VIcTor
FOOD + WINE
FOOD + WINE
VIcTor
LIoNg I
M
P
R
E
S
S
COMBINING CLASSICAL FRENCH TRAINING WITH A PASSION FOR THE HUGE SCOPE OF CHINESE CUISINE, VICTOR LIONG HAS BECOME ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S BRIGHTEST YOUNG CHEFS. Words Nathalie Craig Recipes Victor Liong Photography Brett Stevens Stylist Yael Grinham
VICTOR TALKS RECIPES
E
arly on in his career Victor Liong would follow the allocation of Chef Hat Awards as eagerly as other people follow the rankings of football teams. “I’d be seeing which chef worked where, how many hats they had and what their signature dishes were,” he recalls. Now, it’s his turn. We spoke to Victor the morning after he scored his first Chef ’s Hat for his Melbourne restaurant Lee Ho Fook at The Age Good Food Guide Awards. “I’m still waiting for it to sink in, but it’s nice to finally get mine,” he tells us. Victor opened Lee Ho Fook in 2013 as a place to cook his own style of Chinese food, executed with the fine dining techniques he learned at the start of his career. Despite being from a MalaysianChinese background, Liong didn’t start out cooking Asian food. “I am classically trained in French cuisine. I spent a lot of my early career in European restaurants.” He worked with revered Sydney chefs including Mark Best at his iconic Surry Hills restaurant, Marque. “It was great fun working with Mark because it was really cutting edge. I got to meet a lot of people and learn a lot of new techniques.” THE CALL OF CHINA
When Victor decided to branch out and define his own style of cooking, he kept turning to Chinese cuisine. He began training with some of Sydney’s elite Asian chefs, including Dan Hong while he was opening his famous Mr Wong restaurant. “China is such a diverse country. There are regions that are only wheat cuisines, some are rice, some are 48 NOV|DEC 16
landlocked, so there’s no seafood at all, and some are coastal.” What’s more, with more than 3,000 years of history and over a billion people, China is a continual source of inspiration. “It’s such a big, rich, diverse cultural pool to draw from. I could do it for a million years.” OPENING LEE HO FOOK
Victor decided to open Lee Ho Fook in Melbourne, saying that at the time, Sydney didn’t need another new style Chinese venue. “When I first started it was pretty daunting, new city, new style of food,” he recalls. “In the early days, it was about finding confidence in the food I made and training the staff and getting them to believe in the vision, but it’s easier now that it’s three years old and has its own identity.” Speaking of identity, the name comes from a Chinese restaurant in London that crops up in Warren Zevon’s 1978 hit song, Werewolves of London. Zevon also provided the name for Victor’s other restaurant, which closed earlier this year, Lawyers, Guns and Money. But back to Lee Ho Fook. Since the start, Victor has kept several signature dishes on the menu. “I really like the idea of having young chefs come through and get be part of a signature dish, like the way Tetsuya has his Ocean Trout and Mark had his egg.” With a wealth of knowledge and a great passion for creating new dishes, expect to see this talented young chef accruing more hats in the future.
Warm scallops, silken tofu and soy brown butter “When I worked at Marque we used to cook all the scampi with brown butter and I’d season it with a little bit of garlic and soy sauce and all the boys said if I opened a restaurant I’d have to do something with it because it’s amazing. Once the heat gets to both ingredients they go to opposite spectrums – the scallops firm up and the tofu softens so you get quite a nice textural contrast.” White cut chicken, black vinegar dressing and aromatic Sichuan chilli oil “It’s a classic kind of Sichuan dish and we don’t mess with it too much. Black vinegar is one of my favourite f lavour profiles in Chinese cooking.” Chinese potato salad, enoki, dill and garlic dressing “This dish showcases a different texture in potatoes. When people think potato salad, they’re thinking about the one at Christmas with the mayonnaise. In China, it’s very common to just shred the potato and cook it quickly like a crunchy vegetable”. Steamed barramundi, ginger and spring onion “This Lee Ho Fook classic has been with us since the first day. My family is from the Canton region known for really light cooking and ginger spring onion has been a f lavour profile I’ve enjoyed since I was a child.” Poached calamari, blue swimmer crab meat, carrot and ginger sauce “I’ve always been obsessed with carrots, using their natural sweetness and also because they’re always very pretty. I like the texture of the calamari when it’s poached – it’s a really light summery spring dish.” 49 NOV|DEC 16
FOOD + WINE
FOOD + WINE
Chinese potato salad, enoki, dill and garlic dressing
Chinese potato salad, enoki, dill and garlic dressing Prep: 30 mins. Cooking: 5 mins
White cut chicken, black vinegar dressing and aromatic Sichuan chilli oil
1. For Sichaun chilli oil, place chilli, garlic and
Prep: 40 mins Cooking: 80 mins
ginger in a blender or food processor and blend into a smooth paste, set aside.
