During my recent visit to The Chairman , I noticed that the restaurant is becoming more proficient in mastering the unique flavours that they have created. That prompted me to write about it.   The Chairman offers a series of claypot rice. They are very popular. That evening, Danny, the owner of The Chairman, ordered claypot rice with pork ribs and Chinese cured sausage for me. It was delicious - my pal Miss A finished three bowls even though she claimed she was full! Much to my delight, the rice was done in two ways. It was served as claypot rice and then turned into “Pao Fan” (rice soup) by adding broth into the claypot. I took a few mouthfuls and was completely blown away.       I texted Danny the following day. Our conversation was as follows:     Me: I would like to know what kind of meat is used to cook the broth for the Pao Fan? Compared to regular Chinese broths, the flavours were richer and more complex. The flavour combination was somewhat unusual – I figured the richness of the broth didn’t come from Jinhua ham; there were some western flavours in it, they go really well with Chinese celery. Were there fried onions in the broth?       D: We first roast off-cut meat quickly with fiery flame. We then steam them using low heat to produce the rich meaty liquid. Clam broth was then added to the meat broth. You manage to pick up the stir-fry flavour, that’s amazing!   Me: I knew there were fried ingredients; though the umani from it was very subtle but I know for sure they were not the result of boiling. It was the result of quick roasting + clam broth, it makes sense now! No wonder it has such sophisticated layering and a hint of western flavours. Delicious, and impressive! The flavours and style that The Chairman creates are becoming more sophisticated!   D: Thank you very much! 最近一次的到訪大班樓，吃了個排骨膶腸煲仔飯。飯很好吃，重點是一飯二吃，後來加了湯煮成泡飯。我吃一口、兩口、三口...... 心中默默讚嘆。第二天發了訊息給Danny，對話紀錄如下： 我：想問問泡飯的湯底是用什麼肉去熬？味道比起一般中式上湯複雜和濃味，但又不是常吃到的味道（組合），濃郁不是來自金華火腿，有一點西式的風味，跟（料頭的）唐芹也很夾。湯底有沒有炒過的洋蔥呢？ D：我們把off cut meat大猛火快烤，然後慢火蒸出濃味肉水，然後再溝入蜆湯，所以妳喝出有炒過的味道，厲害呀 我：我是隱約覺得有炒過的材料的鮮甜味（umami），不是煲煮出來的甜味。原來是快烤的肉+蜆湯的效果，難怪層次那麼複雜又深，又有點西餐風味。好味，也很厲害，大班樓自創的味道風格以及味覺線條越來越成熟了。 D:謝謝謝謝

It’s a rainy weekend again, make yourself something comforting, like this Tomato and Egg Stir-Fry ❤️‍🔥 Ingredients (serves 2): 2 tomatoes 2 Tbsp oil, divided 4 eggs, beaten 1 stalk scallion, chopped 3 Tbsp Ketchup ¼ cup + 1 Tbsp water, divided ½ Tbsp sugar ⅛ tsp salt 1 Tbsp corn starch Directions: 1. Use a sharp knife to score an “X” on the bottom of the tomato. 2. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Place the tomatoes in the boiling water and boil for 30 seconds. 3. Transfer the tomatoes to a bowl of cold water. Once cool enough to handle, gently peel the skin off. Cut each tomato into 8 wedges. Set aside. 4. Add 1 Tbsp of oil in a pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, pour in the eggs. As the edge starts to set, gently push it towards the center. Once the egg is almost set, flip over and turn off the heat. Set aside. 5. Add 1 Tbsp of oil in the pan over medium heat. Stir-fry the scallions until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 6. Add tomatoes and stir-fry for 1 minute. 7. Add ketchup and mix well. 8. Add ¼ cup water, sugar and salt. Mix well and cook on medium-low until tomatoes are soft, about 2 minutes. 9. Mix 1 Tbsp corn starch with 1 Tbsp water to make corn starch slurry. Add to tomatoes and mix well. 10. Quickly add in the eggs and break into smaller pieces. 11. Mix well and enjoy! Video on highlights! #nomkongercooks

［影片節錄］［請開聲音］ ———————————————- Dependency and the Existed 依附與被存在的 Glass, human dander, blood, video 玻璃、人類皮屑、血、影像 Size variable 尺寸不定 ———————————————- My hallucination of a "Blue Haze” - a gradual bluish image resulting from a loss of colour contrast in the brain due to cognitive dissonance when one is in a state of extreme sadness. The blue glass Frits, they were so shiny and beautiful, yet fragment. By touching and rubbing them, feeling the flakes of skin scraped off the glass, they are being scraped off, cut and bled. The self-inflicted dependence that the skin and touch transmit to the brain, is an interpretation of the answer I seek in my life - To feel pain, to feel alive. I took the flakes of my skin, blood and dust, which had been incorporated into the glass Frits through performance art. Meanwhile, kilned them in my shape to create the moment when the "Blue Haze” was presented the moment when the haze stuck to my skin. 「藍霧」——緣自人在極度悲傷的狀態下，大腦視覺認知失調所呈現色彩對比度下降的情況，而漸漸出現偏藍的景像。 藍色玻璃碎，他們是多麼的閃耀漂亮但又呈得零碎。透過觸摸、磨擦他們，感受被玻璃刮下的皮屑，從而被割傷、流血，那種皮膚和觸覺傳遞去大腦的自殘依賴，正是詮䆁了我生命中所尋求的答案——還好能感覺到痛；還好能感覺到正在生存。 將我那些融入玻璃的皮屑、血、塵，以我的形態進行燒製，去呈現出「藍霧」黏上我皮膚的那一刻。 ———————————————- [香港浸會大學視覺藝術院本科畢業展 2021] [HKBU AVA BA GRADSHOW 2021] @avabagradshow . 請先登記才可以內進喔～ . 展期：二零二一年六月十二日至六月二十七日 開放時間：上午十一時至下午七時，星期一至日（公眾假期照常開放） 地點：香港九龍觀塘道51號啟德校園（彩虹地鐵站A2出口） Opening Ceremony (by private invitation): 11/06/2021 Friday 18:00 Exhibition Period: 12/06/2021 - 27/06/2021 Opening Hours: 11:00 - 19:00 Monday to Sunday (including Public Holidays) Venue: Kai Tak Campus, 51 Kwun Tong Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong (Choi Hung MTR Exit A2) 一般查詢／活動報名：[email protected] 傳媒查詢／導賞預約：[email protected]