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It's cooling down and those of us who are in lockdown are either ordering takeaway from our local faves or begrudgingly putting together meals using questionable stragglers in the fridge.
It's times like these we could turn to some of our city's best chefs for inspiration, so we've gone ahead and done that on your behalf. To start things off, Victor Liong, owner and head chef at new-style Chinese diner (and one of Melbourne's top 60 restaurants) Lee Ho Fook has given us a list of his must-have pantry essentials. Hopefully, this list will help get us through this cold winter and help support small, local businesses in the process.
Many may know that Lee Ho Fook is a multi-course affair that's best enjoyed with friends or family. It's a dining experience that encourages you to share and bask in each other's company. So it's no surprise that Liong's dining habits reflect this.
"When I’m home, I like to cook either Chinese, Korean, Japanese or southeast Asian food because I know the techniques so well and like the range of flavours and the ease of cooking it at home," says Liong.
"The foods I cook are usually either really easy one-pot wonders or a few dishes with a lot of different condiments and accompanying side dishes. Having small versatile condiments is my key to making simple dishes into a banquet. Adding condiments and high-quality products to everyday [meals] gives me a real sense of simple, attainable luxuries that transport me to more fond memories of food experiences. Like adding Gentleman’s Relish to Butchers Diner takeaway blood sausage reminds me of having breakfast at St John in London," he says.
"I’m usually too lazy to cook lunch or I’m working, but when I do it’s a simple charcuterie plate – soft cheese, pickles, salad and crusty bread for lunch – or a simple pasta. If I get my shit together I might do a bibimbap, or a simple banchan rice bowl. I try not to drink in the daytime, but if I do, it’s a wine spritzer or a vermouth. All these little condiments and easy lunch items make it nice and exciting to actually put something of interest and quality into my day-to-day," says Liong.
Victor Liong's pantry essentials
Ides Peanut Butter
Liong's hot tip is to add fine diner Ides's Peanut Butter to Sichuan strange flavour sauce. The peanut butter is made from peanuts, butter and salt only, and can be purchased via Ides, Meatsmith or Co-Lab Pantry.
Tonka’s Readymade Butter Chicken and Dahl
Perfect for the freezer, Liong recommends heating and eating these curries when you're feeling particularly lazy. Tonka is currently offering home delivery within 15km of the CBD, too.
Tea Craft's range of tea
Tea Craft is based in NSW but has a great web store where you can shop a massive variety of loose leaf teas and have them delivered to you. Shop here.
SPQR's Pizza Bases
According to Liong, these woodfired pizza bases by CBD pizzeria SPQR are exceptional and can even be popped in the freezer. Purchase them online here.
Lee Ho Fook's Spiced Red Vinegar
This sauce was made to dress Lee Ho Fook's signature eggplant dish, but Liong recommends pairing it with some of the dirty bird – yes, KFC! Buy it here.
Heads of Noosa Brewing Co's Hop Valley H20
"I’m obsessed with this sparkling water at the moment and it also stops me from drinking too much," says Liong. Heads of Noosa Brewing Co's sparkling, hop-infused water has zero sugar and zero alcohol in it and can be purchased here.
Mumchan's kimchi and banchan
Korean hotspot Mumchan's take-home kimchi and set banchan offerings are "great with rice for a lazy light lunch". Shop here.
Romeo Lane's cocktails and Byrdi's bottled drinks
Liong's choice for "when I need a drink." Award-winning bar Romeo Lane is doing their cocktail bags again and Byrdi is also offering its bottled drinks to enjoy at home.
Cookbooks from Books for Cooks
"This isn't really a pantry item, but Melbourne's culinary bookstore Cooks for Books are delivering during lockdown which is always nice and I have been spending a bit on cookbooks lately," says Liong. Check it out here.
Saison Vermouth's Fallen Quinces Vermouth and Blackcurrant Leaf Vermouth
Embla chef Dave Verhuel’s vermouth label comes highly recommended by Liong, but due to it being a small batch it's sold out almost everywhere. Keep your eyes peeled for the mid-winter release via Instagram.