by LYDIA NATHAN/ pic by EQ HOTEL

The Chinese New Year celebrations at EQ Hotel (EQ) this year will present Gifts of Prosperity, a selection of palatable Yee Sang, the signature fortune pen cai, decadent dining sets, à la carte items, luxurious hampers and customisable gifts until Feb 26.

EQ said the takeaways are perfect for heartfelt reunions, gift-giving occasions while the culinary delights are sure to tempt people’s tastebuds.

For reunion dinners, EQ created its first-ever pen cai as a way to have each individual family member’s favourite foods served together at once with mouth-watering homemade sauces.

Chef Tan Tzaan Ling said an authentic pen cai should be able to elevate the flavours of the simple ingredients layered properly with drier ingredients on the top and other ingredients that are better at absorbing flavours at the bottom.

“The signature fortune pen cai priced at RM888 is prepared with luxurious ingredients such as ten-head abalone, free-range chicken, fish maw, roasted duck, dried oysters, fresh prawns and grouper fillet with complimentary supreme dried scallop XO sauce that is made in-house,” Tan said adding it serves up to six persons.

The hotel will also offer a seven-course Best Wishes Reunion New Year Set Menu with highlights such as Double Boiled Chicken Consommé with Top Shell and Abalone, Deep-Fried Sea Prawns with Salted Egg Yolk Paste, Braised Dried Oysters, Sea Cucumber, Fish Maw with Seasonal Vegetables as well as Steamed Glutinous Rice with Salted Egg Yolk and Dried Chicken wrapped with Lotus Leaf.

“For those who might prefer other Chinese New Year staples, an à la carte menu with serving portions for five persons is also available with popular dishes such as Steamed Free Range Hakka Style Chicken, Baked Black Cod with Honey and Hot Bean Sauce, Pan-Fried Tiger Prawns Stuffed with Prawn Meat, Abalone and Seafood Fried Rice and Wok-Fried Imperial Noodles with Supreme Dried Scallop XO Sauce,” EQ said.

Meanwhile, the hotel said it will also have beautifully wrapped gift hampers for the gift-giving season.

“The Graceful Harmony Hamper is packed with 30 Chinese zodiac pralines, traditional cookies, 6 macarons and fortune cookies while the Prosperity and Abundance Hamper is packed with a bottle of Bottega Prosecco, 48 Chinese zodiac pralines, 8 homemade salted egg puffs, traditional cookies, 6 macarons, fortune cookies and mandarin oranges,” EQ said.

Customers will also be able to purchase other retail items like the 48 Chinese zodiac pralines, packed with treats shaped in auspicious designs such as marzipan wrapped mandarin oranges, tangy lime double prosperity mandarin pralines, pineapple pralines with tropical pineapple fillings and hazelnut Gianduja 12 zodiac pralines.

“There will also be homemade salted egg puffs, homemade supreme dried scallop XO sauce and the red bean and Osmanthus koi fish jelly which come in two large or six mini varieties up for grabs,” it added.