Pen Cai 2016 Singapore: Where to Get Your CNY Treasure Pot
What is Pen Cai (盆菜)? You may ask. The origin was from Song dynasty where the poor villagers collected all the best food into a big wooden basin and served it to their fleeing emperor and starving army. Hence it also known as Big Bowl Feast. The Cantonese called it Poon Choi while in Singapore, some people called it Peng Chai but the local business or merchants gave it a better name such as Auspicious, Fortune, Treasure or Prosperity Pot. Regardless of its name, it has become a trend to have Pen Cai as part of Chinese New Year (CNY) meal.
The Pen Cai is a time-consuming dish so it is normally offered by hotels, restaurants and caterers who could prepare in bulk and advance. To stand out from the cut-throat competition, each of them tries to add in the most expensive and luxe ingredients such as abalone, scallop, oyster, fish maw and etc. to make the dish premium and auspicious. Hence the price of a pot of Pen Cai could easily range from a few hundred dollars to even thousand dollars.
If you are keen to try Pen Cai and wondering where to buy it? Here is a list of them, we also include an option where you can DIY yourself at the end of the list if you are adventure enough.
Pre-heated Pen Cai
This type of Pen Cai is already pre-cooked so you just need to add in the sauce provided by the restaurant and reheat them before eating. They usually come in a beautiful clay pot so it is easy to handle and transport; most restaurants only provide takeaway service only so be prepared to self-collect yourself. Some restaurants give early bird discount for advance order so order early if you could.
Happiness Prosperity Pot（喜庆盆菜）
Restaurant: Boon Tong Kee （文东记）
No. of People: 10 pax
Ingredients in the Pot:
- Baby Abalone 鲍鱼仔
- Pan Fried Prawn with Seafood Sauce 干煎虾碌
- Dried Oyster 蚝豉
- Grilled Meat 金钱鸡
- Braised Pig’s Trotter with Chestnuts 栗子猪脚
- Stewed Mushroom with Chicken Feet 冬菇鸡脚
- Crispy Roasted Duck 脆皮烧鸭
- Crispy Roasted Chicken 脆皮烧鸡
- Foo Chow “Yan Si Qiu” 福州燕丝球
- Braised Chinese Cabbage 扣白菜
- Broccoli 西兰花
- White Radish 白萝卜
Prices: $238++ (10 pax)
How to Order: Call 6254 3937 to order or check out their website http://boontongkee.com.sg/ for more details.
Where to Collect: Self collection at 399/401/403 Balestier Road, Singapore 329801. Tel: 6254 3937
Collection Time: 12pm to 2pm / 3pm to 5pm
Delivery: $20 (Minimum order must be $350).
Prosperity Pen Cai (鲍鱼盆菜 )
The Pen Cai from Reunion Steam Boat is pre-heated so you and your family could enjoy it without any cooking. They also have frozen version Pencai at $288 for 10 person and “Prospertiy Pen Cai” at $158 for 5 person.
Caterer: Reunion Steam Boat
No. of People: 10 pax
Ingredients in the Pot:
|
|
Price: $328 (only available during CNY 2016 at Feb 7-9)
How to Order: Order online at http://store.reunionsteamboat.com/
Where to Collect: Self collection starts from 12pm to 6pm at 57 Jalan Tua Kong Singapore 457253.
Delivery Time: 12pm to 5pm (on 7 Feb 2016) / 12pm to 2pm (on 8, 9, 19 Feb 2016)
Delivery Fee: $25 (on 7 Feb 2016), $35 (on 8, 9, 19 Feb 2016)
Abalone Treasure Pot 新春鲍鱼盆菜
Restaurant: Fu Lin Men Chinese Restaurant （福临门）
No. of People: Small Pot for 6 pax / Big Pot for 10 pax
Ingredients in the Pot:
- 10-head abalones
- Sea cucumber
- Dried Scallops
- Big Prawns
- Dried Oyster
- Roast Pork
- Roast Duck
- Roast Chicken & etc.
Prices: $238 (6 pax) / $368 (10 pax)
Available from 11 Jan 2016 to 26 Feb 2016.
How to Order: Order online at http://www.passion-restaurant.com
Where to Collect: Self Collection from the outlet you ordered. Outlets located at Jurong Country Club & Raffles Country Club.
Delivery: No delivery, self-collection only.
