Simply Ming

[kitty]

http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/TV/1....ap/index.html

Celebrity chef Ming Tsai's new show

MILFORD, Massachusetts (AP) -- Celebrity chef Ming Tsai thinks a banana split is probably the world's best food.

"Cold ice cream, hot fudge, crunchy nuts, smooth cream. I mean it's the world's perfect bite. It's got every texture," says Tsai, whose new show premieres this weekend.

But instead of texture, Tsai is supplying the sauce on "Simply Ming."

On each program, the 39-year-old Tsai will prepare a basic sauce, limited to seven ingredients, and use it to make dishes like those served at his suburban Boston restaurant, Blue Ginger.

Producers say "Simply Ming," which debuts on PBS stations this weekend (check local listings), targets viewers with busy schedules and shows them how to make quick, flavorful meals at the end of an exhausting day.

On the set in Milford, about 40 miles west of Boston, guest chef Jasper White takes Tsai's recipe for Thai lime sauce and invents his own twist, adding cream and butter.

As smoke rises from the pan, White combines the sauces with scallops.

"I'm adding pepper because your sauce has so much salt in it," he tells the host.

"You know, you should do this for a living," Tsai tells White.

"It's very nice to have a Ming," White cracks.

"Everyone should have a Ming in the kitchen," Tsai retorts.

Joking and juggling
Tsai and his crew are taping 26 episodes in 10 days. But this ambitious schedule doesn't faze the high-energy Tsai, who jokes and smiles throughout the taping and even juggles limes during a break.

Director Bruce Francini first saw Tsai on his old show on the Food Network and was impressed by the Yale graduate's energy and sense of humor.

"He has a nice personality on TV. ... He's wonderful on camera," Francini says.

In each episode, Tsai takes viewers to his favorite spots for fresh ingredients -- like the Super 88 market in Boston's Chinatown -- and offers tips on beer and wine to accompany the food.

Tsai says his cuisine blends the best of East and West, reflecting his Chinese heritage and his American upbringing (he was born and raised in Ohio).

"I would love if everyone in America would start cooking East-West style food," he says. "I really want people to know that you can easily make East-West style food in your home."

Blended look, blended food
Like the food, the kitchen set, which Tsai helped design, is a blend of Western and Asian styles. There are plants and exotic flowers, along with wooden kitchen chairs designed by Tsai and his wife, Polly.

"It's not Asian in your face," Tsai says. "It has a nice slick, hip look to it, which I think fits this show."

There are bamboo poles against a back wall, Asian wall hangings and prints. There's a wine cooler and bowls of basil, limes, mangoes, peppercorns, mint and fish sauce, all of which will be used in dishes that Tsai and his guests create.

The first 26 episodes include appearances by chefs Todd English -- who will show viewers how to prepare tuna carpaccio -- Francois Payard, Michael Lomonaco and Ken Oringer, as well as White.

After adding cream and butter to Tsai's sauce, White produces several perfect, plump round scallops and places them on a plate next to a mound of white rice. He sprinkles them with herbs and drizzles the Thai lime sauce on top.

At the director's cue, the two retire to a small table at stage left to sample their handiwork: the scallops, a spinach salad, scallop ceviche and crispy calamari, accompanied by champagne.

Then, while they eat for the closing shots, Tsai delivers the program's signoff: "Peace and good eating."

[kimpossible]

At the risk of looking like a total ass, is Ming Tsai his real name? It sounds like a stage name since he's a chef. If that's his birth name I'll never underestimate the power of a name again.

[lethal]

http://goldsea.com/Air/Issues/Tsai/tsai.html

Ming-Hao C Tsai was born March 29, 1964 in Newport Beach, California and grew up in Dayton, Ohio.

[deez nuts]

Originally Posted by Hello_Hapa

At the risk of looking like a total ass, is Ming Tsai his real name? It sounds like a stage name since he's a chef. If that's his birth name I'll never underestimate the power of a name again.

ming tsai zhu yo ming de tsai

hahahah

[SunWuKong]

Originally Posted by Chasiubao_Boy

ming tsai zhu yo ming de tsai

hahahah

hey! ming tsai! i never thought about what that might mean in Chinese. hahhah!!!

[applehead]

hmmm...

[deez nuts]

Originally Posted by applehead

hmmm...

it's a play on his name. phonetically his name translates to "famous dish"

[ChinaLama]

you guys coulda just said that from the beginning, but you had to get all happy cliquey w/ your mandarin insider jokes.

[deez nuts]

Originally Posted by ChinaLama

you guys coulda just said that from the beginning, but you had to get all happy cliquey w/ your mandarin insider jokes.

i like happy cliquey

[ism]

Originally Posted by Hello_Hapa

At the risk of looking like a total ass, is Ming Tsai his real name? It sounds like a stage name since he's a chef. If that's his birth name I'll never underestimate the power of a name again.

I did wonder that too. You are not alone.

Anyway, what I really wondered about is in the opening montage to East Meets West. Tsai is shown riding a bike to get ingredients at markets. It seemed odd that he rides a bike to do his groceries. But it turns out he does (in theory).

[applehead]

Originally Posted by ChinaLama

you guys coulda just said that from the beginning, but you had to get all happy cliquey w/ your mandarin insider jokes.

yeah seriously.

[applehead]

Originally Posted by ism

I did wonder that too. You are not alone.

Anyway, what I really wondered about is in the opening montage to East Meets West. Tsai is shown riding a bike to get ingredients at markets. It seemed odd that he rides a bike to do his groceries. But it turns out he does (in theory).

i still think his cooking is fusion. confusion.
whatever he calls it.

[kimpossible]

The only thing I know about him is he does like Ziploc commercials or something. Or mebbe it was Saran Wrap... coffee... toilet paper... tampons? Don't remember.

[deez nuts]

Originally Posted by applehead

yeah seriously.

so much bitterness in here.

[kimpossible]

5) Where do I buy the ceramic knife you always use on your show?
The ceramic (not plastic) knives that I use on my show, in my restaurant and at home, are made by Kyocera. Please check out the Ming’s Store section of my website to purchase one or even the entire set. I endorse these knives very simply because they work like a dream and heighten any chef’s level of slicing and food preparation. Tomatoes are transformed into paper-thin slices with one pass of the blade. Guaranteed for five years, one may send them back to Kyocera in San Diego and they will sharpen them for free. (They use a specialized diamond sharpening wheel because diamonds are the only other material harder than ceramic). However, don't throw away your boning and filleting knives. My knives are not recommended for breaking down lamb chops, filleting fish nor smashing garlic and bones.

Yes, well I'll be sticking to Henckels and Wüsthof. Wüsthof is even kewler because they have super pretty forged Culinar, and their name has an umlaut.

Ming Tsai designed these boards with the traditional round Chinese model in mind, but with his own twists. The octagonal Feng Shui shape allows the board to be stored upright,

Feng Shui shaped cutting board?

edited to change there to their.