Issue 104: Oct/ Nov 2019 Designing Our Food's Future | Foodie

ISSUE 104 | OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 | WWW.AFOODIEWORLD.COM

Designing Our Food's Future

FIND OUT WHAT WE WILL BE EATING IN THE DAYS TO COME Treehouse Dining Christian Mongendreʼs newest restaurant

My Little Hong Kong Kitchen This rainbow tomato tart recipe is a triumph

Green Kitchen Experiments Tips for home herb growing

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INTRODUCTION

THE FOOD'S FUTURE SUMMIT Every year we look forward to our annual Foods CEO

Future

Summit

that

gathers

together the brilliant innovators, masterful

Lily Ng

chefs and forward-thinking investors and

CTO

entrepreneurs who are designing the way

Derek Kean COO Shirin Ong E D I TO R-I N-C H I E F

we will continue to consume.

Last year, we gained incredible expertise from Sweden, our partner country, and

Alicia Walker

this year we've joined with GlobalSF

E D I TO R-AT-LA RG E

to discover what the pioneers in San

Celia Hu

Francisco are doing that we can grab hold

D I G I TA L E D I TO R

of and incorporate right here in Hong Kong.

Stephanie Pliakas DESIGNER

What did we learn? We had experts from all over Asia and the USA join us

Miho Yawata

to impart the learnings and developments that are soon to hit our shores

I T S P E C I A L I S T & D PO

and the trends that are sweeping the globe, some that will be fleeting

Dale Foo D I R E CTO R O F B U S I N E S S D E V E LO P M E N T

and others that will endure.

Jason Strickland

Overall, this year's Summit was filled with hope-inspiring conversations

EVENTS &

that have moved on from those we started three years ago and

CO M M U N I CAT I O N S A S S O C I AT E S

progressed to the next level. Instead of being gloomy or finger-wagging,

Jeniffer Chiat, Angela Wong CO N T R I B U TO R S Cindy Lam, Laura Williams, Tom Burney PUBLISHED BY

they were filled with real, and often easy, answers about the changes we consumers need to embrace and the wonderful innovations that are being drip-fed onto our future dining plates.

There is a hopeful destiny ahead, and itʼs going to taste very, very good.

Foodie Group Ltd. 8/F Remex Centre, 42 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong www.afoodieworld.com

Alicia Walker, Editor-in-Chief alicia@afoodieworld.com

P R I N T E D B Y Teams Printing Co., Ltd.

THE CONTRIBUTORS

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Foodie is published bi-monthly, 6 times a year.

Laura Williams

Cindy Lam

Chef Tom Burney

The contents of the magazine are fully protected by copyright and nothing may be reprinted without permission. The publisher

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

06

10

08

02

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

30

06

10

CHEWIN' THE FAT WITH... CHRISTIAN MONGENDRE

LOOK INTO THE FUTURE Two days of conversations, panels, speakers and showcases that gathered

Cindy Lam makes our

The founder of new restaurant

experts, innovators, chefs and

plant-based days

TREEHOUSE tells us about this

entrepreneurs from Asia and the USA

super easy

fast-casual concept filled with

to discover what the future holds for

vegetarian and vegan wonders

our food system

08 SHAPIN G GREENER RESTAURANTS A new platform in Hong Kong designed to help food services to operate more sustainably, meet Food Made Good

30 MEATLESS MONTHLY

32 GREEN KITCHEN EXPERIMENTS

26 MY LITTLE HONG KONG KITCHEN Laura Williams with this month’s wholesome recipes to make at home

Chef Tom Burney gets his hands dirty and explores home herb growing. He's devised an entire strategy for growing Thai curry spices in your own garden

03

PROMOTION

Vitasoy continues to serve up a plant-based lifestyle with coffee The first ever Vitasoy plant-milk outdoor pop up cafe appeared at IRIS, Hong Kong's biggest fitness and wellness festival

Vitasoy "BE GOOD TO YOURSELF" Creative Plant Milk

Pop Up Café

coffee and limited-edition specialty drinks, such as "Soya

The Pop Up Café offered six plant milk-based

The 9th "IRIS: Your Escape", the largest

Good Latte", which is made with "Vitasoy professional

outdoor sports health festival took place in Hong Kong

sweeping Café For Baristas - Soya Milk" and Ideaology's

last month promoting healthy living for body, mind and

own baked Brazilian and Indian premium coffee beans -

soul. Vitasoy, with their “Be Good To Yourself” motto,

made for a smooth and mellow taste. In addition it was

participated with the first outdoor plant milk Pop Up Café

the debut of the "Okinawa Black Sugar Oat Latte", which

providing qualified plant milk coffee and special drinks,

is full of natural flavour, and the "Strawberry Soya Drink"

which were mixed with Vitasoy Café For Baristas Soya Milk,

mixed with fresh strawberry and sweet soy milk for a brand

Oat Milk, and Almond Milk.

new flavour-filled coffee experience. The Pop Up Café

The health and yoga enthusiasts were able to

offered an amazing experience for visitors to try Vitasoy

experience how Vitasoy Plant Milk can fit into their daily

Plant Milk Coffee and Special Drinks to follow this plant-

coffee drinking at Hong Kong cafes. Vitasoy’s vegan, zero-

based “Be Good To Yourself” lifestyle!

cholesterol dairy milk alternatives are made of non-GM soyabeans and whole Australian almonds and oats. Apart from the tasty experience, the soya and almond milks contain around 40% less calories than whole milk. As well, Vitasoy’s Oat and Almond Milk are endorsed by the Australian Specialty Coffee Association, which recognises an ideal match of coffee and smooth foam top. When added to coffee, you can enjoy the look and flavour that’s familiar while advocating for the lifestyle concept “to be a little better for yourself and the earth” - ideal for a weekend full of positive energy and minimal stress.

Without compromising on flavour, you can enjoy a new and healthy taste for your Go Green Lifestyle with Vitasoy!

04

FO R STA RT E RS

f or starters T HE HOT T E ST NE WS B I T ES

STARRY COOKING In a galaxy no one ever imagined would exist, Le

SECRET THEATRE X AAHARN

Creuset has revealed a new limited-edition range of

This one’s got us intrigued and freaked out in equal measure

Star Wars cookware. From the Droid mini cocottes

– a serial killer is on the loose, and it’s your task to investigate.

to a Darth Vader Dutch oven, your favourite cult

Secret Theatre’s immersive, interactive fourth experience

movie from the late 70s could now invade your

in HK is set at historic Tai Kwun, with pre- and post-theatre

kitchen like a clone army. Our favourite item in the

dining options at David Thompson’s acclaimed Thai restaurant

collection has to be the casserole dish complete

Aaharn. We were all in on the previous Fight Club x Butcher’s

with Han Solo frozen in carbonite as a lid. If you

Club, and this one sounds equally epic, with the revamped

want to go a bit more low key, they're also releasing

Central Police Station providing the perfect atmosphere for

Death Star hot pads to place your pans on. Available

an adrenaline-filled evening. Wednesday–Saturday from

from 1 November, both online and at Le Creuset

now until 9 November 2019, with both pre- and post-dinner

stores, from then on while you're cooking, the power

options at Aaharn. Priced from $788; wine-paired dinner +

of the force could be with you, too.

show from $1,288 or VIP experience at $1,788.

