The Hongkong-born master chef and TV host on the Michelin Guide, young restaurateurs and why he only watches comedies.
8 DAYS: You’ve been teaching home-cooking to TV audiences for two decades. Do you ever dine out?
MARTIN YAN: (Laughs) I like to try the same dish in different places. I love tom yum goong. When I go to Thailand, I’d order it at every restaurant just to compare their standards, and I do that for char kway teow in Singapore too. I like [char kway teow] which has some bite and is not too soft or dry. Generally, hole-in what‘sup with... the-wall eateries serve much better food than the big enterprises. The big restaurants buy ingredients in bulk, so the food is not as fresh.
You’re a champion of Asian cuisine, but you’re based in the US. Why not teach people how to cook Western food?
Yeah! I do teach Western-style cooking. I host a TV series in China where I cook my favourite Western dishes like burritos, pasta and steak. But since I spend almost half my time in Asia and I’ve travelled all over Southeast Asia for 20 years, I collected all my recipes and put them together for a new series [Martin Yan’s Asian Favourites]. I love the flavours and diversity of Asian food.
Are your 25-year-old twin sons following in your F&B footsteps?
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