Special menus to celebrate Chinese New Year in Mumbai

Representation Pic

The New Year, across cultures, is a time to usher in new beginnings and share some family time. Chinese New Year is a Lunar New Year that marks the arrival of spring, unlike the Gregorian New Year celebrated on January 1. The Chinese zodiac has a cycle of 12 years, each dedicated to an animal. This cycle is the year of the dragon, which is considered a strong symbol for prosperity.

Steamed fish on the New Year menu represents abundance

Chef Huang Te Sing of The Oriental Blossom, Hotel Marine Plaza, quips, "It's our Diwali. We welcome the spring and pray to our ancestors; celebrations include dragon and lion dances." The chef was born in India but his family roots trace to Guangzhou in China. "For New Year's Eve dinner, we prepare a 10-dish banquet. Food is offered to the ancestors with a prayer for protection. On the day, we visit each other and exchange greetings,"he shares.

Every dish on the menu has a meaning. A whole fish, called yu in Mandarin, is a symbol of abundance. While spring rolls represent a gold bar of wealth, noodles depict longevity and healthy life; a whole duck or chicken is a symbol of fertility, virility and support. "Pork or chicken dumplings are money bags, and the entire family comes together to make them for the occasion," he adds.

Mainly a meaty banquet, vegetarian fare includes vegetables diced in cashew nuts and served with rice. "The one dish, which is my favourite, is the family hot pot with vegetables, fish and meat balls. It represents togetherness. Lobster represents the dragon. We call it ‘longxia', which translates to dragon prawn. This year, it will be the special dish," he explains.

chef Huang Te Sing. Pics/Anurag Ahire

At the restaurant, the special Chinese New Year menu, Taste of Heritage, is an exclusive set menu to honour Chinese New Year customs. The spread features 10 dishes, including the auspicious chicken and prawns prosperity New Year soup, succulent duck spring rolls, and the exquisite lobster with cashews in kung pao sauce.

As per the traditional Chinese banquet style, each dish will be presented one by one, starting with the self-service family bowls of hearty soups. From golden roasted chicken to Buddha's delight, patrons can savour the unique flavours of each course. Don't miss the Hong Kong-style soy noodles and fresh fruit platters with assorted ice cream to sweeten the celebration.

On: February 10, 12.30 pm to 2.45 pm
At: The Oriental Blossom, Hotel Marine Plaza, Marine Drive.
Call: 7045941315
Cost: Rs 3,000 (set menu per head)

Lobster with cashew nuts in kung pao sauce

Lobster will be a main dish on the New Year menu as it is called dragon prawn in Mandarin and represents the dragon

INGREDIENTS
>> 1 lobster (500 gm)
>> 5 to 6 garlic cloves, chopped ginger, (1 inch; skinned and chopped)
>> 2 green onions (cut into 1.5-inch slices)
>> 50 gm cashew nuts, roasted >> 6 to 7 dry red chilli, chopped
>> 2 tbsp chilli oil
>> 1 tbsp oyster sauce
>> 200 ml cooking oil for frying >> 100 gm corn flour (to coat the lobster meat before frying)

SEASONING
>> 1 tbsp light soy sauce
>> ¼ tsp salt to taste
>> ¼ tsp sugar
>> 1 tsp chicken broth powder (optional)
>> 1 tbsp corn starch
>> 100 ml water

METHOD
Clean the lobster and separate the tail section from the head. Cut the tail section in half to remove the tail meat; devein and cut the meat into bite size pieces. Coat the lobster pieces with corn flour. Heat the oil in a wok/kadai and fry the lobster shells (head and tails) first for five minutes till they are red, and set aside. Fry the meat pieces for two to three minutes till it is 80 per cent cooked, and remove. Remove excess oil and keep only one tbsp in the wok. Add chopped garlic and ginger and sautée it for a few seconds. Add the fried lobster pieces along with red chilli, cashew nuts, green onions and stir fry for two to three minutes on high flame. Add seasoning and stir fry for two to three minutes till the sauce thickens. Arrange lobster head and tail on the serving plate, and pour the cooked lobster meat.

Feasting Times

The special menu

>> An abundant meal
Chef Raymond Wong, master chef, By The Mekong, The St Regis Mumbai, puts his favourite family dish on the menu - treasure fried rice combo with roasted honey cha siew chicken. "Cooking it together as a family on the new year is believed to bring prosperity, happiness and is also lucky," says Wong. Other delicacies include noble wok fried lobster with king oyster mushroom in truffle sauce, wealthy crispy golden corn with edamame in yellow Pino chilli sauce and the Propertius stewed long cabbage in Hong Kong olive sauce.
TILL February 18; 7 pm to 11.30 pm
AT By The Mekong,
St Regis Mumbai, Lower Parel.
CALL 8657907732

The ancestral menu

>> Sea view celebrations
Savour the festivities with ancestral home-style dishes of dragon pumpkin pie, mock meat jiaozi, dragon shrimp wonton, stir crispy chilli, steamed whole St Peter's fish, ginger soy scallion, lamb in whole garlic, poon choi and festive Lunar New Year fried rice.
FROM February 9 to 18; 7 pm to 1 am (all days), 12.30 pm to 3.30 pm (weekends)
AT Dashanzi, JW Marriott Mumbai, Juhu.
CALL 9004616506

Spicy delight

>> Dine-in delights
Pair chiu chou potato, chicken black pepper, succulent lamb chop with spicy sauce, and the aromatic baby cabbage rice with drinks like flaming dragon, Chinese fizz or a stiff Beijing old fashioned.
TILL February 29; Monday to Thursday, 12 pm to 11 pm
AT Pa Pa Ya, Palladium Mall, BKC and Malad.
CALL 7400433430

Three-style eggplant

>> Festive flavours
The limited-edition menu includes lobster and mozzarella kadaifi dim sum with Japanese mayo, lotus root-wrapped exotic mushroom dumpling topped with a fermented chilli sauce, a three-style eggplant to a hearty claypot chicken in emperor sauce. Save room for the dessert, rightly named Lucky Dragon - a white sesame sponge laced with praline, kumquat compote, and ginger mousse.
TILL March 7
AT Yauatcha Mumbai, Raheja Tower, Bandra Kurla Complex.
CALL 9222222800