EAT AND PROSPER AT TAO CHINESE CUISINE THIS CHINESE NEW YEAR

Looking for a healthy start to your Lunar New Year celebration? Executive Chinese Chef Wong Lian You at Tao Chinese Cuisine sets the right pace with his lei cha-inspired sauce for his creation of deep-fried Soft Shell Crab Yee Sang.

 

Available from now to 8 February, the wholesome, rainbow-hued salad platter includes deep-fried, crunchy fish skin. According to Chef Wong, the pesto-inspired dressing melds the herbaceous sauce used in traditional Hakka lei cha with plum sauce and sawtooth herb, resulting in a delightful yee sang sauce with citrusy-grassy nuances.

It’s a tantalising palate-teaser for the Opulent (RM2,388++) set menu for a table of 10 persons. Depending on your preference, more of the distinctive dressing is better in elevating the tastiness of the yee sang salad while the soft shell crab bestows extra crunch.

 

Chinese chefs are constantly looking for new ingredients to showcase on such auspicious occasions and Chef Wong found his inspiration from maca or Peruvian ginseng. A quick online search reveals the root with its numerous benefits are now all the rage hence its inclusion in the Double-boiled Chicken, Fish Maw and Baby Abalone Soup is timely and welcoming.

Redolent with the warm, sweet accents of Asian five spice and nutmeg, Toa’s signature Roasted Duck Hong Kong Style also takes pride of place in the celebratory set menu. No prizes for guessing why as the crackly-crisp duck skin coupled with juicy, tender meat is a stellar shoo-in.

Soused in aromatic soya sauce, the Steamed Whole Sultan Fish with Superior Soya Sauce is bound to score with diners too, not only for its symbolism of abundance and excess but also for the sweet, fine fish meat.

Chef Wong (right) says the farmed river fish weighs in at about 1.2kg each, primed for the restaurant’s expectations. “It’s pricey but the fine-boned fish tastes good when prepared the classic way, by steaming.”

 

The notable Tok Alang Wok-fried Tiger Prawns is irresistible; the dish appeal lies in the savoury sauce that transforms the prawns into a gastronomic treat.

 

Your search for happiness this CNY will come to fruition when you relish the speciality of Braised Sea Cucumber, Mushroom and Broccoli with Crab Roe Paste. You’d be smiling from ear to ear once your tastebuds are tickled by the delicacy’s QQ sponginess. Bound by the oceanic symphony of crab meat and roe melding with tender fungi and broccoli, it’s a dish to leave you filled with joyous satisfaction.

 

Embedded with salted egg yolk inside, the hearty portion of Steamed Rice in Mini Lotus Leaf should leave you replete. A rustic, homely offering evoking a sense of festive nostalgia.

 

Sweet ending to bowl you over features Double Boiled Snow Bird’s Nest with Lemongrass Brown Sugar Syrup and Glutinous Rice Balls accompanied by Pan-fried Ninko Dumplings with Sesame Seeds and Salted Bean Paste. Celebrants will like its auspicious meaning and good tidings to welcome the Year of the Rat.

Other set menus available at Tao include Harmonious (RM1,988++ for a table of 10) and Abundance (RM2,788++) in addition to a special a la carte menu. Five variants of Yee Sang: Lobster Claw, Soft Shell Crab with Lei Cha Sauce, Marinated Sea Cucumber with Vinegar Dressing, Fresh Atlantic Salmon and Crispy Rice will also be served, priced from RM88 upwards for half set and RM168 upwards for a full set.

Master Dim Sum Chef Lo Tian Sion (left) will also tempt you with 15 special Dim Sum creations from 25 January to 8 February.

For more information, please call Tao Chinese Cuisine, tel: 03-2782 6128 or email: tao@intercontinental-kl.com.my

ORGANIC VILLAGE CHICKEN AND BEST OF HONG KONG AT ZUAN YUAN

Free-range, organically raised village chicken is prized for its toothsome, leaner meat texture. This month, Zuan Yuan’s Executive Chinese Chef Tommy Choong Chan Hoo focuses on five different preparations to showcase this chook at its best eating quality.

The notable show-stealing Organic Village Chicken with Chinese Herbs (RM120 per bird) needs to be pre-ordered 24 hours in advance. Thoroughly suffused by the enticing nuances of various Chinese herbs used in its preparation, the fall-off-the-bone chicken is satisfyingly good. Not a single drop of the flavourful herbal broth is wasted either.

According to Chef Tommy, diners may enjoy the village chicken smoked, steamed with cordycep flowers, poached with dried scallop sauce and garden greens or roast with black truffle paste. The various preparations will be available until end October.