VEGAN PIGS CAN FLY Cathay Pacific is the first airline to begin serving the plant-based sustainable pork alternative Omnipork in the skies. The behemoth airline has added an Omnipork bolognese pasta dish to its in-flight menu on business-class flights starting this month. The Hong Kong food-tech company Right Treat developed the faux pork from the clever combination of a pea protein, shiitake mushrooms, soy and rice. Their version is cholesterol free and has 66 per cent fewer calories than pork. Sounds like it might be time to faux-pig out.

05

CHEWIN' THE FAT

CHEWIN’ THE FAT WITH...

CHRISTIAN MONGENDRE We all know Christian from the notable restaurants he

Tell us about TREEHOUSE: TREEHOUSE is basically where

helped found like MANA! and HOME – EAT TO LIVE. These

we try to reimplement all the wonderful things that we

dining establishments made an impact with more than just

were trying to do in the past and carry forward some new

their all-caps monikers; they were also completely ahead of

things. We partnered up with a design studio to really push

their time. A large pocket of loyal customers honed in and

the boundaries of the sourcing in terms of our eco material.

became lunchtime zealots, finally finding spaces that would

And that company really pushed to have a lot of wonderful

feed them sustainable, wholesome, natural vegetarian

new textures and elements that were truly sustainable.

ingredients that were neither boring nor preachy. Just good

That was part of our learning experience, because things in

food that's also good for you.

that space sometimes are very hard to adapt to restaurant

Now, Christian's taken the learnings from his

operation use. On the technology side, we really want to be

previous enterprises and poured them into his newest

a place that appeals to all types of consumers that want

restaurant, TREEHOUSE, a fast-casual, tech-heavy concept

to order on their busy schedule. We really understand the

that also happens to be plant-based.

Hong Kong market now and the most efficient, convenient

way, while staying true to the product that we're serving.

We spoke with Christian to find out the skinny

on all the offerings at TREEHOUSE.

Do you think customers are asking different questions now

Christian says the idea for TREEHOUSE is to

than when you started MANA!? Yes, over the years, things

create a space that imbues a feeling of nature in the middle

have changed exponentially. There are a lot more organic

of the city.

farmers on the scene, all reflecting that the demand is

06

P H OTO G R A P H Y: C H R I S T I A N M O N G E N D R E, T R E E H O U S E

His new concept, TREEHOUSE, aims to serve up a playful taste of nature

CHEWIN' THE FAT

growing. Also people's willingness is really increasing, like

from overseas and got it right away or people that dealt

this year zero waste is a big kind of buzzword, so everyone's

with health issues and had transitioned to a raw diet. So

aware about the issue now and all the hotels are changing,

basically, I've learned that you can create a great product,

and so on and so forth. It seems that people are making

but the market may not be ready for it. And you have to

more of a conscious effort and maybe are being more

cook for the market. Then you can just push it a little

mindful about eating, not just eating anything on any given

bit further.

day but maybe saying, we only eat meat on weekends or

What are you doing differently at TREEHOUSE? We're really

something similar to that.

trying to feel like a treehouse as you walk in, but we're

Like a "flexitarian" stance. Do you view that as a positive

doing it really technology friendly, so the product comes

label? Those labels are creating separation between

out really fast. Hopefully, if you're not busy, then you can

people, and essentially, that's not what we want. At this

come and hang out with us, but if not, you can just pick up

stage, we want to be another restaurant option that is

at the window. The big changes are that we're making it

appealing to everyone, and not just catering to a certain

even more healthy than what I've done in the past in terms

niche. In the past, maybe "vegetarian" had some negative

of the digestive ability. So instead of having, you know, just

connotations, but we need to give people more space to be

normal flatbreads, we're entering the sourdough space as

99% vegetarian but then occasionally be allowed to, you

well, so people can have bread, but it's much lighter on the

know, fuel their body with something that's required. I find

stomach with a better use of energy, as well as fermented

that vegan labels come with a lot of very serious activism

ingredients. You can expect a lot of the same structure of

and people get turned off by this. In this day and age, we

a fast casual that we would have burgers and different

don't need separation; we need to realise that everything

wraps. You can make your own salad bowls, your own

we're doing is affecting everyone. We all need to eat more

grain bowls. We have a lot of wonderful signature desserts,

plant based; there is no other real solution given to us as

and most of them are raw because with desserts it始s not

humans. So I think the need to go beyond labels is very

actually a trade-off; it始s just a wonderful way to bridge

important now. We tend to refer to ourselves as a quality-

the gap overall. It始s a very positive message, very uplifting.

focused restaurant rather than vegetarian or vegan.

It始s a place where we hope it brings people to reconnect with nature as a whole and also kind of build a community

What have you learned from your past few restaurants?

around this.

When we created the second iteration of MANA! Raw, we

TREEHOUSE Shop 1, G/F, H Code, 45 Pottinger Street,

created a super product we were very proud of, but we

Central, 3971 2277

would only get like the hardcore clients that were either

> From left to right: Forest Burger, signature wraps and custom grain bowls 07

FEATURE

SHAPING GREENER RESTAURANTS Heidi Spurrell is the founder of Food Made Good (FMG)

event between the SRA in London and another NGO

Hong Kong. Her work in food policy with London and

where I was working at the time who were also trying to

Amsterdam-based sustainability NGOs and The Worldʼs

drive change in the food service industry. We combined

50 Best Restaurants Sustainable Restaurant Award

our efforts to bring our common goals to the fore in the

programme has led her to create this platform that will

alternative protein space, asking what role chefs could

drive sustainability within the Hong Kong dining scene.

play to encourage the shift towards increased plant-

The FMG programme is based on the UK’s Sustainable

based diets. We did that by bringing together stakeholders

Restaurant Association (SRA), which had its Asia launch

from industry, academia, government and NGOs, in many

in June this year and uses the global perspective that

ways similar to what you are trying to do with the Food’s

Heidi has gained over the years to ambitiously improve

Future Summit.

Hong Kong’s F&B industry, transforming it into one where sustainability is the norm.

We spoke to Heidi to find out how it all works

and how Hong Kong's restaurants are faring in the food fight towards a low-carbon lifestyle.

How did you get started with the Sustainable Restaurant Association? We first encountered each other at a joint > Above: Food Made Good Awards winners 08

P H OTO G R A P H Y: M A K E V E G A S TA R, N OT A S I D E C A M PA I G N

A new platform in Hong Kong is designed to help food services to operate more sustainably. Meet Food Made Good

FEATURE

How does the rating system work? The rating is completed by members online. It captures businessesʼ activity across our three pillars, Sourcing, Society, and Environment – simply put, it’s the food on the plate, your relationship with people and the impact on the planet.

Once a business completes their survey,

we calculate a percentage score for each key area, and the overall sustainability score is an average of those

too. We need to create impact at all levels and to do so in

percentages. A business may achieve one, two, three or

an authentic and credible way. That is why we collaborate

no stars, depending on their score. We not only give you a

with professors, single-issue NGOs and government and

report summary, but set a benchmark, show your year-on-

businesses. No single organisation can do this work alone.

year progress and offer opportunities through actionable What restaurants in Hong Kong are doing things really

recommendations. We help set targets and can handhold

well? Peggy Chan at Nectar is a real rock star in this space,

through the next steps.

Pizza Express and MANA!, of course, but also some other What kinds of recommendations do you usually find

newcomers like Roganic.

yourself giving restaurants? The recommendations we give Do most restaurants do poorly on average? Not at all.

to restaurants vary hugely from one business to the next.

