Martha Sherpa runs a tight ship.
I initially impressed her when I produced some properly sliced ginger. She held up my translucent pieces to the other students — a maid sent to class by her boss and a 20 year old kid from Hong Kong going to school in Boston (though I suspect Cambridge) sent to Martha by his mother to make him more well-rounded — and nodded approvingly in my direction.
But then it was time to de-bone chickens. I butchered the thing. No, that’s not right: Butchers know how to do this, and I clearly didn’t. She just shook her head.
The poor battered bird was for a dish of steamed rice, shitake mushrooms, and chicken, one of five recipes we made in the day-long “Chinese Wok Cookery” class. Having recently inherited a wok when a friend moved, this seemed like a perfect topic, though Martha offers a range of courses in her Mongkok studio, from Chinese to Thai, from dim sum to dessert.
We made braised yi-fu noodles with shitakes, yellow chives, and oyster sauce; steamed chicken with shitakes, cloud ear fungus and daylilies; Stuffed tofu and vegetable soup; and crispy fried fish with corn and egg sauce.
I learned a lot. I learned that knife skills are important for flavor as much as texture; that thinly sliced ginger permeates the whole dish rather than jutting out in big hot bites. I learned that the Chinese preference is for hard, springy meat (and fish) balls, and how to work the mixture to achieve this texture. I learned that tossing meat with a bit of starch before adding the rest of the marinade helps create a glaze when the meat is steamed that keeps it from drying out. I learned that “Asian sole” is a euphemism for catfish.
It was obvious after the day that most of my European-based kitchen skills were useless in this kind of cooking. In retrospect I think I got lucky with the ginger, because it was apparent my cleaver skills were lacking. “It’s not a French knife,” Martha said, laughing.
Clearly.
But I left armed with a stack of recipes and knowledge, a list of pantry items to stock, and a belly full of food that I can’t wait to try and make at home.
Martha Sherpa’s Cooking School on Argyle St. in Mongkok, Kowloon, by appointment only +852 2381 0132 or info@cookery.com.hk Prices range from HK $1500 to $2600 ($193-335 US) for a full day. Visit the website for full schedule and pricing.
Read more about Martha Sherpa’s school at Gourmet.
See all my photos from Hong Kong on Flickr.
How fun. Everything looks delicious too. I would love to take a Chinese cooking class as my last attempt at wok cooking was a complete failure.
Great review. Many thanks for sharing. My 22 year old daughter is in Hong Kong working as an intern; a day-long course is the perfect Christmas gift for her!
We’re also new homeowners in Paris’s 7th. I look forward to reading more of your blog, so please do keep up the good work!
Keeping up with the bootcamp? I was searching for my next dream vacation, cooking in Thailand, and china/ hong kong and you popped up! Thanks for getting me in touch with that girl from the ferrandi school, i start next week and it’s thanks in part to you. So thank you! And yum, those noodles look delicious!
Hi Ashley! Glad to hear about your Ferrandi plans. Next stop Hong Kong??
Hi, I’m a retired Aussie bloke well into my 60s and I love Chinese food. I’m not a bad home cook, but I lack the skills and finesse for the finished product. After reading your reviews I’ve booked in for two days mid year and have a go at it. I hope I survive it.
Good luck, Ross, I’m sure you’ll do fine! Just do exactly as Martha says…