It’s chef Ming Tsai’s year.
According to the lunar calendar, it’s the Year of the Dragon, and being a dragon, Tsai knew he had to get busy. And starting the first day of this year, he did just that.
The result is Tsai’s latest cookbook, “Simply Ming in Your Kitchen” (Kyle Books, $35), featuring 80 recipes organized by food type — salads, soups, seafood, poultry, vegetables, rice, noodles and sweets. There’s even a small section on cocktails.
One recipe, Chicken Sausage Fried Rice with Pineapple, was inspired by Hawaii chef Sam Choy. As Tsai explains in the book, Choy’s pineapple fried rice was his first encounter with the dish, and it was delicious. Tsai’s version replaces Spam with chicken sausage.
This cookbook also includes some bells and whistles. Each recipe is accompanied by a QR code that links to a 10-minute video of Tsai demonstrating preparation of the dish, and a shopping list that downloads to a smart device.
The James Beard award-winning chef is also getting ready to open a second restaurant — an Asian gastropub to be named The Blue Dragon — in downtown Boston early next year. His first restaurant, the Blue Ginger, an East-West bistro in Wellesley, Mass., has won accolades for 14 years.
The host of public television’s “Simply Ming” travels to Hawaii often — at least once a year — to visit family, eat at restaurants and play golf.
He was one of the featured chefs at September’s Hawaii Food and Wine Festival and was back in town last week for a cooking demonstration at Macy’s Ala Moana as part of his book tour.
The Star-Advertiser sat down with Tsai to talk food.
QUESTION: What inspires you when you come to Hawaii? What local ingredients have inspired your cooking?
ANSWER: I’ve always come at least once a year. … The coolest was a visit to Hirabara Farms on the Big Island (during a celebrity chef tour in January). They grew this romaine that was unbelievable. … Love your kampachi. … It’s got that richness and very clean favor, and I love the fact that it’s sustainable.
Q: Are you going to offer it at your restaurant?
A: I’m considering it.
Q: Where do you eat when you’re here?
A: I always go to Side Street Inn for the fried pork chops. The poke is great as well. We had a fantastic grilled mahimahi today at the Halekulani. Again, it’s about the pristine quality of the fish. I love your fish market. There’s always a lot of cool stuff there. … Even at the Waialae (Country Club), their oxtail is so good. I have it every time I go.
Q: You’ve got 80 recipes, and this time each comes with a video and shopping list. Was that your idea?
A: It came about because I do my own food styling, so I said, ‘Since I’m doing it anyways, let’s shoot me doing it.’ They say a picture’s worth a thousand words. A video’s worth a million words because I don’t care how articulate you are, it’s impossible to write how to roll sushi. It’s easier to show it on video.
Q: What’s the easiest recipe in the book?
A: There’s the tomato quinoa soup. It’s so easy. You just put everything in the pot, you purée it and add quinoa to thicken it.
Q: Two years ago you were here right after getting kicked off Food Network’s “The Next Iron Chef.” At that time you swore off competing ever again. Have you changed your mind?
A: They’ve asked me three different times, and again the answer was no. It was just to have fun and prove to myself I could cook with the 20-something-year-olds. I’m happy for (Marc) Forgione that he won. I would have been more happy if I had won.
QUINOA AND TOMATO SOUP
From “Simply Ming in Your Kitchen”
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
2 large carrots, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
4 ribs celery, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper
2 (28 ounce) cans whole plum tomatoes
2 quarts chicken stock
1/4 cup tamari
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
Parmesan, for garnish
Over high, heat medium stock pot. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil, swirl to coat. When hot, add onions, ginger, carrots and celery; season with salt and pepper. Saute 10 to 12 minutes.
Add tomatoes with juice, chicken stock and tamari. Bring to simmer and cook until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.
Puree soup with immersion blender.
Add quinoa, bring to simmer and cook until tender, about 12 minutes.
Transfer to soup bowls. Grate parmesan over each and drizzle with remaining olive oil. Serves 8.
Nutritional information unavailable.
