Our penultimate La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs event for the year was a dîner amical at The Golden Century Seafood Restaurant, on Sunday 7th November 2010, in the bubbling heart of Chinatown in Sydney.
Some of the Chefs and executive Chefs of different restaurants and some personalities of the Chinese Community, joined us for a special Chinese treat, supervised by Chef Connie Kam, who is a Chaîne Member.
We were exposed to different methods of cooking, like deep-frying, steaming, roasting, stir-frying, and braising, in all of which the Chinese Chefs excel.
But I wish we knew more about the Yin and Yang philosophy, as we had been compliant waiting for our first entrée.
When the “Crispy seafood rolls" finally arrived, they were well received and satisfied our palate. Made out of scallops, prawns, celery, wrapped in a special rice paper according to Connie, they were quickly deep-fried to preserve the texture and the taste of the filling. Noticeable also was the light coloration of the rolls.
The downside was a mayonnaise served with the rolls. We would have appreciated a nice Chinese sauce!
The Steamed Snow Crab on Egg whites and Hua Chiew wine had a subtle flavour.
The egg whites are an essential ingredient in Chinese cooking. They are rich in proteins, vitamins, and have almost no fat. The crab is steamed over a chicken stock and Chinese wine. The juices from the crab give a distinctive light flavour to the egg whites. A Chinese dressing spiced up the subtle taste.
The Crispy Suckling Pig available only on special occasions, is a dish, which demands time and skill. The well-prepared pig is roasted in a big charcoal oven with dry circulating heat all around. The fat part of the skin and the moisture drain off, and the pig develops a crispy skin with almost no fat.
This crispy skin was cut in small squares, placed between two layers of thin bread with vegetables and a sweet sauce. It exuded all its flavours acquired during the long cooking process, for the pleasure of our palate. Then the lean meat was served with a special sweet sauce.
The Braised Lobster with butter and garlic was absolutely delicious, the lobster cooked perfectly, and all the members were unanimous about this dish.
The Steamed Parrot Fish taken directly from the tank cooked with ginger and shallots and again a special soy sauce, was a very familiar dish for the majority of us.
To balance the meal, green vegetables were served, cooked in a way that only the Chinese know how.
Served also at the end was the fried rice done in a Fujian style {Fujian is a province in China} with emphasis on seafood, their famous dish being "Buddha-jumps-over-the-wall "
To finish the meal we were served two different kind of Chinese biscuits, freshly handmade and absolutely light and delicious. Some fruits came after.
To accompany the meal, some Chinese tea was offered, but declined at the preference of a selection of wines, whites, rosés and reds.
That night we experienced different methods of Chinese cooking, done very quickly and at high temperature, which use as less fat as possible and which preserve all the delicate flavours of the food.
Yolande Lebreux.
Vice- Chargée de Presse.
Bailliage of New South Wales.