issue 69 | april 2015 www.afoodieworld.com
Butter Me Up A taste of fruit, nut and sweet spreads
Good Eggs Delicious recipes to enjoy eggs in every form
A Woman’s Place The female chefs shaping Asia’s dining scene
Goddessess of Food
CEO Lily Ng CTO Derek Kean Editor-in-Chief Alicia Walker Editor-at-Large Celia Hu Digital Editor Keshia Hannam Creative Director Helen Griffiths Designer Robert Li
In what is still a largely male-dominated industry, despite the feminist age in which we supposedly live, only a small percentage of Hong Kong’s professional kitchens are run by women. But those game-changing ladies who are running their own kitchens, opening their own restaurants and establishing revolutionary new food businesses are paving the way for a new generation of female chefs and foodpreneurs and proving they can handle the heat and excel in their field. We asked four of this city’s inspiring female chefs, as well as three from other Asian capitals, to give us insight into a day in their kitchen and the days before they ran their own. Here come the girls!
Foodie Club & Events Manager Hannah Chung
Recipes
Account Executives Joseph Kwok, Kathryn Riley Photographer Sophie Jin
Alicia Walker Editor-in-Chief editor@afoodieworld.com
Contributors Kelly Yau, Kelvin Ho, Clarissa Darling Interns Windie Tsoi, Faye Wai, Kristin Gonzalez, Sabina Yulo
Foodie Panel
Food-loving folk who’ve helped us this month:
Publisher Simon Squibb Published by Foodie Group, 16/F, Chao’s Building, 143–145 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan, HK www.afoodieworld.com Printed by Teams Printing Co., Ltd.
Vicki Lau
Peggy Chan
May Chow
Asia’s Best Female Chef and owner of Tate reveals her rise through the ranks p.22
The renowned restauranteur tells how she’s working towards changing the industry p.24
This inspirational chef talks about how it all began for her p. 26
Foodie is published monthly, 12 times a year. The contents of the magazine are fully protected by copyright and nothing may be reprinted without permission. The publisher and editors accept no responsibility in respect to any products, goods or services that may be advertised or referred to in this issue or for any errors, omissions or mistakes in any such advertisements or references. Foodie and the Foodie magazine logo are trademarks of Foodie Group Limited. All rights reserved.
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01
Conte nt s
Foodie Quote of the Month “You have to taste a culture to understand it.” — Deborah Cater
18 FOOD WAR We taste four bubble teas around town to find the top choice for large straw slurping
20 CHEWIN’ THE FAT With food critic Andy Hayler who has eaten at every three Michelinstarred restaurant in the world
30 BUTTER ME UP We dip into the butters ranging from fruit to nut for a full spread of toast toppers
34 FOOD NOMAD Celia Hu takes a breath of the food-scented air in Oxford
Cover story 22 A WOMAN’S PLACE Meet the female chefs shaping Asia’s dining scene
42 GOOD EGGS Nutritionist Tanja GuigonRech whips up her best egg recipes for us to try at home
Kelly Yau delights us with her fifteen-minute chorizo and egg linguini
A hen’s breed decides the colour of an egg’s shell. White-feathered hens typically lay white eggs while red-feathered hens lay brown eggs.
facebook.com/foodiehk // april 2015
50 CHINEASY
Did you know...
03
for starters
This month’s hottest news bites
EASTER EGG-SCAPE
LAS TAPAS DE LA PALOMA
Looking for a luxurious family staycation for Easter? The Peninsula Hong Kong has some holiday delights planned for this season: dine in the hotel restaurants The Verandah, Imasa, and Gaddi’s to taste their special Easter menus, get pampered in The Peninsula Spa for a luxurious spa journey, or indulge in the hand-crafted Easter sweets from The Peninsula boutique.
A piece of Barcelona has arrived in Hong Kong in the form of a tapas bar called La Paloma, or “The Pigeon”. La Paloma offers a variety of traditional Spanish tapas including platitos (little plates) of sucking pig, pigeon, paella, and signature tapas. And of course, what’s a tapas night without some vino? La Paloma offers a wide range of wines from different regions of Spain; a perfect complement to any Spanish dining experience.
Salisbury Road, Kowloon, 2920 2888 www.peninsula.com
1/F SoHo 189, 198 Queen’s Road West, Sai Ying Pun, 2291 1616, www.elwillygroup.com
SNACK ATTACK Tired of getting those cheesy orange fingertips of regret when you indulge on a mid-afternoon snack? Munchbox offers a new, much healthier snacking experience to satisfy those familiar midday munchies while keeping the deliciousness but minus the guilt. All snacks are delivered right to your door in a handy little box and are all natural, organic, and free of artificial ingredients but still chock-full of flavour. As if the convenience and healthy edge were not enough, a portion of their proceeds goes to local food banks. $250 per month for a personal box. www.munchbox.hk 04
EASTER ARTISAN CHOCOLATE
La Maison du Chocolat’s Master Chef Nicolas Cloiseau takes Easter chocolate to the next level with his handcrafted and intricately designed chocolate figurines. Each piece of the Easter 2015 collection showcases Easter figures entirely made of the finest chocolate, fitting for the chocolate-lovers holiday. Available now, La Maison du Chocolat will share their skilled artistry through their whimsical and meticulously designed chocolate treats that are so cute, you might not want to eat them. www.lamaisonduchocolat.com/en/boutique-hk
PASSIONATE PASTRY
Pastry chef Gérard Dubois shares his passion with Hong Kong in his authentic French patisserie, Passion, that has newly opened a shop in Central. The menu offers a variety of his artisan French pastries created using French butter and made fresh daily. And if you’re looking for something more umami, Passion also offers sandwiches and hearty meals, from Brie and turkey in their famous crusty baguette to French home-style comfort food like lamb stew and coq au vin, all available for dine in or take out. There is also an array of fresh veggies in the salad bar so you can earn a pastry afterwards. 1 – 7 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, 2812 6822
WHY YOU GOTTA BE SO…
Upper Basement, 79 Wyndham Street, Central
twitter.com/foodiehk // april 2015
Rude is a newly opened bar and lounge, specially crafted for sports fans with its indoor and outdoor giant screen projectors, foosball table, and shisha pipes. Rude aims to create a relaxing ambience as well as a vibrant hotspot for viewing sporting events. To add to the festivity of the Cricket Indian Premier League (8 April), Rude will serve cricket-themed cocktails like the Wicket Romance and Dark Pitch. Also on the agenda are the UEFA Champions League (14 April), and The Wimbledon (22 June). But if you’re not a sports fan, Rude also offers weekly salsa classes and is open for lunch and Sunday breakfast too.
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the best of the bloggers
Q. Who is your favourite female chef? Ale Wilkinson www.thedimsumdiaries.com On a local level, it would have to be Peggy Chan from Grassroots Pantry - the way she makes vegetarian and vegan dishes so delicious is really very impressive. On an international level, I have recently got quite into the cookbook by Hemsley + Hemsley, two sisters who have put together a beautiful collection of healthy and delicious recipes.
Michelle Ng www.chopstixfix.wordpress.com I love Rachel Khoo. Aside from being MalaysianChinese and Brit like me (!), I really enjoy her cookery shows and I love that she’s so inspired by French cuisine. Her recipes always look so delicious, especially her cakes and pastries. Her recipe book is also a gorgeous read!
Sharon Maloney www.jasmine-ginger.com
Stephanie Ko www.stephs852diary.com My favourite female chef is Elena Arzak, who together with her father runs Arzak in San Sebastián Spain, which was named eighth best in the world. Elena comes from a family of chefs and boasts an impressive résumé, having studied at the prestigious Swiss Hotel Management School and worked at the world’s top restaurant, El Bulli. Elena’s creations are breathtakingly beautiful and startlingly creative, and her achievements shed light on what amazing things a female chef can achieve.
I love this question! I have a few female chefs and cookery writers that I admire. Gizzi Erskine, Fuchsia Dunlop and Diana Henry are firm favourites. They have a strong social media presence and really connect with their fans. It’s nice to see these people reach out and make their personality known. A special mention also for my aunt, Frances Bissell, who just missed the hey day of the TV chef by a few years. She has written quite a few cookery books, worked in the top hotels around the world and was the The Daily Telegraph’s cookery writer for ten years. Her recipes are a big inspiration for me.
Kelvin Ho muses about the satay sauce of Chiu Chow cuisine www.hkepicurus.com Tracing back history, satay first appeared in Indonesia during the influx of Tamil immigrants, who brought with them Catai ‘flesh’ sticks of Arabic origin. The sate sauce was mainly composed of peanuts, lemongrass, galangal, chillies and shallots. Pronounced as ‘satay’ in regional Chiu Chow dialect and not ‘sacha’ as mainstream Cantonese pronounce it 沙嗲醬. Nowadays the two sauces have split, the Chiu Chow and Taiwanese-Fujian 沙茶醬 use more fanciful ingredients like dried flounder and prawns, more galangal and add sesame over peanuts for that concentrated savoury flavour burst. Next time you order anything with satay sauce in HK, you could well be getting either variation! 06
the social foodie
Tempting Foodie-grams and funny food tweets we giggled over this month Lobster three way at Holy Crab
@meganamram
I hate to be the first one in the relationship to say “I love you,” but this tub of Ben & Jerry’s isn’t really a talker
@afoodieworld @JennyJohnsonHi5 @albz
Market research question: would you be interested in a classical music-themed vegan restaurant called Beetheaven?
Friends, words, and pizza toppings should all be chosen carefully.
Brunch at Grand Hyatt @PaulyPeligroso
I might name my firstborn “snickerdoodle.” Or just “carbohydrate.” @afoodieworld
So “working from home” is pretty much just melting cheese on stuff, right?
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www.afoodieworld.com // april 2015
@markleggett
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foodie club
FLINT and Stockton We had a boozy month in March where we hopped around town to find the best cocktail of the year. The Bacardi Legacy competition showcased eight mixologists earlier this year with their creative rum concoctions. First stop was FLINT Grill & Bar, where two of their award-winning mixologists competed for the Legacy title. Dorothy Lam dazzled us all with the attention to detail of her drink made with fig, honey and vermouth served on a mini vintage record player with a hand-written love letter, whereas Kervin Unido’s guava, lime leaf and white vinegar creation was a zingy tipple that kept us going back to the bar. Paired with a selection of complimentary polenta bites and creamy croquettes, we were impressed with both the level of mixology and the relaxing vibes at the FLINT bar. We’ll certainly be returning the next time we are looking for after work drinks. Suraj Gurung of Stockton was also part of the Legacy competition and invited us down to try his thyme-infused Cointreau, egg white and lime juice cocktail, which reminded us of Sunday roasts and was perfect to try with Stockton’s selection of canapés, again on the house - such is the life of a Foodie Clubber. We kept going back for their tempura tiger prawns, mud crab crostinis and scotch eggs, straight from the fryer. Sipping our cocktails in the dark rooms of Stockton, we were transported back to what felt like a hidden gentleman’s club, which made the experience even more exclusive.
