Epitome of Cantonese Cuisine
If you’ve ever visited Hong Kong, you’ll know how highly regarded Shunde cuisine is among the locals. Even though both Hong Kong and Shunde are part of Guangdong province, Shunde gastronomy is not just another regional specialty. It is considered the very foundation of Cantonese cuisine, with roots that trace back to the Ming dynasty.
Located in the fertile Pearl River Delta, Shunde is blessed with an abundance of fresh produce and river fish, giving rise to a culinary tradition built on a deep respect for natural flavours.
So when I heard that Xin Cuisine was introducing a seasonal menu inspired by Shunde’s rich gastronomic heritage, I was excited to see what dishes Executive Chef Kwan Yiu Kan, himself born in Panyu (番禺) a district in Guangzhou, had come up with.
Seasonal Shunde Menu
Xin Cuisine is featuring this special Shunde menu just in the month of July, from the 2nd to the 31st.
IHG One Reward members and Kris+ members get to enjoy 20% off. This offer is valid for direct reservations via phone, email or restaurant website only, and cannot be combined with other promotions or offers.
Stuffed Whole Dace Fish with Savory Fish Paste
Shunde fried stuffed dace is one of the most iconic dishes in Shunde cuisine. Dace is a common freshwater fish. It is a mud carp, cirrhinus molitorella. It is probably best known as the popular canned dace with black bean sauce.
However, in Shunde, it is transformed into a delicacy that showcases the chef’s skills. Because the fish is full of small bones, the chef begins by carefully removing the entire skin in one piece, a process that requires exceptional precision and knife skills.
The flesh is then thinly sliced and minced into a smooth paste. This is mixed with ingredients such as chopped lup cheong, spring onion, and other seasonings to create a fragrant and flavourful stuffing. The filling is then stuffed back into the fish skin and then deep-fried until golden and crisp.
The result is a fish that looks deceptively whole until you slice into it crosswise to reveal what is essentially a flavourful fish cake!
Crisp-Fried Fish Mousse with Prawns in Superior Stock Reduction
Because of the numerous small bones, Dace is often used to make fish balls or what the Cantonese like to call 鱼蛋 (yú dàn).
A level-up variation of this is to whip the fish paste with egg white and starch into a light and airy mousse. The mousse is then deep-fried until golden and puffy, forming a chewy tofu-like crust with a soft and tender centre.
These are then braised in a savoury broth alongside loofah and prawns. The golden soup is light yet umami-rich, allowing the sweetness of the loofah and the subtle seafood flavour of the fish mousse to shine through.
Stir-Fried River Prawns with a Delicate Egg White and Milk Beurre Blanc
This elegant Shunde dish embodies the finesse of the region’s cuisine. Its base is made up of milky, tender egg white curds that cradle sweet river prawns.
To create this cloud-like bed, a mixture of egg whites, milk, and starch is poured into a wok over low heat. Using a ladle, the chef deftly scrapes and folds the mixture, forming soft, delicate curds that resemble milk clouds.
The prawns are quickly sautéed to prevent overcooking and gently placed atop the bed of egg whites. The chef tells us that the river prawns are specially imported from Shunde for this dish. However, the highlight of the dish has to be the delicate milk curds.
Deep-Fried Sliced Eel with Salt and Pepper
Shunde Salt and Pepper Eel is a dish that showcases the region’s skill in wok-fried cooking as well as its connection to freshwater eel culture.
Known as the “hometown of Chinese eels”, Shunde produces around 55,000 tons of eel annually. It is the largest eel breeding, processing, and export base in China, accounting for one-fifth of the country’s eel product exports. This abundance of high-quality eel makes dishes like Salt and Pepper Eel a local specialty.
In this dish, fresh river eel is sliced into bite sized sections, deep-fried until crisp on the outside, and then stir-fried with garlic, chili, salt, and pepper. Crisp, spicy, and deeply savoury, it is one of those dishes that you cannot stop eating.
Braised Duck and Taro in Plum Sauce Jus
Braised Duck with Yam (芋头焖鸭) is a dish closely associated with Shunde and is considered a classic. While braised duck dishes can be found throughout southern China, the Shunde version stands out for its distinctive use of taro (yam).
This was my first time trying braised duck with yam, and it immediately reminded me of the Hakka braised pork with yam. However, the sauce here has a slight sweetness, thanks to the addition of plum sauce.
I had initially assumed it was made with roast duck, but it’s prepared quite differently. The duck is first deep-fried to render the fat and develop flavour, then sliced and layered with taro before being braised. If you’re a fan of duck and yam, this is a dish you’ll appreciate!
Xin Cuisine Signature Roast Duck
Home-style Roast Duck smoked with Tea Leaves
Xin Cuisine’s tea-smoked duck is not part of the Shunde seasonal menu, but we’ve included it because it is one of Xin Cuisine’s signature dishes.
The duck is first marinated and roasted until the skin is crisp, then smoked for a further half an hour over tea leaves to infuse it with a subtle tea aroma. Just before serving, hot oil is poured over the skin to ensure it remains perfectly crisp.
Dim Sum
Xin Cuisine has been a well-regarded name in Singapore’s dining scene for over three decades and is known for its dim sum. All dim sum items are handmade on the premises by experienced chefs, preserving time-honoured techniques while occasionally adding modern twists to classic favourites.
Ginger Milk Curd
If you’ve ever been to Hong Kong, you’ve probably come across this popular dessert when visiting a traditional dessert shop in the evening.
Ginger Milk Curd (姜汁撞奶) is a warm and soothing treat beloved by locals for its delicate texture and gingery warmth. Though often associated with Shunde due to the region’s reputation for refined milk-based dishes, this dessert is not strictly Shunde in origin.
It is thought to have first appeared in the Panyu district of Guangdong Province, likely created by someone looking to balance the “cooling” effects of milk with the warming properties of ginger.
Made with just three ingredients—fresh milk, ginger juice, and sugar, it relies on a natural enzymatic reaction to gently set the milk into a silky curd without the use of gelatin or starch. The result is a light, comforting dessert that is as nourishing as it is nostalgic.
Conclusion
Xin Cuisine’s Shunde menu offers an introduction to one of Cantonese cuisine’s most refined regional styles. With roots in the heartland of Guangdong, Shunde cooking is known as the pinnacle of Cantonese cuisine.
Chef Kwan Yiu Kan’s menu manages to capture this spirit with dishes like the stuffed dace and silky stir-fried River Prawns. This foretaste of Shunde cuisine might just spark enough curiosity to plan a trip to Shunde itself to get a deeper understanding of its gastronomy!
Disclosure: This post is written in partnership with Xin Cuisine Chinese Restaurant.
