Hakka dishes by a Pastry Chef: Antoinette

by Qian Leung @ 23 Feb 2018

Antoinette began as a French patisserie helmed by Chef Pang Kok Keong, 42. Recently, Chef Pang has decided to get in touch with his roots. “In Hakka cuisine, you have to make everything from scratch,” says Chef Pang. For example, he makes his own abacus seeds. Aside from yam, which is the traditional ingredient, beetroot and orange and purple sweet potatoes are used. Dried shrimp, cuttlefish, garlic, and homemade sausage meat scented with thyme are cooked together with white wine and chicken stock, coating the chew abacus seeds with a complexity of flavours. A foie gras cream is montéd in to finish.

“In a way, Hakka food doesn’t make good business, but I think that’s also the beauty of it,” says Chef Pang. With a street side noodle dish, known as marinated noodles, Chef Pang hand makes the noodles from wholemeal flour, as he finds that its rough texture soaks up sauces better. Aside from the traditional seasonings of garlic, shallot, lard, and fish sauce, the noodles have also been simmered in a pork and cuttlefish ragoût, inspired by another classic Hakka recipe.

“Hakka food is the taste of childhood, it’s the nostalgic taste that you had as a kid, when your grandma or mother made it for you,” says Chef Pang. For thunder tea rice, Chef Pang makes a pesto from mugwot, coriander, Thai basil, mint, and roasted peanuts and sesame seeds. This is poured over barley cooked in chicken stock, and topped with a peanut parmesan cracker, anchovies, and scallops. “The robust taste and rustic edge of Hakka food is comforting, to me. Hakka cuisine is unique. It is not as well-known as the other dialects. So I just thought, how nice it would be, if I could do more, and promote my heritage.”

Chef Pang's delightful take on Hakka cuisine can be savoured at
30 Penhas Road Singapore 208188 or 333A Orchard Road, Mandarin Gallery #02-33/34 Singapore 238897

Hakka dishes by a Pastry Chef: Antoinette

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