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Pen Cai (盆菜)
Pen Cai (Poon Choi/Pen Chai/Peng Cai/Big Bowl Feast) literally means “basin vegetables” (盆菜) as it was traditionally served to the Emperor in wooden washbasins during the Song Dynasty (adapted to claypot or casserole in modern times).
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It is a traditional one-pot Chinese dish of Cantonese origin, and have been a very popular dish in Hong Kong. In recent years, the dish gained immense popularity as a Chinese New Year dish in Singapore. A distinctive feature of Pen Chai is that the ingredients in the claypot are cooked separately, layered and topped with an assortment of seafood delicacies fit for royalty (with luxurious seafood such as abalone and scallops). Eating pen cai signifies abundance and richness in the coming year. I made this pen cai on Sunday for my family’s early Chinese New Year reunion dinner as I will be away during the festive season and I’m happy that it was well-received on the dinner table!
Auspicious symbolisms of Pen Cai ingredients:
- Fat choy (dried moss) sounds like “fatt choi” (striking it rich)
- Prawns (sounds like “ha” in Cantonese) symbolizing laughter (笑 “哈哈”) and happiness
- Green ingredients (broccoli): 青春常驻 (perpetual youthfulness)
- Red items (carrot and wolfberries): 鸿运当头 (good fortune)
- White radish (daikon): 风生水起/步步高升(increasing growth & prosperity)
- Abalone: 年年’包’有余 (increasing abundance). They also looked like ingots (ancient China currency symbolising wealth)
- Golden ingredients (scallops, tau kee, fish maw, tau kwa): 翩地黄金 (abundant wealth)
- Carrots cut to flower shapes: 花开富贵 (blooming success).
Step-by-Step Photos (How to layer the ingredients)
Here’s a step-by-step on how I layer my casserole of treasures. The bottom ingredients are those which can absorb the braising sauce most efficiently. The top layer are the luxury and auspicious items.
Layer 1: Napa cabbage
Layer 2: Tau kee (beancurd skin)
Layer 3: Daikon (white radish)
Layer 4: Tau kwa & siu yok
Layer 5: Fish maw (3/4 of it)
Layer 6: Fat choy, scallops, mushrooms & remaining fish maw. Add gravy until just before the top layer. Cover with lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
Layer 7: Top with the remaining ingredients (broccoli, abalone, prawns, carrots, roast duck, fish maw).
Layer 8 (last layer): Bring remaining sauce to a simmer, and while the sauce is still bubbling, pour it over the ingredients until filled to the brim. Ready!!!
Even though I used some shortcuts (store-bought fried beancurd & roast meat), it still took me 3 hours to make this dish from start to finish! Although it is tedious and time-consuming to prepare, the method is relatively easy. My cost price for the ingredients was S$100 but I believe the market rate at restaurants is easily S$300, so there is strong justification for all that hard work. The pot is also very filling and can easily be served as a one-dish meal for 6 persons (we had other Chinese New Year dishes to accompany it though), with possibly leftovers for the next day.
Hi Wiffy, your 盆菜 looks great! My mom & I tried making 盆菜for the 1st time last wk and it was tedious, involving so many steps + braising time … But the end result was Delicious!!! The best part abt 盆菜 is that one can always tweak the ingredients to one’s liking Thanks for sharing your recipe here! 祝你新年快乐，蛇年煮更多美味菜肴！ Michelle
I’m sure your 盆菜 is fantastic coz you are a good cook! 新年快乐, 恭喜发财, 身体健康, 万事如意!
Thank you for your step by step tutorial. Your Pen Cai looks great! I was thinking of using Swanson brand chicken stock. Do you think it will still tastes good?
Yes, I think Swanson chicken stock is good! This round I used Maggi concentrated chicken stock.
Your pencai looks delicious!!! Nice combination~ Yummy!!!
Hi wiffy,
Thanks for sharing the recipe. Can I ask if we
can prepare this in the morning first n reheat in up
just before dinner? ;) thanks !!
Hi Jaques, yes – you can prepare in advance and heat up the claypot before serving. Let me know how it goes :)
Full of luxurious goodness!
Thank you for sharing this! The step by step is very very useful :-)
making pen cai this year? happy cooking!
Hi Wiffy
Thank you for the recipe.
May I know what the brand name of the baby abalone, dried scallop & chicken broth you used?
Hi Jackie, abalone I bought from q10 http://list.qoo10.sg/gmkt.inc/Goods/Goods.aspx?goodscode=408430262 (14 pcs). it’s good. dried scallops from Hong Kong. chicken stock I used Maggi concentrated chicken stock.
I heard so much about this dish, but never had chance to try…looks delicious with all the yummie layers…
Hope you are having a great week Wiffy!
Hi Wiffy, made this yesterday for reunion lunch. It was fantastic. Everyone loved it. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It is going to be our yearly Chinese New Year dish from this year onwards :). 祝你新年快乐
so happy to hear! 祝你新年快乐,身体健康, 万事如意!
Hi Wiffy,
I cooked pen cai following your recipe with additional ingredient of “Ho see” last nite for a total of 10 family members and they all like it.
Thanks so much for the unreserved recipe and clearly described instructions which enable me to complete the cooking at ease. Although it’s a tedious dish but well worth doing it. Cheers!
I will try more of your dishes in future. (I just discovered your website a few days ago)
Wishing u a happy and bountiful new year
Hi Bettina, I’m so happy to hear that your pen cai was a success! wishing you a healthy and wealthy new year! 新年快乐!