Ed ‘Fast Ed’ Halmagyi is one of Australia’s most popular celebrity chefs and resident cook on Better Homes and Gardens. Passionate about food, he believes in bringing great flavours into Australian homes with simple, mouth-watering recipes.
Ed is currently working with Singapore Tourism’s School of Shiok to encourage Australians to discover Singapore and delicious Singaporean cuisine. We caught up with Ed and asked all about his passion for cooking, his new book The Food Clock, and even got our hands on one of his favourite Singaporean recipes.
RESCU: Tell us about how your love of cooking started.
Fast Ed: Out of pure need, really. No one else in my family really liked spending time in the kitchen, so as early as 10 years old someone had to make dinner. It just became the perfect fit for me. I was a very shy kid, and this was something I could do on my own.
RESCU: For anyone hoping to become a TV chef, can you tell us a little about how you got there?
Fast Ed: You can’t wish yourself into this, it just happens. It was right place, right time, right attitude. A TV crew came to do a restaurant review at the place I was running, and I was just hospitable and helpful, really. Sure, I’ve never had a problem talking (not even to a camera), but it’s more than that. I believe that opportunity comes to each of us every day…you just have to see it, and be open to what it offers.
RESCU: We are loving The Food Clock and the unique way you’ve woven a story throughout. For our readers who haven’t seen it yet, can you tell us about the book and what inspired you to put it together in this unique way?
Fast Ed: I love great food. I love great stories. I love beautiful things. It just seemed natural to weave these together in a unique way. Each art form supports the others, and together they are a book that (I hope) is so much more than the sum of its parts.
RESCU: What’s the best advice you can give to someone who says they don’t know how to cook but wants to learn?
Fast Ed: You won’t learn cooking by talking about it, reading about it, or even (God forbid) watching it on TV. No, the only way to learn to cook is to do it. Cooking isn’t really an art as such, it’s more of a craft, a cherished technique learned through repetition and courage. Cook things you don’t know, not the things you do. That constant pushing of your own boundaries is the best way to embrace cookery.
RESCU: If you wanted to seriously impress someone, what would you cook for them (entree, main, dessert)?
Fast Ed: A charming, perfect simple dish is always more memorable that a poncy complicated one. For me (at this time of the year) it would be prawn and long pepper tortellini in saffron and chive broth, then braised pork neck in buttermilk with kale mousse and crisp parsnips, then a bitter chocolate pot de crème paired with twice cooked raspberries, homemade clotted cream and a perfect espresso coffee. The real secret ingredient however, the bit that makes the impression last, is the host. If you want to impress someone, serve them delicious food, but serve it with charm.
RESCU: And your top three never-fail tips for the kitchen?
Fast Ed:
- To roll a perfect circle of pastry from a disc, roll like a six-pointed star. It gives you a perfect result ready to line into a tin.
- To get a moist juicy steak from even cheaper cuts, let the meat get to room temperature before you cook it.
- Get all your ingredients and equipment out before you start to cook. It makes the process and product so much more enjoyable.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 tbsp dried prawns, soaked in water
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ cup rempah*
400ml coconut milk
250ml chicken stock
24 prawns, peeled
24 clams, rinsed
3 cups thick rice stick noodles, broken into pieces
2 cups bean shoots
1 cup tofu puffs, diced
2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
¼ cup fresh laksa leaves**
finely sliced salt flakes
Method:
Soak the dried prawns in warm water for 10 minutes, then pound in a mortar until crumbly. Set aside.
Heat the vegetable oil in a wok over a moderate heat, then fry the rempah for 3 minutes, stirring often, until aromatic. Add the coconut milk, chicken stock and dried prawns, then simmer for 2 minutes before adding the prawns and clams and turning the heat to low.
Blanch the noodles until just softened, then add to the soup with the tofu and eggs. Blanch the bean shoots for 1 minutes, then refresh under cold water and place into bowls. Mix in the laksa leaves and season with salt, then ladle into bowls.
*Rempah recipe follows
** Also known as daun kesom, ram-ram and Vietnamese mint
REMPAH SPICE PASTE
Serves 4
Ingredients:
8 shallots, peeled (270g)
12 candlenuts
2 tsp (25g) belachan, roasted
3cm piece fresh turmeric, peeled
2 sticks lemongrass, sliced (white part only)
12 cloves garlic
3cm piece galangal, peeled and chopped
2 long red chillies, seeded and chopped
10 dried red chillies, soaked and seeded
2 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp ground coriander seed
1 tsp ground star anise
20 laksa leaves
½ cup dried shrimp, soaked and drained
Method:
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and purée until very smooth with ½ cup water. Store refrigerated and use within 1 week.
