Putien at Gurney Paragon Mall Penang Launches Fujian Dishes – Fatt Tiew Cheong 佛跳墙 & Mudskipper 跳跳鱼

This November, Putien bought a group of six together to sample their Fujian “Heng Hwa” (兴化) specialities at their Penang outlet in Gurney Paragon Mall. The restaurant has the menu filled up with time-honored crowd favorites and newly introduced Mudskipper Fish 跳跳鱼, Fatt Tiew Cheong (Buddha Jumps Over the Wall) 佛跳墙, and Fujian Fried Oyster Omelette 福建海蠣煎.

Among the series of appetizers were the trio of Braised Pig Intestine, Braised Bamboo Shoot and Drunken Squids. The squid was well sized (each piece chewable in one bite), and appetizing with the fresh chopped garlic and chilies.

Braised Bamboo Shoot

Braised Pig Intestine

Drunken Squid

The star for the evening was the Fatt Tiew Cheong 佛跳墙 (Buddha Jumps Over the Wall) dish. The highly nourishing soup prepared with eight types of premium ingredients and Chinese herbs is simmered over low heat for ten hours.

The dish served individually comes with abalone 六头南日鲍, sea cucumber 大连海参, dried scallop 瑶柱, shark fin 黄金鱼翅, fish skin collagen 深海鱼皮, flower mushroom 随州花菇, pork tendon 猪蹄筋, and pigeon egg 鸽子蛋.

A shot of Chinese Moutai white wine was added to accentuates the flavor of this well known Fujianese dish. Its strong lingering fragrance definitely brought the Fatt Tiew Cheong dish to a different level.

Fatt Tiew Cheong accompanied by a shot of Chinese Moutai white wine

The rich soup with eight types of premium ingredients at RM288.60 per pax

Putien also introduced some new creations and one that will pleasantly surprise seafood lovers will be the mudskipper 跳跳鱼. Also known as goby fish, the mudskipper is commonly found at the junction of salt and fresh water in coastal areas such as Fujian and Zhejiang.

The mudskipper is very versatile and comes in three creations – Crispy Salt and Pepper Mudskippers, Pan-fried Braised Mudskippers, and Mudskippers with Tender Salt-Brine Bean Curd. The latter is a warm soup dish with the whole fish boiled in a slightly milky soup along with salt-brine bean curd and Chinese wolfberries. We tried and some of us admitted the taste of the fish is an acquired one – “a little fishy”. If you are really into strong flavorful meat, the mudskipper is the choice.

Crispy Salt and Pepper Mudskipper

Mudskipper with Tender Salt-Brine Bean Curd

The other two dishes are the mainstays: Sweet & Sour Pork with Lychee 莆田荔枝肉, and deboned Deep-fried Squirrel Fish 风味松鼠鱼. We have tried both dishes several times, and this round, they still blew us away with their delicate taste.

Deep-fried Squirrel Fish

Sweet & Sour Pork with Lychee

Fried Heng Hwa Bee Hoon

The Fujian Fried Oyster Omelette 福建海蠣煎 with richness of whites and yolks have generous amount of mildly briny oysters adding flavor to the dish. The accompaniment was a dash of Putien’s Spice Mum Chilli Sauce.