![]() Our gusty volunteer, Bobby, put up a good showing as he was instructed back-facing Chef Kentaro to cook some stir-fried beef. So fear not ketchup boys and girls!Īfter the official book launch, the Chef ‘challenged’ us, the guests, to a cook-off a la Gordon Ramsay style. Of course it’s up to you to up the ante on the spice either at the restaurant or at home. In good Szechwan fashion, the cuisine had the perfect balance between the spice from the chilli and the savoury tastes of the other stars of the dish (read umami). He also includes recipes for stocks, sauces, and marinades that can be used for a great variety of dishes.Īfter the official launch, we were treated to a selection of Chef Kentaro’s signatures that are also featured in the book, from light starters like the Foie Gras Chawanmushi with Crab Roe Soup, to hearty and homely favourites like the Dan Dan Noodle (旦旦面) Soup, Stir-fried Lobster with Chilli Sauce and their now-gonna-be-famous Chen Family’s Mapo Tofu (meat and vegetarian versions were both served, how you like it at home is totally up to you). Stunning food photography fills the pages of the cookbook, and peppered throughout are useful tips and visual step-by-step guides on cooking and preparation techniques. He also adds personal background stories to the mouth-watering recipes, and dedicates a pictured glossary for easier reference of some of the more essential and commonly mistaken ingredients featured in the cookbook. In the book, Chef Kentaro takes readers on an easy-to-follow journey through the bold and versatile flavours of Szechwan cuisine. I am excited to have this opportunity of bringing my favourite recipes into everyone’s kitchen.” “With A Dash of Szechwan, I hope to share my love of Szechwan cooking with a wider audience, and showcase that the flavours of the cuisine offer so much more than the piquancy it is more popularly known for. Recalling his inspiration for the cookbook, Chef Kentaro said, ( For the uninformed, Iron Chef was, and still is, a popular cooking battle show with lots of theatrics in Japan, and is considered a pretty big deal to appear on it) Also included are recipes originally developed by his grandfather, Chen Kenmin-lauded as the “Father of Szechwan cuisine” in Japan, and his father, Chen Kenichi-the renowned “Szechwan Sage” and longest-running Iron Chef Chinese. The collection of 50 recipes, some of them never before shared family secrets, features Chef Kentaro’s own take on family recipes and Shisen Hanten signatures. Once the shrimp were done, I reserved then, cleared out the wok, added a little more oil and added in the sauce ingredients to cook out that raw tobanjang taste.Chen Kentaro, Executive Chef of Shisen Hanten by Chen Kentaro-Singapore’s highest Michelin-rated Chinese restaurant, draws on three generations of culinary heritage to complete his first English cookbook, A Dash of Szechwan. ![]() The dish turned out fine when I finished it, but I was intrigued by Iron Chen’s use of the low temperature deep fry method. I had in mind to ‘crisp’ the coating of the shrimp. When I went and prepared it, I used a shade more oil than called for in Chen’s cookbook at about 60% max heat setting. ![]() The interesting thing I noticed from the Chen’s Iron Chef prawn battle was that he cooked the prepared prawns using a brief low temperature deep fry. ![]() (see: 24:11 through 26:50 and notice especially at 24:59-25:02 the addition of Heinz Ketchup, you can just make out the trademark Heniz ketchup label at 24:51-24-52) You can see Iron Chef Chen going through the process of preparing the chili shrimp here – separate 1 egg’s white from yolk, set both asideĮgg white worked into the seasoned shrimp 1 tablespoon tobanjang (I used Lee Kum Kee chili garlic sauce here)ģ. mince 4″ of scallion, set aside (about 1 1/2 T)Ī. So following Iron Chef’s chen’s ingredient list, I prepared the following items in the order listed –ġ. Once the actual cooking begins, the process goes lightening fast. So I set aside time for Sat, 12 Mar to make the dish.Īs a result of my experience of making Chen Kenichi’s mapo tofu, I realized that much of the work in doing such dishes was in the preparations and laying-out of the ingredients. After recently trying the full blown version of Chen Kenichi’s mapo tofu, I was VERY motivated to make the chili shrimp recipe from his book. I too enjoyed that dish and was intrigued enough to wonder how I could try his chili shrimp, short of flying to Tokyo. As you may recall, I made Iron Chef Chen’s mapo tofu recipe for my parents a few years ago that was well received (with the caveat that I had tone down the spiciness of the dish).
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