DBS Indulge: Masterclass with Sho Naganuma (from Hide Yamamoto)

[This post is brought to you by DBS Indulge]

Are you a DBS credit card holder? If you are, you probably know that there are quite a few benefits of holding on to a DBS credit card. One of the benefits is DBS Indulge. It's DBS Cards dining program that offers privileges at over 1000 dining outlets islandwide. Do you know, other than dining programs, DBS Indulge also offers Masterclasses by celebrity chefs?



As a DBS credit card holder, I want to know where I can get the best offers. To keep track of what DBS Indulge offers, I have the DBS Indulge iPhone app on my phone. (Search for 'DBS Indulge' in the Apple App Store). If you are a Nokia N series or Blackberry Bold Series (9000/9700) user, you can visit www.dc2go.net/dbs to send an SMS download link to your smartphone.




It is really quite a convenient app to have on your phone!


Recently, thanks to DBS Indulge, I got to attend a Masterclass by renowned DBS Indulge Chefs. DBS Indulge holds masterclasses monthly. I attended the May Masterclass by Chef Sho Naganuma from the famed Hide Yamamoto multi-concept restaurant located at Marina Bay Sands.



That's Chef Sho Naganuma.

Well, he is only 31! He is 1.8 metres tall, weights 70kg. From what I hear from the DBS Indulge ladies who have seen him in singlet, he has a very good physique too! Spiked hair, goatee, he looks more like a Japanese movie star rather than a chef doesn't he? He is the Executive Chef at Hide Yamamoto, the exclusive multi-concept restaurant at Marina Bay Sands.


While the ladies and some 'happy boys' are oggling at the Chef Sho, I was oogling at the featured recipes that he will be preparing!

He prepared the following in front of the audience and it was absolutely stunning!
- Chawan Mushi (Black Truffle Flan with Shark Fin Broth)
- Grilled Baby Poussin with Buttered Soy and Truffle Rice
- Pinky Chick (Strawberry Soya Milkshake with Tapioca Pearls, Yuzu Fizz and Strawberries)

Demo: Grilled Baby Poussin

It was only a 2 hour class, so to make good use of time, he prepared the baby poussin first. It has to bake for 20 minutes in the oven.

If you are shy to ask/too lazy to google/yahoo/bing, a poussin is a baby chicken or spatchcock. :-)

Recipe for Grilled Baby Poussin with Buttered Soy and Truffle Rice

Ingredients:

• 500g French baby poussin
• 500g Japanese rice
• 0.45 litre chicken stock
• 0.05 litre soy sauce
• 28g unsalted butter
• minced Italian fresh truffle
• whole Italian truffle
• white truffle oil

Method:

1. Clean poussin and soak in 3% salted water for 2 hours.
2. Once poussin is soaked, remove from salted water and dry.
3. Put Japanese rice, chicken stock, soy sauce and unsalted butter into a cooking pan and stir well. Allow it to steam in a steam overn at 100C for about 30 minutes.
4. Remove mixture from oven and stuff into baby poussin.
5. Brush duck fat over baby poussin and finish off with some salt. Cook in oven at 250C for 10 minutes on each side.
6. Finish up with charcoal until poussin is nice in colour.
7. For plating, take a portion of the poussin and assemble with a slice of fresh truffle. Spray with white truffle oil and serve.

Don't worry if you are sitting at the back. I was sitting behind and I could still see what's going on in front. There were 2 big screens around that showed a bird's eye view of what the chef is doing.

About the recipe, if you are wondering what is 3% salted water, well, someone in the audience asked the same question. 30g of salt in 1 kg (or litre) of water, that's 3%.

Chef Sho also said he bakes his chicken on the sides. The breast meat does not touch the bottom of the baking tray. This way, it stays moist. I shall try baking chicken that way next time!

Demo: Chawan Mushi

When I saw the steamers, I was like hey, those are square instead of round ones! They fit so nicely to the food serving trays!

The lady is a chef working in Chef Sho's kitchen. The steamers were already filled with bowls and bowls of chawan mushi to be steamed.Heavy stuff and the Chef lifts it with no effort at all!