Long recognised as Asia’s "Gourmet Paradise" and "World's Fair of Food", Hong Kong holds a special place in Chef Tommy’s heart as the place where his culinary career took off. This month, he pays tribute to this bastion of Cantonese food with a special range of Hong Kong-style specialities.

His Pan Fried Scallop stuffed with Prawn Paste served with Superior Sauce encapsulates the refined spirit of Cantonese cooking perfectly. Lightly dressed with a lush, caramelised sauce, the sea-fresh sweetness of the scallops and prawns easily make this the ‘must have’ dish of the day.

Dried mandarin peel, dried prawns and spring onion are de rigeur when it comes to making fish balls in Hong Kong but for his speciality of Curry Fish Balls and Fish Maw “Hong Kong” Style in Claypot, the chef says he has tweaked the recipe to suit local tastebuds.

Served in a fragrant Indian-inspired curry gravy, the fishballs’ QQ springiness is delicious. Coupled with spongy pieces of fish maw, one can easily be induced to eat more than their fair share of rice.

Shiitake and oyster mushrooms are mixed with chopped onion, butter, milk and superior stock to form a rich stuffing for the Baked Assorted Mushrooms and Crab Meat with Cheese in Crab Shell. It’s an old-school appetiser when cheese was a novelty during the colonial era and the well-heeled preferred to devour crabs without getting their hands dirty.

The Crispy Roasted Duck stuffed with Yam Paste served with Sweet Sauce is a misnomer. In reality, Chef Tommy stuffed the roast duck between a layer of yam paste before deep-frying his creation. Served with drizzle of sweet bean sauce, the outer crust is deliciously crisp with wispy tendrils whilst the inner layer is the meaty part.

Priced between RM36 and RM48, the Best of Hong Kong selection is available for lunch (12noon to 2.30pm) and dinner (6pm to 10.30pm) daily.

For enquiries or reservations at Zuan Yuan, please call tel: 03 - 7681 1157 or email: zuanyuan@oneworldhotel.com.my. Address: One World Hotel, First Avenue, Bandar Utama City Centre, Selangor.

TEA-LICIOUS & SIZZLING HOT PICKS AT ZUAN YUAN

Lots of tea-licious and sizzling hot specialities will ignite diners’ interest at Zuan Yuan, One World Hotel come July 2019.

Taking a leaf out of the trad Hakka dish of lui cha or thunder tea rice, One World Hotel’s Executive Chinese Chef Tommy Choong Chan Hoo was inspired to create his Stir Fried Rice with Green Tea & Assorted Seafood Hakka Style (RM38) — one of the several ‘tea-licious’ temptations available throughout July at Zuan Yuan.

The show-stopping speciality stands out for its fresh herbaceous accent, thanks to the chef’s ingenuity in imbuing the rice with his house-made pesto of basil, pine nuts and tea. Those who partial to Hakka lui cha will enjoy relishing this dish as the resultant nuances echo that of the traditional offering. The clear sweetness of scallops and prawns also boost its overall appeal.

Having cut his culinary teeth with the Regent Kuala Lumpur (now rebranded Grand Millennium KL), Chef Tommy’s two decade-long career path has taken him to some of the city’s international five-star  hotels.

In line with his philosophy of whipping up simple dishes with skilful subtlety and showcasing the ingredients’ natural flavours and textures, the chef proves his culinary mettle by using chrysanthemum — a ubiquitous ingredient to brew cooling Chinese herbal tea — in a savoury broth.

Hints of floral overtones are discernible in the Double Boiled Abalone & Fish Maw Soup with Chrysanthemum (RM48); giving an unexpectedly winsome dimension to the comforting broth.

Toasty oolong tea leaves left a rave-worthy impression on the crowd-pleasing serving of Smoked Village Chicken with Oolong (RM60 half chicken). The scrumptiously juicy, tender chicken tastes even better with the zingy house ginger-spring onion dip.

Light and Crispy Prawns Stuffed with Yam & Pumpkin served with Green Tea Dressing (RM65 per portion) also hit the spot well. Think of it as a refined version of local cucur udang or prawn fritters, each flaunting a sizeable crustacean within the battered nest of yam and pumpkin julienne enlivened by a creamy green tea infused sauce.

 

Imported lava stones from Turkey play a fundamental role in the array of sizzling specialities, also available in July. Recommendations include superbly delectable U.S. Angus Beef Steak (RM68/100g, minimum order of 200g) and Australian Premium Lamb Cutlets (RM48/100g, minimum order of 200g), cooked to order on the hot lava stones to your desired doneness. Accompaniments of assorted vegetables, mushroom and a choice of Black Pepper, Mongolian or Barbecue Sauce.

For reservation, please call Zuan Yuan restaurant, tel: 03-7681 1159 or email zuanyuan@oneworldhotel.com.my