Some restaurants join as members and achieve three

Some may want help finding a new supplier; others might

stars straight away, but it is also great to see restaurants

want advice on how to put together a policy on waste. Our

in the UK who have worked their way up from one star to

rating delves into each individual business, making sure

three stars over the years. Hopefully, this will be the case

that the recommendations we provide are tailored to them.

in Hong Kong too. No restaurant is able to claim 100% How did you get involved with The World's 50 Best? FMG

on a rating. It is more of an aspiration; we are all on a

has worked with World’s 50 Best for a number of years,

journey. However, Peggy Chan is in a league of her own in

initially judging the Sustainable Restaurant Award as part

Hong Kong and doing progressive work, especially in the

of The World’s 50 Best, now extending to Asia’s 50 Best,

sourcing of biodiverse ingredients. With Peggy, we looked

Latin America’s 50 Best, Asia’s 50 Best Bars and The World’s

at staff training and ways to motivate staff, which included

50 Best Bars. The World’s 50 Best realised the importance

sustainability training and personal development such as

of sustainability within gastronomy and the power that

English lessons, and we highlighted the importance of

these world-leading chefs have to influence what, and how,

team dinners.

we eat. So the idea for a Sustainable Restaurant Award How can restaurants get you to come and rate them? As

was born.

the rating is completed online, restaurants can take part in How will Food Made Good work here in Hong Kong? We

the rating in their own time, completing a section at a time

will mirror the Food Made Good programme in London

over a number of weeks if they wish. We will be there to

and create a platform that is inclusive, that serves not

help and guide them through at any points if they get stuck

only the Michelin stars but the fast-casual dining space

though. Just get in touch! > Above: SRA (Food Made Good 2018)

To find out more about Food Made Good, check out https://awards.thesra.org 09

FOOD'S FUTURE SUMMIT

of FOOD

At the Food’s Future Summit 2019, held at Asia Society Hong Kong, we spent two days gaining insight into what will show up on our plates in the years to come and what par t we will play in this

10

P H OTO G R A P H Y: C H O C O LAT E S B Y RYA N L F O OT E

look into THE FUTure

FOOD'S FUTURE SUMMIT

Each year, for our Foodʼs Future Summit, we

leading venture capital funds from around the world. They

select a global partner we feel we can learn an immense

are supporting several initiatives, from launching the

amount from. One that will help to develop our city with

largest plant-based accelerator in the world to building

the knowledge we gain, and help to push it forward in

plant-based facilities in the United States.

terms of innovation and sustainability.

This year, we teamed up with GlobalSF, a

also spoke. Gonzales has created the Food & Agriculture

global not-for-profit platform committed to bringing

Startup Innovation Group and impactful brands like

together key stakeholders in the public and private

FoodBytes! and TERRA, born with a simple but ambitious

sectors in order to create sustainable economic growth.

goal in mind: to help to feed the world in a sustainable

They brought over an extraordinary delegation from San

way. In his newest venture, the Revolution in Food Fund,

Francisco for an intensive two-day information exchange

Gonzales is continuing his mission to discover, invest

between Hong Kong and the Bay Area.

and develop founders leading the revolution in food

through food tech, agritech, biohacking, food management

We had a tremendous master of ceremonies,

The CEO of Global RIFF, Manuel Gonzales,

Natasha D’Souza, an international technology and

technology and new food CPG.

innovation strategist, journalist and presenter, to guide us

through our intense agenda. From the high-tech farmers,

founder and CEO of Brinc, a global venture accelerator

alternative protein pioneers and food industry investors to

that invests in founders around the world, including one

the dynamic chefs, businesses and consumers doing the

programme focused on building plant- and clean-meat-

day-to-day work, here’s a long read – yet, in reality, just a

based alternatives to dairy, meat and seafood, with over 10

tiny glimpse – into the deep dive we took into the future

investments in this space already.

Another panellist was Manav Gupta, the

of food.

R E S TA RT 2030: F RO M M E N U TO M A N I F E S TO T H E F O O D R E VO L U T I O N A N D T H E N E XT B I G

GAMBLE

being our Foodie Forks 2019 Food Hero into wanting to

Larry Tang of FAMA Group was spurred by

Day 1 started off with a primer by Jon Gordon,

seek out other food heroes and to help to nurture their

a cross-asset strategist with the UBS Chief Investment

own journeys contributing to conscious consumption. He

Office in Hong Kong. His role focuses on researching and

used the Food’s Future Summit as his platform to unveil

writing on thematic and regional investment ideas for the

his revolutionary FAMA’S KITCHEN, a new cloud-based

CIO’s global flagship House View suite of products.

virtual restaurant concept that gives aspiring health-

focused chefs a way to get their food to market without all

Gordon entranced the audience with a

powerful presentation questioning whether there is

the risk.

space at the table for another two billion people as the

population grows, with global food demand jumping by

on foodpanda, all adhering to FAMA Group’s four pillars of

60 per cent, according to UN forecasts. All this has to occur

“sustainable, local, organic and wellness”, FAMA’S KITCHEN

on the same amount of land we already have, putting the

opens the door to a huge host of health-focused chefs to

onus on productivity increases.

get their food out to local homes and for Hong Kongers to

Traditional

agriculture

models

With six new virtual restaurants now available

access better food for their bodies at reasonable prices.

are

unsustainable, but, Gordon said, they are also ripe for

change. With

FAMA’S KITCHEN, despite what the name

least-digitised

suggests, is not simply a shared cooking space. This

industry, investment in agritech is soaring, with investors

groundbreaking cloud kitchen provides branding, design,

increasingly integrating food, technology, sustainability

social media and technological development, all designed

and responsibility into their investment decision-making.

to give aspiring chefs and entrepreneurs a leg up in this

We scored a weighty first panel to find out

incredibly difficult industry. They use a team of experts

what the investors and venture capitalists are placing their

that range from Chinese medicine practitioners to Western

bets and funding on and why these products and platforms

dieticians, personal trainers and yoga instructors to co-

will be the next big food-related innovations. The panel

create the menus and have even built a database that

included Jon Gordon alongside Dan Pathomvanich, CEO,

tracks the nutritional values of the ingredients used, which

NR Instant Produce Ltd, a company betting on the future

are guaranteed to be free of growth hormones, MSG and

of the plant-based industry and growing it together with

GMO and are all pesticide free.

agriculture

being

the

11

FOOD'S FUTURE SUMMIT

With a 1,700-square-foot brick-and-mortar

kitchen in Sai Ying Pun equipped with six state-of-theart cooking stations, FAMA’S KITCHEN provides the tools and space for future food heroes to get their own food out there without the high overheads and tight margins of the traditional restaurant archetype. They have plans to open more cloud kitchens across Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories.

D I N I N G I N 2030: F RO M S F TO H K

Our signature panel this year spanned from

the Far East to the Wild West, with award-winning chefs from both Hong Kong and San Francisco sharing the influences and experiences that are shaping our future dinner plates.

Moderated by Foodie’s Editor-in-Chief, Alicia

Walker, Walker was joined by Tanya Holland, the cheffounder of famed soul food eatery Brown Sugar Kitchen in Oakland, California; Hong Kong resident celebrity chef Shane Osborn of Arcane and Cornerstone; Chef David Lai, who himself cooked his way across the West Coast before returning to Hong Kong to open Neighborhood; and native San Franciscan Brandon Jew, chef-founder of Mister Jiu’s, Moongate Lounge and Mamahuhu.