Recipe for Chawan Mushi

Ingredients:

Chawan Mushi

• 8 eggs
• 600g dashi
• 35g white truffle oil
• 50g white soy sauce
• 75g black truffle

Shark Fin Broth

• 600g chicken soup
• 100g Japanese leek
• shark fins

To Thicken

• white soy sauce
• salt
• potato starch

Method: 

Chawan Mushi

1.  Blend eggs, dashi, white truffle oil and white soy sauce. Strain mixture into a bowl and chill.
2. Chop black truffle and add into the chawan mushi mixture.
3. Steam chawan mushi for 5 mins at 90C.

Shark Fin Broth

1. Heat chicken soup, Japanese leek and sharks fin over medium heat until the original amount has reduced by 50%.
2. Add in potato starch to the reduced mixture to thicken further.
3. Add salt and white soy sauce to taste.

He whisked everything and filled them into bowls and it's done! Off to the steamers and in a few minutes, wonderful chawan mushi!

Somehow the chef makes it so so easy!




The sous chef adding the finishing touches and also the sharks fin broth on top of the chawan mushi.




They taste so so good! So smooth! So fragrant! So delicious!
Yes, so much truffles too!!!




This was the bowl I had. Indulgence!



Can't resist not showing you the black truffles at the bottom of the bowl. You can see I swiped some off, and then remembered, I need to take a photo of it!

Demo: Back to the Grilled Baby Poussin

Do you know Chef Sho has super power! What he is doing in the photo above is to measure the core temperature of the chicken! He is Superman's cousin! (No, not related to keropokman, keropokman has no super power!)

He speaks English by the way. After all, he had worked in hotels and restaurants in Los Angeles and Washington DC.





Chef is smiling. I guess you can say the poussin was a success!




I think for the photo above, he is asking me if I want the whole poussin to myself.
My stomach might have growled a bit too loud! :-p




Chef Sho was showing us how to plate the dish.
No, he was not dancing with the baby chicken!

It seemed so easy for him to cut up the whole chicken. It was effortless for him. I wonder when will I be able to do that!




See, he used just a small sharp knife to accomplish what he wanted to do!




I thought the recipe said a slice of truffle!
He was way too generous that night! We all like him!




This was what I ate. Just too beautiful beyond description and too marvelous for words!




The bowl of black truffle! The truffle oil behind.

Demo: Pinky Chick

I have no idea why Chef Sho gave the dessert such a name. Pinky Chick. It sounds so... (nevermind.... as long as it taste good)




Recipe for Pinky Chick:

Ingredients:

Yuzu Fizz

• 1 litre water
• 200g sugar
• 30g yuzu juice
• 16g gelatine leaves

Strawberry Compote

• 1kg frozen strawberries (whole)
• 120g sugar
• 7g pectin

Strawberry Shake Soda

• 200g strawberry sherbet
• 150g soy milk

Method:

Yuzu Fizz

1. Boil water, sugar and yuzu juice
2. Bloom gelatine leaves in ice water and add the bloomed gelatine into the yuzu mixture.
3. Set the mixture in the chiller for 3 hours. Once set, break the mixture and pour it into the siphon.
4. Charge it with CO2 chargers and chill overnight.

Strawberry Compote

1. In a bowl, mix sugar and pectin together and set aside.
2. Boil strawberries in a pot until they start to turn soft. Add the sugar mixture to the pot of boiling strawberries.
3. Stir constantly until mixture thickens like a jam.

Strawberry Shake Soda

1. Combine strawberry sherbet and soy milk and whisk until mixture thickens.
2. For assembly, combine strawberry compote, pearls and fresh strawberries. Pour in strawberry soy shake, followed by the yuzu fizz and garnish with mint leaf. Serve.

Look! A toy that I want, but I doubt I will use it often. He is using a Espuma or thermo canister with a pump sprayer to charge the yuzu fizz with CO2.

It magically transform the gel like yuzu with gelatine into foam that looks like cream!