Stockton 32 Wyndham Street, Central, 2565 5268 FLINT Grill & Bar JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong,Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, 2810 8366
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foodie club
Secret Supper - The Reveal We whisked our foodies away last month for three consecutive nights to a mysterious location. With the meeting point at Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park, people showed up not knowing where they were heading, what they were doing or even what the menu was for the night. What no one expected was to be led on foot just around the corner to a warehouse stroke residential building on a quiet street of Sheung Wan. The eerie lifts in the quiet building opened to reveal a residential door and on the other side stood Helina, our host for the evening. We were invited to her home where she and her partner Scott gave us the full Eat Ethio experience. We started with a traditional homebrew honey drink infused with ginger and a selection of fresh vegetables and dips of flaxseed, which had a great nutty aroma and a spicy berbere dip to whet our palates for the delights of the evening while we took in the beauty of their private kitchen space.The kind folks from Jebsen Fine Wines curated a couple of wines to go with the food and were careful enough to pick a smooth Sauvignon Blanc from Santa Mia and a full-bodied yet subtle red from France. The Chateau Romefort wasn’t too fruity or dry and was a nice balance of sweetness, as any strong wine would have overpowered the Ethiopian spices in the menu.What followed for the evening was an array of dishes of yellow split pea stew, which was a rounded dhal-like dish with a sweet and wholesome flavour, cooked vibrant beets and red split lentils, followed by a tuna sashimi dish paired with fried kale and cheese, which was smooth and light with a subtle spicy kick. Then came a hearty berbere spiced chicken stew that we ate with traditional sour injera bread. Fermented for a few days before cooking, the injera bread is cooked in a pan and is almost pancake like but with a distinct spongey texture, perfect for mopping up the stew. To end the evening, there was a clever dessert of popcorn ice cream affogato made with Ehtiopian coffee beans that was so moreish, it left us going for seconds. For most people, the entire experience was new and exciting to explore, which is rare to find even in our group of well-travelled and multicultural foodies and the evening inspired us all to pack our bags and get the first flight out to explore the delights of Ethiopia. Eat Ethio
Jebsen Fine Wines
www.eatethio.com/
www.jebsenfinewines.com/ twitter.com/foodiehk // april 2015
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promotion
High quality, green-focused, flavoursome meat products in Hong Kong The Mexican Beef Association takes pride in providing their full flavoured and high quality beef to the global marketplace at competitive prices. Providing smaller cuts of beef and leaner meat products that modern consumers are looking for, Mexican beef products have passed the strict national and international safety standards to receive certifications from the Ministry of Agriculture. The Mexican Beef Association’s facilities have different processes for feeding, all of which utilize the natural surroundings to ensure a product with the best quality. From grass to corn, they provide their livestock with all-natural supplements necessary to guarantee they are receiving enough protein and are constantly striving to find the most efficient ways to create an optimal environment for their livestock. Each facility has a range of experts who carefully supervise and facilitate the feeding process and ensure it has a positive effect on the colour, taste, marbling and quality of the final product. There is significant emphasis on ensuring their beef their beef is produced using the latest in green technology, minimum food wastage and maximum recycling practices. This environmental awareness runs at the heart of the Mexican Beef Association and results in an ecologically minded company with compassion for their lifestock that is exhibited in the caring for their cattle, which spend the majority of their lives wandering paddocks.
www.facebook.com/MexicanBeef @MexicanBeef
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www.mexicanbeef.org
promotion
Getting a taste of the full flavour of Mexican beef In collaboration with ProMexico Hong Kong, the Mexican Beef Association invited a group of restaurateurs, chefs and f&b professionals for a five-course beef tasting at Scirocco last month. The menu, designed by Scirocco’s head chef Claudio Conforti, featured dishes using cuts of beef supplied by the Mexican Beef Association. Having only established the market as recently as 2014, Hong Kong is already now the third largest export destination for Mexican beef products. As such, those operating in this city’s dining scene were eager to get a taste of the newly available product in a variety of dishes. From veal slices to oven baked beef ribs and steak and Guinness pie, the menu highlighted the versatility of each cut. The tasting professionals arrived en masse to the beef seminar where Rogelio Pérez from the Mexican Beef Exporters Association presented the details of beef imports as well as the taste benefits. The quality of the beef paired with its affordable price tag makes this new addition to the meat market a strong contender for chefs to use in their everyday dishes.
WWW.SAGARPA.GOB.MX
www.mexicanbeef.org
www.afoodieworld.com // april 2015
After the five-dish tasting, and taking in all the facts and flavours about Mexican beef, all tasters also took home a crisp set of chef’s whites.
11
tried & tasted
New! Steak Frites by The Butchers Club 52-56 Staunton Street, SoHo, 2858 9800 中環士丹頓街 52-56 號地舖
What is it? The same team who ushered in a whole new way of approaching steaks and dry-aging in Hong Kong have continued their island assault by opening Steak Frites, which as the name implies, is all about the steaks. This is the place for carnivorous indulgence, consisting mainly of high quality meat and carbs. The food: Luckily, salad pokes her blue cheese slathered nose in at the beginning of the meal to make you feel not so entirely terrible about consuming your weight in meat and potatoes. In true ‘steak frites’ form, a salad begins the meal and this is certainly one of the better ones we have tasted in the ‘entrecote’ genre. A simple wedge of lettuce with cherry tomatoes, bits of maple glazed thick cut bacon and chives is a tasty starter. Steak tartare, further bolstered with duck fat fries and a creamy bernaise was clean and smooth. When Rebecca Charles offered the first lobster roll at the Pearl Oyster Bar in New York City, little did she know it would eventually be following the tides to the island of Hong Kong. This one contends for best in Hong Kong, more so for the brioche bun than the filling. Light, buttery, crispy and soft all at the 12
Surf n’ turf with steak frites
same time. The main event, available only at night, is the 40 day dry-aged steak with duck fat fries and a choice of three sauces is almost too much. Add a lobster tail, and you better don those eating pants right now. We particularly liked the black pepper sauce, and found the other two slightly underwhelming. Fortunately, the black pepper sauce is so bang on you won’t need the others. The steak itself is extremely cheesy in flavour, due to the effect of the dry-aging. If you are not a fan of overly strong meat taste, this might not be to your liking, but we would suggest it to all the animals of prey out there. The verdict: There is a lot of skill put into the effort of dry-aging, and coupling this with their famous duck fat fries has procured a winning formula.
Lobster roll
Flaming Frango
New!
36B Staunton Street, SoHo, 2899 2244 中環蘇豪士丹頓街36號B地舖
What is it? Are you a fan of Nando’s? Then you’ll love Flaming Frango. If you can taste the zing of chicken prepared piri piri-style with that special blend of African chillies perfected into a piquant sauce by the Portuguese as you are reading this, you might have just found your fix in Hong Kong. The menu: Small plate options start with classic piri piri wings, nachos with pulled piri chicken and quesadillas as well as calamari. Now, our recommendation is that you try the oddly named chicken jam, which to us sounds incredibly unappealing but in fact was the exact opposite. Littered with fresh chillies and a toasted crusty baguette, the chunky spreadable pâté was the perfect way to open up the appetite. Although chicken is their big draw, they also serve a sirloin steak and salmon as well as a portobello burger if you’re just not in the mood for poultry. If it were us, however, we would go straight for an order of
Piri piri chicken
the piri piri full chicken and never look back. Juicy, tangy and incredibly moreish, they have their house special down to a fine-fowl art. We also sampled the fried halloumi salad, pleasantly accented by tangs of fresh orange, lemon, red peppers and olives. We were impressed by the fresh vegetables –often so boring when dining out– that came with carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini and green beans; impossible to be bored with such variety. Shoestring fries, mash and rice were all tasty accompaniments to the chicken showstoppers. The place: Comfy high tables in a simple and sociable setting with a few spots to sit outdoors and watch the thriving nightlife of Staunton and Elgin flow by. Spanish versions of old favourites like I Did It My Way provide a background ideal for digging in to a Continental menu of spiced up flavours.
Fiery chicken burger
The verdict: Delicious chicken and tonnes of fresh vegetables. We like!
www.afoodieworld.com // april 2015
The drinks: We wouldn’t recommend the strange lemongrass and lychee colada but then this unusual combination is perhaps just a step too far into the peculiar mixes that are dotting the Hong Kong cocktail scene. There are plenty of other unique libations to lure us in next time, namely the black pepper raspberry martini and the strawberry and cardamom cooler.
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tried & tasted
New!
top featuring an oyster in a tart and umami dressing of ponzu, which burst with sea juices. Seductive fumes seeped from the bottom globe, which holds tuna surrounded by swirling applewood smoke. This is not just for dramatic effect, as the smoke gently cooks the tuna and infuses it with a heady forest flavour. This was our favourite course. The sashimi is jet fresh and chef Michael skilfully wields the blade to form precise measures of the raw mackerel, tuna, scallop, clam and white fish. The uni was sweet and fragrant served atop rice, and the toro tuna rippled with fat for an indulgent mouthful. Another favourite was the black cod in miso, flawlessly executed with the most buttery tender finish to the umami-laden meal. Oyster and tuna appetiser
Hanabi 4/F, 6 Knutsford Terrace, TST, 2723 2568 尖沙咀諾士佛臺6號4樓
What is it? A new omakase restaurant by the group who have brought you the likes of NUR, Amakaze and Bungalow, Privé Group. Head chef Michael Chan(previously of NOBU) brings his signature subtle Japanese cuisine to Knutsford Terrace, a location that until this point, had been spared the oversaturation of Japanese cuisine the rest of the Special Administrative Region has been overcome by.
The sweet stuff: Dessert was a clean and straight forward duo of iced quenelles, yuzu sorbet and red bean ice cream. We loved the little touches, from the wide compendium of sakes to choose from to the extraordinarily potent fresh wasabi. Verdict: Great price point given the intimacy of the 18 seater dining experience, jet-fresh quality fish and pleasant, engaging staff. Intricate Japanese flavours are accented with a modern flair but still pay homage to the founding land, which is a difficult balance to strike. In Hanabi’s case, it is done most gracefully.
