HE may be a celebrity chef who could whip up all kinds of food, but he is not one to splurge on dishes when it comes to Ramadan.
Chef Wan, whose real name is Redzuawan Ismail, said he was modest during this holy month, cooking just a dish or two to break fast.
“Buka puasa is not about indulgence; we are supposed to control our desires,” he said matter-of-factly during an interview session at his penthouse in Ampang.
To underline his message, he cooked just two dishes for us for this photoshoot session and later as his meal - Lamb Couscous with Seven Vegetables and Chicken Tajine, both Moroccan-inspired dishes.
Simple man: Chef Wan, dressed in baju melayu and songkok, breaking fast at his home with two dishes - Lamb Couscous and Chicken Tajine that he had cooked. “The couscous (or kuskus) are tiny wheat-grain granules, a primary staple in Morocco and other Meditteranean cities to replace what we have as rice here,” said Singapore-born Chef Wan.
The 52-year-old television personality said he had just returned recently from Morocco where he spent six weeks filming a travel television series that would be out in October.
“Every Friday in Morocco, it’s like a big celebration there to serve couscous.
“Typically, Moroccans break fast with a soup called Harira, sweets, dried and fresh fruits and a special milk drink followed by the second course of Chicken Tajine after that,” he said.
He added that he had mastered the two dishes through cooking classes around the world plus a course he had learnt in Marrakesh for two weeks.
“When breaking fast, you need a lot of water-retention food, and like this Lamb Couscous, I throw in seven types of vegetables, making it a suitable recipe for Ramadan with its fibre content.
“Even if I cannot finish it, I can still keep for sahur (pre-dawn meal),” said the eldest among seven siblings.
For the Chicken Tajine, he said besides chicken, lamb or seafood could also be used. Olives, prunes and almond are added for a refreshing flavour.
The chef said he cooked three times a week at least, and only ate out when friends invited him.
His favourite food are Japanese and Thai (under Asian category), while for Western, he picks Mediterranean and Italian.
Filling: The dish of Lamb Couscous (couscous in on the bowl on the right) while the lamb gravy serving had lots of vegetables thrown inside. “I like cooking different food themes for each Ramadan meal since I could do just about anything,” he said proudly.
On Ramadan promotions at hotels, Chef Wan feels that buka puasa has turned out to be a food fest and he has stopped doing it completely now.
“I used to do (the promotions) but realised that it has become too commercialised where it creates the urge in people to indulge. Some hotels would even advertise that they have 100 dishes to attract guests, and in the end, people turn out to be gluttons.
“By Islamic teachings, it is wrong because the reason we fast is to make us realise the hardship that the poor go through. And we should be thankful for what we have and not go overboard. In fact, I don’t go to the hotel unless I’m forced to.
“After all, it’s good to shed a little weight and not develop bad eating habits that could result in diseases later. We are what we eat,” said the straight-talking chef.
Delectable: Chicken Tajine sprinkled with prunes, almonds and olives. He said his Ramadan was about being at home with his family, eating little and relaxing afterwards.
Chef Wan said he had started cooking since the age of eight, being the eldest when his mother was out selling kuih. Though a qualified accountant, his love for cooking saw him through as a professional chef.
This Raya, he will be going back to his hometown in Raub, Pahang, where all his siblings will come together to cook the various dishes.
Chef Wan, who recently won the coveted Best Celebrity Television Chef in the World, beating 250 other greats at the World Gourmand Cookbook Media Awards 2009, said his family would throw an open house where people could attend.
No comments:
Post a Comment