The Chef Show Season 1 Episode 3: Remembering Jonathan Gold Review

The Chef Show on Netflix via Media Center — Episode 1

Pad Thai

Pad Thai requires a fair amount of oil to cook but Choi follows Sinsanong’s instructions and adds as much as needed. This is a dish that cooks very quickly and needs the chefs to work together to get it right. Favreau takes over wok duties again, and is an absolute pro at cooking the chicken, even flambéing the ingredients. Singsanong is impressed! But she does insist that Favreau be careful with the noodles, telling him to stir the contents of the wok from underneath so as to avoid cutting the noodles. The Pad Thai is ready in no time and they happily tuck in.

Pad Kee Mao

When making the Pad Kee Mao, the order of ingredients being added to the wok is completely the reverse of what Choi would usually do. Choi notices that everything he has ever been taught, Sinsanong does the opposite. It’s how she’s learnt to cook and it works for her. As a result, the flavours seem to be more acute, and actually taste like more than has been added to the dish. Favreau insists he can taste peanut, but Sinsanong explains it’s the taste of the egg that’s got a bit burnt. Choi calls it magic and it looks it! We would happily dance alongside Choi while eating it. An amazing way to celebrate Gold.

Tips for Home Cooks:

·       When making a pie, you should use cold, solid butter, and when mixing it into the floor, make sure to mix quickly so the butter doesn’t get too warm.

·       Remember to rest your pastry before baking it.

·       When rolling out the pastry for a galette, roll from the middle of the pastry to the edge, but not off the edge. Do not roll from end to end.

·       Galettes can be more freeform and rustic in shape but pies must adhere to a defined structure with a lid.

·       Don’t throw the seeds of your pepper away; plant them in your garden instead.

·       Thai chefs don’t de-seed their peppers before adding them into to the curry. Don’t try this at home unless you love spice!

·       When adding freshly steamed ingredients to a wok full of hot oil, make sure you drain the water thoroughly because the water can make the oil spit and hurt you.

Final Thoughts

Following an episode where there was more eating than cooking, I was thrilled to see all the cooking in this episode of The Chef Show! The food looked delicious and, despite the number of ingredients, seem fairly simple to make. With Kleiman and Sinsanong on the show, there were a bunch of cooking tips to help home chefs and plenty of emotion as well, with regards to Gold’s impact on the lives of chefs in Los Angeles. A fitting tribute to a food icon.

The Chef Show is streaming on Netflix internationally.