Holland hadn’t originally set out to change

her community through her work as a chef, saying, “I’m sort of like an accidental activist. I guess I’ve always been outspoken and just fought for diversity and equality and inclusion and ended up opening up a restaurant in a neighbourhood that was clearly marginalised. And I myself was marginalised because they wouldn’t lease to me in the other neighbourhoods that I wanted to be in.

And so I just have always seen the table as

a place that can be very democratic and equalising and where everybody finds a common denominator. But then the reality is that there’s just such a disparity between social and economic access. So I just use the platform I have to just keep the conversation going to support the organisations that I know that are trying to bridge the gap.

The

unfortunate

part

is, people

think

restaurants are printing money. And we have really small margins. And I think we need to test some of the tech companies that are building these big platforms and making millions and billions of dollars to really take a good chunk of their money and reinvest in the community.”

When asked if it should be down to the chefs to

relay the importance of eating responsibly sourced foods, Osborn said, “I think as chefs we have a responsibility to show other people and industries, especially the young, up12

FOOD'S FUTURE SUMMIT

and-coming chefs, that they have to start really planning more sustainable menus and championing vegetarian cuisine. You know, a Jerusalem artichoke is just as good as a piece of Wagyu in my mind, and it’s our responsibility to highlight that and show people the possibilities of vegetables. We can’t keep consuming the amount of beef that we are at the moment. Everybody knows that; the data is there.

It’s about choosing products and meat,

and particularly farmers that aren’t using antibiotics to increase the appetite of the animals so that they’re gorging themselves and growing into full size. Like chickens, for instance. The ones that we use take 80 to 90 days to grow.

But a supermarket chicken takes 25 days because these intensive farming practices put lots of antibiotics in the feed and increases the appetite of the chickens. So they just eat 24/7, and they grow to a two-kilo chicken within four weeks, which is not normal. So it’s just finding the right supply chain.”

When asked bout the new alternative proteins,

Jew said, “As a chef, I choose, all the time, what I’m going to serve. So I think, as far as GMO stuff, we’re not going to serve this kind of stuff. I’m just not impressed with the product. I kind of think that… the mission is very admirable, but I’m in love with vegetables. So that's where I would like to see people spend their energy on, finding more vegetables they love.

I think as a chef all I try to get towards is

back to understanding more with what’s happened in nature… like learning more about how this plant grows and the attributes of this plant, how it changes within the season, how I can change the flavour of it as as the season goes on.”

Lai has some ideas on where he would like

to see support for independent restaurants progressing, explaining, “Now, when the rent is so expensive, people have to be in safe investments, and usually they resort to one size fits all by default. So you have these chains that have the economy of scale. And that really cuts away a lot of the good ideas that comes from small businesses.

For high-rent places like the Bay Area and

Hong Kong, I think the government nowadays should come to their senses and have a more balanced approach.

I think with rent control, it makes sense relative to small businesses. So I think for the city to be vibrant, they really > From top left down: Tanya Holland, Brandon Jew; Alicia Walker, Shane Osborn, David Lai, Tanya Holland, Brandon Jew; Natasha D’Souza, Manuel Gonzales,Manav Gupta, Dan Pathomvanich, Jon Gordon; Larry Tang, Chi Tran; Innovation showcase; Cocktails and Conversations attendees; wraps from SaladStop!

13

FOOD'S FUTURE SUMMIT

need small businesses. And then the young people, they have the chance to express themselves as well and to do the work they want, rather than listen to what would make money or what's going to survive.”

S P OT L I G H T O N

SAN

F RA N C I S CO: U N I CO R N

THINKING

Joined by three fascinating personalities from

the Bay Area, we were enthralled learning about some of the latest updates in the industry from such an innovative region. The panel was moderated by the MD and founder of GlobalSF, Darlene Chiu, who dug into what makes a successful food business.

Alejandra Espinoza, founder of contemporary

Ecuadorian restaurant SOMOS, introduced us to the food of her heritage, where it is built into the culture to use every bit of a food. “In Ecuadorean food, we use every part of the watermelon. We cook with banana peel. We have over 20 different types of ceviches, from sweet, to salty, to savoury. We would like to bring these flavours to the world.”

Belinda Leong, chef and owner of the

renowned b. Patisserie, said of the success of her business, “We have a very happy staff. Thirty-five out of forty-five are women! When you come into the bakery, you can feel the energy, and it’s like you’re coming into our home.”

We met Alec Lee, CEO of Endless West, which

has created the world’s first molecular whisky, Glyph. Lee has entered a very traditional market with no diversity, which Lee calls the domain of the “old white dude”.

Lee said, “There are a lot of people not buying

this product, and it inspired us to open the doors to a market that isn’t traditionally interested in whisky. We take an open approach to who we speak to, a gender-balanced community, not specific to a certain demographic. We had traditionalists and academic researchers telling us it would never work – to six months later, we have a product.

It helps to put a bunch of very different people together in the same room to work on the same problem.”

T H E N E W P ROT E I N P I O N E E R S

Moderated by Radio Television Hong Kong’s

Saadia Usmani, we heard from a groundbreaking panel of pioneers in new protein, be it plant-based, lab-grown or gas-fermented.

The panellists included Carrie Chan, the

founder of Avant Meats, which has creating the world’s first cell-cultured fish product; Elaine Siu, Managing

14

FOOD'S FUTURE SUMMIT

Director, The Good Food Institute; Celine Schiff-Deb, Senior Director, Product Innovation, Calysta, the world leader in creating sustainable alternative proteins for food and feed ingredients by fermenting natural gas with naturally occurring bacteria; and Vince Lu, co-founder and CEO of Zhen Meat (Zhen Rou), which is trying to make an impact by tempting Chinese meat lovers to trying a plant-based diet.

Siu showed us the exponential growth occurring

in this sector. “In 2015, we saw the first four cultivated-meat companies. The landscape grew quite quickly, approaching 40 companies around the world now doing cultivated meat.”

The panel rolled through provoking question

after question about the protein products of our future, ending with an important debate about the regulatory aspects of cultured meats and alternative proteins, with Lu saying, “Within half a year, we will have regulations about what can be put in plant-based meat and what cannot.”

E N L I G H T E N E D E D I B L E S: P U T T I N G T H E “S U P E R” IN FOOD

Sonalie Figueiras, the founder Green Queen,

moderated our panel about the next generation of food products tackling nutritional and health challenges without compromising on taste or convenience.

We were treated to an inspiring surplus of

new ingredients that will be beneficial to the body from the founder of the milk alternative that took the world by storm, Oatly’s Rickard Öste, as well as Verleen Goh, Chief Food Fighter, Alchemy Foodtech, a company creating new functional foods to combat chronic diseases like diabetes by lowering the GI of staple foods; James Chang, Managing Director, Geb Impact Technology, who calls himself a “high-tech farmer”, growing microalgae to incorporate into everyday food products; and Tommy Leung, the founder and CEO of HakkoBako, a start-up building a connected fermentation chamber for professional chefs.

Leung attended the 2018 Food's Future Summit

where he met Manav Gupta, Founder of Brinc who was launching Brinc's food-tech accelerator program at the event. He was inspired to join Brinc's first cohort, and has since launched his new smart fermentation device. Leung returned to the 2019 Summit where he has just found a new investor for HakkoBako in Rickard Öste from Aventure AB.

