Meet the man behind the perfect Peking Duck
Recognised as one of the best Asian chefs in the country, Chang An Song is now applying his mastery of food at the Southern Sun OR Tambo International Airport Hotel.
Chef Song, famous for his traditional Peking Duck, was a celebrity chef on MasterChef in 2013, during the second season of the popular reality show.
Song, at the time, shared some of his grand wisdom surrounding the preparation of the perfect Peking Duck with the top six MasterChef contestants.
The contestants had just returned from Ethiopia, as part of the show, when they were introduced to Song in Johannesburg. Part of their challenge to create magnificent Asian-inspired dishes for a distinguished panel of Chinese food experts.
“It gave me real pleasure on MasterChef to teach aspiring chefs how to make my famous Peking Duck,” said Song, who still, today, loves to share his knowledge, gained over many years of experience.
“MasterChef was certainly a highlight for me in my career, as it gave me recognition as an Asian chef. These days more people are coming to the hotel to taste the food we prepare.”
Other highlights include catering for the Nedbank Golf Challenge, the South Africa Presidential Inauguration and the Miss World Pageant.
Song’s sole ambition, currently, is to continue cooking at the Southern Sun Hotel and improving the food quality.
With a wealth of culinary experience that comes from a globe-trotting career, stretching from China to Switzerland, Song specialises in the classic French style of cooking.
He has influences from both South Asian and Chinese cuisines.
Song combines a startling variety and enchantment of world cuisine with a sensitivity and precision that results in food which delights the senses and enriches the lives of those for whom he caters.
Despite the fact that he describes his job as ”stressful”, he remains driven by love and passion for food.
Song explained to the Advertiser, when we visited him at the hotel, that preparing the perfect Peking Duck is all about getting the texture of the skin right.
“The skin needs to be crispy, the meat well-cooked, but also soft,” he said.
“I love introducing new things into the kitchen and testing new recipes.”
He described his food philosophy as presenting dishes that are simple, clean and presentable.
“My role is to inspire people to enjoy life, which I do by preparing dishes with love and passion,” he said. – @NalediBoksburg
