Menus follow the sun at Macau’s one-Michelin-star Chef Tam’s Seasons
- Executive chef Tam Kwok-fung changes seasonal dishes every 15 days to ensure only freshest and finest ingredients are used in his Cantonese cuisine
Whenever Tam Kwok-fung, executive chef of one-Michelin-star Chef Tam’s Seasons Cantonese restaurant in Macau’s Wynn Palace integrated resort, goes to the local market, it is not only so he can buy fresh fruit, vegetables, seafood and meat for his dishes.
He is also there to learn from stallholders about the finest seasonal produce for his ever-changing menus.
“Can you help me pick a few crabs that are at their best?” he asks one trader selling live crabs, who answers: “Would you like to look at them under the lamp? If the light shines through, it means that the crab doesn’t have enough roe inside.”
Tam is looking to buy female mud crabs, which are normally full of roe in the fifth and sixth month and 11th and 12th month of the lunar calendar. “Eating seasonally is a way of life in China, especially for Cantonese people, as Guangdong [province, in the southeast] has lots of natural produce in abundance,” he says.
“When it comes to particular agricultural produce, there are seasons when more melons and fruits are available, and at other times, you see more leafy greens. We change our menu based on these seasonal ingredients.”
When choosing ingredients for his seasonal dishes, Tam also always refers to the 24 solar terms in the Chinese calendar – two per month, which reflect things such as changes in climate, natural phenomena and farming production.
This ancient system of knowledge, based on the long-term observation of the sun’s position over the year, provides important markers that help farmers plan their work according to seasonal changes and cyclical weather conditions.
“Seasonal ingredients can also help our body to adjust to changes in the weather, such as eating watermelon, which is a great way to stay cool in the hot summer,” Tam says. “Eating seasonally is also healing as it allows our body to better absorb the nutrients.”
Rapid advances in technology and globalisation, which make an increasing number of types of food produce available all year round, means the concept of seasonal eating has begun to fall by the wayside.
However, Tam hopes that his restaurant, which changes its menu every 15 days to highlight the seasonality of its fresh ingredients, can remind diners of the benefits of this traditional practice.
“My habit of visiting the market is to remind myself of the season, especially local seafood,” he says. “It always gives me inspiration [for recipes]. Even for something as simple as fish soup with tomato and potato – a dish that many Cantonese homes will make – you can get a different result every time depending on the fish that’s available that day.”
Alongside the fresh ingredients, different cooking techniques and seasonings are also important to help set the seasonal tone for dishes. “We are loyal to producing our food using the traditional Cantonese cooking methods such as steaming, stir-frying and braising,” Tam says. “Of course, seasonings also need to be adjusted based on the season.”
He uses the braised winter melon roll with crab roe and crabmeat as an example of a summer dish. “In the summer, people do not want the food to be heavy, so we look at creating dishes that are refreshing and light, and tender but crisp in texture,” he says.
Other than the seasonal melon and crustacean, the rolls also contain carrot, mushroom, bamboo shoot and roast goose. “We then season it with a superior broth [made traditionally with chicken, pork and cured ham],” he says. “It is a main dish that can definitely take the centre stage during summer.”
Watch the video to learn more about seasonal eating from executive chef Tam Kwok-fung.