Margaret Xu Yuan
Margaret Xu Yuan spent her formative years as a chef embedded in Hakka villages to learn traditional cooking techniques. Today she runs Yin Yang, a three-table restaurant in Wan Chai, and was part of the team that launched Cantopop, which adds modern touches to cha chaan teng fare. She speaks to Hana R. Alberts about her cooking philosophy, local produce and opening a hawker center in Hong Kong.
Right behind where I lived in Sham Shui Po there was a wet market. I used to go down to the market all the time and follow my mom.
On days my parents went out for dinner, normally you’d give your kids money to buy dinner, but they would give me money and leave me the kitchen. I was in love with food.
I thought I should get serious with the food industry, so I gave up my consultancy job.
I have one contemporary kitchen, where I experiment with things like low-temperature cooking and sous-vide, and one ancient kitchen, where I can use old Hakka techniques.
I take my inspiration from very strange things. It could be an ingredient that normal chefs use, or it could come from a poem, or a phrase, or a sadness. It’s very abstract.
Vietnam had the French, and Macau had the Portuguese, so Macanese food and Vietnamese food is distinctively fusion. But we had the British, so we ended up with Spam and not-so-interesting cuisine.