> From top left down: Darlene Chiu Bryant, Alejandra Espinoza, Belinda Leong, Alec Lee; Saadia Usmani, Carrie Chan, Celine Schiff-Deb, Vince Lu, Elaine Siu; Sonalie Figueiras, Rickard Öste, Verleen Goh, James Chang, Tommy Leung; Green Monday’s David Yeung and their new Alpha Nuggets

15

FOOD'S FUTURE SUMMIT

T H E N E XT B U RG E R S

A LT E R N AT I V E

Green

Monday’s

M E AT S

co-founder

B E YO N D and

CEO,

David Yeung, took the stage to introduce us to the next generation of plant-based meat just launched.

Heura is a product that really needs to be

tasted to be believed. The incredible texture will make you question your sanity that it’s not actually chicken. Alpha Nuggets and Beyond Sausage are two more of the latest future-forward products making our plant-based buying that much easier.

T H E N E XT B YT E

Wilson Lee, GM of Hyatt Regency Hong Kong,

Sha Tin, moderated this fascinating panel on how data and technology are reshaping our dining and hospitality experiences.

The knowledgeable minds included Adrien

Desbaillets, co-founder of SaladStop!; Pierre Stanghellini, CEO and founder of HARi, a hospitality solution to boost traffic, revenues and profits; and Paul Measor, Commercial Director, foodpanda. The panellists offered a strong debate, with plenty of questions from the audience on how artificial intelligence is used in the F&B industry and how data can be ethically utilised.

I N N OVAT I O N S H O W CA S E

Whenever we took a break, we headed to

our Innovation Showcase to check out Asia’s newest groundbreaking companies in the F&B industry.

These included Avant Meats, which debuted

the world’s first cell-cultured fish maw. Prized in Hong Kong for its use in traditional Chinese medicine soups, fish maw (bladder) is known for its for its high collagen content as well as its rich proteins and nutrients. Due to the limited supply of suitable large fish, fish maw is expensive and counterfeit fish maw is common.To combat this problem, Avant Meats created the world’s first lab-grown fish maw that also sidesteps all the pollutants, antibiotics and microplastics that are now common in seafood.

Our favourite kitchen wizard, Chef Tom Burney

of Invisible Kitchen, took to the Showcase stage alongside the founder of Avant Meats, Carrie Chan, to invite a select few from the audience to experience the world’s first cellcultured fish maw.

To give the maw a bit more wow factor, Chef

Burney turned the lab-grown ingredient into a type of ultra-modern fish ball, using a potato puff exterior for a crunchy first bite, leaving the fish maw as star of the 16

FOOD'S FUTURE SUMMIT

show with its glutinous centre. With bated breath, we were delighted by the appreciative mmms from the crowd of selected tasters, who remarked on the pleasant texture and sticky mouthfeel of the maw.

For the full list of the Innovation Showcase

companies featured, what they do and how they do it, head to www.foods-future.com.

F O O D’S F U T U R E CO C KTA I L S A N D CO N V E R S AT I O N S

After a day filled with intriguing dialogue, we

were still ready for more in the evening at Asia Society, where we placed the spotlight on three world-class chefs from the Bay Area – Tanya Holland, Brandon Jew and Belinda Leong – to share their visions on the future of food.

They cooked and served up creative sweet and savoury canapés using an array of future-forward ingredients and fresh local produce.

We also sampled 3D printed chocolate by

Ryan L Foote and the world’s first molecular whisky, Glyph.

H O W TO B E T H E N E XT B I G F O O D D I S R U P TO R

The first panel of Day 2 was a hit of inspiration

for aspiring food-tech entrepreneurs, with discussions on what the next big things in the food space will be.

With an impressive panel of advisers, Brinc’s

Program Manager, Natalie Lung, guided us through how accelerators and incubators are nurturing the next generation of food disruptors and innovators. These included Ilaria Chan, Group Adviser on Social Impact Investments, Grab, Southeast Asia’s unicorn technology start-up, which provides ride hailing, food delivery and more via its integrated tech platform; Dalal Alghawas, Food Technology Program Manager, Brinc, which is responsible for developing the first food technology accelerator in Hong Kong; and Susan Evans, founder and CEO of Melee, which is focused on the creation of new regenerative ecosystems that can drive next-economy business and society.

A RT I F I C I A L LY I N T E L L I G E N T F O O D

Amice Wong, head of R&D at ReHealthier,

introduced us to this company’s technology, which aims to understand consumer health profiles and intervenes in our > From top left down: Plant-based Beyond Meats; 3D-printed chocolates; IXON sous-vide packaging demo; Wilson Lee, Adrien Desbaillets, Pierre Stanghellini, Paul Measor; world’s first fish maw demonstration from Avant Meats and Invisible Kitchen; Natalie Lung, Dalal Alghawas, Ilaria Chan, Susan Evans 17

FOOD'S FUTURE SUMMIT

food preferences.

Then we were rapt as we learned all about

prediction and innovation from Ryan Ahn, the founder of Gastrograph. Gastrograph is a new AI platform that’s able to algorithmically map and then predict consumer perceptions.

By taking flavour signatures, it’s able to tell which new products will be a hit with consumers and which will fail.

The algorithm can even predict consumer shifts – like the sudden explosion of kombucha, an ancient Russian beverage that’s recently come back into vogue – as well as using “computational creativity” to create new trendy flavours.

B LO C KC H A I N I N O U R F O O D C H A I N

Our resident IT specialist at Foodie, Dale Foo,

moderated this panel while the experts enlightened us about why and how blockchain applications in food supply can address important food safety and security challenges.

The panel featured Greg Wong, Director of

Analytics, CoE Platform & Technology, SAP; Leo Chiu, Chief Technology Partner, Click Ventures; Terence Yeung, Chief Fintech Officer, trustME; and Benjamin So, Founder, 178 Degrees.

Yeung said that some nefarious use of blockchain

is inevitable. “We want control, we want regulation, but blockchain is a decentralised way of controlling things. It doesn’t mean there are no bad people in blockchain. There are bad people everywhere, and they can make bad records.

But it’s traceable, and we will find you. You can buy a knife and you could chop vegetables with it – or you could kill someone with it. It’s how you use it. Blockchain is not a solution; it’s a tool.”

So explained, “At 178 Degrees, we only have

two links: we buy from the fisherman and sell to the consumer. Blockchain is for when you don’t have that trusted relationship. We want to prove the source and keep the connection secure. You could have an RFID tag on the gill of the fish, which would be very difficult to fake. But you have to be motivated to do this; that has to come from the consumer. The wet markets – they don’t care – you have to ask them where does this come from? So often it is mislabelled as even the wrong species of fish.”

R E D U C I N G O U R CA R B O N P LA S T I C S T RAW S

FOODPRINT

P O S T-

Our zero-waste hero, Hannah Chung – also the

Hong Kong lead at muuse (by revolv), which is creating a circular cup economy – moderated a smart and varied panel that included Neil Tomes, Group Development Chef, the Greater China Restaurant Company (who were the first

18

FOOD'S FUTURE SUMMIT

to implement Impossible burgers onto their menus in Hong Kong); Heidi Spurrell, CEO at social enterprise Food Made Good, a brand-new company here in the city that helps businesses to operate more sustainably; and Daniel Jongejan, APAC Project Director, PUR Projet, a company that regenerates ecosystems to improve livelihoods and strengthen supply chains.

