Cooking with wine or liquor has been part of Chinese cuisine for thousands of years. The 26th Anniversary Grand Banquet Series of the Oriental Group of Restaurants explores and creates dishes harnessing the flavours of Chinese and Japanese wines, even brandy and whisky.
Five chefs in the Oriental Group’s 26th Anniversary Grand Banquet Series
“We have experimented with mao tai, Shao Hsing, sake, brandy and whisky, making the best possible match with the ingredients,” said Dato’ Sri Philip Siew, founder and chairman of the Oriental group at the launching of the series to celebrate the tradition of liquors in Chinese cuisine.
A specially curated grand banquet menu priced at RM2988++ offers guests a taste of wine and liquor in a variety of dishes crafted by Oriental’s team of chefs.
Pickled Radish Rose with Japanese Plum Wine
At a tasting lunch we unfurl pickled radish roses with Japanese plum wine, for a pick-up, moving on to spring rolls with Chinese wine and, drunken chicken with vinegar pearls.
The spring rolls are wrapped in chee mong yau (pig’s caul lining), and I bite into a crispy skin with the light aroma of fried pig’s fat, and touch the prawn, meat and water chestnut filling. There’s a lift from a little mao tai. So old school, so good!
Spring rolls with Chinese wine
I liked very much the drunken chicken with vinegar pearls. The chilled chicken had been marinated overnight with Shao Hsing wine and bai jiu, leaving a gelatinous feel on the meat and of course it tasted very drunk. The black vinegar pearls paired well with the meat.
Drunken Chicken with Black Vinegar Pearls
XO Cognac Stuffed Duck with Fin and Whole Abalones had the plump boneless duck cut up and flambed with XO. The brandy touches the sauce too, adding a little headiness, flavouring the duck, shark’s fin and yam within. The duck bones had been simmered in broth overnight for the sauce. Wish I had a teaspoon to scoop up all this lovely sauce.
XO Cognac Stuffed Duck with Fin and Whole Abalones
Chef pouring XO into the duck
It was just steaming with rooster fat, salt and wine in the Steamed Wild Sultan Fish with 8 years aged Hulu Shan Hsing wine. The 2.5kg fish from Pahang had clear, sweet flavours, with the lovely aroma of wine and chicken fat. The fish was silky smooth, the skin sticky and nice.
Steamed Wild Sultan Fish, 8 years Aged Hulu Shao Hsing
Stuffed Prawn Paste in Morel Mushroom with Homemade Dried Scallop Sauce
In the vegetable dish, stuffed prawn paste in morel mushrooms finished with homemade dried scallop sauce surround a mound of stir fried wai san, lily bulbs, wor su, celtuce, Chinese yam, ginkgo nuts and asparagus. It’s a crunchy, juicy and sweet combination.
Suckling Pig with Mei Kui Lu Glutinous Rice Rolls & Cinnamon Whisky Braised Pork
On the plate — sticky rice chicken roll in crispy skin, braised pork with pillowy, silky feel
Suckling Pig with mei kui lu (rose wine), glutinous rice rolls & cinnamon whisky brased pork is another highlight of the dinner. There’s rose wine in the sticky rice cooked with chicken, then rolled up with the roasted then dehydrated and crispy skin of the pig. Whisky is in the braised pork, pillowy with the fat and sliding on your palate.
Red Bean Paste with Guangzhou old tangerine peel in coconut
Dessert is red bean paste with Guangzhou old tangerine peel and double-boiled in coconut for 3 hours. The award-winning Teochew taro puffs are also served. The last are mooncakes that are difficult to find these days. They are so delicious with their light and rich spiral pastry and yam paste filling.
Delicious — Teochew Taro Puffs
The grand banquet takes place at various Oriental Group outlets, beginning with Ming Room (13 Aug), Tang Room (14 Aug), Noble House (20 Aug), Noble Mansion (21 Aug), and so on. Visit orientalrestaurants.my, or WhatsApp 012 811 8812