When Thai food meets Sichuan: Hong Kong chef talks spices, mixing the two cuisines and TCM food at new restaurant Sawadee Chef
- Chef Ronald Shao was born in Sichuan, China, and worked in five-star hotels around the world before opening Mian in Hong Kong
- He talks about his new venture, Sawadee Chef, where he combines Thai and Sichuan spices in his fusion dishes
Spice lovers delight in comparing the heat levels of different cuisines. Which has more kick – Indian curry powder or Korean gochujang? Bird’s eye chilli may have burned your tongue, but have you tried the Spanish Naga? But how many of us have ever thought about the similarities between spices?
Chef Ronald Shao certainly has, and his new Hong Kong venture, Sawadee Chef, at Olympian City in Tai Kok Tsui, Kowloon, presents a fusion of Thai and Sichuan spices. Born in Sichuan province, Shao worked in five-star hotels in New Delhi, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Macau, before opening Mian in Central, Hong Kong.
While Thailand and Sichuan province in China are both known for spicy food, there are different reasons for their affinity for heat.
“There are differences of geographic settings and climatic conditions, so the taste [of the spices] and what the body needs are also different and are distinguishable in different places,” says Shao.
“In Thai cuisine, the spices tend to have more awakening and refreshing elements, such as lemongrass, ginger and coriander … due to the hot weather. In contrast, in Sichuan, the climate is ‘warm and dampening’, according to traditional Chinese medicine principles; to dispel the humidity in the body, the flavours of the Sichuan food are more intense, with an emphasis on spices such as red and green peppercorns, ginger and chilli.”