As a result of monocropping and other factors,

Spurrell called us all to task. “We only eat between 150 and 200 varieties of vegetables, and there are 30,000 out there.”

Chef Tomes commented on challenges in the

industry, which include “projecting how much food you’re going to use”. He explained, “Now, with what’s happening on the streets, you don’t know if you’re going to feed a full restaurant. As a chef, there’s nothing more exciting than finding a new ingredient. It’s depressing the big corporations like Monsanto are locking down what we have access to.”

Jongejan

highlighted

difficulties

with

labelling. “There are companies that are farming organically, but getting a label is completely inaccessible because of the high cost of certification.”

N A M A S TA S T E: T H E N E W AG E O F CO N S C I O U S CO N S U M E R S

Rebecca Cairns, Chief Content Officer, Compare

Retreats, meandered us through the new landscape of wellness dining, with several inspiring F&B business owners walking the walk: Punam Chopra, CEO & Founder, SpiceBox Organics; Michelle Lau, Founder and Principal Dietician, Nutrilicious; Christian Mongendre, Founder, TREEHOUSE; and Larry Tang, Managing Director, FAMA Group.

Lau alerted us to some alarming statistics. “By

2020, the WHO predicts two-thirds of all diseases will be caused by choices we make. Consumers are demanding healthier products and becoming more health conscious.

But consumers can be fickle, so we want the health factor but indulgence as well.”

Mongendre highlighted the importance of

knowing what your body needs. “I’ve never met anyone that didn’t have enough protein in their diet. I think it’s a big misconception; it’s another misinformation thing, > From top left down: Natasha D’Souza; Natasha D’Souza, Ryan Ahn, Amice Wong; Dale Foo, Greg Wong, Leo Chiu, Terence Yeung, Benjamin So; Hannah Chung, Neil Tomes, Heidi Spurrell; Summit Attendees and Speakers; Rebecca Cairns, Punam Chopra, Michelle Lau, Christian Mongendre, Larry Tang 19

FOOD'S FUTURE SUMMIT

like gluten.”

The new world of food isn’t being shaped

common-sense-rooted

by the evangelical. It’s being shaped by normal people

insights. “Everything we promote is a long-term lifestyle

going about their jobs and being hoisted onto a pedestal

plan. And it’s a constant balance. It’s quite important when

for doing things the right way. They are paving the way

you eat food that you enjoy it.”

forward for a nutritious, sustainable and solid new base to

Tang

gave

Chopra

some

suggested

practical

replace the broken system beneath our feet.

protein

alternatives. “Tempeh has a lot of protein when it’s

fermented. I don’t really believe in proteins that have

into the businesses and people already doing things the

This is where the investment needs to flow –

been synthetically produced. There are plenty of available

right way and providing templates for a future where our

resources that are plant based.”

health and the planet’s health are the building blocks of our food ecosystem.

F O O D’S F U T U R E S U M M I T: H I S TO RY

technology that can be used for increasing our everyday

was the first big forum raising awareness about the issues

knowledge of what we are eating, how healthy it is for

facing the industry in Hong Kong. We placed a spotlight

our bodies and tracing food back to it source. We featured

on the problems and connected businesses, start-ups and

excitingly mindful restaurants and food businesses that

investors with restaurateurs and chefs, and the industry

nourish the body in a delicious manner and one disruptive

responded.

business helping young chefs to get their conscious

By our second year, most everyone was aware

cooking out to the masses.

of the Summit, and we were sparking interesting debates

on potential solutions and finding technologies in the

From Hong Kong to San Francisco, and all the

areas in between, what we really discovered is that the

works that could help, including helping to launch some

future of food is looking pretty bright – and pretty green.

of them here in Asia.

At the 2019 Summit, we discovered a hotbed

of ingenious new products coming to market, futuristic

Our first Food’s Future Summit three years ago

This year, we took an in-depth look at the

technology and continued our role as a launch pad for those businesses offering clever and conscious solutions to combating the challenges facing the food industry.

The 2019 Summit provided a surprisingly

hope-fuelled look at the innovations happening within the food industry to evolve, improve and transport our taste buds back to nature. The term “accidental” was bandied about a lot, from accidental vegetarians, to accidental high-tech farmers, to accidental activists. > Top: Food’s Future Summit 2019 21

FOOD'S FUTURE SUMMIT

A special thanks to the incredible food and beverage sponsors who kept our attendees fuelled with nourishing and energy-injecting food and drink.

We all came away with new favourites – like the divine bagels from Schragels; beautiful coffee offerings from

the peppy folk at Redback; pancakes and preserves from Classified; innovative canapés from the awe-inspiring team at Invisible Kitchen; an array of new vinos to try from California Wine Institute; frothy amber nectar from Pilsner Urquell; energy balls of wonder from SpiceBox Organics; gloriously flavour-filled wraps from SaladStop!; blood-sugar-regulating zero-calorie drinks from Good Idea; delicious bites from AMMO; a host of whites, reds and pinks from Wines of Germany; luscious Impossible burgers from Leaves & Liberty by Beef & Liberty; delicious bites from Green Monday; aquaponic vegetables from Farm 66; microgreens from Urban Grow; low GI rice from Alchemy FoodTech; Omnipork bites; an array of canapes from FAMA’S KITCHEN; and amazing 3D-printed chocolates from Chocolates by Ryan L. Foote; and the crazy-cool molecular whisky Glyph from Endless West.

Get in touch now to participate in next year’s Food’s Future Summit, because we’ve already started planning

the line-up. Launching a conscious F&B business? Use the Food’s Future Summit to deliver it to the world. Email us at contact@foodsfuture.com.

Find out more about the Food’s Future Summit: https://www.foods-future.com > From top left: AMMO canapes; Pilsner Urquell; Wines of Germany; FAMA’S KITCHEN; Schragels; FAMA'S KITCHEN; Foodie Team 22

FOOD'S FUTURE SUMMIT

SPONSORS 2019 S U M M I T C O - H O S T

PA R T N E R S

S U P P O R T E R S & PA R T I C I PA N T S G R E E N CO M M O N WEWORK T H E H O N G KO N G P O LYT E C H N I C U N I V E R S I TY T H E H O N G KO N G P O LYT E C H N I C U N I V E R S I TY, S C H O O L O F H OT E L A N D TO U R I S M M A N AG E M E N T F O O D S A F E TY CO N S O RT I U M M I T H O N G KO N G I N N OVAT I O N NODE I C I, M E M B E R O F VTC G RO U P CA L I F O R N I A W I N E I N S T I T U T E ALPHA FOODS O M N!P O R K B E YO N D M E AT GOOD IDEA AVA N T M E AT S P I L S N E R U RQ U E L L H E U RA B Y F O O D S F O R TO M O R RO W S A LA D S TO P! B E E F & L I B E RTY L E AV E S & L I B E RTY I N V I S I B L E K I TC H E N

G LY P H S C H RAG E L S A LC H E M Y F O O DT E C H NUTRILICIOUS R E D B AC K CO F F E E S P I C E B OX O RG A N I C S H O N G KO N G M A D A M E E X PAT L I V I N G THE HK HUB FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS WORLDWIDE GREEN QUEEN G A RAG E ACA D E M Y FEEDME GURU M E T TÄ€ THE HIVE WHUB G LO B A L R I F F CA LY S TA P U R P RO J E T C E CO I N T E R N AT I O N A L ( H K ) G E B I M PACT T E C H N O LO G Y THE NESBITT CENTRE

