CookSmart (19th Issue) Page37

Celebrity Pick

Working with utmost professionalism

“I am really impressed with the craftsmanship and attention to details as shown by Japanese chefs. Rice, for example, is always soaked for at least an hour and the chefs will adjust the soaking time in accordance with humidity. A simple dish of braised turnip is slow-cooked for two hours until the turnip is soft and has fully absorbed the sauce.”

A season’s best

“In Hong Kong, the most commonly used type of seafood for sashimi is salmon. Yet in Japan, chefs insist on using the finest seasonal seafood to serve their customers. Winter, for example, is the best season for Japanese amberjacks (kanburi), while Japanese halfbeaks (sayori), red seabreams (madai) and other sea delights are the kinds of seafood we look for during the period between winter and spring.”

Ingredients: selected and handled with care 

“Because of Hong Kong’s edge as a transport hub, fresh seafood can be easily delivered here by air from everywhere all year round. To ensure freshness and quality, we only use the freshest seafood for sashimi dishes, and what’s left of it goes to hot dishes. The seaweed used to wrap sushi is naturally dried and void of any additives. It remains crisp and fine for a long time.”

Omakase: to suit customers’ preference

“Omakase, literally meaning ‘leave it to the chef’, is always a culinary challenge to both the chef and his customers because the chef needs to prepare a personalised menu to suit the customers’ palate. As local customers are usually quite eager to voice out their preference, it’s easy to find out what they expect to have from us.”

Balance between tradition and innovation

“While Japanese chefs seek to preserve traditional culinary culture, they are also very innovative; you may even be surprised of their ideas about blending different ingredients. Romaine lettuce, for instance, is used in place of seaweed in sushi, and toro may sometimes be used to top sea urchin sushi.” Take the example of the “Apple, Cucumber and Udon Noodle Salad” introduced here: we use shredded apple to replace crab roe. And for the “Roasted Salmon Reverse Sushi Rolls”, we use low-fat salad dressing, a healthier choice, to replace the traditional salad dressing.

“The essence of Japanese cuisine lies in its simplicity and quality. Japanese chefs work with top-quality ingredients and keep seasonings to a minimum. I hope more customers can appreciate the traditional Japanese culinary art, and then quality-oriented eateries can remain in business.”