Ingredients
(Serves two)
For the dressing
• 100g sliced French shallots
• 10g shallots to fry (from above)
• 500ml corn oil
• 100g palm sugar (chopped)
• 100g tamarind pulp (seedless)
• 10ml light soy sauce
• 5g Korean roasted sesame seeds
For the salad
• 75g dressing
• 6.5ml shallot oil
• 30g snow peas (blanched and chopped)
• 30g French beans (blanched and chopped)
• 30g pak choi, (blanched and chopped)
• 30g pineapple (diced)
• 30g star fruit (diced)
• 30g green apple (diced)
• 5g dill leaves
• 5g fresh mint
• 5g fresh coriander
• 5g fried shallot
• 16g cashew nuts (chopped)
For the dry mix
• vegetable ash
• garlic cocoa crumble
• popcorn powder
• maltodextrine
• shimeiji mushroom
Method
1. Combine the sliced shallots and oil together in a pot. Place on the stove and bring up to 170°C while stirring constantly. Remove the pot from the stove and leave it to cool. Reserve both the shallots and the oil.
2. Heat the palm sugar until it reaches a liquid consistency, then whisk in the tamarind pulp and soy sauce until they’re homogenous. Add the sesame seeds and fried shallots and cover the pot. Leave to cool down to room temperature. Keep until ready to use.
3. Place all the fruit and vegetables in a mixing bowl and dress first with the shallot oil. Add in the dressing and mix evenly. Add in the herbs and cashew nuts just before plating. The herbs should only be bruised and not chopped, in order to retain their freshness.
Final presentation
1. Spoon into a serving bowl and coat the top of the salad with the dry mix and Shimeiji mushroom to resemble a landscape, then serve immediately.
The Chef
Name: Benjamin Whatt
Nationality: Singaporean
Since the age of 21 Chef Benjamin has led a distinguished and decorated culinary career at renowned luxury hotel properties in Singapore and the Gulf, including Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi, Burj Al Arab in Dubai and the Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore. Chef Benjamin’s distinctive and creative culinary style has been appreciated since the beginning of his career, with his many accolades and awards including ‘Best Chef Abu Dhabi 2012’ by What’s On Abu Dhabi, Colbalt Excellence Award and 1st Class Award in 2010, and even a Gold Medal as part of Singapore’s first National Youth Team at the IKA Culinary Olympics 2000. The chef’s inspiration? The natural world – ‘I like using nature as a reference for my dishes.’
Describe your restaurant in one sentence…
True to its name, Quest’s dishes compel you to delve into an adventurous culinary journey. The dress code is business casual.
Open Sun-Thu noon-3.30pm, Sun-Fri 7pm-11.30pm. Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, Ras Al Akhdar, www.jumeirah.com (02 811 5555).