Garlic dressing 50g kombu extract
Chicken
all ingredients well (this will keep in the
100ml water
4 free range chicken Marylands,
refrigerator for 3 months).
100ml sugar syrup
3. Bring water to the boil in a large pot. Add
100g sesame oil
2 litres water
all chicken ingredients except for the chicken.
160ml rice vinegar
600ml Chinese shao shing rice wine
Place tight-fitting lid, reduce to a simmer and
400ml white soy sauce
1½ tbsp salt
allow to infuse for 10 minutes. Bring pot back
400ml vegetable oil
2½ cm ginger, sliced
to the boil and add the chicken Marylands,
30g garlic, peeled and grated
2 spring onions, cut into 5cm batons
bring the aromatic stock back to the boil and
2 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed
cover with the lid, turn off heat and allow
10g konbu extract (optional)
the residual heat to cook the chicken, this
1 tbsp white soy sauce (optional)
will take 45-60 minutes, depending on the
skin on, bone in
on a microplane 2½ cm piece ginger, peeled and grated on a microplane
temperature of the chicken when it is placed
Garnish
Sichuan chilli oil
in the stock.
1 bunch spring onion, julienned
9 long red chillies, stems removed
4. Probe the meat close to the bone with
1 kohlrabi, peeled and sliced finely
15 cloves garlic, peeled
a meat thermometer, and once it has
10cm piece ginger, peeled
reached 70ºC, remove from the stock,
10ml chilli oil (optional)
200ml vegetable oil
cool to room temperature, and then chill
1 bunch dill, picked
2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
in the refrigerator.
1 bunch coriander, picked
300g Sichuan style roasted chilli paste,
5. To compete the chilli oil, heat vegetable
1 punnet enoki mushrooms, grilled
Lao Gan Ma is a good brand 300ml chilli oil
White cut chicken, black vinegar dressing and aromatic Sichuan chilli oil
on a mandolin
oil in a wok over low heat with Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant and aromatic.
1. For the dressing, mix all ingredients
Carefully add the chilli, ginger and garlic
to combine (dressing will keep in the
Black vinegar dressing
paste, stirring constantly – cook until most of
refrigerator for 1 week).
125ml rice vinegar
the moisture has evaporated and the mixture
2. Peel potatoes and using a mandolin, cut
125g sugar syrup (1:1, sugar to water)
is slightly sticky, add the Sichuan chilli paste
a fine julienne, soak in cold water for an
250ml black vinegar
and bring to a low simmer, cook slowly until
hour, changing the water 4 times to rinse
250ml mirin
the colour of the chilli paste resembles one
out the starch.
600ml soy sauce
colour, remove from heat and add the chilli
3. Bring a large pot of water to the boil,
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely grated
oil, allow to cool and store in the refrigerator
season the water with salt until it tastes like
(this will keep in the fridge for 3 months).
seawater. Add the potatoes and cook for
6. Carve the meat off the bone of the chicken
1-1½ minutes, the potatoes should still be
Maryland, and cut into bite sized pieces,
crunchy but not taste raw. Drain from the
vinegar dressing and aromatic Sichuan chilli oil
arrange in a bowl and pour over the black
pot and submerge the cooked potatoes in
This dish is packed with flavour yet it
Garnish
vinegar dressing to almost cover the chicken.
iced water to stop the cooking, allow to cool
Zest of 1 lemon
Allow to sit in the dressing for 5-10 minutes
completely and drain well.
