Recreate Malaysia Airlines’ delicious inflight CNY menu in your own kitchen

For many, celebrations like Chinese New Year are often one of the few occasions to balik kampung and spend time with loved ones. Unfortunately, the ongoing movement restrictions mean that festivities this year be a more pared-down affair, with many celebrating the new year away from home and family. Nonetheless, if you’re looking for ways to make it a special occasion anyway, what better way to do so than cooking up a storm and gathering the family around the dinner table for a hearty meal?

If you’re feeling a little homesick or simply looking for failproof yet delicious recipe ideas to plan for your reunion dinner menu, read on. Below, we share the recipes for Malaysia Airlines’ inflight festive menu, available all day from 12 to 13 February on select routes.

 

Appetiser: Salmon Tataki 

Ingredients 

• 400g  Salmon Fillet 
• ½ tsp salt flakes 
• 1 tbsp black sesame seeds 
• ½ tsp cracked black pepper 
• 2 tbsp oil 

For marinade 

• 75ml light soy 
• 1 tbsp sesame oil 
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp ginger (grated) 

For ginger glaze 

• 60ml lime juice 
• 60ml light soy
• 60ml olive oil
• 1 tbsp ginger (grated) 

Method 

Combine together the marinade ingredients and add in the salmon. Cover, refrigerate and allow to rest for 30 minutes. Combine the sesame seeds and pepper and place onto a flat plate. Remove the salmon from its marinade, drain, season then roll into the seed mixture, pressing well to form an even coating. Mix the ginger glaze ingredients after.

Next, heat a pan with the oil, then sear the salmon for 20 seconds on each side, keeping the center raw. Slice the salmon into thin even pieces and present on top of the yee sang, then finish with some of the ginger glaze. 

 

Main Course: Steamed Imperial Cod Fish with Red Date, Ginger & Shitake 

Ingredients

• Black Cod Fillet (1kg)
• 4 red dates 
• Fresh black shitake mushroom (40 grams)
• 20 grams fresh ginger
• 2 tbsp soybean paste
• 1 tbsp cooking oil 
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 scallion 

Method

First, clean the black cod and then cut it into fillets before drying it with kitchen towels. On a plate, add light soy sauce and marinate the fish fillets for 20 minutes. Peel the fresh ginger and cut it into small pieces. Set aside for later. Wash the red dates. Half them one by one and remove the seed. Wash scallion and chop finely. Slice shitake mushroom thinly. 

Add the dates, shitake mushroom, and ginger to the plate with the fish fillets. Add soybean paste and cooking oil. Stir to mix evenly. Boil water in a steamer or a pot. When the water starts to boil, put the plate in. Cover the lid and steam for 15 minutes.  Open the lid, and serve the Chinese steamed fish with rice. 

 

Dessert: Mandarin Orange Petit Gateau 

Ingredients 

Mandarin confit 

• 150gm Whole Mandarins 
• 100gm Sugar 
• 200gm Water 

Orange glaze 

• 100gm Water 
• 200gm Sugar
• 200gm Glucose 
• 130gm Condensed Milk 
• 7gm Gelatin Sheets 
• 220gm White Chocolate
• Orange oil-based food coloring 

Orange gel 

• 100gm Orange Juice 
• 50gm Water 
• ½ tsp Agar Agar Powder 
• 15gm Sugar 

Mandarin and mango Insert 

• Orange Gel, all 
• 35gm Confit, finely-chopped 
• 120g fresh mangoes, chopped into small cubes 
• 30g lemon segments, chopped into small pieces 

Vanilla Mousse 

• 75gm Thickened Cream 
• ½ tsp Vanilla 
• 66gm Sugar 
• 57gm Egg Yolks 
• 1 1/2 Gelatin Sheets 
• 282gm Whipped Cream 

Orange Coating 

• 100gm White Chocolate 
• 100gm Cocoa Butter 
• Orange oil-based food coloring 

Assembly 

• Compound white chocolate, melted with green oil based food coloring and set into small stems 
• Small mint leaves 

First, start prepping the mandarin confit. Wash mandarins and poach in water for 15 mins. Once poached, remove and cut it into quarters before covering with water and sugar. Bring it to a boil and simmer until the skin is tender and translucent. Boil syrup down to 103°C and reserve with mandarin segments.

For the orange glaze: first, soak gelatin sheets in cold water. Next, combine water, sugar and glucose together and cook. Mix in gelatin sheets, condensed milk and white chocolate, and blend the mixture in the blender after. Sieve and chill completely overnight, and warm it up to 32°C before using. To create the orange gel, heat up the orange and sprinkle agar agar and sugar on top before boiling rapidly for 2 minutes. Leave it to cool in the fridge until it sets.

To create the mandarin and mango insert, blend the orange gel in a blender before folding in the mango, confit and lemon. Scoop the resultant mixture into the 3cm moulds and freeze. While waiting for it to freeze, get started on the vanilla mousse. First, soak the gelatin sheets in water and heat up the cream and vanilla. Begin whisking the sugar with egg yolks and add the heated cream. Return the mixture to the heat until temperature reaches 84°C. Remove from heat and add gelatin, before cooling to 25°C. Fold in the whipped cream and place into a piping bag, before filling in the 4cm moulds halfway, placing a frozen mango and mandarin insert each in the center. Place it in the freezer after.

To create the orange coating, melt cocoa butter and white chocolate together and add orange food colouring. Now, you’re ready to assemble: remove the dessert moulds and add a dollop of leftover mousse on the top to shape into a mandarin shape. Dip into the prepared orange coating and then straight into the orange glaze. Let it thaw in the fridge after and attach the leaf and stem decorations before serving!