The DBS Indulge Masterclass Series allows DBS/POSB Credit or Debit Cardmembers to partake in exclusive masterclasses by world-renowned chefs. Since November 2010, Chef Signatures brings renowned international chefs closer to DBS cardholders via monthly masterclasses at the AFC Studio in Orchard Central. At the one-night-only event, many of us had the wonder opportunity to observe Chef Yong’s ability to use traditional Chinese cooking techniques and flavours to serve up modern Chinese dishes.

Since its opening in 2009, the AFC Studio, being equipped with a state-of-the-art kitchen, has housed many AFC celebrity chefs and a other culinary talents from around the world.

Lychee Martini to start things off for the night.

Chef Yong Bing Ngen’s interest in cooking was sparked when he peeked into the kitchen of a family-run restaurant serving local Chinese food. He was so intrigued with the activities in the kitchen that he decided that cooking would be his chosen trade. Since then, he has gone on to become one of Singapore’s most innovative Chinese chefs and chef/owner of the Majestic Restaurant and Jing. Today, Chef Yong uses Cantonese cooking as the backbone of his food but he also infuses his Hakka background and other regional influences into his cooking to create unique modern Chinese dishes.

Chef Yong’s illustrious career has seen him hold positions at major hotel restaurants throughout Southeast Asia such as Toh Yuen at Kuching Hilton, Malaysia and Lok Wah Hin at Novotel Bangkok, Thailand, as well as in local establishments like the Fullerton Hotel’s Jade restaurant, Raffles Hotel Singapore’s Empress Room and Doc Cheng’s, Jiang Nan Chun at Four Seasons Hotel Singapore, and Pan Pacific Hotel’s Hai Tien Lo. It was indeed a great pleasure to be able to watch Chef whip up three signature dishes with ease that night!

Chilled Sake Infused Crabmeat Salad

Ingredients
1 Sri Lankan Crab
20g fresh bamboo shoot, shredded
20f black fungus, shredded
10g ginger
2 chinese parsley, cut into 2cm strips

Seasoning
50g sake
50g mirin
50g soa sauce
50g sugar
35g white vinegar
100g whipping cream
1/2tsp sesame oil
Pinch of salt

Method
1. Boil the whole crab for 10 minutes. Remove from water and cool crab.

2. Remove flesh from the shell. Set aside.

3. Blanch shredded bamboo shoot and black fungus in boiling water for 1 minute. Remove and place into a bowl of water with ice cubes for 1 minute. Remove.

4. Dry shredded bamboo shoot and black fungus with a clean cloth and place into a mixing bowl. Add Chinese Parsley, shredded ginger, a pinch of salt, half teaspoon of sesame oil and mix well. Set aside.

5. Prepare a clean glass. Place salad at the bottom of the glass and top with crab meat.

6. Mix all the seasonings in a small bowl. Ensure that the sugar is dissolved.

7. Drizzle seasoning over crab meat and salad. Serve.

Pan Seared Foie Gras with Watermelon and Organic Greens

Ingredients
3 pieces of Foie Gras, 40g each
Watermelon, 3 round pieces of 2cm height (use cookie cutter)

Seasoning for Foie Gras
Ichimi Togarashi
Potato Flour

Salad
40g Garden Greens
1 tbsp of Olive Oil
Pinch of Salt
1 tbsp of Vegetable Cooking Oil
Chef’s Secret Homemade Barbecue Sauce

Method
1. Place garden greens in a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt and olive oil. Mix well and set aside.

2. Sprinkle a little Ichimi Togarashi on both sides of the foie gras then coat with potato flour.

3. Heat frying pan with 1 tbsp of vegetable cooking oil over high fire. Place foie gras onto pan and reduce to low fire. Pan sear for 1 minute on each side. Remove when golden brown.

4. Decorate round plate with the homemade barbecue sauce. (Optional)

5. Arrange garden greens in the centre of the plate. Place pan-seared foie gras on top of of each piece of watermelon. Serve.

Stewed Boston Lobster Noodles with Ginger and Spring Onion

Ingredients
1 whole Lobster (approx 700g)
E-fu noodles
10 slices Ginger
1 stalk Spring Onion, sliced
1 Shallots, sliced
200ml Chicken Stock

Seasoning
Oyster Sauce
Soya Sauce
White Pepper Powder
Salt
Potato Flour

Method
1. Chop lobster into half. Wash thoroughly.

2. Scald e-fu noodles in hot water to soften.

3. Dap potato flour on meat of lobster and fry in high heat (about 250 degrees celcius) for about 40 seconds and remove.

4. Heat wok with oil. Fry sliced ginger, spring onion and sliced shallots till fragrant.

5. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil.

6. Add lobster, cover and simmer for 1 minute.

7. Check if lobster is cooked. Remove lobster and keep some sauce aside.

8. Add noodles, oyster sauce, soya sauce and white pepper powder to the remaining sauce and do a quick fry till noodles absorb sauce.

9. Plate the noodles.

10. Heat pan. Place lobster and sauce kept aside earlier into the pan and add in a little starch to thicken sauce.

11. Remove and place the lobster on top of the noodles.

12. Garnish with spring onion. Ready to serve.

Tip:
Do not overcook the lobster till the meat toughens. Once the lobster flesh leaves a little gap from the shell, it is cooked.

Ending things off on a sweet note, we were treated to desserts like mango pomelo and osmanthus jelly specially prepared by Majestic Restaurant.

All of us who attended the event walked away with a bottle of Chef’s Secret Homemade Barbecue Sauce! I didn’t wanna burn the whole house down so I passed the bottle to my mum and… TA-DAH! Yummy yummy chicken drumsticks! 😀

Special thanks to DBS and the Asian Food Channel and Jannah from Fulford PR for the invitation. Click here to view photos on missuschewy’s facebook page!