Fortune Treasure Pot “Pen Cai”
Restaurant: The Seafood International Market & Restaurant
No. of People: 6 pax / 10 pax
Ingredients in the Pot:
- Australian abalone (6 pcs) 六头鲍鱼
- Fish Maw 花胶
- Black Moss 发菜
- Sea cucumbers海参
- Canpoy 瑶柱
- Dried Oysters蚝豉
- Roast Duck 烤鸭
- Chicken Char Siew 鸡叉烧
- Mushrooms 冬菇
- Prawns 鲜虾
- Scallops 带子
- White Cabbage津白
- Radish 罗卜
Prices: $268++ (6 pax) / S438++ (10 pax)
How to Order: Order Online at estore.lobster.com.sg or call 6345 1211
Where to Collect: 902 East Coast Parkway, Blk B #02-06 Big Splash, Singapore 449874.
Collection Date: 25 Jan – 22 Feb 2016
Delivery: No delivery. Self-collection only.
Treasure Pot (Pen Cai)
Restaurant: Spring Court 詠春园
No. of People: 6 pax / 12 pax
Ingredients in the Pot:
|
|
Prices: $298 (6 pax) / $428 (12 pax)
How to Order: Call 6449 5030 or Order online at http://www.springcourt.com.sg
Where to Collect: Self Collection at 52-56 Upper Cross Street, Singapore 058348.
Delivery: No delivery. Self-collection only.
Qian Xi Pen Cai
Restaurant: Qian Xi Group
No. of People: 6 pax / 10 pax
Ingredients in the Pot:
- Abalone 鲍鱼(6 pcs)
- Scallops 带子
- Sea Cucumber 海参
- Dried Scallops 干贝
- Fish Maw 鱼鳔
- Prawn 虾
- Roast Pork 烧肉
- Pork Tendons 蹄根
- Pig’s Trotter 元蹄
- Chicken Wings 鸡翅膀
- Yam 芋头
- Lotus Slices 莲藕片
- Mushroom 冬菇
Prices: $198++ (6 pax) / $298++ (10 pax) (promotion till 31st Dec’15)
How to Order: Call 6745 8822 to order or check out their website http://www.qianxi.com.sg/ for more details.
Where to Collect: Collect at the outlet you order.
Delivery: No delivery. Self-collection only.
Vegetarian Pen Cai (素盆菜)
For vegetarian, you will be delighted to know there is vegetarian Pen Cai available. You will not be disappointed as you can get all the premium ingredients such as vegetarian abalone, sea cucumber, prawns, roast pork and ham for the vegetarian version of Pen Cai.
Restaurant: Tam Kah Shark’s Fin (谭家鱼翅)
No. of People: 6 pax
Ingredients in the Pot:
- 5 Heads Vegetarian Abalone 素鲍鱼 (6 pcs)
- Japan Vegetarian Sand Sea Cucumber 日本素秃生参(6 pcs)
- Taiwan Vegetarian Hams 台湾素火腿(6 pcs)
- Taiwan Vegetarian Roast Pork Belly 台湾素烧肉(6 pcs)
- Vegetarian Large Prawns 素大明虾(6 pcs)
- Thick Flower Mushroom 原木厚花菇(6 pcs)
- Fresh Bean Root 鲜豆根250g
- Wild Fungus 野生云耳200g
- Cordyceps Flower 虫草花80g
- Ling Zhi Mushroom 白灵菇5 pcs
- Vegetarian Oyster Sauce Mushroom 素蚝油双菇300g
- Lotus Slices 莲藕片(6 pcs)
- Tienjin Cabbage 天津白菜600g
- Braised Yam 闷芋头(6 pcs)
- Leek 发菜 （6 pax）
- Vegetarian Abalone Pen Cai Soup 素鲍鱼盆菜汁 800g
Prices: $218 (early bird promotion at $101 end of 31st of Jan’16)
How to Order: Order at online store http://www.tamkahsharksfin.com/
Where to Collect: Self-collection available at Aljunied and Chinatown outlets only.
Delivery Fee: $30
DIY Pen Cai
If you find the above pre-cooked Pen Cai are overpriced, you can always buy the canned version or the Pen Cai ingredients to DIY yourself. Check out the Pen Cai recipe here or the video of making of Pen Cai here. The canned version are normally easily found at supermarket like NTUC Fairprice, Giant and Cold Storage. Some could be purchased directly online too. The prices normally range from $60 – $200. Below are some well-known brands that can be found in the supermarket.
- Skylight (天亮牌）Treasure Pot
- New Moon （人月牌）Prosperity Abalone Treasure Pot
- Eu Yan Sang （余仁生）Royal Supreme Abalone Treasure Port
- Fortune （财神牌）Festive Abalone Peng Cai
As DIY Pen Cai could be a laborious process, you could either start early to prepare or mobilize your whole family to help out. It’s a great way for bonding and spending quality time with your family members during the New Year.
#####
We wish you have fun getting or cooking the prosperity Pen Cai for your Chinese New Year dinner.
Have a Prosper and Huat Lunar New Year 2016! 🙂