The menu: There are two menus on offer: The Mankai, which means “in full bloom,” costing $1,200 and the Tsubomi, meaning “flower bud,” and costing $800. Both have appetisers and sashimi, but the more expensive will treat diners to grilled selections of seafood, whilst the gentler on the wallet option offers a tempura selection. With the great expectations of Hong Kong diners when it comes to Japanese food, we thought Hanabi did a great job at being what it sets out to be – mostly traditional omakase with a few special tricks by the skilled chef Michael. The first few dishes were very fresh, with bite-sized openers like pumpkin and spinach with sesame and an outstanding freshly made tofu. An inventive double-layered appetiser came next, the bowl on Sashimi set
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Holy Crab 3/F, Cosmos Building, 8-11 Lan Kwai Fong, Central 2110 0100 中環蘭桂坊8-11號昌隆大廈3樓 What is it? As you may have garnered from the designation, this restaurant is all about the crusteceans. The place: Designed like a modern crab shack, Holy Crab features seafaring antiques, wooden plank floorboards, nautical windows, halo lighting (providing plenty of angelic photo opportunities), chalkboard walls full of the daily specials, and rock pools filled with seafood you can fish out for yourself. Holy Crab
fritters with honey butter as well as an incredibly fragrant jumbalaya and a creamy etifoir made with sausage and crawfish. We put a kick on our tongues by sampling the Nuclear sauce made with the three hottest peppers on the Scoville scale (and is available for sale if you’re a sucker for punishment and want to take a bottle home with you). The head chef, of course, hails from Louisiana and as well as cooking up Cajun he also tells entertaining tales of hunting alligators and cooking them up in his backyard for a proper deep south reptilian feast. The drinks: If you’ll forgive the pun, they’ve gone somewhat overboard on the cocktails, with a fishy element to each that for the most part is unnecessary. The Lobstertini ($138) is a fierce throat burner with a generous claw poking out the side that doesn’t particularly mesh with the flavour. The Bloody Ceasar ($160) is a tasty concoction made with clam juice and a fresh prawn adorning the glass while the Caribbean Storm ($108) with rum and ginger beer carried a prawn and pineapple skewer that largely blighted the texture of the prawn and made it frail and mealy. The Homemade New Orleans Lemonade ($60) is the perfectly pious accompaniment to a meal of Cajun cuisine. The verdict: A fun vibe with big sharing tables and good shellfish. Make sure you go with a group so you can order a bunch and make a big mess, that’s what this place is made for.
twitter.com/foodiehk // april 2015
The food: The menu is divided with different calls to action like Pick your Catch and Design Your Bucket so you can order up your seafood of choice. And choice there is! With mussels, oysters, crawfish, lobster, clams, prawns and several types of crab from snow and king to swimming and Dungeness. We started with some delightful salads, a fried okra and tomato ($80), a Cajun prawn with avocado ($130) and a tableside-tossed Ceasar ($180 for two) swimming with plenty of anchovies. Aprons arrived to protect frocks and jackets in anticipation of the ensuing seafood fracas. We started our deep sea dining with two types of meaty mussels, one in a zingy lemon pepper sauce that was so delicious we could have drank it, and one in a spicy and rich coconut cream sauce served with fresh chunks of sourdough bread to soak up the juices. Two platters of resplendent oysters wowed the table into silence as they slid down the throat with mmms and awws. A giant celebration of a dish arrived next with the Lobster Three Way ($1,600 for four diners), a giant six pound lobster made into nuggets fried in a light coating of buttermilk, a cheesy lobster dip and the gorgeously simplistic freshly steamed claws. You need a lot of people to tackle this dish as in addition to the gargantuan shellfish, the platter teems with crawfish, jalapeno bread, cobs of corn and Andouille sausage (typically made with 50 per cent alligator in Louisiana, but due to strict import laws, this version is pure pork). We tasted the sweet and fleshy snow crab claws (our standout favourites), lightly battered calamari, chunky curly fries and corn
15
tried & tasted
New! ON Dining Kitchen & Lounge 28-29/F, 18 On Lan Street, Central, 2174 8100 中環安蘭街18號28-29樓 What’s it all about? Chef Philippe Orrico won the hearts of Hong Kong with Upper Modern Bistro– and incidentally the palates of the Michelin critics, who awarded the restaurant its first Michelin star last year–and he has since proceeded to open ON Dining Kitchen & Lounge in the middle of Central. The drinks: Thanks to the all star cast comprising the management team –who range from sommelier Nicolas Deneux (Grand Hyatt) and bartender Giancarlo Mancino (Otto e Mezzo) to the charming Jeremy Evrard (Caprice and more recently GM of Upper Modern)– the restaurant zings with well chosen elements, from the wine and cheese to the choice of seating arrangements. Split over two levels, the bar and lounge on the 30th floor overlooks Central and is our favourite place to have a late night tipple (try their spin on an espresso martini–to die for). The wine is expertly suited to the cheese, and Jeremy, in his infinite knowledge, can always ensure a enticing match for your dish. The food: Two courses at lunch are $288 and three for $328. There is not so much a kitchen as a hive of activity that sits toward the back of the lower floor of ON’s dual-section restaurant. In this open apiary the shortbreads, pastas, terrines and salads are devised. The mushroom pancake is a buckwheat crepe surrounded by a moat of chicken jus and filled with sauteed mushroom puree, topped 16
with bountiful black truffle. Classic flavours, well executed. Lentil soup with a hazelnut emulsion was an earthy, nourishing number which prompted sweet chocolatey tones lent by the small tree nut. Mains are satiating and generous. Atlantic cod comes atop an alimental combination of baby spinach and mushroom and swims in a yuzu bisque. The fish is cooked aptly, being brought to the table in the tiny gap the tender fish has before it overcooks. The duck parmentier is an unusual one we have seen on few Hong Kong menus. The originality is to be praised, even if the execution was less impressive than we were expecting. The French provençale-style shepherd’s pie was not quite as flavourful as we were hoping, and the potatoes also became stodgy after a few mouthfuls, rather than maintaining optimum fluffiness. We’ve heard outstanding things about the Angus beef cheek that we will be back to try. The cheese: Jeremy wows every guest as he explains the cheese platter (more of a log really), which feature both sheep and goat milk cheeses. Some taste like a farm, others are like a cheese ice-cream. The Comte is shaved and takes on floral notes, a sign of the abundant pastures the Montbéliarde cows graze on. Pliable, smooth, hints of hazlenut and toffee, this is a gamechanging cheese in amongst dairy peers that is so well assembled it will probably cause you to be dissatisfied with all other cheeses for the rest of your life. The verdict: There seems to be hundreds of new restaurants popping up in Hong Kong this year and the more discerning diners will be seeking higher standards for truly tasteful food. This can be found at On Dining, set on the upper floors of 18 On Lan street, an image of modern fine dining.
Cheese board
Macau Wine & Dine Festival 2015 This annual five-day event is in its third year, attracting wine and food lovers from all over Asia Set along the atmospheric lagoon-side promenade of the Venetian Macau, canopied booths line the waterfront peddling their individual wine, spirits, beers, confectionary and fresh foods from around the world. Wines were the biggest draw of the festival and make up the largest proportion of the stalls, drawing punters in to fill their glasses with a taste of vino from France, Portugal, Italy and the United States, among others. There were also workshops at the Wine School that range in tasting classes for amateurs just finding their palates to more advanced sessions for seasoned aficionados looking to expand their tastes. The classes covered appreciation, pairings and vinification techniques as well as other topics to further the education of inquisitive wine lovers. Food vendors on hand ranged from Indian curries and Taiwanese popcorn flavours to Belgian chocolates and candies as well as the Macau Slow Food Movement, just to name a few of the enticing offerings that were found in the festival.
A central stage hosted a wide range of entertainment to take in while sipping and supping. Performances from juggling unicyclists, live jazz music and a daily live segment from the hit Korean show Cookin’ Nanta, were all part of the programme at this year’s festival. Wine pairing dinners were another hot ticket at the festival with participating restaurants including the Cantonese favourite Dynasty 8, Copa Steakhouse, Golden Court and the popular Italian eatery, Portofino. Entry to the festival was free and coupons were available to purchase for the individual booths, meaning plenty of foodies spent the weekend educating their palates or just walking along enjoying and discovering new wines and foods for their rumbling tums. Watch out for this festival next year, as it’s sure to grow even further in 2016. www.winedinemacau.com
twitter.com/foodiehk // april 2015
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food war
Burst Your Many in Hong Kong, our office included, suffer from a bubble tea addiction. This snack. We tried a few from around town to get a feel for the options out there cold but
COCO
TEA TIME HOUSE
84 Hennessy Road, Wanchai
Shop B, 75 Castle Peak Road, Yuen Long
灣仔軒尼詩道84號地下
元朗青山公路75號B舖
The price: $15
The price: $16
The second biggest of our contenders was a thick, creamy number that had a silky smooth texture. There is definitely a great disparity on the standards of less sugar as this one was very sweet and bordered on too sickly to drink more than a few sips for all of us bar one of our tasters who possesses an extreme sweet tooth (it was her favourite). This tall cup housed a very milky flavour that wasn’t overly tea-rich and the tapioca balls that wait on the bottom were gooey on the outside but quite hard and chewy on the inside with a slightly wheaty aftertaste.
Our furthest competitor came to us from farflung Yuen Long and tasted like it was from another planet. Darker and richer in colour, this one appeared more like yuanyang coffee with a completely different flavour to our other three. We didn’t dislike it completely but it was a shock with its sweet, thick, artificial twang that coated the mouth and left a slightly chalky residue behind. Verdict: For those who like something different. Foodie rating:
Verdict: For those who like to walk on the sweet side. Foodie rating:
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An extreme bubble tea lover started a worldwide website for locating this tasty treat at www.findbubbletea.com. On a handy little map of Hong Kong it will prove that you’re never far from a spot of bubble tea.
Bubble Tea Taiwanese milk tea with tapioca pearls will fill you up for hours in a handy drinkable with a consistent order of 50 per cent less sugar black milk tea with pearls served without ice.
BESICTE CHO
TEN REN’S TEA
SHARETEA
10 Morrison Street, Sheung Wan
257 Des Voeux Road Central, Sheung Wan
上環摩利臣街10號地下
上環德輔道中257號地下
The price: $18
The price: $16
This old school tea retail shop frequently boasts long queues, perhaps on account of the free samples it dishes out daily, and sells traditional teapots as well as Hong Kong’s favourite textured beverage. This offering was both the smallest and the most expensive but effuses quality with its real tea mixes and fresh milk option. With a nice, frothy top, the first sip has an excellent balance of milk, tea and tapioca. The pearls have a nice consistency, though are slightly al dente in the inner core. Not too sweet, not too milky, this one was just right.
Our favourite Gong Cha location was taken over by a Sharetea, so we thought we’d give it a go and see how it measured up to our previously frequented chain. We all liked the branding on this one and it proved to be the biggest of the bunch, which isn’t necessarily what you look for in your bubble tea treat, but represents good value either way. The taste wasn’t overly sweet and tasted neither milky nor tea-strong but a bit powdery with a biscuity aftertaste. The pearls were the nicest of all with a silky, perfectly chewy density and richer caramel essence.
Verdict: For those who like to taste the tea in their bubble tea, this one is tops.
Verdict: Pearl-addicts will appreciate these balls best.
Foodie rating:
Foodie rating:
Join the debate and tell us which is your favourite on our Facebook page.
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chewin’ the fat
Chewin’ the fat with...
