Hong Kong-born chef Jereme Leung’s creations continue to delight diners at Conrad Manila’s China Blue.

 

Leung takes inspiration from traditional cooking techniques and makes them his own by adding his personal flair.

 

Dining in his restaurant allows one to savor the best of the old and the new, peppered with playful elements.

 

While many dishes on the menu are noteworthy, the dimsum are showstoppers—pleasant looking, appealing to the palate. These are nonconventional in shape and taste, which makes the first course unforgettable in itself.

 

When China Blue opened, its signature Mushroom Truffle Bun caused a stir. The filling, to which jicama was added for crunch, was encased in a soft bun dusted with bitter cocoa and nutty red bean powder. Imagine how everything would come together in one bite.

 

Also served were colorful, deep-fried green pear and carrot-shaped glutinous rice dumplings—one stuffed with duck and mushroom, the other with pork barbecue. Both were flavorful, and the dumpling wrappers were delicately thin and chewy.

 

The cute, deep-fried mini pastry purses had roasted duck and dried shrimp tucked inside. I enjoyed their flakiness.

 

The chicken and vegetable sweet corn dumpling tasted much like corn with chicken bits. It was chewy, and like all the other dumplings, pretty-looking.

 

Personal favorite

 

My favorite, on a recent visit, was the homemade spinach bean curd with spicy Sichuan eggplant in minced chicken sauce. Simple but delicious. The bean curd was silky and the combination of the eggplant and chicken that capped the bean curd was tasty.

 

Oh, and the dessert, Chilled Almond with Peach Sorbet, was to die for! I wasn’t surprised that it made the Inquirer Lifestyle “Best Dessert” list.

 

Kudos to executive Chinese chef Eng Yew Khor (Leung’s best-kept secret) who has managed to maintain the quality, as well as the unique identity of the food served at China Blue.

 

On Aug. 27-29, Leung will be in Manila to introduce a menu and share his expertise in a master class.

 

Exclusive to Kitchen Rescue is Leung’s signature Mushroom Truffle Bun, a recipe he’s sharing for the first time.

 

Mushroom Truffle Bun Dough:

 

150 g cake flour

30 g all-purpose flour

30 g sugar

2.4 g baking powder

1.8 g yeast

30 g coconut cream

50 g water

2 g vegetable lard

 

Mix dry ingredients. Add water and coconut milk. Use dough hook to knead until smooth and soft. Let rise until doubled.

 

Filling:

.07 kg cake flour

.02 kg sugar

.02 kg king oyster mushroom

.015 kg vegetarian oyster sauce

.01 ml truffle oil

.015 kg red bean

.05 kg fresh shiitake mushroom

.005 kg cocoa powder

.01 kg dry tea mushroom

.003 g yeast

.015 g truffle sauce

.08 g singkamas

Cornstarch slurry (mix 2 tbsp water plus 2 tsp cornstarch)

 

Deep-fry shiitake mushroom and set aside. Sauté the deep-fried shiitake mushroom in vegetarian oyster sauce.

 

Add chicken powder, sugar. Put dry tea mushroom. Thicken with cornstarch slurry. Add a little at a time until desired thickness is achieved.

 

Set aside and let it cool.

 

Making the bun:

 

Divide the dough into equal portions, 18-20-g balls.

Stuff with the filling and shape like a mushroom.

Dust some cocoa and red bean paste mixture over mushroom-shaped buns.

Let it rest in the heat lamp about 2 hours or until the dough has doubled.

Steam buns until done, approximately 5 minutes.

 

Conrad Manila, tel. 8339999

 

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