In Chinese horoscope, it’s the year of the wood dragon. New Year celebrations in China begin this weekend, and Chinese restaurants have introduced limited edition menus dedicated to the mythical and magical dragon. Here are three such menus:
KOKO, Mumbai
The symbol of the dragon signifies strength, power, wisdom, nobility, good fortune and success. The Chinese New Year menu at KOKO reflects these with dishes, like Prosperity Tempura Maki with enoki and button mushrooms, avocado, Thai chilli, and mayo; The Fortune Scallop Maki has cucumber, beetroot, avocado, Thai chilli, and Tobanjan sauce; and the Golden Luck Chicken Dumpling is stuffed with Chinese cabbage, bokhoy, water chestnut, ginger and black bean. The indulgent dessert platter, Plate of Prosperity, features lemon-flavoured mousse with apricot jelly, crispy lemon crunch, vanilla sponge, lemon sable, cocoa butter, white chocolate, and golden ice cream. Wash it all down with cocktails, such as The Dragon’s Tale (rum, the liqueur mango falernum, gunpowder, coconut and lime), Fortune’s Favourite (stout, jasmine tea, maple syrup, sesame, lime and ggg white and Prosperity Spark (vodka, Thai Longan liqueur, Moscato and a sparkling wine).
Yauatcha, Kolkata
Embark on a flavour-packed adventure with prawns and scallop dumplings topped with caviar, avocado dumplings wrapped in dragon fruit skin and the delectable crispy golden fried grouper wok-tossed with chilies, almond flakes and wheat flakes. Finish on a sweet high with the Chinese New Year Dragon cake with white sesame sponge topped with praline, kumquat compote and ginger mousse; Chinese New Year Macaron filled with Jasmine tea and sweet-and-sour mandarin; and a Hong Kong-style pineapple pastry made specially for the new year.
Chef Huang Te Sing who heads the kitchen has been with the chinese restaurant, The Oriental Blossom, for over 20 years. He brings memories of home in the celebratory with 10 dishes, including the celebratory chicken and prawns prosperity New Year soup, succulent duck spring rolls, and the lobster with cashews in Kung Pao sauce. The food will be served Chinese banquet style, and each dish will be presented one by one, starting with the self-service family bowls of warm soups. There’s Hong Kong-style soy noodles and good old fresh fruit platters with assorted ice cream.