Pen cai, or poon choy in Cantonese (which when translated means “basin dish”), is a wonder pot, full of decadent Chinese New Year delicacies that range from abalone and dried oysters to sea cucumber and fish maw.
The dish, which dates back to the Song Dynasty, has become increasingly popular in Singapore over the last decade. In fact, pen cai is now a staple for the auspicious season. You can even make your own with our recipe here!
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Essentially, the pot includes braised dried seafood, roast meats and stewed vegetables, ladled with a rich and thick oyster sauce and stock-based gravy. Here are five pen cai offerings to usher in the Chinese New Year:
Go all out with Hai Tien Lo’s Premium Wealth Treasure Pot, an indulgent affair that includes luxurious ingredients like lobster and eight-head whole abalone as well as goose web, dried oysters, sea cucumber, dried fish maw, pork knuckle, slice lotus root, and more.
For something a little more restrained, there’s the Classic Treasure Pot, which features eight-head whole abalone, bird’s nest, sakura chicken, dried scallops and wontons to soak up all the savoury goodness.
The Premium Wealth Treasure Pot is at $508++ (up to six persons) and $708++ (up to 10 persons), and the Classic Treasure Pot is at $288 (up to six persons) and $468 (up to 10 persons). Available for both dine-in and takeaway from Jan 25 to Feb 26, 2021.
At Pan Pacific Singapore, 7 Raffles Boulevard, Marina Square Singapore 039595. Visit its website for more information.
From executive chef Leong Chee Yeng comes the decadent Great Treasures Braised Pen Cai — your tastebuds will be delighted with the likes of 10-head South African whole abalone, roasted duck, diced kampong chicken, deep-fried pork ball, prawn, fresh beancurd stick, and pork trotter, apart from the usual suspects of fish maw, sea cucumber, dried scallops, dried oysters, flower mushrooms and more.
If you have a smaller group, consider the Cornucopia of Wealth pen cai. Each individual portion is generously filled to the brim with premium whole abalone, fish maw, sea cucumber, dried scallops, braised pork trotter, dried oysters, flower mushrooms, and more.
$88++ per person for both (minimum six persons for the Great Treasures Braised Pen Cai, order one day in advance and available for takeaway at $568 nett). At Fullerton Hotel Singapore, 1 Fullerton Square Singapore 049178. Visit its website for more information.
A treasure trove of braised delights, award-winning restaurant Golden Peony’s pen cai comes with a smorgasbord of abalone, sea cucumber, fish maw, whole conpoy, roast pork, prawns, Chinese mushroom and an innovative take – homemade Impossible meatballs.
Available for dine-in and takeaway as part of selected set menus. Visit its website for more information. At Conrad Centennial Singapore, 2 Temasek Blvd Singapore 038982.
The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore’s sumptuous pen cai is filled with a bounty of braised ingredients like 10-head abalone, sea cucumber, fried fish maw, oysters, black moss, flower mushrooms, roast duck, pork knuckle, cabbage, lotus root, yam, bean cake, dried scallops, and prawns.
$286.76 (for five to six persons), available for takeaway; pre-order from now till Feb 26, 2021. Visit its website for more information.
One Michelin-starred Jiang Nan Chun has a pen cai for both six and 10 persons, filled with goodies like abalone, fish maw, conpoy, roast pork, dried oysters, and succulent shrimp – all blanketed by a rich brown gravy.
$888 (for up to six persons) and $1,288 (for up to 10 persons), at Four Seasons Hotel Singapore, 190 Orchard Boulevard. Visit its website for more information.
Cantonese restaurant Yan a hearty feast with the inclusion of 18 different ingredients making up the pot, including abalone, whole conpoy, roast duck, soya chicken, roast pork and fish maw, all braised in a flavourful duck gravy.
$300 (for five persons) and $600 (for 10 persons), available for dine-in and takeaway. Order two days in advance. Yan is at 1 Saint Andrew’s Road, #05-02 National Gallery Singapore. Visit its website for more information.
Specially curated by the hotel’s executive Chinese chef Mok Kit Keung, Shangri-La Hotel’s Abundance Treasure Pot teems with over 18 tantalising ingredients, including abalone, a whole dace fish, fish maw, sea cucumber, pork knuckle and more. Each pot is meticulously prepared for over six hours to bring out the best flavours of each ingredient.
$468nett (for eight persons) available for takeaway and delivery available. Order at least 72 hours in advance through its website.
Famed for its authentic Yunnan cuisine, Yun Nans’ Prosperity Treasure Hot Pot comes in a unique earthen pot specially imported from Yunnan, and heated with charcoal. Dig into luscious ingredients imported from the Yunan province like the wild morel, as well as wild golden fungus, sea cucumber, abalone, scallops, prawns, fish maw, mushroom, and cordyceps flower, which sit in a golden broth that has been brewed for six hours.
The flavourful broth, with a hint of carrots, is made with jinhua ham, old hens, chicken feet, pork trotters and bones, lean pork meat, dried scallops and carrots.
$288++ (Regular, four to six persons) and $438++ (Large, eight to 10 persons), available for dine-in or takeaway. Yun Nans is at Jewel Changi Airpot, Westgate and Nex. Visit its website for more information.
Text: Weets Goh/The Peak. Additional reporting: Michelle Lee