Dishes With Good Vibes Too

The four seasons entree, vital to any Chinese banquet, is meant to tease and tempt the palate. Normally served on a presentation of sliced cucumbers, carved carrots, lettuce - and topped with a carved vegetable rose - they symbolically represent the climatic cycle and seasons of a temperate location. Above image, taken at the Jade Restaurant in Georgetown, Penang, are clockwise from upper left, yam with scallops; deep fried prawns in a sweet and sour sauce; and oyster bites - these are preferred Cantonese selections.

A delicacy prized for thousands of years - and now politically incorrect for how they are harvested - are the gelatinous fins of sharks, boiled and brewed to absorb the fine flavours of rich stock and accompanying ingredients. Sharks fins have no taste on their own, are simply soft cartilage, but are treasured for their texture, reputation of nurturing internal human organs, perceptions of retarding aging and being an aphrodisiac. Dorsal fins are priority, followed by tail and pectoral versions.

The dish has shot through the roof in asking prices - and like any sophisticated thing, suffer imitations posing as the real thing. Cleaning of the raw fins require aims of skin peeling, cleaning and boiling them. Preparation of the cooked dish are laborious, involving running the dried or freezed fins under separate processes of cold and warm running water, and then braising the stuff with scallions, clear chicken stock and ginger. When served to discerning diners, they have the choice of quality crab meat and dashes of dark vinegar to add to personal taste.