wine choice has to reflect that. Made
80g roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
to infuse the chicken with the sauce, stir the
4. Mix potatoes with spring onions, and
with premium old vine fruit, the 2012
30g white sesame seeds, toasted
Sichuan chilli oil and pour over a generous
dress lightly. Arrange slices of kohlrabi on a
Frankland Estate Netley Road Riesling
50g spring onions, sliced
amount. Garnish by evenly sprinkling the
serving plate and scatter potatoes and spring
shows lemongrass, green apple, wet
20g coriander stems, finely sliced
chicken with the variety of garnishes.
onions over the kohlrabi. Drizzle over chilli
stone and light florals, and although
1 bunch of coriander, picked
Wine match: Frankland Estate Netley Road
oil (if using), and garnish with herbs and
20g Chinese celery, stalks only, sliced
Riesling 2012
mushrooms.
on a microplane ½ cm piece ginger, peeled and finely grated on a microplane
NOV|DEC 16
1kg desiree potatoes
2. For the black vinegar dressing, combine
Serves 4
50
Serves 4
Wine
+ White cut chicken, black
is delicate and well balanced so the
incredibly youthful, it has lovely secondary hints of toast.
51 NOV|DEC 16
FOOD + WINE
FOOD + WINE
Wine
+P oached calamari, chervil, blue swimmer crab meat, carrot
and ginger sauce This is another delicate yet incredibly flavoursome dish so choose a wine with similar attributes. The 2013 Soumah Viognier from the Yarra opens with stonefruit florals and varietal ginger and although rich, it’s refined, with lovely spicy acidity and fine length. A Riesling with a bit of age or medium weight Chardonnay would also be perfect.
Wine
+S teamed barramundi, ginger and spring onion Go for a lovely modern Chardonnay that’s really tight and restrained. This issue’s featured wine from Dandelion Vineyards in the Adelaide Hills is perfect as it’s so fresh and flavoursome with excellent length, power and clarity, and beautifully balanced zesty acidity and refined oak sitting right in the background adding savoury support. + Warm scallops, silken tofu and soy brown butter Here’s another dish ideal with a fragrant white. Pour a glass of Riesling or our featured Vermentino from David Hook. A perfumed and intense wine with a beautifully refined and stylish palate, it has long, silken fruit persistence and delightful harmony and mouth-feel. It’s a great textural partner for the scallops.
52 NOV|DEC 16
53 NOV|DEC 16
FOOD + WINE
Poached calamari, chervil, blue swimmer crab meat, carrot and ginger sauce Prep: 20 mins. Cooking: 25 mins
Steamed barramundi, ginger and spring onion
Serves 4
Prep: 20 mins. Cooking: 20 mins
Sauce 500ml chicken stock
Serves 4
2 ½ tsp salt
300g barramundi fillets, skin on
Warm scallops, silken tofu and soy brown butter
2½ cm piece ginger, peeled and julienned
Prep: 20 mins. Cooking: 20 mins
10g konbu extract (optional)
Serves 4
1 tsp sesame oil
Soy dressing 100ml rice vinegar
3 tsp sugar
1 carrot, peeled and grated
Scallops
½ cup sugar
8 scallops in the half shell
500ml water
200g silken tofu
on a microplane 20g kuzu starch, mixed with 40ml cold water to form a slurry
60g konbu extract 600ml soy sauce
Garnish 200ml vegetable oil
Soy brown butter
Calamari
100g unsalted butter
400g calamari, cleaned
1 tsp fresh wasabi (optional) or tube
1.5L water
wasabi can be used
300ml Chinese shao shing rice wine
1 bunch coriander, picked
2 cloves garlic, peeled, finely chopped
3 tsp salt
1 bunch spring onion, julienned
50ml soy sauce
2 ½ cm piece ginger, sliced
1 tsp caster sugar
100g blue swimmer crab meat
1 bunch watercress, picked for garnish
1. For the soy dressing, mix all ingredients
Garnish
together, stir until sugar dissolves (this will
1. Cut scallops into 1cm pieces and divide
1 bunch chervil, picked
keep for 3 weeks in the refrigerator).
evenly into 4 shells. Dice tofu into 1cm pieces
1 bunch spring onion, green parts only,
2. Cut barramundi into bite sized pieces,
and divide into the scallop shells alternating
scatter ginger over the top and set on a plate
between scallops and tofu. Set aside.
that will fit over a steamer basket.
