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This Chinese New Year (CNY), we feature Sunny Kong – Executive Chinese Chef of Man Fu Yuan, InterContinental Singapore, to share his thoughts on CNY traditions and a delicious recipe for the family. Chef Kong has 24 years of experience in the culinary field, specialising in tantalising Chinese delights.

	Chef Sunny Kong InterContinental Singapore 80 Middle Road. Tel: 6338-7600

Q: What is a CNY tradition in your family?

SUNNY: Definitely having reunion dinner on the eve of CNY but it has been difficult for me to be with my family on that day as I’m usually working. Instead, we’ll get together over dinner a few days before to catch up. Our dinner always consists of auspicious-sounding dishes like dried oyster (hao shi) with mushrooms, sea moss (fa cai) and roasted meat like duck and chicken to symbolise prosperity and good fortune for the family in the new year.

Q: Do you cook for your family during CNY?

SUNNY: Yes. I will have a braised dish with ingredients like flower mushrooms, dried oysters and sea cucumber. Also, to add ‘laughter’ in the family, I will also get large prawns to make a sweet and sour prawn dish to symbolise ‘ha ha da xiao’ (laughing heartily).

Q: Which is your favourite dish during Chinese New Year?

SUNNY: My favourite dish is the Deluxe Treasures Pot or pen cai. This is a one-pot dish with all the premium ingredients. You get fresh and dried seafood together with meat like roast duck and chicken. This is an ideal sharing dish for the whole family as it appeals to varying tastes.

Q: How has CNY cuisine changed over the years?

SUNNY: Diners are requesting for more premium ingredients in their CNY dishes. Most of them prefer dishes with less salt and oil for a healthier option. They also prefer dishes with fresh vegetables in order to achieve a balanced diet.

Q: What do you like most about CNY?

SUNNY: It is a time of reunion with family and friends whom I don’t get to see much due to my work commitments. So, I make it a point to catch up with them during CNY. Also, I love hosting gatherings at home, cooking a nice meal for family and friends and enjoying their company.

	Pan-seared Tiger Prawns with Truffles Recipe by Chef Sunny Kong Ingredients A 200g tiger prawns 15g truffles 200g chicken broth Ingredients B 10g shallots (minced) 10g garlic (minced) 5g spring onions (chopped) 5g ginger (minced) Seasoning ¼ tsp chicken powder ¼ tsp sugar Method Prepare the prawns for cooking by slitting the back of each prawn to de-vein it. Wash the prawns thoroughly once done. Heat up the oil in a wok and pan-fry the prawns until fragrant. Then, remove them from the wok. After the prawns are removed, drain off the oil but leave a small amount of oil in the wok for frying Ingredients B. Fry Ingredients B until fragrant. Pour the chicken broth and add the prawns and seasoning into the wok to pan-fry for another 3 minutes. Subsequently, you can thicken the broth with potato starch. Add in the chopped truffles as the final step and stir well. Serve this dish hot and enjoy!

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