ANDY HAYLER It can be said that Andy Hayler knows fine cuisine. This is a man whose hard-working taste buds have appraised every single three Michelin-star restaurant in the world. He describes how this glorious food-calling came to be and the discrepencies between the different guides around the globe How did it all begin? I first started eating out regularly when I came to London in 1983 after graduation. I had a decent job so could afford to try out the better restaurants in the capital, though in the early 1980s there were thin pickings in London. I suppose the key moment was when I read an article about Jamin in Paris, commonly regarded as the best restaurant in the world at the time, with Joel Robuchon cooking. I decided to try it and see whether it was really any better than the food I had eaten up until that point. The meal at Jamin was stunning and converted me to high-end restaurants overnight, but made me realise that I would need to travel in order to find the very best. How do you maintain the reputation? I first visited all three-star Michelin restaurants in the world in 2004; there were 49 then, all in Europe. Since then I have kept up with all new three-star places, and revisited many, catching 20
up with Michelin in 2008, 2010, 2012 and June 2014, by which time there were 110 three-star establishments, and all of which I had visited. Over that period, I have visited 150 separate three-star places, counting the various places that have since been demoted or have closed, or whose guides have lapsed (such as Las Vegas). Is there a set goal whereby you visit every Michelin restaurant in each country? Not really. It would be impractical for one person to try and get to every single one-star place in every country, though I certainly make an effort to try the best places in each city when I visit, whether or not they are covered by Michelin e.g. there are some excellent restaurants in Singapore, Australia and India. What prompted you come up with your own guide? It was just a personal dining diary really. I had a book on London restaurants published in 1994, and set the website up just after that (August
1994) in order to allow people that bought the book to stay up to date with my dining experiences, should they wish. As far as I know it is the longest running restaurant website in the world. How extensive is the research you put in prior to eating at a restaurant? I do try to research things up front. There are a vast number of restaurants to choose from, and I do not want to waste my time and money by eating in disappointing places. Hence I tend to do a lot of on-line research before deciding where to eat. Once I have selected somewhere, there is further research in checking the background of the chef and analysing the wine list, so it is quite time consuming. Finally, getting a reservation at some places can require considerable advance planning. What’s been your greatest disappointment when eating in one of these restaurants? I tend to prefer classical cuisine over modernist, unless it is in the hands of a real genius (like Mark Veyrat when he was cooking, or Sergio Hermann or Grant Achatz). With modernist cooking, there can be a tendency to show off whizzy kitchen technique at the expense of flavour, and some chefs seem to feel the need to serve shocking ingredient combinations in order to show how cutting edge and fashionable they are. I greatly admire chefs who take classic, familiar dishes and make them even better - an example would be the Christmas panettone served at Le Calandre in Rubano the lightest, airiest panettone that anyone has probably ever made, transforming my view of this familiar and often industrial-made dish.
Scallops at Ledoyen, Paris
What differences have you noted in the Michelin rating guide across different countries? In theory the standards should be the same across countries, but I have not really found this to be true. In Europe, I gather that, at the two-star level at least, there is a degree of crosschecking by inspectors across borders, so there is at least some degree of consistency. It seems unlikely that this happens to the same extent with the newer guides. So, for example, the US guides seem generally to be quite kindly disposed, compared to, say, Germany or France in terms of allocating stars. What do you think of the Michelin system in Hong Kong? I have found the Hong Kong Michelin guide to be the least consistent of all. I am not sure why, but there are some genuinely baffling assessments, not just to me but to many experienced diners and chefs. Restaurant criticism is not a science, and there will always be the odd controversial choice, but there seems to be a lot more in the Hong Kong guide than elsewhere.
Spaghetti with truffles at Ledoyen, Paris
Have you had the chance yet to eat at the newly announced Michelin restaurants in Hong Kong? I haven’t been to all the very latest openings. It is a big world to cover.
facebook.com/foodiehk // april 2015
Where is your favourite place to eat in Hong Kong? Perhaps my favourite meal was at Ryugin, the sister of the thee-star Michelin restaurant in Tokyo - I think this serves superb modern Japanese food. If I am allowed Macau, then I am a big fan of the cooking of Francky Semblatts at Robuchon au Dome. Francky worked with Joel Robuchon in Paris when he was still cooking, which brings the story back to my conversion to high end food. For me Robuchon au Dome represents the most complete dining experience in the vicinity.
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A Woman’s Place Meet the female chefs shaping Asia’s dining scene
Vicky Lau, Peggy Chan, May Chow and Calista Goh have all made a big impact on our city’s culinary culture, as well as the notion of the professional kitchen being a man’s world. We talk to these game-changing ladies, along with Lanshu Chen in Taiwan, Janice Wong in Singapore and Duangporn ‘Bo’ Songvisava in Bangkok to gain insight into how these ladies are breaking the glacé ceiling all over Asia 22
a woman’s place
Vicky Lau Vicky Lau is this year’s winner of the Veuve Clicquot Asia’s Best Female Chef award at Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, as well as owner and head chef of Tate, a restaurant renowned for telling eloquent stories through its dishes. She tells of her rise to the top of the food chain My management style is rather relaxed and friendly. Every staff has a different personality and different things that they get excited about; for me it’s knowing which factor gets them out of bed every morning. On top of that it’s about trying to be playful and cooking for yourself to make yourself happy, and not just the customers.
The more women are noticed in this field, the more it disproves the misconceptions Women have made great strides as cooks, but there are few working in professional kitchens now, and I think many women are discouraged because people think that cooking in these kitchens is physically more challenging. That’s why it’s important to recognise female talent in the industry. The more women are noticed in this field, the more it disproves the misconceptions, because there is living proof that women can take on this career and succeed.
facebook.com/foodiehk // april 2015
I think I was in love with cooking long before training with Le Cordon Bleu, but that was where I discovered that food, as a medium of expression, was a far more liberating canvas to explore creativity, because it has the added dimensions of taste and smell. I believe that Hong Kong is a place for opportunity and entrepreneurship. I wanted to make a home here for my passion for creative work. I think that regardless of gender, the dining industry would be tough for anyone. I can’t think of any factor that would make this particularly harder for women, other than the fact that a woman being in charge tends to intimidate some people. People tend to think that it’s more challenging physically for females, but you learn to adapt. My own [cooking] style is quite feminine, in the sense that I try to be creative and present the dish artfully. I try to “design” dishes that are visually colourful and interesting, and pay a lot of attention to detail. Then again, this could just be my personal style. Every chef brings their own personal style into what they do.
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a woman’s place
Peggy Chan Peggy Chan is renowned in Hong Kong for her wholesome vegetarian flavours at Grassroots Pantry and Prune. She explains how she’s working to change Hong Kong’s culinary landscape I’ve always felt the need to fight for equality and justice, even if it means going against the status quo. Whether through our food philosophy–to source local, organic and to lessen the consumption of food factory produced meat; or to stand against how a standard chefrestaurateur may look, act and behave. All of it adds to the breaking of molds– to change our pre-set ways of thinking, and to collectively move us into creating a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable world. It’s tough [to be a woman in the industry] not only because is it physically demanding and the hours eat your soul away, but also because you have to be mentally tough in order to succeed, which goes completely against our natural womanly instincts. A sense of comradery evolves within this industry, as though you are in it together to prep for battle every day. If you make one mistake on the line, it ultimately screws everyone else’s timing up. You have to be completely self aware and take responsibility for your actions, which I find women handle far less 24
well as we tend to act out of emotions rather than logic. You have to be prepared to be told you’re not good enough, and not cry about it. Imagine carrying 25 litre stockpots and standing on your feet for 10-12 hours straight. Imagine the heat on a 35 degree summer’s day and the restaurant is full, the kitchen is slammed. And at the end of a 12 hour shift, your work station and stovetops must be scrubbed spotless. People like us don’t have ‘friends’ and ‘acquaintances’.
Blueberry cheesecake
a woman’s place
We have colleagues, family and people who understand us and are in it together. We speak restaurant language 99 per cent of the time and that gets us more excited than any girl gossip. Don’t even think about weekends and public holidays. Failed relationships are a norm. With that said, it’s all only a sacrifice if you aren’t able to see it as gradual, earned experience.
You have to be prepared to be told you’re not good enough, and not cry about it. I have once been called a gentle dictator. I spend time explaining the science behind my training –the ingredients used, the techniques used to handle it, down to how a station should be set up in order to operate service as efficiently as possible. I also build my staff to hold onto proper integrity, to stay humble, to be honest about themselves and to help each other out no matter their position. If a staff member happens to not get something done to expectation, I choose to empower over belittle. I provide them the freedom to play, and to create in their free time, which seldom happens in a male-dominated kitchen.
Celery root fries
All of the above adds to the good and the bad. I work better with men as they are more receptive to logic, and being spoken to softly. Women tend to see it as competition because of my Demeter style of management, as gentle, nurturing women in power are often bullied by female counterparts. I study Jungian psychoanalysis in my free time and the psychology behind men versus women interaction is quite interesting. For female chefs to reach success, it can no longer be driven by the existing traditional method where one has to work up the ranks over a lengthy period of time. Female chefs should extend their knowledge in entrepreneurship, and truly understand why they’re even in it.
What’s next for you Peggy? Prune
Come summer 2015, watch this space, HK!
facebook.com/foodiehk // april 2015
12 years ago when I first started out, kitchens were a lot more sexist than they are today. I learnt very early on that in order to stay in the industry, a woman must make herself as unattractive and unapproachable as possible so to not become the targeted victim. It sounds sadomasochistic, but that’s the kind of treatment a lot of women were faced with, and I stood firm against it in order to get to where I am today.
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a woman’s place
May Chow May Chow delighted bao-lovers all over the city with the opening of Little Bao. She describes her leadership style and what being a woman in the biz is all a-bao-t I am only inspired by positives. I am Chinese, a woman and gay. Life could have been tough but it’s actually amazing. I have had a chef job where my chef was abusive. I told myself I deserved better and left –but he threw tantrums at everyone, both men and women. When I first became chef-owner we were short staffed. For the first month, I didn’t eat the first bite of food until 10pm and we worked 12-14 hours a day. My starting team was dedicated and strong. There were days where my dishwasher called in sick, so I washed dishes. I bartended, I hosted and I waitressed. Now it is finally running smoothly and the restaurant can run without me. I’m an extroverted person so I’m very vocal about what I need. I ensure we have clear steps for all tasks so that they know their role and duties. When I first started out, guys were really nice and helped me carry heavy things and had extra patience to teach me. I quite enjoyed it and used it to my advantage. I think it’s also easier to stand out as there aren’t as many female chefs. I think if one can hold their own in any kitchen, hard work and talent can strive through anything. I don’t think there are disadvantages and maybe that’s why I’m here and I feel I 26
deserve what I have. Sometimes, your own fears can be your worst enemies. I think woman have become more and more powerful which inspires younger girls to achieve their goals. I don’t think the industry is stopping women from cooking. There are plenty of inspirational women chefs and it’s only increasing. What’s next for you May? We are currently building a central kitchen that will serve multipurpose. It will serve as a prep kitchen for catering and Little Bao. It will also serve as an incubator for our future projects, which I already have some in the works but can’t share yet!
Truffle fries
a woman’s place
Calista Goh
Calista Goh is the brains and brawn behind vegan raw wholefood shop Anything But Salads. She describes her vision for the female food future
I have a strong desire to solve the lack of healthy eating options in Hong Kong by providing customers with quality nutrition in a creative and delicious way. People tend to liken my leadership style to that of Steve Jobs – visionary, creative, tough, always demanding excellence in everything we do and always looking for ways to break the mold of the ordinary. At the same time, these qualities are softened with nurturing, education, and flexibility. Our corporate culture is based upon shared values of integrity, honesty and quality.
