Steamed Dragon Tiger Grouper served with Hunan pickled chillies that give a spicy kick to the dish. — Photos: CHAN TAK KONG/The Star
CHINESE cuisine often embodies the rich and diverse culinary traditions of Hong Kong and mainland China.
Notable dishes from these regions, paired with familiar flavours, frequently take centre stage in Chinese New Year set menus and are reminiscent of age-old culinary traditions.
Take Chinese waxed meat rice as an example – a beloved Hong Kong delicacy that symbolises good fortune and prosperity, a quintessential dish during the Lunar New Year celebration.
Chef Hee Jian Long had to reimagine the dish traditionally made with waxed pork sausages, liver sausages and cured meats, as a pork-free creation.
“The challenge lies in preserving the dish’s flavour while substituting the traditional components,” said Hee, the Chinese chef at Zuan Yuan Chinese Restaurant, One World Hotel Petaling Jaya.
Braised abalone with fatt choy, dried oysters, fish paste, tofu puffs and vegetables.
Chicken soup with Brazilian mushrooms.
“We use chicken sausages and waxed duck meat to replicate the essence and add yam for extra texture, which pair beautifully together.”
This year, the restaurant is presenting six set menus, ideal for groups of six or 10.
The Wealthy Set, featuring nine dishes including yee sang and two desserts, is a highlight.
Another dish, Steamed Dragon Tiger Grouper, is served with Hunan pickled chillies that add a fiery heat to the dish.
“Instead of the usual soy sauce steamed fish, we bring it up a notch by adding Hunan pickled chillies that add a spicy kick to the dish.
“Ginger and spring onion are then added to taste, making the dish wholesome,” said Hee.
Toss to a great year with the ice plant yee sang, topped with Japanese glass shrimp.
The dish comes with various condiments that symbolise prosperity, abundance of wealth, health and happiness – it gets a nice crunchy texture with the addition of ice plant.
Chicken soup with Brazilian mushrooms is nourishing and has an invigorating essence of ginseng.
The comforting umami-laden soup has tender chicken pieces.
Traditional Crispy Duck roasted with Dang Gui (Angelica sinensis) root infuses the meat with an aromatic herbal fragrance, elevating the dish to a whole new level.
The meat is not gamey and is delightful when dipped in sweet plum sauce.
Baked Sea Prawns with Ginseng and Honey, is equally enticing with herbaceous notes balanced with a touch of sweetness.
The feast culminates with braised abalone with fatt choy (dried sea moss), dried oysters, fish paste, tofu puffs, vegetables as well as Chinese waxed meat rice.
To end the meal, the traditional combination of longan, peach resin and snow fungus with tang yuan (glutinous rice balls) hits all the right notes.
The dessert offers balanced sweetness and is served with mildly sweet crispy nian gao.
Priced from RM1,488nett, the menus will be available until the end of February.
Guests can also try the 18-Flavour Gold Treasure Platter, priced at RM638nett for six persons and RM1,088nett for 10 persons.
This dish features an array of ingredients including 12-head abalone, fresh fish maw, crispy roasted duck, poached chicken, dried Japanese scallops, sea cucumber and spicy fresh prawns. ZUAN YUAN CHINESE RESTAURANT, Lobby Level, One World Hotel, First Avenue, Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. (Tel: 03-7681 1113). Business hours: 11am to 2.30pm (Monday to Friday), 10am to 2.30pm (Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays); 6pm to 10pm (Monday to Sunday).
This is the writer’s personal observation and not an endorsement by StarMetro.
