‘Love cooking with ‘non-fussy’ edamame’

I started my journey at the age of 16 as a helper in the kitchen, and since then, I have had 30 years of experience in this industry.
‘Love cooking with ‘non-fussy’ edamame’

BENGALURU:I started my journey at the age of 16 as a helper in the kitchen, and since then, I have had 30 years of experience in this industry. Throughout my journey, I have learnt so many things about food, the industry, connoisseurs of food, the magic of ingredients and their role in making any dish heavenly. I have trained under high professional chefs to get to where I am, and what pleases me more than anything is the smile on a guest's face whenever I present my art in front of them. When they relish each bite with a big smile, I feel like I've recieved an award.

Two of my favourite Cantonese ingredients that I love to play and work with are aromatic duck and edamame. Duck has been roasted in China since the Southern and Northern Dynasties. They say, a variation of roast duck was prepared for the Emperor of China during the Yuan Dynasty. Though we all know that ‘Pecking Duck’ is a Cantonese specialty, there is a debate if ‘Aromatic Duck’ is a Chinese or British invention. However, the Aromatic Duck is found in almost all Chinese restaurants around the world since the early 1960s.

Crispy aromatic duck, popularly known as ‘Xiang Su Ya’, combines a Peking style of service, i.e, use of pancakes, cucumber and spring onions with a variant hoisin sauce and a 'Fukein' style of cooking, which is the use of soy sauce with aromatic spices such as aniseed, cinnamon and sichuan peppers; and slow cooking technique. Edamame is another favourite ingredient of mine. This authentic East Asian ingredient is widely used in China since ancient times. It is one of the most versatile ingredients that I have come across. It blends beautifully with a lot of flavours and combinations (I like to call it the most non-fussy ingredient) and even a small amount of seasoning can enhance its flavour.

For a lot meats lovers, duck is tastier than chicken. The jacket of its fat is firm, with fresher and juicer meat, making it an all-time favourite. The skin of the aromatic duck is crispy and well-roasted, with hints of smokiness. Edamame has a distinct taste and a nutty texture to it. We use it to add that extra crunchiness to our dishes. With edamame, I try not to spice or flavour it too much, since it has its own distinct taste. I work with more subtle and mild flavours. At Yauatcha, we have combined edamame with truffle to make our Edamame and Truffle Dim Sum, which is one of our best sellers. The slight addition of truffle oil enhances the taste of the edamame, giving the dimsum a very earthy, nutty, umami flavour.

For us, sourcing the ingredients is the biggest challenge and so, we import most of our typically Asian ingredients so that we can recreate the dishes in their authentic style. Also, the flavour and texture of the dish largely depends on the quality of the ingredient. Both the duck and edamame are considered to be exotic ingredients.

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