2. Heat medium sized saucepan over medium
1. Heat stock in a wok or saucepan until
3. Heat water in a wok over high heat, place
to high heat, add butter and cook until nut
it boils, add seasoning ingredients and oil
bamboo steamer over wok and steam fish for
brown. Allow to cool slightly, then add garlic
and stir through to dissolve. Add carrots
10-12 minutes until cooked, the flesh should
and cook until aromatic. Add wasabi and soy
and allow to cook until the sauce is sweet
be soft and the skin gelatinous. Transfer fish
sauce, stir through and season with sugar.
and bright orange. Add crab meat to cook,
onto a service plate and pour over dressing.
3. Preheat oven to 180ºC, place scallops onto
thicken with kuzu slurry until a creamy shiny
4. For the garnish, heat vegetable oil in a
baking tray and warm in the oven, this will
sauce is achieved. Keep warm.
small saucepan until smoking hot, scatter half
take around 3-4 minutes. The idea is to warm
2. Meanwhile, split calamari tubes, and shave
the spring onions over the fish and pour over
the scallops enough so they firm up and the
into thin slices on an angle. Set aside.
the hot oil. The oil should sizzle and cook the
tofu should soften, giving a great textural
3. Bring water, salt, rice wine and ginger to
onions, releasing an amazing aroma. Garnish
contrast.
the boil and allow to infuse for 10 minutes.
with the remaining spring onions and
4. Warm sauce and drizzle over, ensuring
Lower heat to a simmer, place calamari
coriander leaves, serve with steamed rice.
you get an even amount of butter and soy
in a sieve and dip in and out of the water
Wine match: Dandelion Vineyards Twilight
on each scallop shell. Garnish with picked
to poach ever so slightly until it becomes
of the Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2016
watercress.
opaque. Drain well and keep warm.
Wine match: David Hook Vermentino 2015
julienned
4. Divide sauce into serving bowls, top with calamari and garnish with chervil and spring onions.
Wine match: Soumah Viognier 2013 54 NOV|DEC 16
FOOD + WINE
VIcTor
LIoNg I
M
P
R
E
S
S
COMBINING CLASSICAL FRENCH TRAINING WITH A PASSION FOR THE HUGE SCOPE OF CHINESE CUISINE, VICTOR LIONG HAS BECOME ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S BRIGHTEST YOUNG CHEFS. Words Nathalie Craig Recipes Victor Liong Photography Brett Stevens Stylist Yael Grinham
VICTOR TALKS RECIPES
E
arly on in his career Victor Liong would follow the allocation of Chef Hat Awards as eagerly as other people follow the rankings of football teams. “I’d be seeing which chef worked where, how many hats they had and what their signature dishes were,” he recalls. Now, it’s his turn. We spoke to Victor the morning after he scored his first Chef ’s Hat for his Melbourne restaurant Lee Ho Fook at The Age Good Food Guide Awards. “I’m still waiting for it to sink in, but it’s nice to finally get mine,” he tells us. Victor opened Lee Ho Fook in 2013 as a place to cook his own style of Chinese food, executed with the fine dining techniques he learned at the start of his career. Despite being from a MalaysianChinese background, Liong didn’t start out cooking Asian food. “I am classically trained in French cuisine. I spent a lot of my early career in European restaurants.” He worked with revered Sydney chefs including Mark Best at his iconic Surry Hills restaurant, Marque. “It was great fun working with Mark because it was really cutting edge. I got to meet a lot of people and learn a lot of new techniques.” THE CALL OF CHINA
When Victor decided to branch out and define his own style of cooking, he kept turning to Chinese cuisine. He began training with some of Sydney’s elite Asian chefs, including Dan Hong while he was opening his famous Mr Wong restaurant. “China is such a diverse country. There are regions that are only wheat cuisines, some are rice, some are 48 NOV|DEC 16
landlocked, so there’s no seafood at all, and some are coastal.” What’s more, with more than 3,000 years of history and over a billion people, China is a continual source of inspiration. “It’s such a big, rich, diverse cultural pool to draw from. I could do it for a million years.” OPENING LEE HO FOOK
Victor decided to open Lee Ho Fook in Melbourne, saying that at the time, Sydney didn’t need another new style Chinese venue. “When I first started it was pretty daunting, new city, new style of food,” he recalls. “In the early days, it was about finding confidence in the food I made and training the staff and getting them to believe in the vision, but it’s easier now that it’s three years old and has its own identity.” Speaking of identity, the name comes from a Chinese restaurant in London that crops up in Warren Zevon’s 1978 hit song, Werewolves of London. Zevon also provided the name for Victor’s other restaurant, which closed earlier this year, Lawyers, Guns and Money. But back to Lee Ho Fook. Since the start, Victor has kept several signature dishes on the menu. “I really like the idea of having young chefs come through and get be part of a signature dish, like the way Tetsuya has his Ocean Trout and Mark had his egg.” With a wealth of knowledge and a great passion for creating new dishes, expect to see this talented young chef accruing more hats in the future.
