CookSmart (2nd Issue) Page10

Cover Story

Cooking helps you concentrate!

I love to cook even as a child. My mother was born in Shandong and she made very delicious Beijing dumplings, hand-made noodles and food. I learned the know-how as I watched her cooking for us. After joining the Police Force, I spent my leisure time in the kitchen as cooking helped me relax and put work behind my mind. It is especially satisfying when my friends and family appreciate the dishes I prepare for them.

Being Simple is Beautiful

Apart from cooking, I develop my own recipes, too. I play magic with ordinary and simple ingredients. My rule of thumb for developing recipe is using plenty of vegetables and just the right amount of meat. When it comes to methods, I prefer streaming and stewing, as it is less oily.

Here are two recipes I recommend to CookSmart readers - the Braised Pork Chop in Onion Sauce and the Coronation Chicken Salad. They are simple, healthy and affordable to many.

The Pork chop dish, made of pork chop and onion, is easy to make and delicious. When served with vegetables and rice, it makes a wonderful lunch.

The Coronation Chicken Salad is a famous recipe which was created for Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation lunch in 1953. It is a cold dish using chicken breast fillet, new potatoes and green seedless grapes. The sauce is a mixture of mild curry power, low-fat mayonnaise, fresh mango puree and fresh lemon juice, which gives a fresh and rich flavour.

Our Ex-Commissioner's Choices

My favourite dishes are nothing extravagant but a common choice of many households: Lettuce and Fish Pot and Assorted Vegetables Vermicelli Pot. I tried them in one of the EatSmart Restaurants and I must say they were brilliant.

Do police officers have big appetites?

A police officer usually performs outdoor duties for 7 or 8 hours a day. However, physical demand does not necessarily require big meals. More and more colleagues in the police force are observing the principle of healthy eating. For those who work on shifts, it's essential to have three regular meals a day and not to let work schedules disrupt your eating habits.

Eating out is his headache

I am often being invited to eat out during business and family gatherings. If this is your case, I'd recommend the EatSmart Restaurants. In fact I have visited some of them and found that the food they offered were of high quality and there was a decent selection of vegetables, meat and seafood on their menu. These dishes are vetted by dietitians from the Department of Health and are guaranteed to benefit me and you. I am glad to see more and more restaurateurs caring for us. I salute them all!