CookSmart (20th Issue) Page37

Celebrity Pick

Cooking as an expression of love

"I first became interested in cooking at the age of eight when I began panfrying steaks and making soft-boiled eggs by myself. I also learnt from my grandmother about how to make turnip cakes in Chiu Chow style. At around 18, I made a special Father's Day dish for my dad. Following the instructions of a cookbook, I bought the ingredients and made a dish of mussels in French style. My dad liked it so much that he saved the broth for his rice. And I realised that cooking for a person is an expression of love."

An investment-banker-turned chef

"Being a chef is just like doing investment; even a small blunder can spark off a major setback. Once when I learnt how to make ‑roast rabbit in Paris, ‑I tried hard to remove the head and the legs from a rabbit. Then the rabbit was simmered for one and a half hour until it was tender. To my surprise, my tutor gave me zero marks for this assignment because I forgot to remove the string around the fillet. The lesson: be careful in doing anything."

Got a real taste of poverty

"You will never realise the pressures poor people, especially parents, are under. They have little money for bills, not to mention food. If they know that even cheap materials and basic cooking utensils can make delicious meals, they may see hope."

Making the most out of your food

"My rule is: get the most out of your ingredients. Plain tofu, for example, can be flavoured by ginger slices and dried mandarin orange peel. Starchy water from pasta cooking can also be used to thicken a tomato-base pasta sauce. I also tried 'one egg, two dishes'; using the same eggs, I made­ a dish of steamed egg white with tofu and vegetables, and then a French crème brulée with the yolk and evaporated milk."

Being a chef and a mother

"At home, I always cook healthy seasonal meals for family. When summer is coming, I make soups with hairy gourd, chayote or fig-leaf gourd, and also a vegetable dish and a protein-packed dish which may include meat, fish, tofu and nuts. I always encourage my daughter to eat brown rice and snack on fruit."