Warm scallops, silken tofu and soy brown butter “When I worked at Marque we used to cook all the scampi with brown butter and I’d season it with a little bit of garlic and soy sauce and all the boys said if I opened a restaurant I’d have to do something with it because it’s amazing. Once the heat gets to both ingredients they go to opposite spectrums – the scallops firm up and the tofu softens so you get quite a nice textural contrast.” White cut chicken, black vinegar dressing and aromatic Sichuan chilli oil “It’s a classic kind of Sichuan dish and we don’t mess with it too much. Black vinegar is one of my favourite f lavour profiles in Chinese cooking.” Chinese potato salad, enoki, dill and garlic dressing “This dish showcases a different texture in potatoes. When people think potato salad, they’re thinking about the one at Christmas with the mayonnaise. In China, it’s very common to just shred the potato and cook it quickly like a crunchy vegetable”. Steamed barramundi, ginger and spring onion “This Lee Ho Fook classic has been with us since the first day. My family is from the Canton region known for really light cooking and ginger spring onion has been a f lavour profile I’ve enjoyed since I was a child.” Poached calamari, blue swimmer crab meat, carrot and ginger sauce “I’ve always been obsessed with carrots, using their natural sweetness and also because they’re always very pretty. I like the texture of the calamari when it’s poached – it’s a really light summery spring dish.” 49 NOV|DEC 16
FOOD + WINE
FOOD + WINE
Chinese potato salad, enoki, dill and garlic dressing
Chinese potato salad, enoki, dill and garlic dressing Prep: 30 mins. Cooking: 5 mins
White cut chicken, black vinegar dressing and aromatic Sichuan chilli oil
1. For Sichaun chilli oil, place chilli, garlic and
Prep: 40 mins Cooking: 80 mins
ginger in a blender or food processor and blend into a smooth paste, set aside.
Garlic dressing 50g kombu extract
Chicken
all ingredients well (this will keep in the
100ml water
4 free range chicken Marylands,
refrigerator for 3 months).
100ml sugar syrup
3. Bring water to the boil in a large pot. Add
100g sesame oil
2 litres water
all chicken ingredients except for the chicken.
160ml rice vinegar
600ml Chinese shao shing rice wine
Place tight-fitting lid, reduce to a simmer and
400ml white soy sauce
1½ tbsp salt
allow to infuse for 10 minutes. Bring pot back
400ml vegetable oil
2½ cm ginger, sliced
to the boil and add the chicken Marylands,
30g garlic, peeled and grated
2 spring onions, cut into 5cm batons
bring the aromatic stock back to the boil and
2 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed
cover with the lid, turn off heat and allow
10g konbu extract (optional)
the residual heat to cook the chicken, this
1 tbsp white soy sauce (optional)
will take 45-60 minutes, depending on the
skin on, bone in
on a microplane 2½ cm piece ginger, peeled and grated on a microplane
temperature of the chicken when it is placed
Garnish
Sichuan chilli oil
in the stock.
1 bunch spring onion, julienned
9 long red chillies, stems removed
4. Probe the meat close to the bone with
1 kohlrabi, peeled and sliced finely
15 cloves garlic, peeled
a meat thermometer, and once it has
10cm piece ginger, peeled
reached 70ºC, remove from the stock,
10ml chilli oil (optional)
200ml vegetable oil
cool to room temperature, and then chill
1 bunch dill, picked
2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
in the refrigerator.
