A pretty presentation... steamed diced seafood wrapped with egg white paper.
The chilled crystal ham and diced chicken with peanuts and cucumber in chili oil is delectable, to say the least.KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 — Lee Keung, 65, is one chef who is never going to be allowed to retire. His big boss at the Island Shangri-La Hong Kong loves his food so much that he was asked to stay on in his job, where he has been for more than 20 years. Recently the chef was awarded one Michelin star, an honour which he is very blase about. How do you feel? we asked. “Just like before, a very ordinary feeling,” he said. The chef does not need such honours, when his food has been known and loved for decades. He has, after all, worked for 50 years in highly-regarded Chinese restaurants and five-star hotels.
Braised noodles with shredded roast duck, spring onions and bean sprouts is a must-try.The hallmark of his food? “After eating, you would still want to come back for more!” In all his years of cooking, the classical methods hold; only ingredients and the form of dishes have changed, he said. But that does not impact on the “sek, heong, mei”, the traditional flavours he never veers away from. “There must be ‘wok hei’ (a roaring fire for the wok), the colour must be good, and the flavours balanced.”
Chef Lee Keung from Hong Kong is quite blase about his Michelin star award.The superior stock (siong tong) is the mainstay of Chinese cooking, and this has to have enough lean pork, old chicken and jin hua ham in it for all the right flavours. “There is never salt in the siong tong,” said the chef. We were at Shang Palace, Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur, where Lee Keung, working together with the hotel’s executive Chinese chef Chan Yiu So and dimsum chef Low Kien Fatt, will serve up the dishes he is well-known for in Hong Kong from now till Nov 9. I took my time savouring The Chilled Crystal Ham and Diced Chicken with peanuts and cucumber in chilli oil, delighting in the thin gelatin top layer, descending to the small chunk of ham with lots of oomph. Then I picked up the pieces of cold chicken and cucumber dredged in the chilli oil.
Scrambled eggs with vermicelli, bean sprouts and conpoy... this is a delightful dish.I marvelled at the cooking skill in the Scrambled Egg with Vermicelli, Beansprouts and Conpoy. There was no oil on my plate. The scrambled egg hugged each strand of vermicelli: the crab meat, strands of dried scallop and fresh scallop, and occasional threads of salty ham. It was a delicate, lovely combination. The Steamed Scallops stuffed with Shrimp Mousse in Crab Coral Sauce tumbled a whoosh of sweet flavours on to my palate. Then it offered soft, smooth bites, with crunchiness from bits of waterchestnut .
Stir-fried shredded beef with onions is another wonderful dish.The Stirfried Shredded Beef with Onions had a fine touch about it. It’s very tender beef coated in a light batter, fried then finished with the lightest sweet sour sauce. The beef melts in the mouth; there’s just a mere hint of sweetness with a touch of sour. The Steamed Diced Seafood Wrapped with Egg White Paper is very appealing visually, tied up like a money bag and topped with crab roe. Again it was all about textures of prawn and scallop meshing together. The thin egg white wrapper was smooth and soft. It’s a new dish the chef created. The Braised Noodles with Shredded Roast Duck, Spring Onions and Beansprouts were truly special. These moist noodles had the zing of ginger; thin shreds of tasty roast duck, and yellow chives soaked in the sauce gave the noodles a delicious lift.
Steamed scallops stuffed with shrimp mousse in crab coral sauce... excellent.Fried Rice with Diced Seafood and Pine Nuts reflected all the fineness and subtlety that Hong Kong food is famous for. I have learnt not to add pickled green chillies or anything remotely spicy that would mask all these wonderful, natural flavours. A Sweetened Cream of Almond ended lunch, after we had sunk our teeth into luscious Prawns in Two Flavours. There are set menus of seven courses that range from RM138 to RM268 and RM438 per person (for a minimum of four). The last has Monk Jumps Over the Wall, Stewed Spare Ribs in Wuxi style, Stirfried Lobster with Supreme Soup and Sliced Pork Brisket, among other dishes. Shang Palace is in the Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur. Call 03-2032 3388 to book.
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