The pinky chick! Ah..... I can only say ah.....




This was our pinky chick!

Thanks to a lady sitting beside me in the audience who does not take gelatine, she offered me her portion. During the Q&A, she was asking if other alternatives to gelatine can be used. The chef says he will get back to her, but I think it should work :-)

Sake Pairing

It seemed that on the day or day before the masterclass, the folks from the Tatenokawa brewery was in Singapore. Tatenokawa was established in 1932 and boast a 170-year history based in the Shonai region of Yamagata, the breadbasket of Japan bordered by Mt Chokai to the north and Mt Gassan to the south.

Sounds impressive?



The sake master! Ask him anything about Sake and he knows.




For every dish we had, sake was served. I can't remember the name of each of the sake.
I tried them and they were good. Oh, they were excellent!
The most interesting ones are the following:



"Kodakara Yogurt" and the "Kodakara Yamagata Peach and Cherry" combo!



Mix them together and oooo, you get something something that you want more and more of!

You can get the sake at Orihara Liquor Shop and Bar located at 11 Unity Street, #01-01/02, Robertson Walk, Singapore 2379995. You can call them at +65 6836 5710



Now that you have seen the dishes prepared by Chef Sho, do you want to try it as well?
Here's a deal that I saw on the Asian Food Channel Website.

Exclusively for DBS/POSB Credit or Debit Cardmembers at Hide Yamamoto:

• Exclusive chef's menu (featuring the signature dish from Chef Sho's masterclass)

Hide Yamamoto
Marina Bay Sands L2-05
(2nd floor of casino, accessible to general public via The Shoppes).
Tel: +65 6534 8880


If you would like to attend other month's session, please visit www.dbs.com for details on how to register.

A big thanks to Fulford PR and DBS Indulge for inviting me to attend this masterclass.

FairPrice Finest: Cooking Workshop at ToTT Store.

Where do you all purchase your groceries? I do my grocery shopping at all the different supermarkets / hypermarkets in Singapore. Depending on what's on specials, or where I know only certain stores carries certain specialty goods,  I go to different stores. 

I do most of my groceries at either FairPrice Finest or Cold Storage because these two are nearest to my home. Where I live, these two competitors are like 200 metres from each other. I usually go to FairPrice Finest because it is 200 metres nearer and their things are more reasonably priced.




How do I know when there's special offers? I receive SMS from the supermarkets. I think many of you got this too last Friday evening. It reads - FairPrice Finest: Savour Alaska King Crab Leg with RONGOPAI Pinot Noir. This fruity wine pairs well with this seafood.

Are you tempted by Alaskan King Crabs?

Guess what? Last Wednesday I attended a very hands on cooking class at ToTT Store. It was only when I got there, I was told the session was sponsored by FairPrice Finest.




(I am going to get a litte carried away here..... )

My family and I love ToTT Store, in fact, on the first trip there not long after it opened, we were tempted and bought enough stuff, we qualify to get their members card. But I never got time to attend classes there. So when I was invited to go, I was really glad!




So, there was I, having my first hands on cooking class at ToTT Store Cooking Studio.
It was so exciting.  I love to check out people's kitchen!




Some of you know I am a techie by vocation. I like gadgets! All kinds of it, be it IT gadgets or kitchen gadgets!

When I saw this Bosch induction hob, I was so excited. (Again, some of you also know,) I have been slow in posting these few weeks because my place is being renovated. Momo, sis and I ordered this same hob! The hob at home is yet to installed when I attended the class, so that class was a hands on training on how to use it!




I was not the only one that was 'kepo', everyone attending the course, opened the drawers to check out what's inside. We have almost everything at home too! I can even tell you that the measuring spoon on the bottom left is magnetic and it's by Jamie Oliver. Sis bought it from ToTT few months ago!




A peep at the cabinets below. I have similar things, but the ones I have are all much cheaper because I buy such stuff from UK/US when I am on holidays. You won't believe what I carry back from holidays in my luggage!




