Head chef Choi Ming-fai of Mora was also at the ceremony when the MICHELIN Guide Hong Kong Macau 2023 was announced last year. He remembers seeing one-MICHELIN-Starred Hansik Goo’s chef Steve Lee (who has now left the restaurant) going on stage to receive the Young Chef Award, and Choi, who was born in 1991, had this thought flashed across his mind: Will I be able to achieve this award one day?
RELATED: First Day We Got Our Stars: Steve Lee of Hansik Goo
Fast forward to a year later, Choi made his way on stage to receive this very same award. Proudly sponsored by AIA Hong Kong and Macau, the MICHELIN Guide Young Chef Award aims to recognise young chefs from MICHELIN restaurants who demonstrate outstanding talent and potential. This is a testament to AIA’s aspiration in encouraging young people to unleash their potential and fulfil their own vision of success, overcoming any challenges that arise along the way.
Choi says that he wasn’t notified prior to the event, and he couldn’t believe it was true, even when he was being handed the award on stage. When asked about how he feels to be the award winner, he regards this as a recognition for his hard work over the past decade, and an affirmation that his decision to give up civil engineering to pursue a chef's career was the right one.
From Civil Engineering to the Kitchen
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Choi was like many other Hong Kong students who grew up with the goal of studying hard, getting into a good university, and finding a good job. But as he grew up, his mindset started to change. He no longer wanted to simply follow his parents’ expectations, but hoped to find something that he truly wanted to do. This opportunity came up during one of his travels.
At that time, Choi had already been admitted to the University of Hong Kong for Civil Engineering. During his final year of university, he travelled with his friends to places like India where they had to prepare their own breakfast. It was then that he realised he didn’t even know how to fry an egg. “I saw that everyone else knew how to cook, and then, I realised that I didn’t even possess this basic survival skill. That’s when I decided to learn how to cook.”
At the beginning, he watched YouTube videos and read books by famous chefs like Gordon Ramsay while he practiced at home. He learned that there were so many different cooking techniques, and became increasingly interested in the culinary arts. Later, before the semester started, he took the opportunity to apprentice at Dot Cod, a seafood restaurant in Central, taking his first step towards becoming a chef.
As a newcomer, Choi describes his days at Dot Cod as thrilling. He recalls that every Wednesday was oyster night, and he would have to shuck 200 oysters in a single evening, yet he didn’t find it taxing at all. He also remembers wondering why egg whites and yolks had to be separated and then mixed together again when learning to make desserts. “Every day, I learned something new, and every day after work, I felt incredibly fulfilled,” he reminisces.
It was this sense of fulfilment that motivated him to keep going. After his time at Dot Cod, he worked at NUR, a restaurant that advocates for the use of local ingredients. He also went on to join the MICHELIN-one-starred Arcane, helmed by Shane Osborn, and American-Italian restaurant Carbone. After that, he spent two years in London with a working holiday visa to hone his craft at one-MICHELIN-Starred HIDE and Roganic London. Upon returning to Hong Kong, he served as the head chef at Aulis for the next three years. By that point, having spent four years learning under the acclaimed chef Simon Rogan, he realised it was time for him to seek new challenges.
Taking the Helm of Mora
This time, Choi deliberately sought out restaurants that were vastly different from where he had previously worked and stumbled upon Mora. “I felt that Mora has immense potential. The restaurant has exquisite décor and is located on a street with fascinating stories. Its philosophy on sustainability and emphasis on soy-themed cuisine also offer plenty of room for creativity.”
So, he got in touch with the founder of the restaurant, Vicky Lau. The two met at the restaurant, and Lau recognised that the restaurants at which Choi had worked had all shown a great commitment in using local ingredients and sustainable development. This aligned with Mora’s philosophy, and demonstrated Choi’s passion and dedication to this matter. After their conversation, Choi had learned that the restaurant has its own factory in Chai Wan where they produce their own soy-based ingredients. Lau's dedication had also strengthened Choi’s confidence in Mora. In February 2023, he officially joined the restaurant as the head chef.
Tucked away on Upper Lascar Row, a historic street in Sheung Wan known for its myriad antique stores, Mora is a Chinese-French restaurant that specialises in dishes centred around soy-based products like tofu and soy milk. Not only did it receive the MICHELIN Green Star last year, Mora has also been awarded its first MICHELIN Star this year. In addition to overseeing the kitchen, Choi works closely with Vicky in developing new dishes, periodically introducing new additions to the menu.
RELATED: Small Great Things: The MICHELIN Green Star Restaurant Championing Sustainability with a Bean
Choi points out that creating dishes for Mora is no simple task, having to showcase local elements ad incorporate soy-based products, while ensuring that the flavours and presentation are exceptional.
With his background primarily in Western cuisine, since joining Mora, Choi has made a conscious effort to explore local grocery stores, wet markets, and dried seafood streets. He wants to learn more about various traditional food ingredients, such as preserved plums, preserved olive leaves, local sesame oil, and dried radish — all of which are featured in the current menu. Growing up in Hong Kong, he’s no stranger to tofu and soy milk, but since joining Mora, he has delved deeper into studying different soy products. In addition to tofu and soy milk, he now incorporates ingredients like bean curd sheets, Puning soybean sauce, and Hatcho miso.
“After I joined, I started by gathering information and listing all soy-based food products; then, I studied how to make and pair each ingredient,” Choi explains, sometimes using dairy products as a reference to develop soy milk-based dishes. For instance, on the current menu is the appetiser of Bean Curd Skin Tart, which features a whey ricotta made from soy milk. He also notes that soy lacks fat, so in dishes like scallop tortellini and mullet roe rice, he adds Italian lardo and chicken oil. This showcases the versatility of soy in cooking while ensuring the dishes have a rich and satisfying flavour.
Which dish best represents his style? Choi says it’s the Chicken and Tofu Roulade with Yellow Wine Sauce. “This dish features local Three Yellow Chicken and is inspired by Three Cups Chicken. With the use of chillies, dried shallots, and marinated tofu, it has a traditional Chinese flavour. Yet, it’s paired with a yellow rice wine sauce, which is a Western culinary technique,” he shares. “What’s more, this is a zero-waste dish: chicken thigh and skin are used in the dish, while the bones and wings are used to make the broth. The leaves of the Swiss chard are used to wrap the chicken, while the stems are added to the sauce.”
Advice to Young Chefs
For the 32-year-old chef, being “young” in the kitchen is an advantage. “When others see that you’re young, they’re more willing to teach you.” He also believes that being young comes with fewer burdens and a greater freedom of choice, and one is able to try and pursue things without fear.
At the helm of Mora, Choi works as a team of three, alongside two younger chefs. What does he want to say to the next generation of young chefs?
“Keep your head down and work hard,” Choi asserts. “Find what you want to do, then live in the moment and dedicate yourself to it.” He admits to feeling fortunate because he’s able to discover his passion rather early. Of course, there were challenging times along the way, such as experiencing severe back pain that made it difficult for him to stand up. However, he never thought about giving up. “Always remember what it is that you’re pursuing.”
RELATED: A MICHELIN Inspector's Love Letter to Hong Kong and Macau
This is article is written by Mandy Li and translated by Iris Wong.
Read the original article here.
Hero image by Mora.