At present, there are more and more female foodpreneurs coming forward in business and executing their ideas. I do believe industry perception has changed. At least in my
facebook.com/foodiehk // april 2015
I have never been a believer in gender-related disadvantages. Whilst it may have been difficult for women before, female chefs like Julia Child defied stereotypes and societal limitations. If you’re passionate, dedicated, talented, ready to learn and eager to continue improving, then gender is moot. You work long hours, carry equipment and you’re constantly on your feet – but this is nothing. Your body and mind acclimatizes quickly.
experience, gender has always been a secondary or nonexistent consideration.
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a woman’s place
Duangporn ‘Bo’ Songvisava Duangporn ‘Bo’ Songvisava, chef and owner of Bo.Lan in Bangkok, and Asia’s Best Female Chef 2013 describes her love of fresh flavours and gender equality on the pass
Lanshu Chen Lanshu Chen’s restaurant Le Mout earned the title of S. Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Taiwan at the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards this year, as well as Chen winning last year’s honour as Asia’s Best Female Chef I decided to open my own restaurant because I wanted to create something that combined the beauty of French classics, an efficient and precise American working system, and my roots in Chinese culture. Being a professional cook in a restaurant means you have to devote all your time and spirit to this career to be good. I train my chefs in a military way but manage the team with a lot of communication and explanation. I never feel offended by debate or different opinions. The truth does not fear contention. I am always craving clarity, and it’s the same in my kitchen. We are looking for perfection together. I am not a very outgoing person and I always feel more comfortable working alone in the kitchen. But nowadays, the restaurant business needs me to meet with and talk to people about what we are doing. If I would like to reshape our food culture, I need to stand out and speak on behalf of my team. I think the perception in the industry has been changing along with our family structure and the position of a woman in society. So the number of female chefs will certainly increase. As a cook however, I think there is no gender difference in the kitchen. “Chef” should be a neutral term, so there is no need to debate if there are enough female chefs out there. 28
There was a gap in the Bangkok market available for just the style of restaurant I wanted to open, I was very young, energetic and crazy, plus there seemed no better place to have a Thai restaurant than in Thailand itself, especially Bangkok. I really value fresh ingredients (most of which don’t travel very well) and I like to use artisan product that cannot be exported to anywhere in the world. I would say it is a bit tougher [for
These days if you can work, you can work, whether you are a boy or girl does not matter. women] especially physically (long hours on your feet and having to lift heavy stuff). However, mentally, I think women probably cope better. It is also tough if you want to pursue both your career and motherhood. Work hours for this career are a bit unusual. I believe that gender is not the issue anymore. These days if you can work, you can work, whether you are a boy or girl does not matter.
Duangporn Bo Songvisava
a woman’s place
These top chefs list their female inspirations: Chef Vicky: Chef Lanshu Chen of Le Moût, Taiwan tries to use local ingredients in her French cooking and Chef Dominique Crenn of Atelier Crenn, San Francisco whose creations are heavily influenced by her heritage as well as her artistic flair.
Janice Wong Janice Wong, chef and owner of 2am:dessertbar in Singapore and named Asia’s Best Pastry Chef for two consecutive years, reveals her sweet side
Since the gender ratios are still skewed towards men at the moment, the advantage of being a female in this industry is that you instantly stand out. The disadvantage is that you definitely come under greater scrutiny. Statistically speaking the top chefs in the world are still men, but this is changing.
Chef May: April Bloomfield, Nancy Silverton, Alice Waters and Julia Child. Chef Calista: Julia Child with her courage, determination and passion for food. She defeated societal stereotypes to become a household name in America! Ani Phyo is very inspiring with how she made raw vegan cuisine accessible to many. Chef Lanshu: Chef Anne-Sophie Pic in France, Annie Féolde of restaurant Enoteca Pinchiorri, and I worked with Chef Bo of Bo.Lan in Taiwan, and she impressed me with her efforts in preserving the old memory of her culture and the value of nature. The achievements of these female chefs have amazed people with their determination. They demonstrate a different kind of beauty. Chef Bo: Maggie Beer, Kylie Kwong and Alice Waters. Chef Janice: Elizabeth Falkner, who is hailed as one of America’s Top 10 Pastry Chefs
facebook.com/foodiehk // april 2015
When I was working in New York, I was always inspired and amazed by the creativity and sophistication of dessert restaurants there. Moving back to Singapore, I could never find a place that satisfied my midnight cravings for gourmet desserts and hot chocolate. That marked the opening of 2am:dessertbar, which was born out of a personal passion and inclination towards progressive desserts. Pairing desserts with wines and cocktails was also a natural thing for me to do, because that is how I enjoy my desserts. Although time spent at work is time spent away from family, friends and social activities, I don’t regret it. I love what I do.
Chef Peggy: Alice Waters, a successful chef-owner, a slow food educator, a woman of belief, conviction, and a woman of heart who cares enough to utilize her trade and her status to help make the world a better place.
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butter me up
Butters from Churned HK
Butter me up With a growing number of “butters” appearing on the market from apple and coconut to almond and cashew, we decided to take a closer look so we can try to see the nuts from the trees A somewhat confusing misnomer, butter is often used as an alternative, and perhaps more flowery, word for a spread or a paste; we’ve found ourselves somewhat misled by the heading and how it can apply to fruits, nuts and seeds alike, so have sought to clear up some of the mystery behind it. Whichever way you package it, there are some delicious options for buttering up bland ingredients and making them into a meal in themselves.
roasted almonds, and is higher in Vitamin E, iron, potassium, and protein. It is often used as a butter substitute in baking recipes and a substitute for the traditional peanut butter pairings such as apples, bananas and as a topping for toast.
Let’s start with the nuts: ALMOND BUTTER
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Churned HK
Aside from peanut butter this is one of the more popular of nut butters. Almond butter gained ground in the gluten-free craze that began earlier this decade. Compared to regular peanut butter, it is grittier, has a mild taste of
Almond butter
butter me up
Watch out: Almonds are tree nuts, a common allergen, so may not be a great option for those with allergies. Some brands are also known to contain quite a bitter aftertaste. It can easily be made at home with a food processor.
CASHEW BUTTER When ground into a paste, cashews become rich and creamy and the result is very comparable to almond and peanut butter. The taste is the mildest of the three, is favoured for its high unsaturated fat content, and is a good alternative for people with peanut allergies. Cashew butter is good as a spread, as a thickening agent for smoothies and sauces, and as a base for vegan baked goods such as cheesecake. Watch out: Cashews don’t have as much protein or omega-3 as peanuts or almonds.
HAZELNUT BUTTER A spread made with ground and blended hazelnuts, this butter is relatively gritty in texture and on the sweeter side with a robust hazelnut-rich taste. When mixed with chocolate, it can be used as a healthier alternative to Nutella’s hazelnut chocolate spread. Both chocolate and plain hazelnut butters are good on toast, with ice cream and even mixed in to your morning coffee for a fullbodied hazelnut kick. Watch out: If a spread is made with raw, rather than roasted hazelnuts, refrigeration is recommended. Also higher in Vitamin E and cholesterol reducing fats than peanut butter.
MACADAMIA BUTTER
Watch out: Unlike other nut butters, macadamia butter should be refrigerated, as it is more perishable than others and has a better consistency in cooler temperatures.
PECAN BUTTER One of the more uncommon types of nut butters, pecan butter is made of ground pecans and is chock full of vitamins and proteins. Pecan nuts have an almost silky texture and both an earthy, honeyed and nutty taste. It can be spread on crackers, fruit or sandwiches. Watch out: As this one is not as common as other butters, it can be hard to track down. Also, not to be confused with Butter Pecan, the ice cream flavour.
PISTACHIO BUTTER Typically a combination of pistachio nuts and salt, pistachio butter has an inevitably nutty flavour along with a strong, earthy tang that is slightly sweet with a contrasting salty kick. When ground, the oil in the pistachios separates, making this butter quite a heavy paste. Pistachio butter has a gritty texture but can be smoothed out when extra oil is added. Pistachio butter can be paired with both savoury and sweet dishes: as a base for pesto, a topping for grilled salmon, as a spread in between baklava layers, or on top of vanilla ice cream with some balsamic vinegar reduction. Watch out: Pistachio butter becomes rock hard when refrigerated.
twitter.com/foodiehk // april 2015
Made with either raw or roasted macadamias, macadamia butters hold a sweet, creamy taste with the roasted variety providing a toasty kick to the spread. Some form of sweetener is typically added and ground in with extra oil to hold the paste together. It can be paired with the usual fruits and breads or used as an ingredient in baking.
Cashew butter
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butter me up
On to the fruits: APPLE BUTTER
Churned HK
Hazelnut butter
SOY NUT BUTTER This one is made by roasting and grinding soy nuts and is yet another peanut butter alternative. It has a thick and creamy texture, similar to peanut butter in taste and is fairly mild, lacking much richness in flavour. Since it is an alternative to peanut butter, it has the same pairings and is recommended as a spread on bread and a dip for apples and celery and can be used as an ingredient in baking. Watch out: Many find this alternative too bland and it does contain a distinct aftertaste that some find unpleasant.
WALNUT BUTTER Though it is not the highest in protein or lowest in fat, Walnuts are one of the highest sources of omega-3 in the nut world. Walnut butter is typically made by grinding walnuts until their oils separate and turn into a paste and has no added ingredients so tastes soley of freshly cracked walnuts. Watch out: Walnut butter is also high in saturated fat and low in protein. Because it is fairly uncommon as far as nut butters go, walnut butter is usually homemade but can be bought in some health food stores or online. 32
Apple butter is made by the slow cooking of apples and cider, or water, for an extended period of time until the sugar caramelizes into a thick, dark brown consistency; basically a more concentrated form of applesauce in both technicality and taste. Apple butter is sweet and has a slightly bitter taste from the caramelisation of the apples. It can be used on both sweet and savoury foods—complemented with peanut butter in sandwiches, a sauce for pork chops, an oatmeal topping, or eaten alone like applesauce. In short, it’s very much like applesauce. Watch out: Like anything eaten in excess, it can cause weight gain and the acidity can cause tooth decay.
COCONUT BUTTER Unlike nut butters, coconut butter is much more similar to a dairy butter. Not to be confused with coconut oil, it is made from dried coconut flesh that is ground into a paste, as opposed to extracted as an oil, making it both thicker and sweeter. Also, when melted, coconut butter stays white while coconut oil becomes clear. The resulting coconut butter is sweet and creamy with fruity and floral undertones. It can be melted and drizzled on fruit, made into candies and fudge and used as icing for cakes but it sadly cannot be freely used as a substitute for butter because of its density, as with nut butters. Watch out: While it has no cholesterol, it is high in saturated fat and does not offer many nutritional benefits to your diet.
