If Singapore is the city of food, then here’s a piece of culinary history for you – Gastronaut interviews one of the four heavenly kings of Cantonese cooking and learns about how the popular Chinese New Year dish Yu Sheng was invented.

The ‘heavenly king’ in question is Chef Sin Leong, now in his 80s:

As they say: this is from the horse’s mouth. Even though the four heavenly kings ran separate businesses, they met frequently. On one such occasion the table talk turned to ways to increase business and revenue during the upcoming Chinese New Year. Chef Hooi and his wife broached the idea of a raw fish dish, as they had observed different versions of raw fish being served when they recently traveled in Malaysia. The Cantonese and Teochew, for instance, served recipes that were very simple in preparation and presentation, they said.

The four agreed a raw fish dish was a good idea. However, theirs had to be much more elaborate in order to command a higher price. And they got to work.

Read about this enchanting tale in Gastronaut’s blog here.