Steamed Prawn Ball with Mozzarella Stuffing (left) and Roasted Black Chinese Goose at Xin Cuisine. — Photos: LOW LAY PHON/The Star
ARRIVING in a mini bamboo steamer is a serving of Steamed Prawn Ball with Mozzarella Stuffing.
When the lid is removed, diners are pleasantly surprised to discover the prawn ball in the shape of a lychee.
This is how Chinese master chef Foong Ah Kwai of Xin Cuisine, the Chinese restaurant at Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur, tickles his diners’ palate.
A luxury beancurd dish topped with a 10-head abalone and jumbo sea cucumber.
In telling how the team replicates the red bumpy scales of the fruit’s leathery coat, Ah Kwai said a slurry with edible food colouring is dripped into a pot of oil no hotter than 40°C.
These little drips turn into tiny puffy orbs, which are then scooped up with a spider strainer.
The balls of minced sea prawn meat are then rolled over these orbs, and deep-fried.
Another signature dish by 70-year-old Ah Kwai that calls for elaborate preparation is the Pig Stomach Soup, made of the animal’s stomach encasing a whole kampung chicken.
(From left) Sous chef Foong Yok Hon, Ah Kwai and Tok with delicacies from Xin Cuisine. Left: A close-up of the beancurd dish topped with 10-head abalone and jumbo sea cucumber.
This savoury dish requires six hours to prepare.
It begins with cleaning of the stomach with salt and flour to absorb the slime before rinsing with water.
It is then gently simmered for three hours with Solomon’s seal plant, ginkgo nuts and white pepper for the flavours to meld.
The broth is then boiled for another three hours with a stewing hen and chicken feet.
To serve, the stomach with chicken still encased within is sliced open in front of the diner.
Only the stomach, which has been rendered to a tender but still springy consistency, is sliced and served with the soup.
After so many hours on the stove, the chicken has an almost flavourless taste, but the soup carries the warmth and peppery superiority of a kitchen team’s patience.
One best-selling dish at Xin Cuisine is the Roasted Black Chinese Goose.
It is a weekend special, but those intending to order this on a weekday have to give the kitchen team three days’ notice.
The birds are imported from Guangdong, China.
Ah Kwai, who often goes on gourmet trips there, said he got his first taste of black goose meat some time last year.
By June this year, it had become part of the menu at Xin Cuisine.
Barbecue chef Tok Wei Wong, 40, said the goose must weigh no more than 3.5kg. Any heavier and the meat will be sinewy.
To achieve a crisp skin, the bird, which has been bathed in a marinade of maltose sugar, hoisin sauce and red wine vinegar, is hung and fan-dried for four hours.
It is then roasted in an Apollo stove at 190°C for 45 minutes.
Diners have likened this dish to “wagyu on wings” due to the meat’s tender quality. The reason can be attributed to the bird’s marbling.
Tok is also responsible for preparing the Honey Glazed Iberico Pork Ribs, accompanied with ice plants, sliced onions and dried prawns.
Tok said the ribs are cooked sous vide for two hours and baked to caramelise the marinade which is fragranced with rosemary.
Roasted black Chinese goose is one of the signature dishes at Concorde Hotel's Chinese restaurant, Xin Cuisine.
For beancurd lovers, Xin Cuisine has a luxury version that is topped with a 10-head abalone and jumbo sea cucumber. A garnish of gold leaf gives this dish an exquisite finish.
The secret to the silky egg beancurd lies in its luxuriously thick soya milk base.
“At Xin Cuisine, the ratio of soya beans to water is 1kg for every litre.
“This is the required concentration in beancurd making,” said Ah Kwai, who has five decades of experience in Cantonese cuisine.
The Cantonese Ipoh Kuey Teow with Scallops and Freshwater Prawns is another classic, with the egg gravy exuding a buttery, roe-like flavour.
For dessert, there is the refreshing Aiyu Jelly with Longan in a Calamansi Lime Syrup. The citrusy element leaves a tingling sensation on the palate.
These dishes, featured as part of the a la carte menu, are available for lunch and dinner.
XIN CUISINE, Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur, 2 Jalan Sultan Ismail. (Tel: 03-2149 2778). Business hours: 11am-2.30pm (Mondays-Fridays), 9am-2.30pm (Saturdays), 8.30am-2.30pm (Sundays and public holidays); 6pm-10pm. Non-halal.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
