Tropicana May-June 2024 #154 The Family Issue

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MAY/JUNE 2024 TASTE+
later on a platter in perfect bite sized portions of duck meat with
crispy thin skin atop. Requiring assembly, Peking duck parcels are
usually put together with a light thin smearing of the sweet bean
sauce across the thin pancake. The cucumber fingers and green
onion slices are then placed in the middle. Finally, a piece or two
of the duck is placed on top of the vegetables and wrapped up
revealing a neat little package ready to be eaten. A quick bite of
the wrap and it is immediately a sensory and textural delight.
The soft pancake envelopes the crunchy cucumber and green
onion while the chewy duck meat and crispy skin are heady with
the scent of the meat. The sweet bean paste brings all the senses
together creating an unrivalled match of flavours.
Visually tantalizing, the ‘Steamed King Grouper fish in slices with soy
sauce and beancurd’ was a burst of colour and fragrance. Placed in
position from head-to-tail on a bed of green onions and beancurd
soaked in soy sauce, the body of the fish was deconstructed as the
fish was sliced into sheets thin enough to eat but thick enough to
hold its shape. The silvery skin of the fish was soft and glistened as
it was placed on the table. Sampling this Cantonese seafood dinner
main course, the meat of the steamed fish was taut and firm while
remaining soft and possessed a clean flavour profile. The soy sauce
lent a sweet saltiness to it while the sharp spice from the green
onion cut through the “heavier” flavours of this delightfully light
dish making is a harmonious symphony with every bite.