Part of the Hakkasan group, HKK opened to great acclaim in late 2012 thanks to its innovative approach to dining: only a 15 course tasting menu of modern Cantonese dishes is available at dinner time. Chef Tong Chee Hwee previously worked at Hakkasan before becoming the group’s executive chef; now he’s in charge of the kitchen at HKK. Here he tells us about his favourite foods and shares his recipe for drunken chicken, the first dish on the tasting menu.
What does HKK do that nowhere else does?
Unlike any other Chinese restaurants, we are unique in providing individual courses without a menu so guests will be surprised by a tailored experience with seasonal ingredients together with well thought out wine pairings.
What cooking methods do you use most frequently, and what kitchen gadget can you not live without?
Stir-fry and wok! You cannot have Chinese food without a wok!
What foods are your guilty pleasures?
Duck, the aroma of it during the process of preparing it is very tempting and I just have to have a bite! Beef is delicious and versatile, however I am a Buddhist and I feel guilty whenever I taste it. And black truffle, it’s rare to source but it pairs so nicely with everything.
What’s been the toughest job you’ve had in your career?
I would say it's now, with maintaining our overall standards, keeping up with the palates of customers and constantly pushing ourselves to exceed others in the industry and become the best in the market, the pressure is really on!
Is it easy to learn how to cook Chinese food?
Generally speaking, not just Chinese food, to be a good chef it takes time and a lot of experience, 20 years at least! So nothing is ever easy, if it was I am sure chefs could easily be substituted by robots.
Have any new restaurants excited you recently?
Fifty 8 Grill at the Mandarin Oriental, Shanghai. Nice view of Shanghai with exceptional food and the overall ambience.
Do you have a signature recipe you can share?
Yes, “drunken chicken."
x12 pieces of boneless leg of Label Rouge chicken
600g homemade chicken stock
10g chicken stock powder
25g salt
110g Shaoshing cooking wine (rice wine)
10g caster sugar
10g fresh ginger juice
40g Kwai Wine
First you must prepare the drunken chicken sauce. Put all the ingredients in a bowl, except the chicken, ginger juice and salt, mix well.
Ensure the chicken is clean and dry, then marinate the legs with the salt and ginger juice for around 2 hours. Flatten the legs and roll them using cling film (skin facing outside) individually, making sure it is very tight. Steam with the cling film on for 20 minutes. Once cooled down take legs out of the cling film and add the drunken chicken sauce. Marinate for 3 hours.
Roll legs tightly with cling film individually again, making sure to keep the tube shape.
The All in One Ultimate Restaurant List Interview: Tong Chee Hwee
Chef Tong Chee Hwee tells us about his favourite foods and shares his recipe for drunken chicken
This article is connected to HKK
Published Jul 7, 2014