Editor's letter

Summer brings particular seasonal pleasures.

Recently, I was fortunate enough to travel to Hong Kong with chef Neil Perry – our Chef in Action in this issue showcasing his Chinese restaurant, Spice Temple. While in this city that boasts a plethora of wonderful restaurants (11,000 at last count), Neil cooked a lunch for Tourism Australia and spoke about how, at a recent event to parade Australian cuisine, he had created a Cantonese-inspired dish as he felt this cuisine had long been a part of Australia’s food and cultural landscape. It’s fitting then, that Neil’s dishes – including Jiangxi-style flathead and gua bao with roast Yunnan duck – feature at a time when Chinese New Year is being celebrated around the country. In addition to Neil’s offerings, we visited the Sydney suburb of Hurstville, with its thriving Chinese community and also looked to be inspired further by Asian American chefs, such as David Chang and Roy Choi, who are mixing the flavours of their American childhoods with the traditions and ingredients of their family backgrounds. Discover these dishes including barbecue brisket with shiitake glaze and stir-fried mushrooms as well as grits chips with yuzu chilli sauce.

Summer brings particular seasonal pleasures and our One Ingredient, Six Cultures: Berries story makes the most of these luscious, edible jewels in both sweet and savoury dishes from around the world. Another summer delight is ice-cream and we tasted our way through a variety of frozen treats to bring you a selection sure to help you keep your cool.

If tropical heat is more your style, read about the street food of Yangon, the former capital of Myanmar and a city that’s teeming with incredible food, and a vibrant people who foster a culture of hospitality.

 

Happy feasting,

Alix Clark

 

 

As seen in Feast magazine, February 2014, Issue 28. For more recipes and articles, pick up a copy of this month's Feast magazine or check out our great subscriptions offers here.