Chef Ming Tan was our 'facilitator' as he calls himself. We had to cook our own meals, so he was there to just facilitate. He said he won't be teaching as he thinks we all know quite a bit, he is just being humble.

Other than being a cooking instructor at ToTT, he's a personal chef that goes to your home to cook. You know, something like "Take Home Chef Curtis Stone". The only difference is that Chef Ming Tan does not spot you in supermarkets and cook dinner in your house.

If you want him to cook at your house for dinner parties, you can contact him at http://www.oooh-jam.com/ or visit their Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/oooh.jam




Anyway, back to the cooking class. Some of the ingredients needed for the session.

I will share with you two recipes here that can be paired with different wines.

(You should know where you can get these fresh ingredients, FairPrice Finest! I was just at Finest earlier for my weekly grocery shopping, and the Blue Pumpkin from Australia that you see in the photo above costs $5.90/kg. Today's price! I do groceries you know!)

King Crab and Asparagus Salad

Ingredients A

• 6 large asparagus stalks
• 500 gm pumpkin
• 1 clove garlic (minced)
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper

Ingredients B

• 5 lime leaves (finely chopped)
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic (minced)
• salt and pepper 

Ingredients C

• 250g crab meat
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes (halved)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

Preheat your oven first around 160 degrees Celsius as you do the following steps.

Preparing the things to bake with Ingredients A:


Use a peeler to get rid of the rough outer layer of the asparagus. Then cut them around 2 inch long. You can see I did not do a very good job at peeling off the outer layer.  (I was taking photos and cooking at the same time!)

Tip from Chef Ming, keep rolling your asparagus as you cut them so they look this way. Doesn't it look better than all being in the same length and shape?




The original recipe that we received used 4 avocadoes instead of pumpkin. I think they could not get riped avocadoes, so they substituted avos with pumpkin instead. I think these are Blue Pumpkin from Australia that I see sold in Finest. These pumpkin are really nice!

Cut them into chunks like above. They should not be too big and should be about the same size so that they cook evenly in the oven.



Mix the pumpkin, asparagus, garlic, olive oil into a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Make sure it's all coated with enough oil. Transfer the ingredients into a baking dish or aluminum foil on your baking tray. Baked for around 9 minutes or till they are tender.




You guessed it! The similar oven I have at home!




The asparagus and pumpkin was ready. It was cooling in the oven while we work on other things.



Preparing the dressing with Ingredients B:



It's so obvious I have used more garlic than in the recipe. I love garlic!




Kiffir Lime leaves (daun limau purut) are so fragrant, 5 of these leaves chopped up finely gave the dish a wonderful fragrance.




Mix the lime leaves, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, and the dressing is ready!





Just look at the Alaskan King Crab claws! We each used 3 claws for your dishes in the class.
It's really easy to take the meat out, use a scissors to cut the joints, then cut the 'tube' open and the crab meat comes out!

Do you know Alaska Crabs are high in protein, low in fat and calories and are a good source of heart-healthy omega 3 fatty acids? And because Alaska Crab is precooked, you can heat and serve it in a hurry. Just boil, steam, broil, bake or grill for 8 to 10 minutes for frozen crab or 3-4 minutes for thawed crab or until the internal temperature of the crab reaches 145'F (use on instant-read thermometer and test crab in the shoulder section).

It's on sale at FairPrice Finest now. The usual price is $7.50 per 100 gm, it's now on sale at $5.90 per 100 gm. I went to Finest store near home to see if there's still stock because a fellow participant said the Finest near her place has run out! A pack is around 700 grams or so, so you pay around $40 plus for it.



There you go, mix everything up in a bowl and plate it!
Looks good? Well, it tasted really good!




Now for some explanation provided by the experts:

Rongopai Marlborough Pinot Noir.

Packed with dark cherry, earth and spice. The palate is full and very evenly layered with dark fruits, spice and leather, finishing with fine tannins and a hint of cedar. A very drinkable wine upon release that should age gracefully.

Why best paired together?

