Simply Ming Season 9, Episode 14: Cooking with Spirits

1

Paner (Breading)

You know a cooking technique is a true classic when it can be found around the world. Today you'll find it right here on SIMPLY MING. The French call it “paner a l’anglaise” Ming and his guest, the great man himself, Jacques Pepin, will be here to show you the technique. Watch as they cook on the fly together, using the paner technique and our mystery ingredients to launch two new dishes, just for you.

30 min

2

Cooking Veggies for Kids

Does your kid turn up his nose when certain green foods cross his sight line? Yes, vegetables can make some kids turn and run for the hills before they even give them a chance. Today on SIMPLY MING, Ming is bringing in a man who specializes in close encounters with icky foods to help make “weird” vegetables more appealing to kids. Yes, Andrew Zimmern, Mr. Bizzare Foods himself, joins Ming today to cook 2 new dishes your kids will love, on the fly! Andrew Zimmern is host of "Bizarre Foods" on the Travel Channel.

30 min

3

Sushi 101

Ming is on the road and heading to Napa Valley. Today on Simply Ming learn how to make Sushi from a master. The man himself, Iron Chef Morimoto joins Ming at his downtown Napa Valley restaurant. Together the chefs take us through Sushi 101. With perfectly cooked and seasoned rice, fresh farm produce from Napa Valley and pristine fish.... they come up with Ming's Omushubi with Alaskan Crab Salad and Morimoto's Sashimi Salad. Chef Masaharu Morimoto is chef-owner of Morimoto restaurants.

30 min

4

Working With Butter

f you ever thought you couldn’t bake because it requires precision, you are not alone. On today's SIMPLY MING, Ming will show you how grasping one small but important rule will allow you to bake countless desserts with just a few ingredients in quantities you can eyeball. Joining Ming, a fabulous Boston baker, Joanne Chang, will join to prove that, with this rule, you don’t need recipes to make amazing desserts on the fly. Joanne Chang is chef-owner of Flour Bakery and Myers + Chang.

30 min

5

Oven Roasting Vegetables

Today on SIMPLY MING, we will show you one of the best ways to cook vegetables is to roast them, because it concentrates their flavor. And for today's guest, Jonathan Waxman, exalting great ingredients is what it’s all about. Yes, one of the Godfathers of New American Cuisine is in the house right now, and together with Ming they will be making it up as they go, with inspiration from mystery ingredients and the fantastic technique of oven roasting. Jonathan Waxman is chef-owner of Barbuto restaurant.

30 min

6

Roasting Whole Birds

SIMPLY MING is in heart of Napa Valley, where some of the best grapes are grown-which of course produce some of the best wines around. Ming is joined in the kitchen by his mom, together they will be cooking on they fly showing how they master cooking whole birds on the grill. Where better to pair wines with their dishes than in Napa and today on SIMPLY MING the master himself, Chris Howell, who has been at Cain Vineyards for over 20 years is going to show how he blends and creates his magic to pair with today's recipes. Christopher Howell is the general manager/wine maker at Cain Vineyards.

30 min

7

Pounding Meat

Today on SIMPLY MING, Ming will show you one of the best ways to give yourself more options with meat and fish, pounding. Pounding tenderizes the meat, makes it thinner for faster cooking, and makes less go farther. Using this technique, and today’s mystery ingredients, Chef Jason Santos of Boston’s Blue Inc., will join Ming to cook on the fly and invent two completely new dishes. Stick around as we find out together what’s cooking next on Simply Ming. Jason Santo is chef-owner of Blue Inc. restaurant.

30 min

8

Butterflying

If you’re a home cook, you may think the culinary technique of butterflying is something better left to those in white jackets. Bull…oney! It’s a really straightforward technique that’s great for speeding up cooking time and offering many more options when you’re cooking on the fly. Ming, along with his pal, Chef Michael Schlow, will show you just how easy it is, creating delicious new dishes together on the fly on SIMPLY MING.

