pm to 10pm (Tuesdays to Sundays).
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