1 bunch coriander, picked
300g Sichuan style roasted chilli paste,
5. To compete the chilli oil, heat vegetable
1 punnet enoki mushrooms, grilled
Lao Gan Ma is a good brand 300ml chilli oil
White cut chicken, black vinegar dressing and aromatic Sichuan chilli oil
on a mandolin
oil in a wok over low heat with Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant and aromatic.
1. For the dressing, mix all ingredients
Carefully add the chilli, ginger and garlic
to combine (dressing will keep in the
Black vinegar dressing
paste, stirring constantly – cook until most of
refrigerator for 1 week).
125ml rice vinegar
the moisture has evaporated and the mixture
2. Peel potatoes and using a mandolin, cut
125g sugar syrup (1:1, sugar to water)
is slightly sticky, add the Sichuan chilli paste
a fine julienne, soak in cold water for an
250ml black vinegar
and bring to a low simmer, cook slowly until
hour, changing the water 4 times to rinse
250ml mirin
the colour of the chilli paste resembles one
out the starch.
600ml soy sauce
colour, remove from heat and add the chilli
3. Bring a large pot of water to the boil,
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely grated
oil, allow to cool and store in the refrigerator
season the water with salt until it tastes like
(this will keep in the fridge for 3 months).
seawater. Add the potatoes and cook for
6. Carve the meat off the bone of the chicken
1-1½ minutes, the potatoes should still be
Maryland, and cut into bite sized pieces,
crunchy but not taste raw. Drain from the
vinegar dressing and aromatic Sichuan chilli oil
arrange in a bowl and pour over the black
pot and submerge the cooked potatoes in
This dish is packed with flavour yet it
Garnish
vinegar dressing to almost cover the chicken.
iced water to stop the cooking, allow to cool
Zest of 1 lemon
Allow to sit in the dressing for 5-10 minutes
completely and drain well.
wine choice has to reflect that. Made
80g roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
to infuse the chicken with the sauce, stir the
4. Mix potatoes with spring onions, and
with premium old vine fruit, the 2012
30g white sesame seeds, toasted
Sichuan chilli oil and pour over a generous
dress lightly. Arrange slices of kohlrabi on a
Frankland Estate Netley Road Riesling
50g spring onions, sliced
amount. Garnish by evenly sprinkling the
serving plate and scatter potatoes and spring
shows lemongrass, green apple, wet
20g coriander stems, finely sliced
chicken with the variety of garnishes.
onions over the kohlrabi. Drizzle over chilli
stone and light florals, and although
1 bunch of coriander, picked
Wine match: Frankland Estate Netley Road
oil (if using), and garnish with herbs and
20g Chinese celery, stalks only, sliced
Riesling 2012
mushrooms.
on a microplane ½ cm piece ginger, peeled and finely grated on a microplane
NOV|DEC 16
1kg desiree potatoes
2. For the black vinegar dressing, combine
Serves 4
50
Serves 4
Wine
+ White cut chicken, black
is delicate and well balanced so the
incredibly youthful, it has lovely secondary hints of toast.
51 NOV|DEC 16
FOOD + WINE
FOOD + WINE
Wine
+P oached calamari, chervil, blue swimmer crab meat, carrot
and ginger sauce This is another delicate yet incredibly flavoursome dish so choose a wine with similar attributes. The 2013 Soumah Viognier from the Yarra opens with stonefruit florals and varietal ginger and although rich, it’s refined, with lovely spicy acidity and fine length. A Riesling with a bit of age or medium weight Chardonnay would also be perfect.
Wine
+S teamed barramundi, ginger and spring onion Go for a lovely modern Chardonnay that’s really tight and restrained. This issue’s featured wine from Dandelion Vineyards in the Adelaide Hills is perfect as it’s so fresh and flavoursome with excellent length, power and clarity, and beautifully balanced zesty acidity and refined oak sitting right in the background adding savoury support. + Warm scallops, silken tofu and soy brown butter Here’s another dish ideal with a fragrant white. Pour a glass of Riesling or our featured Vermentino from David Hook. A perfumed and intense wine with a beautifully refined and stylish palate, it has long, silken fruit persistence and delightful harmony and mouth-feel. It’s a great textural partner for the scallops.