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CA F E 8 THE NEST F R E S H ACCO U N T I N G I XO N F O O D T E C H N O LO G Y U R B A N G RO W T H E LO O P H K PA P E R P LA N E T SPIDFIER F A R M66 R E H E A LT H I E R CO M PA R E R E T R E AT S LO CA L I I Z M ACA U L I F E S TY L E G A S T RO G RA P H M A N A! H O N G KO N G G R E E N I S T H E N E W B LAC K WINES OF GERMANY L I V M AG A Z I N E C LA S S I F I E D CY B E R P O RT C H O CO LAT E S B Y RYA N L F O OT E THE MILLS QUANDOO

PROMOTION

Beef and Sustainability

T H E S U S TA I N A B I L I TY O F B E E F D E P E N D S V E RY M U C H O N H OW A N D W H E R E I T WA S G ROW N Dr Sara Place is the

protein generates by-products that are typically fed to

Senior

of

livestock and are otherwise not used. We need to think

Beef

about continuing to improve the integration between crops

Research

and livestock. There is no silver bullet that will change

Director

Sustainable Production

everything; we canʼt eat our way out of climate change.

at Beef Research in the USA. We spoke to her about the work

What about the high carbon footprint of beef? The carbon

she does researching

footprint of beef by country is extremely variable, and

sustainable beef.

US beef can be up to 50 times less than in other parts of the world. We have had years of science, research

There has recently been an explosion of interest in plant-

and development focused on not just beef, but all of

based meats. What are your thoughts on alternative

agriculture and making the process more efficient. We

proteins? Itʼs great that people have different protein

are adopting technology and new practices, looking to be

choices. Talking about plant-based proteins from a

better stewards of the land.

standpoint of sustainability, itʼs not one product over

another; rather itʼs how these different products work

globally account for 14.5% of GHG (greenhouse gas)

together. Itʼs all connected. For example, a soy-based

emissions. Globally, beef accounts for 6%, and US beef

All livestock (pork, poultry, dairy and cattle)

>Above: Dr Sara Place, Senior Director, Sustainable Beef Production Research 24

PROMOTION

cattle emissions are less than half a percent of the worldʼs GHG emissions. US farmers produce 18% of the worldʼs beef with only 8% of the worldʼs cattle, meaning we are more efficient. Compared to 1977, US farmers today produce the same amount of beef with one-third less cattle.

How do US farmers achieve a lower carbon footprint?

Cattle are the ultimate upcyclers. They take human inedible plants and convert them to high-quality food. But a part of that process is the production of methane. What drives our lower footprint is the fact that it doesnʼt take as long to get

lot of engineering to make sure all the run-off is collected

the animal to the desired weight.

in clay-lined lagoons. Then, typically, they will use that as

a valuable fertiliser source for croplands. Waste to worth.

All cattle are grass fed for the majority of their

lives. Typically, US cattle spend the last 4–6 months being

Isnʼt 100% grass-fed beef naturally better? It comes down

finished on a mixture of grain and grass, where the goal is

to preference. Grass-finished beef is a niche market in the

to get the animal to the ideal weight. A completely grass-

USA. The beef is generally leaner, without the marbling that

fed animal will take much longer to reach the same weight,

a lot of people like, and with a slightly different fatty acid

emitting GHGs for a longer period.

profile. It takes longer to produce and is more expensive.

Grain-finished beef makes a lot of sense for

the USA, due to our climate. We have a lot of parts of the United States where itʼs not green grass 365 days of the year. Think about New Zealand; it makes a lot of sense to do what they do there as they have grass most of the year.

But cattle eating grass do produce more methane.

What about carbon sequestration? Carbon sequestration

(into the soil) is something people are greatly interested

If you are being smarter by using your

in. We do not take this into account yet in carbon LCA (life

natural resources more efficiently, there is an alignment

cycle analysis). White Oak Pastures is a unique case where

between sustainability and your profitability. For example,

they worked with scientists and measured their soil over

animal genetics means we are able to identify certain

a number of years to find their farms stored more carbon

characteristics of cattle breeds that do well in certain

than they emitted. We do not have every ranch in America

areas, and farmers select those that have an advantage for

taking soil samples like this. But it is really important, and

their conditions.

what we do know from EPA data is that all of agriculture

For finishing, are we talking about animal feedlot

plus forestry (some forest lands are grazed) in the USA is a

operations? What about run-off and waste? In the US a

net sink of carbon. Thatʼs very different globally, where itʼs

large concentrated animal feedlot operation (CAFO) that

something like 24% of global emissions. And that comes

has over 1,000 cattle needs to be a no-discharge facility.

back to that issue of whatʼs true in one country may not be

This is where regulations can be a good thing. It takes a

true everywhere.

Beef Research has research programmes on beef safety, human nutrition, product quality, sustainability and market research and planning.

25

MY LITTLE HK KITCHEN

26

MY LITTLE HK KITCHEN

MY LITTLE HONG KONG KITCHEN Recipe blogger and home-cook extraordinaire LA U RA W I L L I A M S shares her recipes for wholesome dishes to get you inspired in the kitchen. www.mylittlehongkongkitchen.com

B A K E D F I S H TA C O S SERVES 4–6 — P REP T IME: 15 M IN — CO O K TI ME: 20 M IN F O R T H E F I S H:

F O R T H E S A L S A:

F O R T H E S LAW:

500g cod fillet 1 cup breadcrumbs

200g cherry tomatoes

300g shredded cabbage and carrot

1 tsp paprika

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1 large egg

1 lime

3 tbsp flour

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 tbsp natural yoghurt

FOR THE C H I P OT L E D R E S S I N G:

3 tbsp mayonnaise 1–2 tbsp hot chipotle sauce

1 tsp Dijon mustard

½ lime

splash red wine vinegar

TO S E RV E:

6 soft flour tortillas ½ avocado

1. To begin, make the fish. Cut the fish fillets into chunks about 2 inches long. Mix the breadcrumbs with the paprika and place into a dry frying pan. Toss for a few minutes until the breadcrumbs take on a golden brown colour. Set aside to cool.

2. Place the beaten egg in one bowl, the flour in a second bowl and the cooled, browned breadcrumbs in a third bowl. Dip the first piece of fish into the flour, next dip it into the beaten egg and finally place into the breadcrumbs and coat thoroughly before placing it onto a baking tray. Repeat these steps until all the fish has been breaded. Place into a preheated oven at 210°C. Bake for 15–20 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.

3. While the fish is cooking, make the salsa by chopping the tomatoes and placing into a bowl with the olive oil, the juice of one lime, a twist of salt and pepper and the chilli flakes. Mix well.

4. Make the dressing by combining the mayonnaise, chipotle sauce and lime into a bowl and mixing well.

5. To make the slaw, mix the mayonnaise, yoghurt, Dijon mustard and red wine vinegar in a bowl. Add in the shredded vegetables and mix until well combined. Slice the avocado and set aside.

6. To toast the tortillas, place on an open gas flame and turn every 5 seconds until slightly charred and warmed through (around 15–20 seconds).

7. To assemble, place a spoonful of the slaw onto each taco. Break 2–3 pieces of the baked fish over the slaw and top with a little salsa, a couple of slices of avocado and a generous drizzle of the chipotle dressing.

