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Meet Chanop, known to the KKFora as Schanop

Discussion in 'Life on the Edge' started by Toothpick, Jul 26, 2015.

  1. Toothpick

    Toothpick #2 since day #1 Founding Member

    Ladies and Gentlemen of the KKFora allow me to introduce you to Chanop!
    He was kind enough to take time away from his busy schedule to answer a few questions for us and give us an inside look at just who Chanop is.
    Thank you my friend!


    Who is Chanop and where do you call home?

    My name is Chanop Silpa-Anan, so schanop username is just a mangled of my surname and first name. I live in Sydney, Australia, but work at home as a computer vision research scientist for a company based in Canberra. I have been living in Australia for quite a number of years now. Before that, I grew up in Bangkok, Thailand. I have always enjoy eating and drinking, and a bit of cooking, but haven't gotten into full on cooking until the past few years.

    How do you take your coffee? or what perks you up in the morning?

    That's a good question. I do brew coffee many ways. Usually on weekdays, it would be Aeropress first thing in the morning, generally with single origin filter roast from Coffee Alchemy, Marrickville. Then I might have a shot or two of espresso with PIDed Rancilio Silvia and Rocky pair. On weekends, I would brew syphon coffee with Hario TCA-3 instead of Aeropress, and still take some espresso. Every now and then, I would pull out a bodum french press for a cup in the afternoon, or morning. And when there are guess, or when my missus want, some milk coffee and some latte art practice.

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    That's some serious coffee equipment!
    Let's talk a little about food.
    What is your favorite dish to make?


    I have many favorite dishes I keep cooking regularly:
    - sweeten soy braised pork belly, beef cheek
    - white cut chicken
    - steamed whole fish, Cantonese style
    - twice cooked pork
    - dry fried beans
    - sashimi
    - and the list goes on

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    Those dishes look delicious! (kind of a tongue twister)
    You've got to have a recipe or two up your sleeve.
    Care to share one?

    A white cut chicken, done well with chicken rice is something really tasty. To truly get this dish really tasty, use happy chicken that has been well cared for. My recipe goes like this:

    For the chicken:
    - Take off some excess fat around from the leg end as well as neck end and reserve.
    - Bring a big pot of water with enough water to cover the whole chicken, to boil. I usually use 31cm oval Staucocotte.
    - Add two spring onions (shallot?, scallion?) and two slices, coin size, of ginger, and a touch of salt.
    - Once boiled, put the chicken in the pot, bring it back to boil, and turn off the heat.
    - Cover and wait for 45 minutes.
    - Take the chicken off and plunge into cold water, then drain and dry. Keep the cooking liquid.

    For the rice:
    - Wash the rice and drain.
    - Fry chicken fat, to get some oil, using low heat.
    - Add spring onion, garlic, ginger, then rice.
    - Once rice is all coated with chicken fat, and warm up a bit, transfer to rice cooker.
    - Add chicken cooking liquid to rice cooker and just cook.

    For ginger and scallion sauce
    - Finely chop some scallion, and grate some ginger in equal amount and put in a heat proof bowl.
    - Add a pinch or two of salt.
    - Heat peanut oil up till close to smoke and pour over.

    Then enjoy in moderation. White wine such as riesling would go well with the dish.

    How about a cooking technique? Is there a technique you have mastered?

    Grilling and BBQing were my earlier deep interest in cooking, so I do them all right be it gas or charcoal. I love charcoal if I have time to set it up. Nowadays, I cook mostly indoor, so I do home woking all right too.

    My mouth is watering....
    What is a local delicacy that you enjoy?


    Well, if we expand local delicacy to also include produce and artisanal product that is not so native to Australia, then I can say that I do enjoy many of the salumi I get from a master Italian butcher Pino Tomini Foresti of Pino's dolce vita be it prosciutto, lardo, pancetta, guanciale, culatello. He has all sort of locally beautifully produced Italian small goods. I also love black truffle from Tasmania.

    What is your favorite "home cooked meal". (made by you or someone else).

    Nothing in particular. For my own cooking, it is the dish I would like to eat and to make are the same.
    I love a well prepared humble home cooked meal, be it BBQ, rice and dishes etc.

    Simplicity tastes so good.
    Do you have a favorite kitchen gadget? Or just something you reach for time and time again? (besides knives)


    I am quite fond of my various graters: Japanese oroshigane, ceramic bowl grater, and micro plane. They get used pretty regularly. However, for a cooking item that I used most next to knives and cutting board is my wok. Here is my new wok being seasoned on an induction hob.

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    I can almost smell the goodness that the wok produces!
    Now let's get in to knives...
    Do you have a favorite kitchen knife?


    Overall I think it is Shigefusa kitaeji yo gyuto 240mm, second one would be a Konosuke honyaki gyuto with a hybrid wa/yo handle.

    It's hard to beat a gyuto.
    Care to talk about your other knives? What kinds?

    I have collected a number of Shigefusa knives in various shapes. Basically kitaeji single bevel set of yanagiba, usuba, deba. A western double bevel set with yo handle, gyuto, petty, suji, and a few odd shapes here and there.

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    From other makers, I keep a couple of Heiji's, a Kato, a Konosuke, a Yoshikane, K-Sabatier, a few chukas, and etc.

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    That is a stunning collection! Thanks for sharing with us.
    Are their any websites like the KKFora in Australia?

    There are some knife related forums base in Australia, but there isn't any kitchen knife specific forum that I am aware of.

    What about other hobbies that you enjoy?

    My last serious hobby was dancing Argentine tango. We don't have much chance these days due to having to find babysitter. Nowadays, it is probably riding and scootering with my son.

    Thank you once again for sharing a piece of yourself with us.
    Would you like to add any final words for the members of the KKFora?


    Enjoy your time here.​
     
  2. So now I more or less understand how Australian Shigefusas blackhole operates…
     
  3. Rick

    Rick aka Pensacola Tiger Founding Member Gold Contributor

  4. schanop

    schanop Founding Member

    [​IMG]
    Left hand side one, Rick. Still waiting for opportunity for a kitaeji one.
     
  5. Jim

    Jim Old Curmudgeon Founding Member

  6. There's a little more to it than that, Anton :)
     
  7. Beautiful collection, Chanop. Thank you for sharing with us :)
     
  8. XooMG

    XooMG Founding Member

    We need to arrange a Shigefusa company field trip to Australia.
     
  9. WildBoar

    WildBoar Founding Member Contributor

    Nice interview! Your food looks great, and your knife collection is fantastic.
     
  10. Nice interview! And great knives!
     
  11. MotoMike

    MotoMike Founding Member

    Top notch read guys. thanks very much.
     
  12. James

    James smarter then your average duck Founding Member Gold Contributor

    great read, thanks to both of you.... for making me hungry lol
     
  13. schanop

    schanop Founding Member

    Gladded that you guys like the interview. Much appreciated.
     
  14. Jeffery Hunter

    Jeffery Hunter Founding Member

    Good read, great looking food, and Amazing collection of knives! Thanks guys.
     
  15. Mrmnms

    Mrmnms Founding Member Gold Contributor

    Always loved hearing about your cooking. Great to see you here.
     
  16. Boris

    Boris Founding Member

    great read! thanks for sharing!
     

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