I love watching cooking shows. So when I heard that Chef Sharwin Tee was gonna do a cooking demo at the Maya Kitchen, I got really excited. I watched the cooking competition that he joined and won a couple of years back. I also got to watch a couple of episodes from his Curiosity by the Chef TV show.
I went to the Maya Kitchen early that day and was so excited considering that Chef Sharwin Tee was gonna cook several dishes with bacon. Who doesn’t love bacon? I want to see how he uses bacon in an entree, main and dessert! Besides, he’s a celebrity chef, who wouldn’t wanna see him cook live!
As he entered the cooking demo area, he looked a bit nervous. I was actually surprised considering he should be comfortable considering his profession as a TV chef. He told us that cooking at the Maya Kitchen is a dream come true for him. It was refreshing to see how humble Chef Sharwin Tee is. It made me feel good being there to watch him cook and learn from his experiences.
Chef Sharwin Tee had a lot to tell. I learned so much about his life, the way he cooks and his knowledge about food and cooking. Some of the things I remembered he told us is that he’s single, he works six times a week and he feels that chef’s wives are not that lucky because chefs are usually so tired already when they go home from work. Another thing that he mentioned is that he is doing cooking shows to be able to convince us to cook at home. If you want to watch Chef Sharwin Tee, you can catch him at the Lifestyle Network every thursdays at 9:30PM. The show’s name is Curiosity by the Chef.
Here are some more fun facts about Chef Sharwin:
- do not like wearing chef jacket – he thinks that everyone can cook so there isn’t a reason for him to wear it.
- barely measures – he said that he always plays the ingredients around.
- do not bake – since he doesn’t measure, he doesn’t bake.
Below are the dishes prepared by Chef Sharwin Tee as well as the tips he shared when he was preparing the dishes.
Argugula Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
Use thick-cut bacon. Recommended strawberry jam – Good Shepherd. When making vinaigrette, use salt to balance flavours. If you combine all 5 flavours (sweet, salty, sour, bitter & spicy), it’ll be perfect. Add oil slowly while stirring water & oil, better if using blender or food processor. Always use 3:1 ratio (3 parts oil & 1 part vinegar). Arugula stands well with bacon or other meat (warm salad). Romaine, on the other hand, is best for Caesar salad or with heavy cream/sauces. Do not cut salad greens, just tear them with your hands. Toss salad ingredients before serving. Add any kind of egg (best: hard boiled), bacon, cheese and black pepper on top of the salad.
‘Cuick’ Clam Chowder
Potato and Bacon are relevant in the chowder, other ingredients can be exchanged. Cut bacon into smaller cubes. If you got better bacon, you got better soup. Get smoked bacon that is thick cut. Cook it until you smell it. If using dried herbs, cook it with liquid to release flavor of the herb. Fresh herbs can be eaten straight. You can use grape or apple juice to replace white wine (worse case: water). When you buy clams, make sure it’s closed. When clams are cooked, they should be open. Put clams in water and wash them to remove the sand out in 1-2 hours. In order to create fish stock, put fish bones & vegetables in pot and cook for 30 minutes. Stock isn’t supposed to be salty. If you’re using cubes, the ratio is 500ml to one cube. Use red/orange/yellow pepper for soups. Green pepper has after taste. Make sure to make veggies a little bit crunchy. Add clams when almost done. Never add dairy when fire is still on. Add sour cream in the end.
Bacon-Wrapped Fish Fillet with Mango Salsa
Parsley can be interchanged with Cilantro/Wansoy. Salsa can be kept for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. Dory as fish fillet is ready available in the market but lap lap is best. Cook asparagus with the fillet in the oven. Garnish chopped parsley on top.
Bacon Waffles and Hoisin Syrup
Let bacon sit to make it crispier. Add cayenne pepper to make the dish spicy. We can use the sauce for pork chops and chicken. When clueless about plating, make the food appear higher. Add parsley on top. In exchange of water, you can put milk.
Bacon Mallow Bombs
Use thinly sliced bacon for easy wrapping. Cannot cook crispy bacon for this recipe as it’ll be difficult to wrap. Use 2 different types of bacon to showcase flavour varieties. Broil so that only the top is heated, torch is also good. When baked, the mallows will become gooey.
It was a good day! I finished every single bit of food in my plate.
I also like the shirt that the chef and his staff wore. It’s their statement for their love of bacon! So cute!
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The Maya Kitchen Culinary Center
8F Liberty Building, 835 A. Arnaiz Avenue (Pasay Road), Makati City, Philippines
+63-2-8921185 / +63-2892-5011 local 108
contactus@themayakitchen.com
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