52 NOV|DEC 16
53 NOV|DEC 16
FOOD + WINE
Poached calamari, chervil, blue swimmer crab meat, carrot and ginger sauce Prep: 20 mins. Cooking: 25 mins
Steamed barramundi, ginger and spring onion
Serves 4
Prep: 20 mins. Cooking: 20 mins
Sauce 500ml chicken stock
Serves 4
2 ½ tsp salt
300g barramundi fillets, skin on
Warm scallops, silken tofu and soy brown butter
2½ cm piece ginger, peeled and julienned
Prep: 20 mins. Cooking: 20 mins
10g konbu extract (optional)
Serves 4
1 tsp sesame oil
Soy dressing 100ml rice vinegar
3 tsp sugar
1 carrot, peeled and grated
Scallops
½ cup sugar
8 scallops in the half shell
500ml water
200g silken tofu
on a microplane 20g kuzu starch, mixed with 40ml cold water to form a slurry
60g konbu extract 600ml soy sauce
Garnish 200ml vegetable oil
Soy brown butter
Calamari
100g unsalted butter
400g calamari, cleaned
1 tsp fresh wasabi (optional) or tube
1.5L water
wasabi can be used
300ml Chinese shao shing rice wine
1 bunch coriander, picked
2 cloves garlic, peeled, finely chopped
3 tsp salt
1 bunch spring onion, julienned
50ml soy sauce
2 ½ cm piece ginger, sliced
1 tsp caster sugar
100g blue swimmer crab meat
1 bunch watercress, picked for garnish
1. For the soy dressing, mix all ingredients
Garnish
together, stir until sugar dissolves (this will
1. Cut scallops into 1cm pieces and divide
1 bunch chervil, picked
keep for 3 weeks in the refrigerator).
evenly into 4 shells. Dice tofu into 1cm pieces
1 bunch spring onion, green parts only,
2. Cut barramundi into bite sized pieces,
and divide into the scallop shells alternating
scatter ginger over the top and set on a plate
between scallops and tofu. Set aside.
that will fit over a steamer basket.
2. Heat medium sized saucepan over medium
1. Heat stock in a wok or saucepan until
3. Heat water in a wok over high heat, place
to high heat, add butter and cook until nut
it boils, add seasoning ingredients and oil
bamboo steamer over wok and steam fish for
brown. Allow to cool slightly, then add garlic
and stir through to dissolve. Add carrots
10-12 minutes until cooked, the flesh should
and cook until aromatic. Add wasabi and soy
and allow to cook until the sauce is sweet
be soft and the skin gelatinous. Transfer fish
sauce, stir through and season with sugar.
and bright orange. Add crab meat to cook,
onto a service plate and pour over dressing.
3. Preheat oven to 180ºC, place scallops onto
thicken with kuzu slurry until a creamy shiny
4. For the garnish, heat vegetable oil in a
baking tray and warm in the oven, this will
sauce is achieved. Keep warm.
small saucepan until smoking hot, scatter half
take around 3-4 minutes. The idea is to warm
2. Meanwhile, split calamari tubes, and shave
the spring onions over the fish and pour over
the scallops enough so they firm up and the
into thin slices on an angle. Set aside.
the hot oil. The oil should sizzle and cook the
tofu should soften, giving a great textural
3. Bring water, salt, rice wine and ginger to
onions, releasing an amazing aroma. Garnish
contrast.
the boil and allow to infuse for 10 minutes.
with the remaining spring onions and
4. Warm sauce and drizzle over, ensuring
Lower heat to a simmer, place calamari
coriander leaves, serve with steamed rice.
you get an even amount of butter and soy
in a sieve and dip in and out of the water
Wine match: Dandelion Vineyards Twilight
on each scallop shell. Garnish with picked
to poach ever so slightly until it becomes
of the Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2016
watercress.
opaque. Drain well and keep warm.
Wine match: David Hook Vermentino 2015
julienned
4. Divide sauce into serving bowls, top with calamari and garnish with chervil and spring onions.
Wine match: Soumah Viognier 2013 54 NOV|DEC 16
