10 CNY DISHES TO EAT FOR PROSPERITY AT DYNASTY

Eat your way to prosperity and good fortune at Dynasty restaurant. Prepared by Chef Kok Chee Kin and his team, here’s the Top 10 Must Eat Dishes to usher in the Year of the Monkey:

Fruity Yee Sang

 

Yue as in the raw fish in this colourful salad denotes abundance. This year, Dynasty has added fresh dices of dragonfruit, strawberries, papaya and honeydew to the ubiquitous array of shredded veges, pickles and crisps. It’s to signal sweet beginnings to the new spring season and fortuitous year-long endeavours. Five other variants available from RM108 for 1/2 portion and from RM198 for full portion.

Braised Sun-dried Oysters, Seamoss,

Flower Mushrooms & Roast Pork

The customary pairing of hou si or in this case sun-dried oysters with fatt choi (wispy black hair moss) means good tidings and prosperity. Flower mushrooms are prized for their woody aroma and plump texture once cooked while flabby pork is associated with rising wealth. Truly, a classic celebratory dish that needs no reinvention.

Braised Pork Knuckle, Sea Cucumber & Fresh Mushroom

A timeless fave with the dish touts wang choi jau sau or lucky gains in hand. We were indeed fortunate the knuckle had soft, fall-off-the-bone tenderness and succulent gelatinous texture. Toothsome sea cucumber and spongy mushroom piled on the layers of delightful textures.

Ocean Treasure Soup with Crabmeat

Light and mildly unctuous, the rich broth with hoi sum (sea cucumber), prawns, strips of topshell and enoki aims to soup up on happiness and conpoy resembling ancient Chinese coins for riches. After the first sip, all of us were smiling from ear to ear and thoroughly relished digging into the treasure trove of sumptuous delicacies.

Fortune Combination Platter

This tempting quartet of ‘dragon beard’ rolls, scallops sautéed with asparagus, ‘money bags’ and deep-fried banana seafood rolls in batter signifies financial windfall and bright monetary prospects.

Prawns enrobed in kaitaifi pasty are meant to be dragon’s beard while delicate beancurd pouches stuffed with prawns, minced pork and fish paste are supposed to be money bags. Never mind if these items were eclipsed by the scrumptious battered rolls of banana and seafood.

Grilled Prawns with Spicy Sauce and Green Chilli

Laughter’s the best remedy in life and most festive feasts would include prawns as the Cantonese word har is liken to the sound of hearty ‘ha ha’. The chefs at Dynasty jazzed the prawn dish up with a piquant tomato and hot green chilli sauce to ensure diners laugh till they cry.

Stir-fried Hong Kong Kai Lan & Wild Mushroom

Green vegetable or choy is synonymous with wealth or monetary gains. A great excuse to load up on greens and in this case the no-frills approach is best with mini white capped mushroom for extra textural interest.

Hong Kong Style Waxed Meat Rice in Claypot

Rice bins in the house are filled to the brim during CNY to ensure one’s back account and purse remain chiong moon or always full. Likewise, lap mei (waxed meat) are prized for expanding wealth. When you eat this comforting lap mei farn dish (RM39 per portion), not only would your tummy be full but your financial status too.

Sweetened Fungus, Mixed Jelly & Soya Bean

Sweet dessert broth signals sweetness for the joyous celebration and in life as in the Chinese adage teem teem mutt mutt while the coin-shaped jelly represents lucky gains.

Fortune Pastries

No CNY celebration is complete without nin koh which is a promising wish for yearly growth or heightened prospects. At Dynasty the sweet glutinous cake is sliced and steamed into malleable softness then served with freshly grated coconut. Traditional myth has it this sweetcake was to seal the lips of the Kitchen God on his annual pilgrimage, to prevent him from highlighting mortal foibles to the Jade Emperor.

Diners can go for the Double Happiness Set (RM428nett for 2 persons), Prosperity Treasure Sets at RM838nett and RM1,088nett for a table of 5) while the 8-course Chinese New Year Set for 6 persons is RM988nett. For group of 10 persons, select from lavish 9-course Happiness Set, Fortune Set or Longevity Set priced at RM1,598nett, RM1,988nett and RM2,888nett­­ respectively. Treasure Pot or Poon Choi is priced at RM398nett (ample for 5 persons) and RM888nett (for 10 persons).

For reservations, please call Dynasty Restaurant, tel: 03 2716 9388. Address: Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel, Corner of Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.

FIVE FESTIVE FEASTS AT CHINA TREASURES

Roman Abramovich, David and Victoria Beckham, international business tycoons, Middle Eastern royal families and Hollywood superstars are some of the celeb guests Executive Chinese Chef Eddie Chua has cooked for during his previous stints abroad. With three decades of industry experience under his hat, the affable and humble Eddie has worked in some of the world’s most exclusive resorts and hotels in Maldives, Lebanon, Russia, Indonesia, India, Vietnam and the Philippines.

 

Now the Malaysian chef has returned to his roots, content to display his culinary prowess at China Treasures, Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club (KLGCC). This Chinese New Year, the five festive menus: Happiness, Abundance, Fortune, Prosperity and Wealth composed by Chef Eddie should leave you counting your blessings and looking eagerly to fruitful prospects brought in by the Monkey Year.

At the sneak media preview, we savoured a selection of hand-picked dishes from China Treasure's CNY menus. We tossed and stirred with much gusto with the curtain-raiser of Fresh Norwegian Salmon Yee Sang comprising colourful crisps, freshly shredded vegetables, pickles and condiments topped with slices of imported salmon. The customary speciality passed muster with no unexpected surprises.

Stealthy jolts of tongue-numbing zinginess hit us when we bit into the Crispy Roast Chicken with Szechuan Pepper Hot Sauce. The chef revealed he had rubbed the punchy marinade inside the chicken prior to roasting. Once the chook is cooked, the collected jus was served as the base dip, giving a titillating dimension to the popular Chinese restaurant staple.

Simplicity ruled the dish of Steamed Live Australia Jade Perch. We thought the fish lived up to expectations despite the formulaic fallback on spring onion, coriander, ginger and light soya sauce. The doneness was spot on too with the inherent sweetness tangible and palate-pleasing.

A milieu of bright, bold flavours emerged from the slick saucy coating of the succulently springy Stir-fried Crystal Prawns with Honey Pepper Sauce. To retain their natural sweetness, the prawn shell remained intact but with a back slit to make shelling easier.

My aunt used to cover whole dried oysters with fish paste and fatt choi (fine hair-like sea moss) before braising them so those good memories came instantly to mind when I ate the rustic Braised Sea Moss Oyster Rolls with White Jade Shell Meat & Garden Greens; the dish's deep-sea nuances further augmented by the shell meat, rendering the salubrious dish incomparable.

One can’t go wrong with a failsafe classic like Yong Zhou Fried Rice. Again no disconcerting element here to rock the boat for rice-crazy diners. The chopped long beans added texture and wholesome touch to the carb-rich offering.

Subtly sweet Chilled Lo Han Guo Jelly with Aloe Vera accompanied by a duo of Chinese New Year Special Dessert – deep-fried sesame balls with lotus paste and mochi red bean balls helped to plug any tummy space left unfilled.

Depending on your choice of set menu, China Treasures’ CNY menus start from RM922.88 for table of six up to Rm3288.88 per table of 10 persons (with complimentary bottle of wine).

For reservations, call China Treasures, tel: 03-2011 9191. Address: Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club, Jalan 1/70D, Off Jalan Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur.