Article By Samantha Tam, owner/chef Heimao Food
Slow Food HK members and food enthusiasts enjoyed a flavourful and educational workshop hosted by members Dr. Charlene Ho and Mr. Walter Kern at AMA Ristorante, the beautiful restaurant owned by Chef Paolo Monti, a member of the Slow Food Cooks’ Alliance Hong Kong.
We were first introduced to what umami is and what are some umami rich foods from different cultures. Then we had the first tasting of raw bell peppers (red and yellow) and slow roasted and skinned bell peppers. The roasted peppers were not seasoned so we can compare the change of taste and texture from the changing of the amino acid structure brought just by the effect of slow cooking.
Next, we were given two pieces of parmesan cheese, aged for 12 and 24 months respectively to compare the intensity and change in texture. We also learnt the ‘cheese crystals’ found in aged cheese is called tyrosine, which is formed when the proteins in the cheese are broken down during the aging process.
We then proceed with the stock tasting. There were three types of broth, prepared with dried bonito flakes, kelp and dried mushroom respectively, representing three different umami rich amino acids. A small dish of MSG was also presented at the table. We were asked to taste the broth one by one, then with MSG added to compare the change in taste. Then we were asked to experiment with mixing the different broths to make the flavour profile more complex. The workshop was then transformed to a lab session with everyone busy mixing and tasting their magic umami potions.
The fourth tasting sample was the endive with anchovy sauce, another umami rich food. There’s also a very flavourful salt sprinkled on the endive and it’s a special preparation cleverly created by Chef Monti.
Chef Monti uses tinned anchovies preserved in salt in his restaurant instead of the more common ones in bottles we see in the grocery stores. He opened a new tin to show us how the anchovies were packed in layers of rock salt. The chefs would fillet the little fish one by one to use in the cuisine. The bones and the head of the anchovies were then dried in the oven and blended with the original salt in the tin to create this umami rich anchovy salt. He would even use the garum (the brine in the tin) to fully utilize all the flavour packed components that come in the tinned anchovies.
When we thought that’s the end of the tasting session, we had the pleasure to sample two amazing homemade umami bombs prepared by Walter.
The first one called a ‘homestyle’ Italian XO sauce, which uses sun dried tomato, roasted garlic, pine nuts, wild fennel seeds, anchovies, herbs and good quality olive oil. The sauce we tasted was bottled and ‘aged’ for 3 months. The flavours melded perfectly and we could not help to ask for more bread to accompany this flavourful spread.
The second umami bomb was a caponata, made of bell peppers, eggplants, celery, garlic, capers, vinegar and brown sugar, and slow cooked and aged for 3 months. Chef Monti told us it’s actually the World Caponata Day when we were sampling this flavourful relish, what a coincidence!
Our wonderful host Chef Monti brought out red and white wine to go with the delectable sauces, giving a perfect finish to this informative gathering.
A note on AMA Ristorante – it’s specialized in Roman cuisine and you will find in the menu some clever use of the secondary cuts. There are also chef’s recommendations that change with the seasonality of the ingredients. There are many dishes I wanted to try and will definitely go back soon.