Chef Sam Leong is perhaps one of the best examples of Singapore's culinary diversity. Born to a Malaysian-origin father who cooked Chinese food for a living, and married to a Thai woman who runs a cooking school, the chef sums up everything that makes the island state's food scene so unique: multiple ethnicities, high on style. Leong will be sharing his Cantonese-inspired recipes with eager diners at Atlantis this week when he cooks at Saffron and hosts a cooking class featuring a variety of Asian dishes, including the Singapore classic wok-fried black pepper crab, slow-cooked Chinese cabbage with dried scallop, tom yam fried rice with roasted duck and double-boiled winter melon consommé with Chinese dates. tabloid! on Saturday caught up with the world-class chef before the sessions — celebrating China's Golden Week holidays — started.
How would you describe your style of cuisine?
My culinary style is "modern Chinese cuisine". At Saffron we will have an Asian buffet so there will be a mixture from comfort Chinese and Asian dishes to my signature dishes such as crispy wasabi prawns and black pepper crab.
So many people love Chinese food — it's one of the top take-aways. Is there more of the cuisine to discover?
Chinese food is one of the cuisines that can capture people's hearts around the world as it is vibrant and has variety of tastes, ingredients and seasoning. There are countless dishes of Chinese cuisine and always something new to discover, each has a history, culture and "art" about it.
Is there such a thing as "Asian cuisine"?
There is "Asian cuisine". It has a lot of influences and is a mixture of Asian cultures such as Chinese, Thai, Malay, Indian or Japanese. This is due to similarity of ingredients and seasoning, but with different methods of preparation and cooking to create the unique taste for each culture. In Singapore, we are fortunate to have a variety of ingredients from our neighbouring countries and around the world, so this makes the food in Singapore unique.
What distinguishes your food from typical Chinese dishes?
There are so many Chinese cuisines — mine is based on Cantonese cuisine, which uses a lot of seafood, variety of meat and fresh ingredients. I love to use a lot of non-Chinese food ingredients in my dishes but still prepared Chinese style so it creates new tastes and are more refined.
Are you now most focused on your cooking school? What are your most popular classes and who attends?
I opened a cooking school (Sam@Forest Cooking School) with my wife Forest a year ago and I enjoy teaching there. The dishes that Singaporeans love to eat are chilli crab and black pepper crab — they always fill the classes and ask us to repeat them. There are all kinds of professionals who attend, from students to housewives and doctors to lawyers — you name it! When it comes to food there are no boundaries. Teaching is a passion. You have to love to share and always open your mind as there are different basic skills of each student. They can cook for their loved ones and the happiness and satisfaction they get from this is priceless.
Do you cook/eat sharks' fin soup, and what's your perspective on this controversial dish?
As professional Chinese chefs, we need to learn and try out all kinds of food. I do believe "where there is no demand, there is no supply".
Crispy wasabi prawn
For the prawn marinade
- 10 prawns, large
- 1 egg white
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- A dash of sesame oil
- 2 tsp cornflour
For the wasabi-mayo sauce
- 300g mayonnaise
- 50g milk, condensed
- 30g wasabi paste
- 30g lemon juice, fresh
For the mango salsa
- 1 mango, diced
- 2 shallots, chopped
- Mint, chopped
- Thai chilli sauce, to taste
Mix prawns with marinade and set aside for 30 minutes.
Mix wasabi-mayo sauce and refrigerate.
Mix together diced mango, shallots and mint leaves with Thai chilli sauce and refrigerate.
Deep-fry the prawns in hot oil until cooked, for about a minute, and immediately mix into wasabi-mayo sauce.
Garnish with mango salsa.
Servings: 5
My lovely black pepper crab
- 2 crabs, whole (500g each)
- 2 tbs cornflour
- 2 tbs butter, unsalted
- 3 tbs black pepper, finely ground
- Spring onion and crisp lettuce (to garnish)
For the seasoning
- 4 tbs black pepper sauce (see recipe below)
- 8 tbs chicken stock or water
- 2 tbs oyster sauce
- 2 tbs sugar
- Dash of dark soy sauce
For the black pepper sauce
- 320ml water
- 75g Maggi seasoning
- 70g black pepper, finely ground
- 600ml tomato ketchup
- 70ml HP sauce (also known as brown sauce)
- 100g sugar
- 160g butter, unsalted
Cut the crabs into four-six pieces, cracking the claws, and coat with cornflour. Deep-fry in hot oil until reddish brown and just cooked, for about five minutes.
Combine the seasoning ingredients. Heat the butter in wok, add crabs and toss well.
Add the seasoning and toss well.
Sprinkle with black-pepper powder and spring onion and toss once more.
Garnish with crisp lettuce.
For the black pepper sauce
Bring all the ingredients to the boil, stirring frequently all the while.
Set aside until cold and refrigerate until needed.
Servings: 4
Don't miss it
Sam Leong cooks at Saffron, Atlantis, The Palm, for dinner from October 4-7 (Dh220 per person) and during Friday Brunch on October 7 for Dh415 per person. He'll also be holding a cooking class on October 8 taking participants through a three-course menu from 1-3pm for Dh1,250. The price also includes a signed copy of his book, A Wok Through Time. Call 04-4262626.
