Graduate of SVH cooking school in Rotterdam

A career in the culinary arts can be very gratifying. It allows you to do just about any job you want to - as long as you are prepared to work hard. It is tough and antisocial as you are always working when other people are off. But there is no better feeling than serving someone great food.

PORK WONTONS IN ASIAN BROTH

When I was training in Holland, a lot of chefs would meet after service in the Chinese-Indonesian quarter of Den Haag for late-night dinner and beers. This is where I first tasted wonton soup. It is still a favourite of mine: simple, flavourful chicken broth with chilli sambal and spring onions on the side, and silken pork dumplings floating in it.

Serves 4

Broth:

30ml (2 tbsp) peanut oil

1 onion, sliced

2 stalks lemon grass, bruised and sliced

1 fresh red chilli, chopped

4 lime leaves

2cm fresh root ginger, grated

2 cloves garlic, crushed

8 dried mushrooms, soaked in 300ml boiling water

750ml chicken stock

30ml (2 tbsp) fish sauce

Wontons (pork dumplings):

300g pork mince

100g spring onions, finely chopped

30ml (2 tbsp) soy sauce

5ml (1 tsp) sesame oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 egg, separated

16 wonton wrappers

Method:

For the broth, heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onion, lemon grass, chilli, lime leaves, ginger and garlic for a few minutes. Add the mushrooms, including the soaking liquid, and the chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes, then pass through a sieve and discard the solids. Season the broth with the fish sauce and keep warm. For the wontons, mix the pork mince with the spring onions, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and egg white until well combined. Place a small ball of this filling in the centre of each wonton wrapper. Brush the edges with egg yolk, bring together and crimp to seal. Add the wontons to the strained broth in a pot on the stove and simmer on low heat for three minutes or until they float to the surface. Serve with chilli and sliced spring onions.