Home Cook: Ming Ma, Bing Boy managing director
Starting as a ‘dishy’ in Adelaide’s Chinatown, Ming Ma is now the managing director of Bing Boy, an Asian street-food restaurant chain with 29 national outlets. Here, he shares some kitchen secrets and his recipe for noodle broth.
Ming Ma keeps an eye on production in the Bing Boy Rundle Place kitchen.
In the kitchen I am …
Creative!
The fridge is nearly empty – what do you cook for dinner?
I get creative with whatever’s left.
Most useful cooking tool?
Frypan or wok – I couldn’t live without these.
Three essential grocery items?
Easy. Three fresh Asian ingredients at add the best flavour and life to any dish – ginger, garlic and coriander.
How did you learn to cook?
When I was in high school I had a part-time job washing dishes in a Chinese restaurant in Adelaide’s Chinatown. I learnt a lot about cooking while working alongside the chefs and I ended up becoming a cook in the same restaurant.
Favourite restaurant?
Bing Boy, of course – need I say more?
Favourite recipe?
My favourite recipe, especially during these colder months, is a noodle broth. We’re currently using a slight variation of this recipe for our winter menu at Bing Boy to keep customers warm and well until the beginning of September.
Chicken noodle broth. Photo: supplied
Ming Ma’s Noodle Broth
Ingredients
3 cups chicken stock (salt-reduced)
2 cups water
3 garlic cloves, coarsely sliced
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp Chinese five spice
1 tsp white sugar
2 slices ginger
375g ramen noodles
240g chicken breast, thinly sliced
40g baby spinach
4 tbsp corn kernels
1 tbsp nori, shredded
1 sheet nori, cut into quarters (5cm x 5cm)
5g sesame seeds
5g sliced spring onions
Method
Place chicken stock, water, garlic, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Chinese five spice, sugar and ginger into wok and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the chicken and cook in broth for 4 to 5 minutes until chicken is poached.
Place ramen noodles in a separate bowl and cover noodles with boiling water, leaving them to sit and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
Drain the noodles and divide among four serving bowls, then add the broth and chicken and top with corn kernels, spring onion, baby spinach, shredded nori, sesame seeds and serve with the nori sheet.
Serves 4
