Indonesian-Canadian chef wins regional S.Pellegrino Young Chef competition with his nasi tumpeng

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Under the guidance of his chef mentor, Mathew Kirkley, Ferguson reckoned his winning edge was serving hot food. He used a metal bowl and kept it in the steamer at 85 degrees Celsius, removing the bowl just before the dish was served. The judges were duly impressed that the rice was still piping hot at the presentation.

 “My sauce was a sate padang base. I roasted the duck bones, but I also used cinnamon, chillis, nutmeg, coriander, and fresh coconut milk – Indonesia is a spice island. I wanted to pack it all in. I used all the pulp to make the sauce which gave it an intense underlying tone of coconut.”

Roast meats are a hallmark of Hong Kong’s culinary scene and Ferguson adapted the technique to cook his duck – first scalding it, then lacquering it in red wine vinegar to give it a beautiful colour before smoking the fowl with sugar cane – the result is a delicious sweet and smoky roast paired with the rich blend of Southeast Asian spices and flavours over piping hot rice.

ASIA’S RISING CULINARY STARS AND NEW TALENT

Kevin Wong of Seroja, a former global finalist at the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Awards and guest chef at the event shared: “The scene has really evolved since I participated as a young chef. We’ve grown as a community and many chefs have given their insights and feedback to our Singaporean candidates. Less is more to create impact, when there’s too much going on, you lose focus on the main purpose of the dish. Food has to be eaten, the tastebud has to be wowed before it pleases the eye.”

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Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024: Tokyo takes top two spots, Singapore leads the pack with nine on the list

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There were also rises and falls among Singapore’s victors. Seroja, led by Malaysian restaurant Kevin Wong, made a beautiful album at No. 31, claiming the Highest New Entry honor. Lolla ( No. 43 ), helmed by last year’s Best Female chef Johanne Siy, is also a new entry. &nbsp, Burnt Stops ( No. 15 ), Euphoria ( No. 20 ) and Born ( No. 25 ) rose nine, five and 11 places respectively while Odette ( No. 10 ), Labryinth ( No. 30 ), Meta ( No. 28 ) and Les Amis ( No. 38 ) dropped from their previous positions of sixth, 11th, 17th and 27th.

Seroja’s chef- user Kevin Wong said:” We’re really happy with the results. We did n’t expect it, obviously. We simply practice cooking every day and have faith in our endeavors.

Lolla’s Siy was “elated” at her cafe being ranked for the first time. She said:” It gives a lot of encouragement to the team. The plain enjoyment of food has always been at the center of our efforts. Getting around with only our clients spreading the word, to me, is fantastic”.

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    Are you familiar with Japanese wines? Here’s why they should be on your radar

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    Being a warm place, Hokkaido is also home to German and Austrian hybrid versions like Kerner, Blaufrankish, and St Laurent. Ng, who was lately appointed the first foreign ambassador for Hokkaido wines, is keeping a nearby eye on the region and points to essential producers available directly, including the naturally grown Domain Takahiko, Burgundy- trained Japanese vignerons ‘ Nora- Kura, Hirakawa winery, Yamazaki, and Niki Hills.

    PRICES RAISING ARE LOW PRICES FOR LIMITED Generation

    Wine production in Japan is certainly affordable. The growing conditions are hard and untraditional, mainly because of moisture and snowfall rainfall, which require more care and maintenance.

    Japanese vinoisseurs have discovered creative ways to improve their overarching non-interventionist winemaking philosophy without losing sight of it. Some vines have steel frames around them that support plastic raindrops to keep the bunches dry. In other locations, you can spot wax paper umbrellas meticulously fastened over grape bunches to protect from rain. Grapes are frequently grown in pergola structures. In some areas of Spain, Italy, and Argentina, a vine training system is used to combat the risk of diseases like mildew and requires hand harvesting.

    Moreover, vineyard plots are usually small, and their outputs are even smaller, resulting in miniscule production, which barely satisfies the local market needs. As for the quality, around 15 per cent to 20 per cent of the wines sampled were beautiful, refined, and delicate, and the remaining are works in the making.

    THE BEST WINES ARE AVAILABLE IN SINGAPORE

    There is a real attraction and curiosity for Japanese products in Singapore, according to wine importer Artisan Cellars ‘ Jeanne Kiock, and people are willing to try them. When our clients begin their journey with Japanese wines, she said,” It’s easier for them to understand and compare the grapes they already know, such as the conventional grapes,” she said. Koshu is proving to be a real draw among the native grapes due to its crisp and aromatic profile.

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