More of this Feature • Martin Yan at the Stampede

Join the Discussion "Monday morning Martin Yan had a private cooking class for us and boy is he fun!" GracieatHome

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There's no doubt about it - Martin Yan is a whiz with a chef's knife.  "A sharp knife is a safe knife," noted Yan, who began demonstrating his technique by dismembering a paper towel roll with ease.  He followed this up by transforming a single piece of paper toweling into the shape of a crown.  Fold the paper towel several times, a single, diagonal slice and voila! 

Next came the vegetables.  Yan had no trouble cutting a small mushroom cap into twenty-four slices.  A piece of cucumber was cut into fifty-four slices, which Yan formed into a heart shape on a plate.  To complete the garnish he peeled a tomato into one long slice, and fashioned the peel into the shape of a rose.  The tomato peel/rose sat at the top of the heart.  Martin's most impressive display involved a red bell pepper.  He began by cutting through the pepper in a "see-saw" technique designed to produce slices that are free of seeds.  Next he took one slice of pepper and cut through it.  He cut through it again.  And again. One more time. Yan took the now tissue thin slice and stuck it onto a bottle of rice vinegar over the label.  The label was clearly visible through the bell pepper skin. 

When it came time to cook, Yan demonstrated two stir-fry dishes: stir-fried shrimp with vegetables and a spicy Szechuan chicken dish.  He began with the shrimp dish, which called for ginger juice.  Instead of using a ginger press - effective but rather boring - he squeezed the juice out of a ginger slice.  (Later he explained that the trick to this was freezing the ginger ahead of time).  The stir-frying was just as entertaining.  From the flames which rose up from the wok it's clear this is one chef who takes the words "flaming wok" literally.  Martin is a master at stir-frying, shaking the wok and tossing ingredients with ease.  You had to watch closely not to miss anything though, since the process itself was very fast, taking mere seconds.  

While no recipes were given out, the demonstration was accompanied by several tips, such as using a bit of wine and cornstarch in a marinade.  Besides, like all good Chinese cooks Martin prefers to rely on his eyes instead of a measuring spoon when it comes to adding ingredients.     

After the show we were invited to sample the results.  (Yan had prepared extra ahead of time).  Both dishes were excellent, although the chicken dish was less spicy than I expected, considering that one of the ingredients was chili paste.  I wondered if he had deliberately made it a little on the bland side to satisfy members of the audience who might not appreciate fiery Szechuan cooking.  Then it was over to a side table, where you could get an autographed copy of one of his cookbooks.  When my turn came, he signed it "To Rhonda, the One & Only, A lady of style and great taste!"  Okay, so he signed every woman's book in the same way.  The man is still my idol.  If you ever have the opportunity, be sure to catch his live show - the rice vinegar label showing clearly through the bell pepper skin alone is worth it.   

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