PUMPKIN BUTTER Ideal for the fall season, pumpkin butter is a versatile ingredient in many dishes and a complement to anything pumpkin-spiced. It is made with a similar method to apple butter where it is slow-cooked with apple cider and other spices and becomes a concentrated version of a sweet pumpkin purĂŠe. It can be paired with pancakes, made into a pudding, used as a spread in soft cheese paninis or with cream cheese on toast.
butter me up
Watch out: Pumpkin in itself has many health benefits, but as pumpkin butter is sweetened, it should be consumed in moderation.
And now the seeds: SUNFLOWER BUTTER
Watch out: Sunflower seeds contain chlorogenic acid, which causes the butter to turn green when used in recipes that contain baking powder. Also, some sunflower butters can be unpleasantly bitter.
Churned HK
Sunflower seed butter can be used as a peanut butter alternative for people with nut allergies because of its similar texture and nutty taste, although the flavour is distinctly different to peanut butter. It is recommended with the usual pairings: spread on toast or crackers, a dip for sliced apples or celery, as an ingredient in cookies, but it isn’t recommended in smoothies like many nut butters.
Maple Syrup
And the sweet: COOKIE BUTTER Essentially, this is the spreadable version of the Belgian cookie “Speculoos,” which is spiced with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, and nutmeg. Cookie butter looks like peanut butter in colour and consistency but is sweeter and reminiscent of gingersnaps in taste. It’s sold crunchy, smooth, or swirled with cocoa and is used as a dip for pretzels, a spread on toast, pancakes, and waffles and a topping on ice cream.
SESAME BUTTER Also known as Tahini paste, sesame butter is most commonly used as an ingredient for hummus. Tahini paste has a rich, earthy and slightly bitter flavour so is most often used in more savoury dishes such as dressings and sauces, sandwich spreads, and soups.
Watch out: Should be consumed in moderation for its high sugar content.
Watch out: Research suggests that nut allergies may overlap with sesame so it may not be the ideal substitute for those with nut allergies.
MAPLE BUTTER Maple butter is made by heating maple syrup to a certain temperature, letting it cool, then stirring and whipping it into a creamy consistency. Since it is made of pure maple syrup, it tastes like a lighter, more velvety version of its syrup form. Because of its sweet factor, it is a good spread to sweeten dishes such as pancakes, waffles, and oatmeal.
Most of these butters can be made simply at home, bought in supermarkets around the city or from local artisans like Churned HK, a Hong Kong company that sells made-to-order gluten-free nut butters at www.churnedhk.com
www.afoodieworld.com // april 2015
Richard Elzey, CC by 2.0, 18 Aug, 2012
Watch out: Though its sucrose levels are lower than regular sugar, it is best to have this in moderation.
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Celia Hu travels to Blighty to take the air in Oxford
Oxford, home to the oldest university in the English-speaking world, with leafy tree-lined streets amidst picturesque English countryside seems the ideal place for the pursuit of academic excellence. Inquisitive young minds dressed in the collegiate uniform of crisp white collars whiz around on bicycles between centuries-old colleges, while the celebrated rowing team manoeuvres vessels with military precision through the calm river. Once described as the “city of dreaming spires” by poet Matthew Arnold, Oxford is not only home to one of the world’s most prestigious universities, but is also the principal production site for one of the most popular cars – the Mini. It’s also home to celebrated culinary establishments. So, grab a glass of Pimm’s and some strawberry shortbread, and come along with us for a spot of fine eating.
LE MANOIR AUX QUAT’SAISONS Church Road, Great Milton, Oxford, +44 (0)1844 278 881 Le Manoir is one of those rare unicorns of the culinary world that requires months of advance bookings, and commands the utmost degree of anticipation. Raymond Blanc’s two Michelin-starred Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, sits on 30-acres of idyllic English countryside, and houses 32 individually designed guest rooms, a fine dining restaurant, and the acclaimed cookery school, surrounded by manicured lawns, a vast vegetable garden and orchard. The sumptuous gardens, filled with 100% organic vegetables, herbs and mushrooms, keep the Michelin-star kitchen fully stocked. Last June, we celebrated a friend’s wedding there, and were treated to a private tour of the kitchens and grounds following our meal. A walk through the various gardens, including the English water garden (originally dug by monks in the 16th century) is a must, and if the mood strikes, a little game of croquet on the lavender-lined field is
owned and operated by the same family today. The Victorian-style boathouse has been converted into a fine dining restaurant, and during the summer season, a tented river terrace allow diners to revere in the enchanting surroundings under the twinkle of fairy lights. Cascades of willow reach towards the gentle river while swans leisurely glide through the waters. We attempted to punt towards University Parks before the predictably “English weather” of summer rain sent us running for shelter within the Boathouse. We indulged in cool glasses of Pimm’s before delving into Chef Nick Welford’s seasonal menu of nut-crusted sweetbreads, mini Scotch quail eggs, and crab-meat topped halibut nestled on a bed of succulent mussels seeped in saffron broth. Dessert is an event not to be missed, and on the day of our visit, the seasonal special was a pageantry of sun-ripened local strawberries, served in various delectable forms including as a mousse, shortbread, cheesecake and jelly.
always a good post-meal interlude.
CHERWELL BOATHOUSE Bardwell Road, Oxford, +44 (0)1865 552746 Bordering an iconic punt station, the Boathouse was built in 1904 by Anthony Verdin,and is still Crab meat topped halibut
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the food nomad
SUMMERTOWN A suburb in North Oxford, the whimsically named Summertown is home to many of the delicious eateries in Oxford. Notable restaurants include Portabello, a vibrant diner featuring modern British cooking, and Cibo, a much loved Italian pizzeria. A relative newcomer to the scene is The Oxford Kitchen, and its dynamic young chefs John Footman and Gerd Greaves, have been causing quite an excitable stir in what the UK Fine Dining
FOODIE PICKS: It’s Pimm’s O’clock! The representative drink of Wimbledon, Pimm’s No.1 Cup is dear to most Englishmen’s hearts. The gin-based drink is a secret blend of herbs and liqueurs, with a reddish tint and citrus notes. Often mixed with lemonade, ginger ale and fresh fruits, Pimm’s is the ideal summertime cooler. For a bit more oh la la action, mix with Champagne to create the fanciful “Pimm’s Royal Cup”. Expecto Patronum – Harry Potter fans will certainly know what this spell means, and can find many of the sites where the famous movies series were filmed in Oxford. From the grand stone staircase of Christ Church, to the towering vaulted ceiling of the Bodleian Library, there’s plenty of familiar scenery for Potter fans to relive key moments from the epic movie and book series.
THE CRAZY BEAR Bear Lane, Stadhampton, Oxfordshire +44 (0)1865 890714 The name, really, says it all. The Crazy Bear in Stadhampton is the original property that sparked an exclusive collection of luxury boutique hotels. Built upon the bones of a 16th century public house, and tucked away in 80-acres of working farmland, The Crazy Bear is an endearing display of British eccentricity, with copious doses of luxury thrown in. With opulent flourishes of rich jewel tones, fine fabrics, and decadent Versailles-esque furnishings, the historical house has metamorphosed into a sensuous boudoir, and houses unique guest rooms, two sumptuous restaurants, and a cosy bar tucked beneath aged timber beams and elaborate chandeliers. The fun starts at check-in, where the reception is housed in a double decker red bus! Things go topsy-turvy in the English Restaurant, where guests can peruse the wine cellar - encased in the ceiling! Walking into the Thai Restaurant might blind you, as everything is set in gold and lush deep reds. Most of the produce comes directly from The Crazy Bear Farm, raring up funnily named varieties such as the Gloucestershire Old Spot Pork, and the Welsh Badger Face Lamb.
www.afoodieworld.com // april 2015
Strawberry shortbread
Guide terms “the start of a timely revival of the city’s gastronomic fortunes”. The 5-course tasting menu features contemporary British cuisine, and is marked by temptresses such as blackened Cornish mackerel with blood oranges and fennel, and lemon blackberry parfait with popcorn ice cream.
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Asia’s 50 best restaurant
And the winner is.... Celia Hu attends Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards in Singapore Gaggan, a revolutionary trailblazer in innovative contemporary Indian cuisine, took home the top title at this year’s Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants award. Also awarded the prestigious title of S. Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Thailand, Gaggan paves new frontiers for modern Indian cookery. Opened in 2010 by Chef Gaggan Anand in Bangkok, the restaurant reinvigorates one of the world’s most ancient culinary disciplines with modernist cooking techniques, including “deconstructed” versions of Indian street food, although the chef prefers to call it “progressive techniques” rather than the overused blanket term “molecular”. Upon winning the honourable title, Chef Gaggan was taken with emotion, and his first teary-eyed phone call was to his mother, who is undergoing dialysis treatment in India. He credits his mother for instilling in him the passion for cuisine and swears that she is a better cook than him. Hailing from humble beginnings growing up in a one bedroom apartment in Kolkata, Gaggan rose to success through uncompromising hard work, daring creativity and sheer willpower. During his internship at Ferran Adria’s legendary el
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Bulli, he remarked that the resident chef’s understanding of Indian food was rubbish, but he learned plenty about the innovative “progressive techniques” used in modernist cooking. At Gaggan, he excels at transforming typical Indian home-cooked favourites and street food with innovative techniques and flavour combinations that surprise and entice diners. Gaggan is energetic, passionate, and deeply devoted to his craft. During the press conference following his win, he was quick to shift the spotlight to his dedicated team, and remind us that the restaurant is not solely built by the efforts of one man. For Gaggan, this win will motivate young Indian chefs to reach higher and think outside-of-the-box. As he said, this award is not only a win for himself, but for India. Currently, Gaggan is too busy with pop-ups and new projects to step out of his kitchen for more than three days, and he remarked that when he gets to 45 maybe he’ll consider taking on more glamorous projects such as TV programmes. He is first, and foremost, a chef, and says a
Asia’s 50 best restaurant
chef belongs in the kitchen. When asked how he was going to celebrate this momentous occasion, he replied “I’m not a big drinker, and I never drink on these types of occasions, I’m going to celebrate by eating the best chili crab in Singapore, at Newton Circus!” He is certainly a man who knows his priorities. Notable Mentions Gaggan of Thailand, Narisawa of Japan and Ultraviolet of China took home the top three titles, respectively. Nine Hong Kong restaurants made the Top 50 list, including Amber at No. 6, Otto E Mezzo Bombana at No. 8, Fook Lam Moon at No. 15, L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon at No. 17, Lung King Heen at No. 20, Tenku RyuGin at No. 24, Bo Innovation at No. 28, The Chairman at No. 35, and Caprice at No. 42. Chef Richard Ekkebus of Hong Kong’s Amber won the coveted Nespresso Chefs’ Choice Award, while Chef Vicky Lau of Tate Dining Room & Bar scored plenty of girl power by earning the Veuve Clicquot Asia’s Best Female Chef title. Two new countries made first appearances on the 2015 list, with first-timer Antonio’s from the Philippines ranking in at No. 48 and Cuisine Wat Damnak from Cambodia rounding off at No. 50. China swept in with a winning strike of 16 restaurants on the list, followed closely by Singapore and Japan with 10 and 8 restaurants respectively.
