Alvin Luong , Seawitch In Residence , 2024
Lighting through , Inter islands speak to Summer Stillness ; trusting and recording to Align contrast with Sustenance -
At Seawitch, I thought of brine as a constant state of being. From the salt spray that bleaches organic woods at the estate, the sea water that touches the skin from the ferry rides, and its presence on the jetty. The aperitif was inspired by seeing the migrant workers regularly transporting cases of the lowest priced alcohol from Cheung Chau, a Chinese beer.
I thought of how to make flavours that are rich and velvety with the most humble means, turning to furu as the key ingredient to bring brine, texture, and complexity to being. Mackerel was selected as the most economical frozen fish accessible at the Park N Shop stores on Cheung Chau— a necessity under the summer heat that may bring spoilage to food while awaiting for and moving on the ferry.
This menu attempts to interpret the decadence of the estate and the humbleness of its newest residents -
Of refugees, migrant workers, and the ranch :
涵 夏 龍 二 四
Aperitif:
Sea salt and lemon juice mixed into a crisply cooled small glass of Snow Beer or Coca Cola.
Sea salt, lemon juice, and Snow Beer (or substituted with Coca Cola).
First:
A humble pasta of the sea that imitates the flavors and textures of gluttony.
Lemon juice, furu, unsalted butter, sliced cherry tomatoes, shrimp (optional), nori, and pasta.
Over a low heat, a sauce is prepared by combing melted unsalted butter with furu (brined soy bean curd) that has been mixed with the juice
of a lemon. Care must be taken to avoid browning the butter. Optionally, shrimp may be poached in the sauce.
Over a medium heat, the sauce is combined with a nearly-al dente pasta, pasta water, and one serving of snack-sized nori that has been thinly
sliced into strips.
When the combination becomes thicker from the absorption of liquid by the pasta, the burner is turned off. Cherry tomatoes are then added
to cook in the residual heat of the pasta and to cool the dish down to a comfortable dining temperature.
Second:
An intensely flavorful mackerel that is reminiscent of southeast asia and a Cantonese rendition of gai lan.
Mackerel, garlic, chili sambal, sliced thai chilis, lemon juice, and shrimp paste.
Gai lan, furu, and sesame oil.
Deboned mackerel fillets are first marinated in garlic, chili sambal, sliced thai chilis, lemon juice, and shrimp paste. The fillets are then broiled under intense heat for five minutes until the skin is blistered and the marinade has deeply browned and slightly charred.
Washed gai lan is added to hot pan with cooking oil to sauté. After a few moments have passed, the burner is set to low and a quarter cup of water is added to the pan along with a lid to steam and simmer the gai lan until tenderness.
While steaming, the furu is mixed with a small portion water to form a thin sauce. As the gai lan reaches tenderness the evaporated water is replaced by pouring in the thin furu sauce. The burner can now be turned off and the gai lan gently tossed in the pan to coat in the sauce. Sesame oil is added at the end to taste.
images + words : courtesy of the artist (c) Alvin Luong 2024