Salmon Yee Sang
It’s that wonderful time of the year again when we can all, regardless of race or creed, indulge in that most defining Chinese New Year dish, “yee sang” or raw fish in all its various forms. Nothing brings people together like a dish of “yee sang” and it’s always such a good feeling to see people of all races joining together with their chopsticks to toss the “yee sang”.
It seems that every year, chefs become more creative with the raw fish creations. Wasn’t it only in recent years that fruit “yee sang” became available? I still prefer the traditional “yee sang” with grass carp or salmon or even jellyfish. Sure, the dish is expensive everywhere but it’s a once a year indulgence and I just love the different textures of the dish and of course the colours are delightful.
From now till 28th February 2013, you can indulge in Ti Chen @ Saujana Golf & Country Resort’s Chinese New Year set menu dishes although “yee sang” is only available from now till 24th February which is the last day of Chinese New Year. These are the “yee sang” dishes available in the a la carte menu:-
Seaweed and Jelly Fish Yee Sang
(S: RM48, M: RM68, L: RM88)
Sea Bird Nest Yee Sang
(S: RM48, M: RM68, L: RM88)
Seasonal Fruits Yee Sang
(S: RM38, M: RM48, L: RM68)
Salmon Yee Sang
(S: RM58, M: RM78, L: RM98)
Tuna Yee Sang
(S: RM68, M: RM88, L: RM108)
Abalone Yee Sang
(S: RM128, M: RM168, L: RM228)
Ti Chen ushers in the Year of the Snake with four different prosperity set menus which have been carefully put together by Chef Lai Chong Seng:-
Pearl Set is priced at RM988++ for a nine-course meal with two complimentary bottles of Misterio Cabernet Sauvignon Red Wines.
Jade Set and Golden Set are priced at RM1,180++ and RM1,388++ respectively for a nine-course set meal each with a complimentary bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label Whisky.
Emperor Set is priced at RM2,288++ for a nine-course set meal with a complimentary bottle of Hennessy V.S.O.P.
I joined members of the media for lunch at Ti Chen yesterday. The Golden Set Menu was served with a couple of variations. Customers can choose to have a dish in the set menus substituted e.g. instead of oven roasted “Pei Pah” Duck, (they can choose to have a different cooking method at no extra charge) they can choose “Char Siew” Duck. However, if they choose a more expensive fish, there will of course be an additional charge.
The first dish in the Golden Set Menu is the Salmon Yee Sang (image above) and that was lovely. The first yee sang of the year is always divine because it’s been almost 12 months since the last time. The novelty wears off the more times one has it during Chinese New Year, I suppose.
Double Boiled Seafood Soup with Fresh Ginseng
Doesn’t it look as if there’s a lot of Chinese herbs in it? I love anything with wolfberries. This is a light soup, great as an appetizer to prepare one’s palate for the heavier dishes that follow. There’s dried scallop, sea asparagus and chunks of fish maw in this. Can’t see much of the dried scallop and sea asparagus as they have dissolved into the soup.
Oven Roasted “Char Siew” Duck
This is Chef Lai’s specialty dish and takes 1 whole day to prepare as it’s left in marinade overnight and then oven baked for 45 minutes. It has a smoky flavour and the sauce is like an Oriental BBQ sauce version. The meat is very, very tender. Not much chewing required for this one.
Steamed Camouflage Grouper with Snow Fungus and Superior Soya Sauce
“Dong quai” or Chinese Angelica has been used in this dish which helps balance the taste. The soya sauce doesn’t overpower the taste of the fish itself. The soya sauce here looks less thick and dark than most other steamed fish dishes I have tasted.
Deep Fried Prawn with Wasabi Mayo Dressing
At first, I thought this was a salad prawn dish as there are tiny bits of fruits in it. The prawns had a crispy coating, not at all oily or heavy and the wasabi mayo dressing was superb with just a tinge of spiciness. Easily my favourite dish in the set menu. I’d like a bowl of rice and just a plate of deep fried prawn with wasabi mayo dressing please.
Wok Fried Four Seasons Vegetable with Sliced Abalone
Who doesn’t love abalone? There are generous slices of abalone in this dish and I liked the mushrooms too. The abalone sauce is light and would go very well with a bowl of white rice. A yummy vegetable dish indeed.
Lotus Leaf Rice with Turkey Ham and Dried Shrimp
At almost every wedding dinner I’ve ever attended in the last 3 decades, there’s lotus leaf rice served just before desserts. I’m not a fan of lotus leaf rice because there’s usually Chinese sausage in it and I dislike Chinese sausage. It makes the rice too oily and indigestible so I normally pass on this dish. As Ti Chen is pork-free, turkey ham is used here and it is stir fried prior to adding to the rice. There is no greasy after-taste to this dish so I enjoyed it. This dish was substituted for the Braised Hong Kong Yee Mee Noodle with Crab Meat.
Deep Fried Nien Kow with Yam and Sweet Potato
These are petite sized desserts which don’t have an oily sheen or after-taste. They are not too sweet either.
Warm Fragrant Pear and Aloe Vera in Longan Soup
This is a fantastic dessert for a hot day. It’s refreshing and cooling thanks to the bits of ice cubes. I had 2 bowls of this before leaving the 2.5 hour lunch. The perfect dessert to end a wonderful Chinese New Year feast.
Thumbs up to Ti Chen’s and Chef Lai’s Chinese New Year creations!
Chef Lai Chong Seng
Ti Chen opens Tuesdays to Sundays from 12pm-2.30pm (lunch) and 6.30pm to 1o.30pm (dinner). For reservations, call 03 7840 5502, email dine@thesaujana.com or visit www.thesaujanahotel.com
ooooooohhhhhhh! delicious!