Sipping San Pellegrino with Monsieur Clement Vachon, Gruppo Pellegrino International Relations & Communication Director Before the awards ceremony, I sat down with Monsieur Vachon at the Capella Hotel in Sentosa to discuss Gruppo Pellegrino’s involvement with Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants and their pledge to nurture the future stars of f&b. S. Pellegrino has sponsored the event since its inception three years ago. According to Vachon, Asia is the next big thing to transform the culinary world, with a growing number of internationallyacclaimed regional chefs writing culinary history on the foundation of thousands of years of vibrant, distinctive traditions. Besides sponsoring the 50 Best Restaurant awards, S. Pellegrino also pledges to nurture future culinary talent through the Young Chef competition. This year, more than 5,000 recipes were submitted globally by chefs under the age of 30, with 20 young chefs selected to compete for the grand title this June. The selection for the 2015 Northeast Asia Regional Challenge was held in Hong Kong in February, and after a gruelling judging session by Chef Alvin Leung, Richard Ekkebus and Yim Jungsik, the regional title was won by Park Jinyong of South Korea. We wish him the best of luck in the upcoming global cookoff!
facebook.com/foodiehk // april 2015
Gaggan of Bangkok wins #1 at Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2015
Celia Hu, our Editor-at-Large, at the awards
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Meandering Myanmar Keshia Hannam gets a taste of Burma before it becomes Bali “Eggs benedict or Mohanga for breakfast? “ This question depicts a scene entirely different to the one most would conjure when contemplating travel in Myanmar. Chef Sumet, formerly of the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok and the Taj group in Bangalore, is masterful in creating both, irrespective of the fact he’s required to do so in the middle of the Urrawaddy river. This is the Sanctuary Ananda, the latest cruise release of luxury travel company Sanctuary. Burma (or Myanmar as its more recently known) has only opened its doors to tourists as of 2012, and with it has brought an influx of voyagers of every bracket, from the backpacker to the businesswoman, and all those in between. Myanmese food is a homogeny of its neighbours Thailand and Bangladesh, mixed with the obvious stock of its own nation. Rice, curry, salad, cooked or stewed vegetables and seasonings of dips, relishes and pickles form the basis of the cuisine. Burmese lore has with it many sanctions on its dining, relating from the time a meal should be taken to how to invite people to eat with you, to what the role of a woman is as a professional and as a cook. Though not as strictly adhered to 38
as in previous decades, the loose structures and formalities of these practises remain. Perhaps the best food in the country can be found aboard the Sanctuary Ananda. This comment is reiterated time and again by visitors to the ship who spend weeks scurrying about the largely unknown land, as well as local and natives familiar with Burmese food. Festooned with first class amenities, the triple deck boat has delicately balanced flavours and ingredients of the local land and brings Western fine dining to
It is here that exploration gets a 6 star make-over. Indiana Jones meets Coco Chanel and this is their love child. its patrons on board. It is here that exploration gets a six star make-over. Indiana Jones meets Coco Chanel and this is their culinary love child. Offering a unique journey along the Irrawaddy (Burma’s longest water mass), guests aboard the Sanctuary Ananda taste and experience
this mysterious world of pagodas and monks while dining in exquisite settings with skilful and sensationally tasty food. One may progress on any given day from a local dish of Mohanga (fish broth based noodles) to a starter of vegetable croquettes with local fruits and aoili (all ingredients sourced from the surrounding region) to a plate of cheeses (many of them made in Yangon). Chef Sumet has worked to bring the best quality he is able to source to the table, which in many cases has meant implementing new systems of refrigeration to experimenting for months with local mutton in an effort to use as much produce from Myanmar as possible. A night on the sandbank under the stars begins with delicacies ranging from local prawns grilled over coal to a bespoke wok stir fry consisting mainly of the adjacent town’s vegetables. Produce in Burma seems to have a taste that reflects the terror; marshy with the occasional suggestion of buffalo. It’s remarkable what this chef has been able to turn these victuals into and his commitment to the local land laudable all while fighting against the current (metaphorically and literally as the Sanctuary Ananda travels up river). The river fish utilised in a rich buerre blanc sauce or the prawns bathed in a tart lime Thai dressed avocado salad, could very possibly have swum along side the ship at
some stage of this ship’s previous journey. Pretty much anything that can’t move out of the way in time, and is of a standard befitting fine dining, seems to be hauled aboard and made into a sumptuous meal. Feasting on fragrant beetroot soups, succulent local duck l’orange, steak so tender a steak knife was rendered obsolete, and a silky kiss of a coconut curry whilst cruising past villages of thatched huts and sampans is truly unforgettable. Fine dining driven by consideration for local tastes, Michelin level cuisine and as much local produce –and subsequently, development and awareness for local communities– as possible, attracted a spectrum of engaging, like-minded sea-farers, exploring a new land of beautiful food that seems to get progressively better the longer one is on the ship. www.afoodieworld.com // april 2015
Magic moments like having french toast delivered to the table and sipping local Myanmese coffee while floating past a village with an 800 year old golden pagoda at centre, or venturing to the middle of a lake and being handed Taittinger champagne while the sun sets are fairly difficult experiences to outdo.
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The Humble Egg Nutrition Nation nutritionist Dilal Ranasinghe debates the dilemma of which came first, the cholesterol or the egg
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The truth about ‘the egg’ has been a confusing barrage of information over the years. They have been demonized in the health food industry as causing blood cholesterol levels to skyrocket. The media and health industry have also led many to believe that eggs increase cholesterol and lead to heart problems and other health issues. I am glad to report that recent evidence says this is NOT the case.
The fact is an egg is a nutritional powerhouse! They are a fantastic source of lean protein, heart-healthy omega 3 fatty acids and also contain a selection of important nutrients. One large egg has roughly 186-210 milligrams of cholesterol — all of which is found in the egg’s yolk. This is coming with around 70-90 calories, 6-7 grams of protein and 5 grams of healthy fats. Eggs also contain various other trace nutrients that are important for health.
The facts: ‘Cholesterol’ is often seen as a negative word. When we hear it, we automatically start thinking of medication, heart attacks, health problems and early death. The truth is that cholesterol is a very important part of the body and is also used to make hormones like testosterone, estrogen and cortisol. Without cholesterol, we wouldn’t even exist! Given how incredibly important cholesterol is, the body has evolved elaborate ways to ensure that we always have enough of it available. As obtaining cholesterol from the diet isn’t always an option, the liver actually produces cholesterol to ensure our bodies are balanced. When we eat a lot of cholesterol rich foods, the liver starts producing less. It is however important to differentiate between ‘good cholesterol’ and ‘bad cholesterol”. One we need to increase in our bodies, the other we need to decrease.
So, in an eggshell, eggs are pretty much the perfect food; they contain a little bit of almost every nutrient we need. The benefits: Eggs are perfectly packed with nutrients. A whole egg contains all the nutrients required to turn a single cell into a baby chicken.
Some of the nutrients of an egg: •
Vitamin A: 6% of the RDA.
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Folate: 5% of the RDA.
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Vitamin B5: 7% of the RDA.
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Vitamin B12: 9% of the RDA.
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Vitamin B2: 15% of the RDA.
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Phosphorus: 9% of the RDA.
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Selenium: 22% of the RDA.
*These values are approximate
Eggs also contain decent amounts of Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Calcium and Zinc. Eggs Raise HDL (The “Good”) cholesterol - people who have higher levels of HDL usually have a lower risk of heart disease, stroke and various health issues. Eggs contain choline - an important nutrient that most people don’t get enough of –choline is used to build cell membranes and has a role in producing signaling molecules in the brain, along with various other functions. Eggs turn bad cholesterol to good cholesterol reducing the risk of heart disease - egg consumption appears to change the pattern of LDL particles from small, dense LDL (bad) to large LDL, which is linked to a reduced risk of heart disease. Eggs contain lutein, zeaxanthin and antioxidants that have major benefits for eye health - studies show that consuming adequate amounts of these nutrients can significantly reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration, two very common eye disorders.
Eggs for pregnant women - eggs are rich in proteins, which are essential during pregnancy. Every cell of the growing baby is made of protein, so having eggs in limited amounts during pregnancy is good for the fetus.
This does depend on a number of factors including your current age, lifestyle, diet, medical factors and activity. That said, medical research has proven that eating up to three eggs per day does not adversely affect the body, blood cholesterol or increase the risk of cholesterol related diseases. This doesn’t mean that you can go and start eating over 20 eggs per week though! Always eat foods in moderation, especially eggs as they could be added to a lot of foods that we eat regularly including snacks, noodles, some pasta, bread crumbed foods and lots of baked products. Fundamentally, eating a whole egg every day is a great addition to your diet. The right eggs It’s also important to keep in mind that not all eggs are equal. It matters what we eat, however, it also matters what the producers of our foods actually eat. In the case of eggs, the diet of the livestock is critical to the optimal nutritional value of the egg. Most eggs at the supermarket are from chickens that are raised in factories and fed grain-based feeds. The healthiest eggs are omega-3 enriched eggs, or eggs from hens that are raised on pasture and given organic feeds. These eggs are much higher in important fat-soluble vitamins. We strongly recommend that your eggs should be free range or organic. In the end The humble egg is a power food packed with essential vitamins and minerals that our bodies need.
facebook.com/foodiehk // april 2015
In the case of omega-3 or pasturised eggs, they lower triglycerides as well - eggs from hens that are raised on pasture and/or fed omega-3 enriched feeds tend to be much higher in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are known to reduce blood levels of triglycerides, a well-known risk factor for heart disease.
How many is too many?
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recipes
Good Eggs In tribute to the elliptical shape that enters our thoughts in the Easter month, rather than go all chocoholic, we’ve enlisted Tanja Guigon-Rech, nutritionist and founder of Nutrition Nation to provide us with sugar-free, gluten-free recipes to put our best eggs forward photography by Sophie Jin of www.todaytomorrowphotography.com
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recipes
BAKED EGG BUNS
Serves: 4 Prep time: 50 mins Cooking time: 20 mins
6.
Drizzle a bit of melted butter on top of each bun.
7.
Place on an oven tray and bake for 20 minutes. Tip: If you have left over dough, simply form small buns and bake them alongside the egg rolls for small snacks that are great when toasted.
Ingredients: Bread Rolls • 2 cups gluten-free self raising flour • ¼ cup milled flax seeds • 1 tsp baking powder • 1 tsp sea salt • 1½ tsp instant yeast (organic) • ¾ cup warm milk • 1½ tsp coconut nectar • ¼ cup melted butter / oil (plus extra to drizzle) • 2 large eggs Filling • 4 eggs • 8 slices of ham • 4 thin slices of zucchini (cut to 0.5mm) • ½ handful of sun dried tomatoes
Method: 1.
For the bread rolls, mix all dry ingredients together and place the yeast, warm milk and the nectar in the middle and let rest for 3 minutes. Mix in the melted butter and eggs (you’ll need a mixer) and cover for 20-30 minutes with a kitchen towel to let rest and rise.
