LAMB, according to Chef Cheong Liew, is a great meat.

'It's my favourite, after pork,' the 58-year-old Malaysia-born Australian admits.

'It's also the easiest to cook.'

For him, an ideal thing to serve on a Sunday is grilled lamb chops or a leg of lamb.

Chef Cheong is one of Australia's most respected chefs. He is consultant chef to the Grange restaurant in the Hilton Adelaide. He is now also a consultant chef to Senses restaurant in Kuala Lumpur's Hilton hotel.

Chef Cheong was in town recently for the World Gourmet Summit, and diners at the Oscar's had a chance to taste his cooking last week at the Conrad Centennial Singapore.

Even if the idea of cooking lamb intimidates you, Chef Cheong believes you should just try it.

'When I started cooking, I must have used up 100kg of butter trying to make the perfect puff pastry!

'But you'll only learn from trial and error.'

Still, there is a secret to lamb.

Chef Cheong said, with a glint in his eyes: 'It's a secret I picked up from the Greeks.

'Lemon, lots of olive oil, crushed garlic and chopped parsley - mix these up and use it to moisten anything.

'It doesn't matter what you use it on, people will love it!'

He said it'll work best with lamb and fish.

'After you grill the meat, just brush this on the top and leave it a while to let the meat soak in the flavours.'

It'll make the taste of the meat much lighter, especially for lamb.

Chef Cheong clearly enjoys sharing his cooking knowledge. His eyes lit up while revealing that tip to me.

He loves food and cooking, and is still intrigued by it, even after 30years behind the stove.

'Vietnamese food excites me.

'The pho is so legendary - but why? Is it the noodles or the soup?

'And soft shell crab porridge - I was curious about the taste.'

It was not surprising that he said he doesn't find any cuisine over-rated.

'Every sort of food has its place. There is so much to learn in this lifetime, so why make judgements?'

CHEF Cheong Liew's recipe serves four.

Rack of lamb

Ingredients: 1 pc whole rack of lamb about 800g, 30g black pepper, 30g ground cloves, 30g ground cinnamon, 30g ground ground allspice, sea salt to taste, olive oil.

How to make:

• Pre-heat an oven to 200 deg C. 
• Trim the fat or the lamb rack leaving only 3 - 4mm of fat on top of the meat. 
• Mix all the spices together; season the lamb with the salt and then the spice mix. 
• Sear the lamb fat side down for four to five minutes to render the fat. Turn the lamb and sear all sides. 
• Place the lamb on a wire rack in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes for medium rare, take out the lamb and rest it in a warm place for 10minutes.

Endive and roasted capsicum salad

Ingredients:

• 1 endive lettuce, 1 whole yellow capsicum, 8 kumquats, 25g pecorino cheese, 50ml extra virgin olive oil, sea salt & white pepper to taste.

How to make:

• Slice the endive lengthways into long strips. 
• Place in a bowl of ice water with a little lemon juice. Place the capsicum in a hot oven about 200 - 250 deg C and roast until black. 
• Peel the capsicum while hot and cut into long strips. 
• Slice the kumquats and shave the pecorino cheese, place all the ingredients for the salad in a bowl and mix well.

Fava bean puree

Ingredients: 200g dried fava beans soaked in water overnight, 1 pc garlic, 3 tbsp chopped onion, 50g butter, 50ml white wine, chicken stock to cover, 75ml extra virgin olive oil.

How to make:

• Saute the onion and garlic in the butter, add the soaked beans and white wine. 
• Reduce the wine by half and cover beans with chicken stock. 
• Simmer until tender then place on a tray to cool down. 
• Once cold, blend to a smooth puree with the olive oil. 
• Now, cut the lamb into four pieces with two bones each. 
• Make a line with the fava bean puree and mix the salad well and add to the plate.