Culinary Designer Angela May Reveals Her Love Affairs In The Kitchen
The Weekly meets the American-Thai Culinary Designer of Angela May Food Chapters for some gorgeous food while she reveals to us her top cooking tips and culinary loves
September 13, 2017
Angela May began her career in entertainment and TV, hosting travel and food channels like Planet Food and emceeing for prestigious culinary events. Her love for food drove her to explore the culinary scenes in New York, L.A. and France, culminating in her opening her own restaurant here, Angela May Food Chapters, where she works with farmers in Singapore and regionally to source the freshest sustainable produce and ingredients. Here, she reveals to us her top favourites:
Culinary Designer Angela May Reveals Her Love Affairs In The Kitchen
Angela on…. her top 3 cooking tips:
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1.Invest in a really good pressure cooker!
“A reliable and safe pressure cooker can change your life. I am often too tired to cook but I keep a large batch of beans in the fridge that I make almost every week for quick healthy nourishment. Depending on the beans, it just takes 20 to 45 minutes in the pressure cooker. It can be added to beef up a salad or eaten on their own with some pickled onions, olive oil or a nice douse of grated aged cheese for a magnificent meal.”
2. Keep cooking
“Just like everything else in life, practice makes perfect.”
3. Taste every single step of the way as you cook “Everything tastes better when properly cooked and seasoned so having the fundamentals down pat will allow you to build a bigger repertoire.”
Angela on… the 3 kitchen appliances and cooking tools she cannot live without:
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1. Coffee Machine
“My best friend. I seriously cannot live without my coffee machine.”
2. Kitchenaid
“I have a love affair with this thing. Don’t be fooled into thinking that it’s just for baking. Simply attach a meat grinder or a pasta roller on that baby and it will be the biggest workhorse in the kitchen.”
3. Microplane
“It’s not just any other grater. The microplane makes the most beautiful and fluffy zest which I put in everything from cookies, to sauces, or straight over the top of dishes as a garnish. I like to use every part of an ingredient so why should my zest go unused?”
Angela on… her top 3 ingredients:
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1. Olive Oil
“It is such a beautiful ingredient. Olive oil can be spicy and sharp, fruity and floral, herbaceous and biting. It runs the gamut of flavours and each one holds a different place in my heart. I always bring back olive oil when I’m traveling. I love to spice up salads with olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper, which makes it feel like a treat!” 2. Tellicherry Pepper
“I love black pepper. I like my pasta with unrefined, coursed chunks of black pepper all over – like tons. It has this sharp slow burn and a nice smoky and citrusy flavour. Love, love.”
3. Eggs
“Oh eggs! Eggs are a necessary staple in my kitchen and I use them everywhere. Soft yolks oozing over rice with fish sauce and Thai chili is not only a simple, pleasant dish but a culinary masterpiece.”
Angela on…. her 3 favourite foods:
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1. Pasta
“I love bouncy al dente pasta. I could eat pasta all day, every day.”
2. Dumplings
“Especially dumplings in Szechuan chilli oil! Silky smooth noodle dough encasing a small portion of meat, doused in mala chilli oil, with hints of ginger and scallions makes my heart skip a beat. I love Szechuan everything!”
3. Pad See Ewe
“It’s like a Thai Char Kuey Teow but with a slightly lighter touch. I love it mostly for the silky noodles, prepared with a heavily seasoned wok for the complex charred aroma with some kai lan and chilli.”
“I think my top 3 favourite foods revolve around noodles from all around the world!”
Angela on… the 3 people she admires the most who inspires her love for food and cooking:
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1. Alice Waters
“She was a pioneer in the eat local movement and to date, her food is just a magnificent display of restraint while still allowing the ingredients to shine through.”
2. Every single street food vendor that I grew up eating at in Bangkok
“They go to the market early in the dawn every day to prepare and cook that one dish with so much pride. They know exactly how to make it taste the best with the freshest market ingredients because that’s what they’ve committed themselves to cooking their whole life.”
3. The generous souls I met on my culinary journey “I’ve had a really special journey in my culinary career and have had the honour of working with so many chefs and met many generous souls who have shown me the path to true hospitality. This inspiration is constant and is always around me but it truly shines when I’m with the icons of the culinary world in Lyon for Sirha. Cooking is not just about the food but about the act of feeding someone with love.”
Angela May Food Chapters, located at #02-02 Robinsons The Heeren, serves a delectable selection of fusion dishes specially created by Angela May. Visit www.robinsons.com.sg/pages/angela-may-food-chapters for more information, or go to Chope for reservations.