30 min

9

Lightly Cooking Fish

On this episode of SIMPLY MING, Ming Tsai is back in beautiful Napa Valley visiting his good friend, Iron Chef Morimoto who, of course, knows how to demonstrate how to work his magic with all things fish. Morimoto shows us how to first break down a fish and then cook it to maintain its pristine flavor. Chef Masaharu Morimoto is chef-owner of Morimoto restaurants.

30 min

10

Pressure Cookers

Ming's on top of the world in Napa Valley, affectionately known as the Spring Mountain District where he’s joined by his parents, Steven & Iris Tsai. Together they show us the perfect culinary marriage of chicken, duck and wine when they create Coq au Vin and Red Roast Duck with Scallion Pancakes.

30 min

11

Pan Roasting

Pan roasting is a technique used all the time in restaurants—you start searing something on the stove, and finish it off in the oven. On this episode of SIMPLY MING, Ming shows you a favorite technique that all home chefs should add to their repertoire. It's easy, saves time in the kitchen, and guarantees great flavor. Joining Ming is Boston's own, Jody Adams. Together they cook on the fly whipping up Pan-Roasted Chicken on Orzo Sausage Risotto with Chinese Mushrooms and Pan Roasted Halibut with Eggplant Caponata. Jody Adams is James Beard award-winning chef/owner of Rialto and Trade.

30 min

12

Singapore Street Hawker Food

On this special episode of Simply Ming, Ming Tsai tours the famous hawker stalls of Singapore and experiences the myriad of tastes that Singapore street food has to offer. After trying the best of the best, Ming and KF Seetoh make their own version of their favorite street food right in the middle of all the action...on the fly in Singapore. KF Seetoh is an Asian food expert.

30 min

13

Filleting Fish

Do you know what to do when your kid or a friend brings you a whole fish? Well, Ming is going to show you how to break down that tasty fresh filet the right way! And waiting in the wings joining Ming, is Houston’s Chef Bryan Caswell. Working together with the surprise catch of the day, and ingredients from Ming’s pantry, they create two delicious dishes on the fly: Tea-Smoked Trout with Thai Cucumber Tomato Salad and Crispy-Skin Snapper with Fennel & Swiss Chard Agro Dolce. Bryan Caswell is chef/owner of Reef.

30 min

14

Cooking with Spirits

We all love cooking with wine but how about using spirits? On this week’s episode of SIMPLY MING, Ming shows how as he cooks with tequila. He’ll be joined by longtime friend, Julio Bermejo, the tequila master at Tommy's in San Francisco. Looking for inspiration Julio and Ming explore amazing food stalls at the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market before heading back to Tommy’s to cook on the fly.

30 min

15

Breaking Down a Chicken

On this episode of SIMPLY MING, Ming shows you one of his top techniques for a home cook to master, breaking down a chicken. “Buying a whole bird is so much cheaper than chicken parts”, says Ming! With the help of Boston Chef Jamie Bissonnette, a nose to tail specialist, Ming shows viewers how much more mileage you can get out of a whole bird. Together, these two master chefs come up with some creative ways to use chicken – like roast chicken breast with Kimchee braised wings. Jamie Bissonnette is chef at Toro and Coppa.

30 min

16

Authentic Singapore Cuisine

This episode of SIMPLY MING is simply like no other. Ming is granted privileged access to the home kitchen of Singapore Chef Damian D’Silva. Damian is a fixture on the Singapore culinary scene, where he is bringing back centuries old culinary traditions. Using surprise ingredients from a local open market, Ming and Damian cook up some traditional ethnic cuisine – on the fly – in Damian’s home kitchen.

30 min

17

Infusing Flavor into Pasta

Chefs from Asia to Italy agree the best way to infuse noodles with flavor is to sauté them. It’s a critical step many home cooks skip. On this episode of SIMPLY MING, Ming and his guests, The Pallotta Sisters, focus on that technique. The Pallotta sisters, who serve up countless platters of delicious pasta in Boston’s North End, work with Ming to create Stir Fry of Wonton Noodles with Scallops and Bacon with an Arugula, Radicchio Pine Nut Salad and Cioppino. Carla and Christine Pallotta are chef/owners of Nebo restaurant.