Pinot Noir is light and fruity, often acidic, and generally lacking in tannic structure. The light body of the varietal pairs well with the lighter mouth feel of seafood, such as Crab.

Seared Mahi-mahi with Hollandaise and Sundried Tomato Coulis

Here's the second dish that we learned at the class.
Oh, I should tell you, this was equally easy peasy like the recipe above!

Here are the ingredients for the dish:

Ingredients A

• 4 x 150 g Mahi-mahi fillets

Ingredients B

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• A mix of star anise, cardamon, cloves, cinnamon stick.

Ingredients C

• 4 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 80g salted butter (chilled)

Ingredients D

• 100g sundried tomatoes (soaked in water and blended) (if from jar with oil, skip soaking step)
• 1/2 cup warm beef stock

Making the Coulis from Ingredients D



I never knew making sundried tomato coulis was so so so easy! If you are using the dried (and not those in oil) version of sundried tomatoes, just wash them gently and then soak them.

I first heard of the word coulis when I was watching Masterchef on TV! Coulis is a thick French sauce.




Blend them and add in the warm beef stock. Depending on how wet your rehydrated sundried tomatoes are, add the stock in slowly. You don't want it too wet.  Zap them till they are smooth.



Now the magic! When you get the consistency you want, add in the cold salted butter and give it a final blend!



See how smooth and glossy it becomes now? The cold butter mixed with the warm mix just glows!

It was also very tasty! You can add in a tiny bit of salt if you want, but I did not.
There you go, Sundried Tomato Coulis!


Making the Spiced Butter with Ingredients B



Chef Ming's version of Hollandaise sauce has an Asian fragrance to it.
He infuses the oil with star anise, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon sticks. What a brilliant idea!




Warm them gently on low heat for 10 minutes. It's that easy!
The aroma was just wonderful!




Strain it after 10 minutes and let it cool.


Making the Hollandaise with Ingredients C



Making the Hollandaise sauce was also very easy.
Egg yolks, butter and lemon juice!



Chef Ming taught us the easiest way to separate egg white and egg yolks. Use two bowls and a spoon!

Some of you, like me, use egg shells to separate them. That way is more accident prone. The sharp ends of the shell usually prick the egg yolks. Using a spoon is the easiest. This is especially so if you are baking and need to separate say 20 eggs!




What a nice egg yolk.



4 egg yolks. Gently whisk them.




Then add in the butter that has been infused with the aromatics.
Drip in the butter bit by bit. You might not need it all.
Next, add in the lemon juice, some salt.



Continue to whisk it till it looks something like the above. It's hard work if you do it by hand like how we did it!  The easiest way is to put everything in a blender and blend for around 15 seconds. ;-)

Add in some chopped parsley and there you have, Hollandaise Sauce.




The thawed mahi-mahi that the whole class was going to cook!
If you can't get mahi-mahi, you can substitute it with other fish like mackarel.



To get nice colour when you fry your fish, and also to prevent oil from splashing, pat dry the fish fillet before frying!




As it cooks, lightly season it with salt and pepper.




There you go, the dish after being plated!
Looks good?



The kind folks at FairPrice Finest provided Chateau Le Gay Pomerol 2006. I heard it's not cheap and the other participants who was at the cooking class said it was really good.

If you want to find out what's going on at FairPrice Finest and what's on offer, here's a good website to visit. http://www.WhatsUpAtFairprice.com.sg

It lists out the current offers and you can see "Heavenly Pairings Of Wine And Seafood" that is available from 12 - 25 May 2011.

Do you know that there are now 6 FairPrice Finest now in Singapore?
You can find them at Bukit Timah Plaza, Marine Parade Central, Triple One Somerset (Singapore Power Building behind Orchard Road), Serangoon Garden Village, Century Square - Tampines  and Thomson Plaza.

Do you also know that 70% of the items in FairPrice Finest are staples found in all FairPrice outlets at the SAME prices? The remaining 30% are cosmopolitan selection of premium and gourmet products sourced from all over the world.

[This post is brought to you courtesy of FairPrice Finest. The experience and thoughts are all Keropokman's.]