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Shanghai
cuisine re-interpreted
Shanghai-based Singaporean chef Jereme Leung has
joined the Asian cookbook circuit with his maiden book, 'New Shanghai
Cuisine', which fittingly comes after more than a year at the helm of the
Whampoa Club at Three on the Bund.
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| Something old, something
new: Dong po braised pork (above) is a
dish chef Leung learned from master chefs of old Shanghai
restaurants, while chilled drunken chicken (next) represents a new
spin on tradition from him |
With 60 quintessentially Shang hainese recipes,
re-interpreted with a contemporary twist, 'New Shanghai Cuisine' is also a
book which plugs Shanghai as Asia's city du jour.
The seed for the cookbook was actually planted
about three years ago, when chef Leung first went to Shanghai. While setting
up and overseeing the renovations of Whampoa Club, the former Four Seasons
hotel chef took lessons from five 'master chefs' of old Shanghai
restaurants.
In a phone interview from Shanghai, he recalls: 'We went through the
Shanghai Culinary Institute to contact these chefs from the bai nien lao
dien (100-year-old shops), asking them to teach us traditional Shanghainese
dishes.'
The coordinator was the 83-year-old former
vice-president of the institute, and he contacted retired chefs from
restaurants like Shanghai Lao Fan Dien, Xing Hua Lou and De Xing Guan - all
with more than 100 years of history in the city. 'The chefs were an
institution where Shanghai food was concerned,' states chef Leung, who took
lessons twice a week for six months.
Dong po braised pork, Shanghainese noodles and
hairy crabs were among the dishes to learn. 'It was really a learning
experience, in more ways than one,' he says, recalling one occasion when the
chef said to add just 'a little' MSG and proceeded to dump a big scoop of it
into the pork knuckle dish.
'In a way, this book is more a compilation of what
we think will work in the global market. Not many people know about
Shanghainese food either, outside of China, so this is one way of
introducing it to the world,' he says.
What chef Leung likes best about the book is a
brief feature on 'Shanghai style' by writer Tan Su Lyn. 'The text and
description of Shanghai is an integral feature of the book,' he says,
explaining how it's not so much a book of recipes as it is a coffee-table
book with a perspective of Shanghai.
For an idea of how he's put a new spin on
tradition, a representative recipe would be chef Leung's chilled drunken
chicken topped with shaved shao xing wine ice. 'I feel it works because it
hasn't lost its original aspects despite the new presentation,' he says.
Since Whampoa Club's opening, it's been full
practically every night, says chef Leung. 'I think the Shanghainese have
accepted my interpretation of modern Shanghai cuisine,' he muses. Despite
taking on a bigger role overseeing other F&B projects in the region,
chef Leung still enjoys best the work of innovating and creating new dishes.
'This is my passion.' Jereme Leung's ' 'New Shanghai Cuisine', published
by Marshall Cavendish Cuisine, is available at major bookstores at $47.50.
- By Cheah Ui-Hoon SINGAPORE
BUSINESS TIMES 3 Sept 2005
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