30 min

18

Cooking with the Binchotan

Sitting by the dock of the bay at San Francisco’s Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, Ming shows viewers some of the city’s best street food. Gone are the days of hot dogs, pretzels and fried dough. In their place you’ll now find restaurant quality food in the form of Korean tacos, wood fired pizzas and Roti. Ming visits Dennis Lee, chef/owner of Namu at his Korean Street Food Cart to try some amazing Korean food. Back at Namu's restaurant kitchen Ming and Dennis try their hand at cooking on the fly when they come up with their own versions of modern day street fare.

30 min

19

Desserts

Dessert before dinner? Absolutely! It’s all the rage at Singapore's 2am Dessert Bar. On this episode of SIMPLY MING, Ming and Chef Janice Wong, travel to the outskirts of the city to find inspiration at Oh Farms. With a bag-full of delicious edible flowers and greens, they head back to 2am Dessert Bar where they each whip up a delicious dessert that is not only a feast for the stomach but also the eyes.

30 min

20

Salting

Seasoning with salt. What could be simpler, right? Wrong! Think about how many meals you’ve had that were either too salty or under-seasoned! On this episode of SIMPLY MING, Ming is zeroing in on a technique that is critical to successful cooking if done with a gentle hand. Joining him is the perfect man for the job, the ultimate scrutinizer of cooking techniques, author and chef Michael Ruhlman.

30 min

21

Shellfish

On this episode of SIMPLY MING, Ming meets up with Chef Samson Chan, the mastermind behind one of Singapore’s favorite restaurants, Barnacles. Together they shop for some great living treasures from the South China Sea at Grand Atlantic Fishery. Bringing back the freshest seafood to Chef Samson’s restaurant for an afternoon of cooking on the fly, they’ll show us how easy it is too cook with the shell on!

30 min

22

Wok-Stirring

The wok— there’s a reason why everyone from college students to Italian chefs have one of these in their kitchen. Stir-frying is a technique that can be your best friend when you need to cook on the fly, which is exactly what Ming is doing on this episode of SIMPLY MING. He’ll enlist the help of Charles Phan, the chef who put great Vietnamese food on the map in San Francisco. Together they'll create two new wok-stirred dishes on the spot, Sweet and Sour Clams with Plums and Cucumbers and a Classic Lemongrass Chicken.

30 min

23

Cooking with our Senses

We have all heard the saying " you eat with your eyes" - well on this episode of SIMPLY MING, Michelin Star Chef Andre Chiang of Singapore’s famous Restaurant Andre, shows us what this really means. Shopping at one of the city’s well-known wet markets, Ming and Andre find inspiration in pristine, fresh ingredients that they use to create two memorable culinary creations.

30 min

24

Blue Ginger Chefs

On this episode of SIMPLY MING, Ming takes us behind-the-scenes to meet his James Beard Award-Winning Blue Ginger Team. Putting his own chefs to the challenge with surprise ingredients and a visit to his studio pantry, Ming and company cook up three separate dishes fit for a king.

30 min

25

Peranakan Cooking

Ming explores Peranakan cooking in Singapore with chef and cookbook author Shermay Lee whose cooking is living proof that grandmothers know best. Sharing with Ming her grandmother’s decades old recipe for a traditional dish, Shermay takes us, and Ming, on a culinary adventure. From finding ingredients in an outdoor market to using her family’s timeworn mortar and pestle, this episode highlights the culinary history and the exotic flavors found only in Singapore.

30 min

26

Garlic

Everyone loves garlic, but if you don’t handle it properly, it can take you to the culinary dark side—whether undercooked or overcooked. On this episode of SIMPLY MING, Ming zeros in on prepping garlic the right way. Joined by Boston chef Dante De Magistris, Ming uses garlic and some mystery ingredients to create two new dishes on the spot, Beef and Broccolini Stir Fry with Mango Purée and Basil Ricotta Gnocchi with Shrimp and Asparagus.

30 min