Reunion Poon Choi (盆菜)
Poon Choi is a one pot dish filled to the brim with layers and layers of premium seafood and meats simmered in a thick tasty sauce. This dish is usually served at reunion dinner during Chinese New Year (or any festive season) when the family gather together to partake in this one dish full of richness and deliciousness to celebrate the joy and bonding with loved ones.
Traditionally, the base of the pot is filled with radish and wombok. Food such as prawn, scallop, abalone, mushroom, roast duck, roast pork, black fungus (fatt choy), are arranged attractively on top. Stock and seasoning are then added. The food is simmered to produce a pot of flavoursome richness.
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INGREDIENTS
Radish (cut into chunks and blanched for 10 minutes, drained)
Wombok (sliced and blanched for a few minutes, drained)
Beancurd puffs (taufupok) (blanched for a few minutes)
Dried mushrooms (soaked in hot water and simmered for an hour)
Fatt choy (soaked in water, drained)
Roast duck drumstick (cut into pieces)
Roast pork belly (thickly sliced)
Broccoli florets (blanched for a few minutes)
Carrots (sliced and blanched for a few minutes)
Abalones (use canned abalone as it's already cooked and tender)
Prawns (blanched for a couple of minutes, till 80% cooked)
Scallops (blanched for a couple minutes, till 80% cooked)
Note: Obviously, the larger the group, the bigger the pot and more food is added to ensure everyone gets to share in the richness.
Stock (boil together the following):
500 ml chicken stock
300 ml abalone stock from the can
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp cooking wine
Sauce
1 cup of stock
1 tbsp cornstarch solution (mixed with water)
METHOD
1. Braise the mushrooms.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil and add garlic. Fry till fragrant.
Add rehydrated mushrooms and fry for a couple of minutes.
Add green onion.
Add 1 tbsp of oyster sauce.
Add 1 tbsp soya sauce.
Add 1 tsp dark soya sauce.
Add soaking liquid.
Add 1 tbsp rock sugar.
Boil and then simmer for an hour till mushrooms become tender.
2. Blanch all other ingredients under Ingredients above, (except roast duck and roast pork), ready for use.
3. Prepare the stock.
4. Layer the pot with:
Radish at the bottom
Tofu puffs on top of radish
Wombok on top of the tofu puffs
5. Arrange the following attractively on top of the wombok:
Broccoli and carrots around the outside edge
Roast duck drumstick
Roast pork
Braised mushrooms
Black fungus in the middle
6. Fill the poon choi pot with stock to the wombok layer. Set aside 1 cup of stock for later use. Bring the poon chol to the boil. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.
7. Just before serving, add prawns, scallops and abalone. Cover and heat for a minute or two. Do not overcook these items.
8. Heat the stock that has been set aside. Thicken with 2 tbsp of cornstarch solution. Taste and adjust seasoning, where required. Pour this sauce over the poon choi and serve.