27

MY LITTLE HK KITCHEN

28

MY LITTLE HK KITCHEN

R A I N B O W T O M AT O TA R T SERVES 4–6 — P REP T IME: 10 M IN — CO O K TI ME: 25 M IN F O R T H E TA RT:

80g pine nuts, toasted

6–8 large heirloom tomatoes (red/

olive oil, to loosen

orange/yellow/green) 1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry

FOR THE BASIL OIL:

1 egg

1 bunch fresh basil

80g goatʼs cheese

250ml extra-virgin olive oil

F O R T H E P E S TO:

1 bunch fresh basil 250g sun-dried tomatoes 1 clove garlic 1. To begin, horizontally slice the tomatoes into ½-cm slices.

2. Make the pesto by placing all the ingredients into a food processor and blitz. Slowly add the olive oil while the mixture is being blitzed until you get a thick red paste. Season to taste.

3. To make the basil oil, place the basil and oil into a food processor and blitz on high power for at least a minute. Set aside the oil, pesto and tomatoes.

4. Preheat oven to 200°C. Dust a cooking surface with a little flour. Unroll the puff pastry sheet and trim to a large rectangle. Place the pastry sheet onto a lined baking tray. Using a knife, draw a line around the inside of the rectangle (being careful not to cut all the way through) to create a border.

5. Take a couple of tablespoons of the red pesto and brush over the inside of the pasty sheet, trying not to cover the outside border. Take the tomatoes, and starting with the darkest colour, lay the slices across the sheet, gradually adding the lighter tomatoes as you move down the pastry. Brush the border with a little beaten egg and place into the preheated oven for around 20–25 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

6. Once the tart is cooked, top with small spoonfuls of soft goatʼs cheese, some more fresh basil leaves and a drizzle of the basil oil. Serve with a fresh salad.

29

MEATLESS MONTHLY

30

MEATLESS MONTHLY

MEATLESS MONTHLY C I N DY LA M of O L I V E O LY K I TC H E N cooks delicious vegetarian recipes that support local farms. www.oliveolykitchen.com

P I S TA C H I O P E S T O W I T H C O U R G E T T E & S U N - D R I E D T O M AT O O R E C C H I E T T E Vegan or not, you’ll dig this pasta no matter what. Easy and quick!

SERVES: 2 — P REP T IME: 5 MIN — COOK TI ME: L ES S T H A N 10 M I N

1 cup pistachios

TO G A R N I S H:

2 cloves garlic (use 1 for pesto and 1 for cooking the courgette)

small handful of pistachios, crushed into small bits

1–2 tbsp water

small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 courgette, cut into thin slices 2–3 sun-dried tomatoes, cut into thin slices small pinch of chilli flakes

small handful toasted garlicky breadcrumbs extra-virgin olive oil

200g orecchiette

1. Place the pistachios, garlic, water and olive oil into a food processor and blitz until the ingredients turn into pesto. Season and set aside.

2. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Reserve a cup of pasta water on the side.

3. Heat up a saucepan with a drizzle of olive oil on medium-low heat and cook the garlic, courgette and sun-dried tomatoes for about 3–4 minutes. Remove the garlic clove, then add the pesto and reserved pasta water. Cook for another minute or so, until the sauce is nice and creamy.

4. Toss in the cooked orecchiette to the saucepan and mix well.

5. Serve and garnish with some crushed pistachios, garlicky breadcrumbs, chopped parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.

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GREEN KITCHEN EXPERIMENTS

GREEN KITCHEN EXPERIMENTS C H E F TO M B U R N E Y of I N V I S I B L E K I TC H E N investigates new methods for cooking in greener ways

W A S T E N O T, W A N T N O T : T U R N I N G F O O D S C RA P S I N TO A H E R B G A R D E N Hereʼs how to grow a Thai curry from the remnants of your last meal gallons of dangerous chemical run-off into surrounding areas, creating huge dead zones where no life can exist.

We are left to pick under-ripe produce from supermarket shelves, which has very little natural goodness and often has done more air miles than a platinum-level frequent flyer!

MAKE A LITTLE CHANGE

Like with so many food issues, you truly

affect the future of food by how you choose to spend your food dollars. There are farmers' markets and organic box delivery schemes if you want to support local farmers, but

T H E P RO B L E M W I T H B I G AG R I C U LT U R E

if you want to really make your economy more circular, try

I'll start by saying that good-quality produce

growing some food at home.

is super important to any chef. Since most of the food we

prepare in restaurants or at home comes from vegetables

Mediterranean herbs (rosemary, basil and thyme), and I

we have a year-round supply of high-quality produce at

now look at all ingredients in a totally different “how can I

affordable prices. The agricultural industry has developed

grow you?” way. Ideally, food waste goes into compost, but

increasingly efficient systems for ensuring that supply:

some scraps are destined for much bigger things. I’ve been

with massive single-crop farms that can grow very

on a mission to see which of my food scraps I can grow to

economically and can easily be protected with specially

literally make fresh food out of rubbish.

designed pesticides so that they can grow fast and grow tall.

Over the past year, I’ve been growing my

own tomatoes, micro-herbs, as well as more traditional

and other farmed ingredients, it has become essential that

People are starting to worry that the environmental

cost of this model is far too high. These monster singlecrop farms crush all competition and leave modified crops susceptible to future unknown diseases that cause food security risks for the whole world. Pesticides indiscriminately kill off all insects in the region (good and bad), and the soil in these previously fertile areas is depleted of all nutrients and now leaches millions of 32

GREEN KITCHEN EXPERIMENTS

H O W T O M A K E G R O W T H A I C U R RY After some experimentation, I have pots of garlic, spring onion, chilli, coriander, Thai basil, ginger and lemongrass growing literally from kitchen trimmings. Here’s how I did it.

T E C H N I Q U E 1: P LA N T T H E E N D A N D L E T I T G RO W B AC K

T E C H N I Q U E 3: G RO W F RO M S E E D S PA RT 1: F RO M YO U R S P I C E RAC K

L E M O N G RA S S & CO R I A N D E R

Once you’ve cut it down to the end (where the

seeds or dried marrowfat peas (for pea shoots).

roots were), pop it into water or soil and it will grow right back. Spring onion and celery can be handled in the same

PA RT 2: F RO M F O O D S C RA P S

way. This is a great project for kids.

Take seeds out of C H I L L I P E P P E R S , dry them out,

then plant and add water. You can also grow passion fruit

T E C H N I Q U E 2:

vines in the same way, which actually do really well in HK

L E T I T S H O OT, T H E N P LA N T I T

and have beautiful purple flowers.

GINGER & GARLIC

I’ve had success growing CO R I A N D E R seeds from

Nepalese shops. This can also work well with mustard

If you open your cupboard to find your ginger or garlic

has started growing shoots, just pop it into a pot with the

T E C H N I Q U E 4: G RO W I N G F RO M C U T T I N G S

shoots pointing up and the root will grow down. You can

Take a sprig of T H A I B A S I L, trim the dried bottom end

use the same technique for potato and onion if you have a

to help it to drink and pop it into some water. Before you

bit more outdoor space.

know it, you’ll have roots and new growth. Once the roots

are 2 inches long, you can plant in soil. Also works well

If you want to use fresh garlic for planting, just

with mint and rosemary.

separate the cloves and leave them in a pot of water until they shoot (with pointy end up), then plant in soil, and within a week or two, each clove of garlic will grow a whole new bulb.

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