April 2, 2009
Guest chef
Balance is important
Pan Pacific Hotel chef William Tay tells POON CHIAN HUI there are other ways to cook a healthy dish than to stint on oil
He speaks animatedly about his love for latte and shellfish and switches easily from English to Mandarin.
It is easy to understand why Mr William Tay, 40, with his diverse interests in things both Eastern and Western, decided to build his culinary career based on both elements.
Currently the executive sous chef of Pan Pacific Hotel's Global Kitchen, Mr Tay specialises in contemporary fusion - combining traditional elements from various cuisines in ways that are unconventional.
His recent accolades include a silver medal at the prestigious Food and Hotel Asia Culinary Challenge last year, as well as a certificate of appreciation at the Chain de Rotisseurs Service Awards in 2007. Both events were held in Singapore.
With numerous awards under his belt, it may come as a surprise when people discover that Mr Tay never had any formal culinary training.
At 20, he became an apprentice in a five-star hotel in Orchard Road. Since then, he has done stints at various hotel restaurants. He also spent two years in the Philippines, dishing out Singapore cuisine at a four-star hotel there.
Despite a career spanning 20 years, Mr Tay has a simple, flexible approach to cooking. 'The first thing that I ask my customers is, 'What do you like to eat?' From there, I create something that suits their taste,' he said.
Balance is also important, he added. 'It's good to eat healthy, but it's also good to enjoy the food you eat.'
His philosophy is obvious in his sea perch dish, a fuss-free creation comprising poached fish accompanied by boiled asparagus and pan-fried potatoes and topped with a sprinkling of deep-fried carrot garnish. He says it is a contemporary fusion dish with a healthy twist.
Instead of compromising on methods that involve the use of oil, like in pan-frying, Mr Tay would rather choose the right ingredients in order to make the dish a healthier one.
'Sea perch, compared to cod fish, is less oily,' he said. 'Olive oil, which is a healthier choice, is used to fry the potatoes.
'I also used a fruit dressing to add flavour to the fish, rather than soya sauce or chilli sauce.'
The use of fruit-based sauce is also Mr Tay's healthy tip for the home cook. It is better than loading a dish with salt or other processed condiments, he said.
When cooking at home, he often whips up a mushroom toast for his nine-year-old son. Off work, he enjoys swimming and spending time with his friends.
Although he is not thinking of hanging up his wok, Mr Tay said that if he ever stopped being a chef, he would like to be a bartender. This is because there will be food nearby, he said. 'Besides, wine goes well with many kinds of food.'
Recipe - POACHED SEA PERCH WITH GREENS AND CITRUS DRESSING
Ingredients:
180g sea perch fillet
20g asparagus
150g red-skinned potatoes
1 lemon
1 orange
3g orange peel (grated)
2g white sesame seeds
30ml olive oil
5g fine sugar
3g sea salt
Pinch of pepper
10g carrot (shredded & deep-fried)
Method:
Season the sea perch fillet with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heat pot with vegetable stock until it boils. Cook the sea perch fillet in the stock over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Allow cooked fillet to remain in vegetable stock and set aside.
Blanch the asparagus, then saute with olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Set aside. Pan-fry sliced red-skinned potatoes until golden brown.
Arrange the asparagus and potatoes on a plate and top with the sea perch fillet. Garnish with deep-fried shredded carrot.
Citrus sesame dressing:
Extract the juice from the lemon and orange. Put the juices and the grated orange peel into a mixing bowl, then mix in the sugar, olive oil and sesame seeds.
Serve dressing separately in a shot glass.
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