Normally around Lunar New Year, Chinese restaurants in Malaysia enjoy booming business. But as Malaysia battles a third wave of the coronavirus, the government has imposed strict curbs. That means no banquets, no company luncheons, no family reunion dinners. The restrictions have forced restaurants to adapt in order to be able to keep providing Chinese Malaysians with the dishes they yearn for at this time of year, as Rian Maelzer reports from Kuala Lumpur.

Yee sang – the prosperity toss – normally a group ritual performed at crowded restaurants, this year just being done by single families in their homes.

"At home, just play with the kids. It's just something I love, the taste and everything. So I can only do it once a year."

RIAN MAELZER Kuala Lumpur "Starting January 13, the government banned dining-in in restaurants. And although they just eased the rule on the eve of Lunar New Year, a maximum of two people sitting one meter apart are allowed at each table."

Restaurants have had to adapt to preparing yee sang, dim sum, clay pot rice, desserts and full dinners for family reunions for delivery.

CHUNG KUY FAI Consultant Chef, the Han Room "We control and maintain the quality of the food, that is very important. We think about how we can serve the delivery to your house and it still is fresh."

The ban on dine-in in the run-up to New Year meant restaurants had to change their marketing strategies too.

LYN SIEW Oriental Restaurant Group "We are constantly developing new recipes to cater to the takeaway market. Apart from traditional marketing, we've also branched up into e-commerce. We're also on Grab Food. We're doing a lot of unconventional sales channels. We've also recently done Facebook live where we have our sales team introducing all the dishes in our menu. I must say that we've been really busy trying to adapt to these changes."

Such strategies have helped prevent an undoubted setback from becoming a disaster for restaurant owners and their staff.

LYN SIEW Oriental Restaurant Group "We may have front-of-house staff answering phone calls, taking up orders and doing a bit of marketing for us. We may even have some people who are doing the deliveries themselves. It's just a way of keeping everyone busy."

Adaptations that are making sure Malaysians can enjoy their favorite dishes this Lunar New Year – and much as they were intended to look and taste – even if it's just with their immediate families and in their own homes. Rian Maelzer, CGTN, Kuala Lumpur.