Traditional celebrations at Hop Sing

It’s that time of year again when the Chinese will enjoy the fruits of their labour with a long break from work and will celebrate traditionally by feasting on lavish banquets.

Chef Lean Poh Leong, better known
as Chef Leong, presenting his popular
deep-fried Chicken Ginger

For the Chinese business community, it is serious business to keep the annual practice of dining together to mark the year-end “Company Closing” and opening the year with “Back-To-Work” meals, as it augurs well for an auspicious start to the coming year.

Chef Lean Poh Leong, better known as Chef Leong, continues this tradition in Hop Sing Chinese Restaurant where diners can celebrate with both, good taste and abundance, reflected in generous servings of comforting and tasty, home-style dishes.

To celebrate the Year of the Boar, Chef Leong has designed two auspicious set menus – Fortune and Prosperity – that caters for up to ten diners.

Each set menu will traditionally kick off with a platter of Prosperity Yee Sang, auspicious raw fish salad, and this salad is also served ala carte in two sizes (Small and Large) with options for Salmon, Pacific Clams and Abalone toppings.

I take a closer look at the menus and am impressed that this year, Hop Sing has opted to serve their menus without sharks’ fins in the soups and instead, chose to prepare superior soups using high quality seafood.

Braised Superior Dried Scallop & Crab Meat Soup

The Braised Superior Dried Scallops & Crab Meat Soup tastes just as rich and amazing because the chef added strips of snow fungus for an extra bite in this superior soup!

I like how each of the menus are created in the Lunar New Year tradition with dishes of meats, seafood and vegetables, all dubbed with auspicious Chinese names.

There is a whole Roasted Crispy Chicken with a side of fine flavoured salt to dip in, steamed whole Garoupa fish Hong Kong style and deep-fried Prawns in Soya Sauce.

I recognise this traditional Cantonese recipe for Har Lok prawns, an essential dish for the Lunar New Year.

The Chinese word for prawn is, “Har” which augurs well for a bright and happy future as it sounds similar to laughter, “Ha! Ha! Ha!” in any language!

Traditional Cantonese recipe for Har Lok prawns

Braised Broccoli with Dried Oysters, Seafood Balls and Vegetables, Chef’s Special XO Sauce Fried Rice and Chilled Sea Coconut & Longan, completes the Fortune set menu.

Advance reservations for the Fortune Set (RM998) and the Prosperity Set (RM1388) that are made before January 16 will receive RM100 rebate off the set menu price plus a complimentary bottle of red wine.

Then I learn that Chef Leong has recently been creating a few of his own recipe dishes that have become popular with diners at Hop Sing.

While these items may not be part of the Lunar New Year set menus, I was more than happy when the chef agreed to whip up (what was available in the kitchen!) some of his popular dishes for us to sample.

Chunky meat on bones in the Hakka Braised Duck in Ginger

When he described the preparation for Hakka Braised Duck in Ginger with the Cantonese word, “mun” I get the idea of how this dish was slow-cooked over low-fire until the meat is soft and tender.

With this in mind, I was not surprised to see chunks of dark meat on bones served on the platter – not quite stylishly plated – but presented as home-style cooking where one would enjoy it most when savoured using your fingers.

My first taste gives me a flashback to a recipe similar to how my mum prepares her Ginger Chicken and I’m glad it works well with duck too. The ginger is a perfect foil for the duck meat.

So while the others have stopped eating, I continue to nibble on the boney bits to appreciate this familiar flavour of Hakka Braised Duck in Ginger…shamelessly using my fingers!

A generous portion of Fried Rice flavoured with
Fried Dace in Black Bean Sauce

Another of Chef Leong’s popular dishes is deep-fried Chicken marinated in Ginger and Nam Yue or fermented beancurd, a dish popular with diners who prefer it paired with their drinks.

I can understand why because I cannot stop at one piece of this crispy chicken but reached out for the next piece… and the next…

When hungry golfers asked Chef Leong to serve them a fortifying rice dish, he came up with Fried Rice flavoured with Fried Dace in Black Bean Sauce, a dish which soon gained popularity among diners here.

The strong flavour of the Fried Dace in Black Bean Sauce gives the fried rice an extra kick and the generous portion served up for us to sample, was soon demolished.

A smooth blend of traditional fragrant Fah Sung Wu

Finally, the piece de resistance at Hop Sing (at least for me!) must be the dessert of traditional Fah Sung Wu, a rich blend of finely ground toasted groundnuts.

When I was told that Chef Leong created this traditional Cantonese dessert from scratch using fresh ingredients that were painstakingly prepared in the kitchen, I appreciated each spoonful of this warm and delightful dessert, even more.

As I tasted each spoonful of the smooth blend of fragrant Fah Sung Wu again, it was pure nostalgia because this was the favourite dessert of both my dearly departed grandmother and brother-in-law.

When I reached the last delicious drop at the bottom of my bowl, I felt a bit like Oliver, sorely tempted to ask for more…

Hop Sing, a Halal Chinese Restaurant at Ponderosa Golf & Country Club, is on level one of the main clubhouse, located at No. 3 Jalan Ponderosa 1/1, Taman Ponderosa, 81100 Johor Baru, Johor.

For reservations, Tel: +607 – 354 9999 Ext 255, +6017 – 766 2636, or email: enquiry@ponderosagolf.com.

For more details on Lunar New Year menus and resort promotions, visit website: ponderosagolf.com