Judging by corporate chef Chun-Mui Kwok’s quiet demeanor, it’s hard to imagine many things would upset this 19-year veteran of the American kitchen. Born in Fujian Province, China, and later a resident of Hong Kong, Kwok has long held a singular desire: to cook, and preferably, to cook in the United States. Kwok (through interpreter/restaurant owner Christiana Chiang of Ping by Charlie Chiang’s in Arlington) told how his uncle tried to help him.
“My uncle was working in Singapore,” he said, “and my uncle said to a connection in the United States, ‘My nephew is interested in the restaurant business. He is very shy, but he has potential’ … I trained as a busboy and a waiter, but he told his connection I wanted to be a chef.”
Fortunately for Kwok, the contact agreed to take him on, offering to train him in all the kitchen basics: chopping, deep-frying, wok-frying, expediting, everything. The connection described Kwok as eager to learn, “like a sponge,” Chiang said.
By following several master chefs around, Kwok not only learned the basics of traditional Chinese cuisine, he also received the added benefit of studying the regional foods of Hunan and Szechuan.
“He started in the early 1990s,” Chiang said. “And since then, I work closely with him. He absorbs good ideas and he has polished them. He concentrates and listens well.”
For someone who spent time working in Hong Kong — the city of a million restaurants and world-class cooking — a chef’s career must seem very appealing, despite the hard work and long hours. But beyond that, Kwok explained, in his family’s home, he was always surrounded by good food, often prepared by his father.
“My father was a good cook,” he said, “and he prepared traditional Fujian cuisine.” In addition, he watched his grandmother and mother, both good cooks, preparing fine meals every day.
Well settled into his corporate chef’s position, Kwok described a typical day, which as for most chefs, starts at least by 10 a.m., when he arrives at Ping to organize the staff’s duties and the schedule, check the inventory and then to concentrate on making the master sauces. (Traditional Chinese cooking is based on complex sauces that bind the ingredients together in a harmonious whole.)
Although Kwok oversees the chefs’ work at the other Charlie Chiang’s restaurants (the Chiang family owns the Charlie Chiang restaurants in the metro area), he spends 98 percent of his time developing and refining the restaurants’ recipes and menus.
Chiang describes the rigors they endured to create Ping’s novel dish, called Shiny Slippery Shrimp, which showcases large, plump shrimp that are delicately wrapped with a crisp coating and deep-fried with plenty of garlic.
“We both ate so many shrimp,” she said. “He would try and try again … they had to look, smell and taste just right. It is the most difficult dish on the menu. He studied and studied how to perfect it. [The secret] was potato starch.”
Because of his enthusiasm and skill, Kwok ends up teaching many of the other chefs how to perfect their dishes and to structure the menu.
“It’s an old Chinese proverb that in every career, one works to be the best. And with Kwok, that’s what his parents expect of him,” Chiang said.
Q&A with Chef Chun-Mui Kwok
What is your comfort food?
Chicken. Good any way — fried, roasted, any way.
What is your favorite cuisine?
Sichuan, very spicy. At first, I liked mild food, but [spicy food] helps keep my appetite up.
What is in your fridge?
Fresh fruit, fish, chicken and lot of vegetables.
Which are your basic pantry ingredients?
The two most important are the chef’s sauce, based on soy sauce, and then second is Kung Pao sauce. I make them both every day.
Which are your favorite restaurants?
My two favorite Sichuan restaurants are TemptAsian Cafe in Alexandria and Hong Kong Palace in Seven Corners.
From the Chef’s Kitchen
3-Cup Lamb “Pot au Feu”
Serves 2
1 pound boneless lamb, cut into 1-by-2-inch cubes
1 Tbsp. canola oil
3 slices fresh ginger, lightly smashed
1 garlic clove, lightly smashed
2 scallions, sliced into 1-inch segments
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. red wine
1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 cups vegetable broth
2 oz. fresh Thai basil
Put the lamb cubes into boiling water for 30 seconds. Discard water.
Heat a deep pan or wok over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the canola oil and then add the ginger, garlic and scallions. Stir-fry for 30 seconds to release the aromas. Add the lamb, stirring to combine. Immediately add the soy sauce, red wine, oyster sauce, sugar and vegetable broth. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and cook for 10 minutes so the sauce will reduce and the flavor will intensify. Add the fresh Thai basil, stir for 15 more seconds and serve.
If you go
Ping by Charlie Chiang’s
4060 Campbell Ave., Arlington
703-671-4900
