How Taiwan’s food traditions are falling out of favour, and one chef’s quest...
Throughout the afternoon, the hardworking chui kha prepare ingredients for the coming banquet. Hired and supervised by the head chef, many are women in their 50s, and married or related to the men...
View ArticleGrandma’s recipe for delicious Chinese paper-wrapped chicken
This is a dish I learned from my Ah Ma (paternal grandmother). She would make it occasionally for the lavish dinners she prepared every Saturday night for the extended family; it took a long time...
View ArticleBenefits of wine: one of the world’s oldest charities began life in Burgundy
What I love best about the wine world is that everyone I meet – from the vineyard worker to the owner of a chateau or estate – is generous with their time and wines, opening and sharing a bottle...
View ArticleTop Japanese chef shares why Hong Kong will always be special to him
Tell us about your childhood. “Zeniya was started by my parents in 1970, the year I was born. When I was growing up I didn’t spend a lot of time with my parents, my father in particular, because chefs...
View ArticleMeet the British celebrity chef behind Hong Kong’s latest Italian restaurant
How did you become interested in food? “My father was an architect, my mother an artist, and they would take me and my two sisters on holidays to France and Italy. We’d visit museums and houses, and at...
View ArticleHow to make a summery spiced chocolate ganache tart with fresh berries
This pretty tart looks light and summery but underneath all the fruit is a rich chocolate ganache that has a hint of spice and a small dose of alcohol. I used a 22cm square tart pan, but if you don’t...
View ArticleSavour a taste of France, via Australia, and learn how to cook what’s...
The culinary life that Annie Smithers leads as she describes in her cookbook, Annie’s Farmhouse Kitchen (2017), is similar to the one I’d like to lead, although my version would be on a much smaller...
View ArticleDessert and wine pairings: book reveals some exotic combinations
You probably haven’t heard of Dominique and Cindy Duby, but in the introduction to their book, Wild Sweets: Exotic Desserts and Wine Pairings (2003), legendary American chef Charlie Trotter compares...
View ArticleNoma, Gaggan alumna shares her incredible journey: from Mumbai to Bangkok via...
What are your childhood memories of food? “My dad is the most influential figure in my life. He was in construction and travelled a lot for work, especially in the Middle East. He would come back with...
View ArticleParty snacks: cheesy churros with a spicy salsa
These cheesy, slightly spicy churros make a good party snack. They taste best the day they are made but, if needed, can be reheated in the oven (at 180 degrees Celsius for about five minutes) to crisp...
View ArticleWhy a Tuscan winery is looking to Burgundy for inspiration
Founded in 1974, Querciabella has extensive vineyard holdings in the Chianti Classico and Maremma regions of Tuscany, Italy, along the Etruscan coast. Owner Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni is a wine...
View ArticleHow Singapore’s chilli crab inspired one of Sri Lanka’s best restaurants
Tell us about your childhood. “I was born in Tokyo in 1970. My dad had moved from Sri Lanka to Japan and he met my mum, who is Japanese, while he was studying for his doctorate in chemical engineering...
View ArticleMade in Hong Kong: tea-infused craft beers at city’s smallest microbrewery
The hollow rattling and grinding of machinery intensifies as I walk down the corridor in a Kwai Chung industrial building towards the entrance of Tai Wai Beer. Standing near the doorway, with his...
View ArticleMinced pork recipes – a delicious star performer or supporting role in Asian...
I use a lot of minced pork in my kitchen. Sometimes, as with the first recipe, it plays a supporting role in a dish, used in small amounts to add flavour to vegetables and other ingredients. Other...
View ArticleJapanese-inspired recipes from British chef who has shaken up Australian...
As with many other great chefs, Martin Benn, of Sepia (which was in Sydney but will reopen in Melbourne later this year), attributes his interest in food to his family, in particular, his mother, and...
View ArticleHow Michelin stars sold fickle Italians on Asian flavours of France-born...
What was your childhood like? “I was born in France in 1968 – in the Haute-Savoie [region], which borders Italy. My family is from the south of Italy, but my grandfather moved to France after the war....
View ArticleNew wines from the forgotten vines of Europe – viticulturists resurrect...
Any viticulturist will tell you that the older the vine, the more character the wine produced from it will have. Older vines imbue more depth and complexity to wine. The downside is that the quantity...
View ArticleQuick and easy puff pastry – all the taste and texture without the palaver
Puff pastry is my favourite dough to make. Classic puff pastry – which calls for butter to be spread between layers of dough, then repeatedly rolled out and folded six times, to create many layers –...
View ArticleSavour tastes from Beijing to Hangzhou: Chinese recipes from cities along...
This is not the type of book that typically wins a Gourmand World Cookbook Award. Chinese Cuisine Along the Grand Canal (2014), which won Best Chinese Cookbook in the USA and Special Award of the Jury...
View ArticleCake enthusiasts rejoice, Hong Kong’s first baking festival to debut in July
Sharing slices of home-made cake or warm crusty bread with family and friends is one of life’s simple pleasures. But baking is not as easy as throwing a few ingredients into a bowl. It is a complex...
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