Li Chi Wai
Chinese Executive Chef, The Legacy House
BORN AND RAISED in Hong Kong, Li has also worked at MGM Macau and MGM Cotai. Drawing inspiration from the seemingly endless flavour combinations of Chinese cuisine, he specialises in artfully prepared dishes from the Shunde region of Guangdong.
What is a taste or food that… ...reminds you of Hong Kong?
I think for Hong Kong people food is always a treat. They like to explore, but simple home cooking will always bring the most comfort. For me, the local bakeries are very special.
...reminds you of family?
Fried radish cake. I grew up eating very simple, very traditional food. Things that members of my family would make by hand, so even now when I cook, I compare it to what I ate as a child. I used to help out in the kitchen making desserts, so now I try to recreate the traditional food from then but add a modern twist.
...reminds you of your most recent cooking experience?
Flavour and presentation requirements are much higher nowadays and there is more of an emphasis on health. So to make things healthier some traditional ingredients have had to change. For me, the challenge was creating wok hei without the use of pig fat. [Wok hei literally translates as “breath of a wok”, referring to the flavour and tastes imparted by a hot wok on food during stir-frying. It is often used as a measure of a Chinese chef’s skill.]
Using simple ingredients but then adding a little something extra or unexpected can really change a whole dish. So recently I’ve started adding fresh milk into dishes and people go, “Oh, won’t that change the flavour?” But it doesn’t, it just helps to enhance flavours.
...reminds you of celebration?
Chinese pastries. They remind me of Chinese New Year when the whole family is together and helping prepare a big meal. The pastries were always something I helped my dad with as a child so I still do that now. My family are not too keen on my less traditional versions so I stick to the original recipes. Some dishes look very basic when they’re served but behind the scenes a lot of work has gone into them.
...reminds you of your greatest adventure?
Rice was something that really stuck with me, because of course we ate a lot of rice in Hong Kong. But it can be cooked in so many different ways overseas that I had never seen before. For example, in Japan there’s sushi, and in other places it’s steamed, fried or boiled differently to how we do it.
Overseas, I learnt different techniques and different uses for ingredients, so I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from other chefs. Some ingredients are considered lucky in other countries so I like to hear the stories of why and learn how to make the most out of them. I think food is all about improvement and progression. Cooking is all about cooperation. Some ingredients may not be great on their own, but mixed with this or that, the flavour profile can change completely. So it really is all about experimenting and trying new things.
...is timeless?
Something that’s never been bad is fried rice.
Food is all about comfort. Taste reminds you of different experiences and you don’t even know it at the time. I don’t like to say that I don’t like to eat certain foods, because I think every ingredient has the potential to be good. It all depends on how it’s prepared. So if I don’t like the taste of something, I always try and think how I could improve it.