Heritage cuisine with a modern touch

FOR CHEF JEREME LEUNG, HOME is where his restaurants are. So at any time of the year, he and his family might be in Shanghai, Macau, Singapore, Manila, Malaysia or the Maldives. But wherever he is during Chinese New Year, he makes it a point to spend time with family members who live in different countries. For him, that’s what the festivities are all about: “It’s a season for family and loved ones to reunite and make treasured memories together. And this tradition of gathering is something that I hope will continue for as long as possible.”

Inspiring menus

Tradition, with a touch of modernity, is what inspires him when crafting Chinese New Year menus for his restaurant yì by Jereme Leung at Raffles Hotel Singapore. “Together with our executive Chinese chef Yap Poh Weng and the culinary team, we conceptualise a menu that features unique and seasonal ingredients. The Water Rabbit represents longevity, peace, and prosperity in Chinese culture, so we incorporate this symbolism into our food as well.”

For this year’s Chinese New Year menus, the team continues with the restaurant’s philosophy of showcasing ingredients from different provinces of China. “For example, we use yellow pepper paste from Hainan in our steamed cod fillet with a spicy pepper sauce; and five-year aged turnip from Guangdong in our steamed jasmine rice and plant-based meat patty dish.” Ingredients like these are incorporated elsewhere in this year’s repertoire of menus, and “we hope to introduce lesser-known ingredients to our guests while they experience the traditional flavours and cooking methods of Chinese cuisine”.

Fond memories

“I grew up in my Mum’s family restaurants when I started working in the industry at 13 years old,” recalls the Singaporean chef. “In our time, every condiment in the traditional yusheng – pickled green papaya, red and yellow ginger, pickled onions and so on – was made in-house. So the slicing of thousands of kilos of every ingredient became the best apprenticeship training any chef could wish for. 

“Even today, it remains one of the fondest memories that I have growing up. In fact, I still meet up with some of my former colleagues, and we would be laughing about our experiences. And many of them are already retired and are grandfathers themselves today.”

While the lighting of Chinese New Year firecrackers is a distant memory to most living in Singapore, it’s not for Leung, who gets to see it whenever he is in China. “I also enjoy lion dance performances, as we organise them annually at our restaurants.”

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But he does miss certain traditions that are not followed as much now as before, such as ‘shou sui’. “As a child I would stay up on the eve of Chinese New Year in the belief that it would bring longevity to members of my family,” he explains of this practice. “I also miss certain taboos, such as not speaking ill of anyone on Chinese New Year, or sweeping the floor on the first day because it’s considered bad luck and you’re sweeping away prosperity. Many of these traditions I practised in the past are not so commonly observed now.”

CNY dining

He looks forward to celebrating the year of the water rabbit with his family this year, although he hasn’t decided yet whether they will be spending it in Thailand or Malaysia. Meanwhile guests at yì by Jereme Leung will get to feast on some of his personal favourites. He picks three highlights: Steamed Jasmine Rice & Millet with Pickled Long Bean & Preserved Meats; Steamed Marble Goby Fish with Brown Bean & Pineapple Sauce served with Guangxi Beancurd Puff Stuffed with Chives & Minced Pork; and Butterfly Pea & Melaka Coconut Sugar ‘Nian Gao’.

All three, he says, are in keeping with his personal philosophy of preserving Chinese heritage dishes and cooking skills, while making them relevant to modern diners.