Welcome the Lunar New Year by cooking a delicious meal of stuffed crab claws with shrimp paste and mantao
This Chinese New Year, we talk to chef Wang Wei Qing of Canton Road in Shangri-La The Fort to find out what one of the country’s top Chinese chefs loves to eat and cook during the festivities.
Canton Road has been featured in our annual Tatler Dining Guide since the day its doors opened to the public. Known for Cantonese fare with a focus on the Huaiyang province, diners are treated to a symphony of flavours and artfully plated meals. At Canton Road, chef Wang made a name for himself through his ability to meld traditional practices and classic flavours into modern, innovative creations.
Before working at Canton Road he was at the Westin, Fuzhou as Chinese executive chef, and served as Chinese sous chef at Le Royal Méridien, Shanghai. For over 20 years, he has been refining his skill set in traditional Cantonese dishes as well as Fujian-style dishes.
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With his wealth of knowledge of the cuisine, we were curious about what this chef likes to cook to celebrate Chinese New Year. We asked him what recipe he considers special and worthy of a memorable feast. Read on and try your hand at preparing chef Wang’s stuffed crab claws and shrimp paste, in curry sauce with fried long buns.
“The recipe is a fusion dish that presents a new twist to the traditional crab curry. I created a spin to the recipe with the coated and flavourful crab claws to represent and celebrate our culture in a modern way,” shares chef Wang.
“For us Chinese, we believe that the transformation of the crab’s colour to red as it cooks means life will bloom and prosper. As we celebrate the Lunar New Year this symbolises abundance or prosperity in terms of finances, career, or other aspects of your life as you welcome a new year,” he explains about the dish.
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