Liew Yew Cheong: One of the world's hottest chefs

The Cognac chef shares his passion.

DUBBED one of the “10 hottest chefs alive” by the prestigious American Food And Wine Magazine, Liew Yew Cheong, better known as Chef Cheong Liew, is as humble as they come. In fact, the 61-year-old counts the fact that he is “still cooking” as an achievement by itself.

The Kuala Lumpur-born Liew said: “Whether you succeed depends on your personality – if you are really interested, you will travel to the end of the earth to learn.

“Of course it’s a great privilege to have been listed as among the world’s hottest chefs but there are so many other great cooks out there.

“I’m just happy to continue learning, travelling, cooking and appreciating other people’s cuisine.

“The heritage and culture around the world is endless and I want to embrace as much as I can,” said the owner of The Botanical, a seven-month-old “pub with an Asian influence” in Melbourne that’s fast gaining popularity.

Indeed, the jovial culinary king has won a string of awards. He has been inducted into the Hall of Fame in the World Food Media Awards and received the Medal of the Order of Australia for “service to the food and restaurant industry through involvement in developing and influencing the style of contemporary Australian cuisine.”

Ironically, Liew, who never had any formal culinary training, spent several years teaching the art of cooking Down Under.

In Penang to cook for the lucky Hennessy XO Appreciation Grows Gastronomy 2011 guests at Suffolk House recently, Liew credits being “in the right place, at the right time” for his success.

“Back when I was there is the early 1970s, Australia never really had a cuisine to call its own. It was all roasts and vegetables. The then South Australian premier Don Dunstan was very keen on Asian food and that really opened doors for us to introduce our food.

“I remember him even bringing a wok to the bush, teaching the Aborigines how to make stir-fried dishes.

“I opened two restaurants there – Neddys and The Grange. Both did well but it’s amazing that I only really learnt Chinese cooking from the books I got in Australia.

“I knew that Asian food would be a big thing one day so I got hold of as many cookbooks as I could and that’s when I discovered that there are so many different types of Chinese cuisine.”

Liew pointed out that in Malaysia, everything gets lumped together either as Indian, Malay or Chinese food.

“Chinese food encompasses Hunan, Beijing, Szechuan and so much more. Even Indian food has so many dishes including those from Chennai and Sri Lanka which we are not familiar with over here.”

Liew who has been cooking with cognac “for the longest time”, admits to loving the drink.

“Compared to wine, cognac is much easier to pair with food.

“I’ve been using it for flambés, marinades and sauces because it really brings out the essence of the food and adds some pink to your cheeks.

“I think a few lashes of cognac to Penang Char Koay Teow will completely transform the dish,” he said, eyes twinkling mischievously.

Like Hennessy XO, Liew’s style is all about blending.

“Know its ingredients and characteristics well so that you’ll know how to use it in your cooking.

“Like fine cognac, from the time the food touches your lips and travels down your throat to your stomach, the experience must be smooth,” he said.

Liew moved from Malaysia to Melbourne in 1969 to study electrical engineering, but ended up in the kitchen instead.

His career path was no surprise though, considering that Liew was always his grandmother’s little helper back in the day.

“It was in her kitchen and our trips to the wet markets that sparked my interest in cooking.

“The entire household would chip in to help prepare meals – each family member would have a chore like chopping the firewood or washing the vegetables.

“I would wake up at 6am, follow her to the market and carry everything back. Then we would have breakfast at the hawker stalls.

“You learnt so many techniques from the hawkers – how they stir-fry char koay teow, barbecue satay and braise curries,” he reminisced.

Describing cooking as fascinating, Liew said he “learnt to play with fire” as there were no gas stoves when he was growing up.

“Seriously, controlling the fire is what it’s all about when you deal with different cuisines.”

Liew plans to retire in a few years but said he would “never hang up my wok.”

“I want to continue creating new dishes, discovering new ingredients and techniques to pay around with and spend time with my family back in Adelaide.

“I have my fruit trees and garden there. My relatives are there. I work in Melbourne but my heart is there. Adelaide is a nice little town to grow old in.

“The standard of living is not high and they have lovely wet markets for me to explore every day.”

He said being Malaysian makes one more open to experimenting and accepting the different cultures and cuisines.

“Because we are exposed to so many styles of cooking, we can accept anything.

“I’m obsessed about getting only the freshest, naturally-grown ingredients. Perhaps that’s from my childhood exploits in the wet market.

“If I had to live all over life again, I’d still want to be in the kitchen.”

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