October must be my lucky month. In that one month alone, I had two encounters with the one and only Michelin-starred celebrity chef Gary Rhodes from the UK. If you have read my earlier post on the special dinner inspired by Gary Rhodes in Hilton Kuala Lumpur, then this charming English chef would be no stranger. On the invitation from our national carrier, Malaysia Airlines Berhad, I was privileged to have a closer encounter with Gary Rhodes, a few days after that dinner. This time it was at the Culinary Studio in Starhill Gallery where I had the opportunity to watch the maestro at work.
But before that, why Gary Rhodes and what’s the connection with Malaysia Airlines, you may ask?
Well, the thing is, it all boils down to being Malaysian. Despite our cultural, racial and ethnic diversities, we all have ONE thing in common: love for FOOD. And Malaysia Airlines, being so Malaysian, is big on Food. Let’s face it – Food connects people, seamlessly. Our national airline totally understands the importance and need for a wholesome and hearty meal before and during a flight.
Currently working in partnership with the British High Commission on the “Food is GREAT” campaign, Malaysia Airlines is committed to providing a dedicated UK Menu by Chef Gary Rhodes for their Platinum Lounge and First Class in-flight meals from October.
Flying Chef Gary Rhodes to Kuala Lumpur for the “Food is GREAT” campaign is a good way of introducing authentic delicious British food here. After all, Gary Rhodes is known as the Ambassador of British cuisine and it has been his mission all this time to reintroduce Britain to its rich gastronomic heritage. His sterling credentials and long list of culinary accolades more than qualify him for this role.
In taking this bold step forward since 1 September 2015 when Malaysia Airlines Berhad (the new entity) marked a historical milestone with its #todayishere moment, the national airline aims to better connect people all over the world. And of course, I’m so glad it has to do with Food!
So now, back to the Culinary Studio. One thing that I immediately noted was that Gary Rhodes was fastidiously punctual. Right on the dot, the cooking started. With a team of other chefs participating in the cooking demonstration, Gary took charge of the kitchen effortlessly. He commanded the kitchen just like it’s his kingdom.
He cooked 3 dishes that morning:
- Pan-fried Sea Bass with Spring Onions & Creamy Potatoes
- Char-grilled British Sirloin Steak with Buttered Spinach, Tomatoes, Black Olives & Basil Cream Hollandaise
- Fried Bread & Butter Pudding
From his recipes, I could see that everything had to be done meticulously and in fact, some of the components could be tedious (for novices) but then, they could be prepared ahead of time. That’s smart cooking as this allows the food to be prepared in a shorter period when meal time comes around.
For example, his British Sirloin Steak dish can be served in quite a jiffy. The Hollandaise Sauce Base can be prepared earlier and similarly, the Oven-dried Cherry Tomato Confit can even be done a day before. When meal time comes around, the tasks at hand would be to char-grill the steak and while the steak is resting, sauté the baby spinach and black olives. It’s very important to let the steak rest for at least 15-20 minutes to seal in the juices. To serve, just arrange the steak, saute’ed spinach and warmed-up cherry tomatoes with sauce by the side… and all these can be done in less than an hour – how about that?
Remember to rest your steaks!
Prepare these ahead of time
Among the 3 dishes, my favourite was the Pan-fried Sea Bass. It’s crazy delicious and the taste structure was very familiar: it was pretty “Chinese” as the recipe had 5-spice powder, sesame oil, red chillies and spring onions! OK, so the Chinese in me could really relate to this as those are ingredients we use in our daily cooking of Chinese food. However, Gary’s recipe was not entirely Oriental; there were western influences in it too, like the creamy mashed potatoes which were jived up with some freshly grated nutmeg (really brilliant!) and I loved that little Japanese touch of using mirin in the sauce.
The unique Gary-touch in this dish was the crunchy deep-fried fish skin strips served on the side… I thought that was really distinctive. I learned a good tip for pan-frying fish from Gary: lightly flour just the skin-side of the fillet in order to get it nice and crispy as it will also serve as a sturdy base to plate your fish.
Another all-important thing which I learned from Gary is to always, always sieve whatever syrups or sauces you make as a smooth fine consistency is a mark of professionalism. There should not be any lumps or grainy stuff in the sauce/syrup.
Bread & Butter Pudding is a typical English dessert and it’s not something that I crave. However, Gary’s version was very different. The baked pudding was sliced, pan-fried, glazed and served with a special raisin syrup (sieved, of course) and for a more decadent touch, a large dollop of vanilla ice-cream too! I surprised myself by liking this so much!
Gary made it all look very quick and simple… well, after all, he is the chefs’ chef! However, from my observation, I believe that modus operandi is really workable, because like I’ve said, it all boils down to clever planning.
There were too many cameras, that’s why we were both looking at different ones, haha!
So, finally I got to taste food which was actually personally cooked by Gary Rhodes! As a bragging factor, I can now say that I have joined the ranks of celebrities (like Tom Hanks), royalty (like Princess Diana), prime ministers, presidents and all the president’s men whom Gary had cooked for!
He’s quite the poser, isn’t he?
It’s exciting days ahead with Malaysia Airlines, especially for their First Class passengers who will get to savour some Gary Rhodes dishes both in-flight as well as in their Platinum Lounge. I shall start saving now, to afford that First Class ticket 😉
If any one of you wants the recipes, please drop me a mail ([email protected]) and I’d be happy to send them to you!
Get connected with Malaysia Airlines here
For more information on Chef Gary Rhodes, check him out here.
Got foreigner cook the food must be nice!