3.
For the filling, boil the eggs for 8 minutes. Let cool, then peel.
4.
Pre-heat oven to 190°C. With flour covered hands, form small buns and flatten out the bread rolls. You want this crust to be approximately 1cm thick.
5.
Wrap the eggs in 2 ham slices and 1 courgette slice each, add some sun-dried tomatoes around them and wrap with the dough so egg is completely covered.
Serves: 4 Prep time: 10 mins Cooking time: 40 mins
Ingredients: • 4 eggs, separated • 200g ricotta • ½ tsp sea salt and ½ tsp ground pepper • 4 tbsp freshly chopped chives • Ground black pepper • 3 tbsp gluten-free flour • 1 tsp baking soda • 2 slices of pancetta, thinly sliced Method: 1.
Pre-heat oven to 170°C and position rack in lower third. Butter and dust 4 soufflé ramekins with flour and set aside.
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Separate the eggs and whisk all ingredients together – leaving the egg whites aside. Then whisk the egg whites until you get a stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the mixture until it’s roughly combined. Fill the mixture in your ramekins and bake for 30 minutes.
3.
Quickly pan-fry the pancetta until crispy and sprinkle on top of your soufflés. For the vegetarian version, simply omit the last step.
Tip: Soufflés are best served warm out of the oven to ensure that they are well risen. The longer you wait, the more they sink.
twitter.com/foodiehk // april 2015
2.
RICOTTA SOUFFLÉ
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recipes
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Ricotta SoufflĂŠ
Gluten-free spaghetti carbonara
THE “REAL” SPAGHETTI CARBONARA
2.
Bring water to boil and add homemade or store bought pasta for 6-7 minutes. In the meantime, heat a pan with the butter and pan-fry the pancetta as well as the garlic cloves. After 5 minutes remove the garlic cloves.
3.
Drain the pasta and transfer to the pan with the pancetta and give it a good mix. Turn the heat off and add eggs as well as cheese (set 2 tablespoons aside for garnish). It’s important that the heat is off, so the eggs don’t start to scramble. Give it all a good mix, drizzle some olive oil on top, season and serve.
Serves: 4 Prep time: 5 mins Cooking time: 20 mins
Method: 1.
Cut the pancetta in 1cm thin slices and peel the garlic cloves but leave them whole.
Tip: Although this traditional dish is healthier than the creamy version, it’s still a carb-rich dish. You may want to lighten it up with fresh herbs and a fresh spinach salad on the side.
facebook.com/foodiehk // april 2015
Ingredients: • 100g pancetta • 3 garlic cloves • 350g gluten-free pasta (like quinoa pasta cooks very well!) • 40g unsalted butter • 3 eggs • 100g parmesan cheese • 1 tbsp olive oil • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
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Yolky Tortilla Stack
YOLKY TORTILLA STACK 2.
Combine all tortilla ingredients and mix together until you get a smooth dough. If it’s still too sticky, use a bit more flour. On a well-floured working surface, form little balls and stretch them to tortilla-sized pieces. Heat a bit of oil in a pan and fry each tortilla for 2 minutes on each side. Prepare all and keep warm.
3.
For the filling, pan-fry the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.
4.
Fry 2 eggs and get your tortilla stacks ready. Starting with a tortilla on the bottom, create layers of tortilla and avocado, cooked tomato and coriander until you have 3-4 tortillas on top of each other – each layer containing a good amount filling. Place a fried egg on top of each stack with the egg yolk still runny. Cut into the egg yolk and enjoy.
Serves: 2 Prep time: 30 mins Cooking time: 20 mins Ingredients: Gluten-free tortillas • • • • • •
¾ cup warm water 1 cup gluten-free flour 1 cup corn flour ½ tsp sea salt ¼ cup oil for the dough 1 tbsp oil for frying
Filling • • • • • •
12 cherry tomatoes 1 avocado 1 handful fresh coriander 1 tbsp lemon juice Salt and pepper 2 eggs
Method: 1.
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Cut the tomatoes and avocado into thin slices and sprinkle with lemon. Wash and chop the coriander and set aside.
Tip: Make the tortillas slightly bigger than a fried egg, so that one egg is sufficient for one small tortilla stack. If you prefer bigger tortillas, place two fried eggs on top of one stack so you have enough sauce.
recipes
Mango-lemon egg tarts
MANGO-LEMON EGG TARTS
Serves: 8 Prep time: 30 mins Cooking time: 20 mins
ingredients together. Sprinkle water on your hands when pressing the crust greased muffin tins or small tart shells. Press the dough into the shell, so that you get a 2mm thick crust. 2.
Preheat the oven to 180°C and bake for 10 minutes – until golden brown.
3.
Egg custard filling: Mix the ingredients and heat the mixture slowly over a pot of hot water. A word of caution, the egg will separate and become “scrambled eggs” if heated too quickly. Keep on whisking until it thickens, this will take around 10-15 minutes.
Ingredients: Crust • 2 eggs • 100g coconut flour • 50g almond flour • 35g butter • 40g agave
Method: 1.
Melt the butter (slowly) and mix all the crust
4.
Transfer custard into baked tart shells and sprinkle with lemon zest or vanilla, if you wish.
Tip: You’ll want to eat these tarts on the same day, as the dough will become soggy quickly and is best when fresh and crispy.
facebook.com/foodiehk // april 2015
Filling • Juice of 1½ lemons • 200ml mango juice • 3 eggs • ½ tsp coconut syrup • 80g butter • 1½ tsp agar powder
Note: the custard won’t boil, but it’s best to take it off at approximately 70°C. The custard will thicken within 20 minutes.
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You call that an egg? Every humble egg has its place but for a truly egg-sotic egg-sperience, Clarissa Darling introduces the big daddy of them all – the ostrich egg
What’s so special about an ostrich egg? Native to South Africa, the ostrich lays the largest eggs of all birds, measuring 15 centimetres long and weighing a whopping 1.5 kilograms! A single ostrich egg is equivalent to 24 hen’s eggs, so if you plan to cook it, make sure you invite some people over to help you eat it. The result... The taste of a cooked ostrich egg is richer than a hen’s egg and the smell is stronger, so they are best suited to savoury dishes. The cooked yolk has a comforting fluffy softness, a pleasing umami taste and is a sunny orange-yellow colour. Due to its volume, the albumin can retain a grey tinged translucence when cooked rather than turn a bright white but the taste is very similar to the whites of other eggs. Lets get cracking... An ostrich egg needs to survive being sat on by a 300 pound fully grown bird, so how do you go about cracking it open? Using the blunt side of a knife, tap gently around the base until you hear the deeper sound of the air pocket between the shell and the membrane. For omelettes, frittata and scrambled egg, cook in the same way as hens eggs. To avoid gelatinous chunks and make sure it cooks through, take extra care to blend the yolk and milk thoroughly with the white and don’t put too much mix in the pan at once. A soft boiled egg will take 48
one hour to cook and a hard boiled egg at least two hours. Once you take it out of the pan, pop the egg in a bowl of ice water or run it under cold water in the sink. The shell retains heat and will continue to cook the egg if you don’t immerse it in the cold for 15 minutes. Fun Facts: The collective noun for a group of these big birds is a ‘wobble’ of ostriches. The attractive shells have a solid cream colour and a slightly pitted texture like a golf ball. They are often decorated or used as ornaments but because they retain heat so well they also make good hot water bottles when plugged up with a cork! Oops… If you want to make a decorative feature of the eggshell but accidentally break more than intended, you can still use the biggest part as a serving bowl for scrambled egg.
If you visit... The Cape Town Ostrich Ranch in South Africa is a 45 minute drive from the city centre. You can see the ostriches around the farm and try their meat and eggs in the restaurant. www.ostrichranch.co.za
promotion
Submission by Samantha Tam
Simplot Baking Competition
Simplot and Washington State Potato Council are on the hunt for the perfect mooncake recipe and are searching for eager cooks to create their own recipe for the MOONCAKE challenge. Aah yes, the mooncake. That familiar Chinese dessert that always makes an appearance during Mid-Autumn Festival, passed around and shared with friends and relatives over the festive season. We just can’t get enough of the rich salted egg yolk and lotus seed paste encased in a thin pastry crust. Veering away from the traditional festive treat, there have been many variations of the humble mooncake, from ice cream fillings and snowskin crusts to unusual savoury versions - we’ve even recently tried a Sichuan ‘ma la’ version!
The results?
Last month we asked our Foodie Club members to submit their recipes using Simplot’s Washington States potato products. They were given full creative license, as long as their recipe used at least 40 per cent of Simplot’s Washington States potato products.
Still ongoing, we have had some interesting submissions so far and can’t wait to see what the winning recipe will be. The Baking Awards are being held this month, so join Foodie Club to get updates on winners and recipes or enter the competition yourself!
Submission by Kim K Chan
facebook.com/foodiehk // april 2015
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chineasy food
Foodie’s kitchen scientist Kelly Yau experiments with recipes in her tiny, single-burner kitchen
15 MINUTE CHORIZO, MUSHROOM AND SOFT BOILED EGG LINGUINI Serves: 2 Cooking time: 15 minutes Ingredients:
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200-250g linguini
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1-2 tbsp light soy sauce
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2 large eggs
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1-2 tbsp white wine (optional)
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1 inch of cured spicy chorizo, finely diced
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1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
Small bunch of fresh herbs (I’m using thyme and parsley), chopped
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2 large handfuls of your favourite mushroom, sliced
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2 tbsp butter
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Drizzle of any oil
Method: 1 Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add generous amount of sea salt to the water. Add the linguini to the pot and start your timer for 10 minutes. 2. With the linguini taking roughly 10 minutes, add eggs into the water 5 minutes into the cooking. The rule of thumb is that you want the pasta and egg to finish cooking at the same time so you can drain together. 3. While the pasta is boiling, put a pan on medium heat and toast the chorizo until crisp and the fat has rendered. Remove the chorizo and set aside. 4. Heat the pan on a high heat and drizzle in the oil (you should also have a little oil left over from the chorizo) and add the garlic until sizzling. Toss in the mushrooms, keeping on high heat. It will start to brown in about 2 minutes. Add soy sauce, fresh pepper and white wine to the mushrooms and sizzle until all the liquid has been absorbed. Add herbs to the mushrooms – this is now ready for the pasta. 5. By this time, the linguini and eggs should be done. Reserve half cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the linguini, taking out the eggs and toss the linguini with the mushrooms and add the butter. Add a little pasta water to create a sauce. 6. Peel the egg. Top the pasta with the egg and sprinkle of chorizo. Serve immediately with optional grated cheese. KELLY’S TIP: • •
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If you have any other meat in the fridge, feel free to add this instead of chorizo. Ideal leftover additions: cooked chicken, meatballs or crispy bacon. This dish is best served at room temperature. Swap linguini with other pasta shapes such as shells or orecchiette for a wonderful picnic dish!
To see more of Kelly’s fun food experiments, check out bit.ly/KellyYau