CHEF Chung Yiu Ming became an apprentice cook at the age of 15 because he wanted to be surrounded by food.
The Hong Kong-born executive chef of Cantonese restaurant Li Bai in Sheraton Towers came from a humble family - his parents were farmers in the New Territories.
'We could afford to eat out only once every six months,' recalls Chung, 49, a father of two teenagers.
As he didn't perform well in school, he started work at a restaurant in Kowloon that provided free food and lodging.
'This career choice turned out quite well for me,' says the mild-mannered, straight-talking chef.
Indeed. After rising up the ranks in several restaurants in Hong Kong, he was hired by the esteemed Lei Garden restaurant group in the 1980s.
In 1990, he was transferred to its Singapore outlet where he worked for five years. After a three-year stint in Fook Yuen restaurant in Paragon shopping mall, he joined Li Bai in 2000, where he is now known for his exquisite soups and fine Cantonese creations.
Which celebrities have you cooked for?
Hong Kong stars Alan Tam and the late Anita Mui used to always order steamed Soon Hock fish when they were in town, because you can't find it in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong comedienne Lydia Sum celebrated her birthday twice at our restaurant, and she liked fried shark's fin, which she would always have with shark's bone soup.
Just last month, Hong Kong actor Alex Man was here too. He ordered simpler dishes like claypot rice and Buddha Jump Over The Wall (stewed abalone and sea cucumber).
What do you think is the hardest dish to cook in Cantonese cuisine?
Shark's fin, because it doesn't have any taste on its own. So you have to make a really good soup. Every chef does it differently. But I like to use Yunnan ham, pork and old hens, then add more Yunnan ham stock to make it really premium.
What dish are you most famous for?
Doubled-boiled shark's fin with ginkgo nuts and bamboo piths in shark's bone soup (right). It takes five hours on high heat to brew this soup. Most restaurants just let it brew on its own in a double-boiler. But we actually have a cook who watches over it throughout to adjust the water level and make sure it doesn't burn.
What's one really easy soup that anyone can make at home?
Boil some pork tendon, dried orange peel, fresh slices of ginger and honey dates for two hours. Then add whatever vegetables you like - watercress, carrots or winter melon - and boil for another 11/2 hours. If you want the texture thicker and stickier, add chicken feet.
What do you eat outside of the restaurant?
Fried vegetables, soups and fruit. When you cook and taste restaurant food day in and day out, all you want is simple food.
What do you think is the standard of cha chan tengs (Hong Kong-style cafes) in Singapore?
Some dishes, like French toast, are okay. But others like Hong Kong-style noodles are not authentic - they're just not bouncy enough. But ultimately they don't have the same atmosphere as those in Hong Kong. Cha chan tengs are very noisy, with people shouting, shuffling and reading their horse-racing papers. Singaporeans are more quiet.
What do you always eat when you go back to Hong Kong?
Roast pork which comes from a whole slab of pig, Hong Kong-style wonton noodles and beef innards like stomach, lungs and intestines. It's hard to find them in Singapore, but they're all over the place in Hong Kong.
What's a childhood dish you miss?
When I was growing up in the New Territories, we used to eat just rice covered with pork lard and soya sauce. It's so simple but so good. But you shouldn't eat it too often because it's so unhealthy.
Where do you and your staff go to eat after working hours?
We go for bak kut teh at Founder Rou Gu Cha in Balestier Road. We've also been to Geylang to eat the famous frog porridge. But I must say, it's not done very well. You can tell that they use frozen frogs.
How would you prepare the dish?
I'd kill the frogs only upon a customer's order so the meat is nice and bouncy. I have another secret - brew a stock using the frog's bony torso, then add it to the porridge to make it very sweet.
From now until Nov 30, excluding the eve of and public holidays, Citibank Platinum and Ultima card members can enjoy 20 per cent off shark's bone soup in Li Bai restaurant.
WHAT WOULD YOUR LAST MEAL BE?
'Fried rice the way I cooked it as a child in Hong Kong, using rice, pork lard, fresh eggs and vegetables from our own backyard. You don't need anything else.'
