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FOOD | Feb 12, 2010

A Royal Feast to Welcome The Tiger

ewTo welcome the Year of the Tiger, Shangri-La Hotel in Central Jakarta has come up with an array of ideas to usher in 365 days of prosperity.

The hotel lobby is decorated with 12 animal statues representing the different signs of the Chinese zodiac and special performances have been arranged for throughout the holiday period, including the crowd-pleasing lion dance.

At the heart of the festivities, however, is Shang Palace, the hotel’s Cantonese restaurant. Throughout February, Shang Palace is offering a special menu featuring 10 dishes that, according to tradition, will bring good luck and fortune during the new year.

The most prominent treat on the menu is without a doubt yu sheng , a colorful salad consisting of crunchy carrots, ginger, radishes, sesame seeds and seaweed, served with raw fish.

During Chinese New Year celebrations around the world, yu sheng can be found in almost every restaurant. In fact, it is said that no New Year’s celebration is complete without yu sheng. Literally translated, “yu” means fish and “sheng” means raw. The raw ingredients symbolize the renewal of life.

Guests at Shang Palace can choose from three different varieties of yu sheng: salmon, abalone and lobster.

The salad is delightfully refreshing and the different flavors and textures combine well. The most memorable part of the experience, however, happens before salad hits the tongue. For the Chinese, it’s tradition for everyone at the table to mix the ingredients together before enjoying the salad.

At Shang Palace, this tradition is not only respected but also encouraged. The waiter who brought the yu sheng to our table invited us to grab some chopsticks and mix it up. While the carrots mingled with the ginger and salmon, the waiter led us all in a chant of “ Lo hei !”

“Lo hei” literally translates as mix it up, but also sounds a lot like the word “prosper” in Chinese. This traditional saying is believed to bring luck throughout the new year. Even though I’m not Chinese, I thought a little bit of extra luck couldn’t hurt, so I said “lo hei” several times, most likely mispronouncing the words, but nonetheless having fun.

The Chinese belief of eating auspicious food for the new year is also reflected in the other dishes on the menu, most of which involve seafood or chicken.

The word “fish” in Cantonese, for example, sounds like “ yu ,” which literally translates as abundance and symbolizes wealth. “Oyster” sounds like the words “ ho see ,” meaning good business. Chicken and fish served whole, with the head and tail, not only represent a favorable start and successful finish of a project, but also symbolize the unity of the family.

After the yu sheng, I had the seafood roll with chilled crab meat jelly appetizer and a main course of stir-fried scallops and prawns with mushrooms, served with white rice. If room remains, try the special dessert nian go, a sticky sweet cake and another Chinese holiday must.

Other highlights of Shang Palace’s special menu include the cod, braised three-headed abalone with sea cucumbers, duck topped with fish maw and mushrooms and crispy chicken with Sichuan sauce.

However, a Chinese New Year feast doesn’t come cheap: a small portion of yu sheng costs between Rp 300,000 ($32) and Rp 628,000 ($67), depending on whether you choose the salmon, abalone or lobster, while the other dishes on the menu cost between Rp 38,000 and Rp 920,000.

While the special dishes can be enjoyed until the end of February, Shang Palace will feature three different menus on the eve of the Chinese New Year.

The Gold, Diamond and Jade set menus will be available on Saturday.

Source: JG

Indonesian Lifestyle 2008