#ChineseFoodiesofIG: Kevin Cheng of Soul Of Chinatown

Kevin Cheng of Soul Of Chinatown

This is part of an ongoing series of interviews I’m doing with my favourite Chinese foodies that I follow on Instagram. Come and follow the #ChineseFoodiesofIG hashtag on Instagram and leave a comment showing your support for these talented folk!

Where are you from? Where are you really from?

I was born in Taipei, Taiwan before my family moved to Sydney, Australia when I was three. My family has been in Taiwan for at least five generations before me.

What does home taste like?

My grandma’s soy braised pork trotters (滷豬腳), served with Taiwanese rice. Or mum’s pork stir fry using Taiwanese shacha (沙茶) sauce.

Share a food memory:

Everyone knows Din Tai Fung, but you haven’t truly experienced it until you’ve been to Taipei. It’s the world’s best restaurant: impeccable service, brilliant food and damn consistent. My mind was blown the first time my aunties took me to the Taipei 101 branch.

The secret to Chinese cooking is:

Using what ingredients and kitchen staples you have to create nourishment for family and friends. And getting comfortable with different cooking techniques (steaming, wok frying, deep fry etc).

Who’s your Chinese food legend?

Many Taiwanese have a cookbook by Huang Su-huei, with the series first published in the early 1970s. It’s a fascinating snapshot of regional Chinese cooking, as well as quintessential Taiwanese dishes. It’s also extremely popular with migrant communities across the world.

Dream dinner party guests:

Anthony Bourdain for his quick wit and knowledge of food, Ronny Chieng for the roasts and humour, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen to discuss all things Taiwan and the guys from Buzzfeed’s Worth It series just for a massive laugh.

Last meal on earth:

Taiwanese braised pork rice (滷肉飯), followed by a dumpling tasting menu (har gow, siu mai, xiao long bao, my mum’s pork and cabbage dumplings), then the steamed flower crab from The Chairman in Hong Kong, with a Hong Kong French toast and matcha soft serve to finish the meal.

Most underrated Chinese ingredient:

Rice. I feel Asians (and everyone else) take rice for granted, but it is the single must-have item at family dinners, especially for East Asians. I mean we greet each other with “have you eaten rice yet?” There’s nothing that screams “home” like a steaming bowl of rice straight from the rice cooker.

Know any good Chinese restaurants?

Sun Ming Hurstville is Sydney’s longest-running cha chaan teng (Hong Kong-style cafe) that specialises in all the Cantonese classics. No tacky gimmicks, just a true Hong Kong experience.

What does Chinese food mean to you?

It reminds me of the Australian-Chinese restaurants my family used to go to when my sister and I were kids, where we’d always order beef with oyster sauce and seafood tofu hotpot, and mingle with the owners because we could all speak Mandarin. It somehow reminded me of home, despite not identifying with the food.