Four of the best recipes from Chin Chin restaurant head chef Benjamin Cooper

It's been a decade since queues started forming outside Chin Chin in Melbourne's Flinders Lane.

"From day one, the food has been about a respect for authenticity and technique, with a view to being able to use the stunning produce of our great country and the playfulness that that allows," says head chef Benjamin Cooper.

The mostly Thai-influenced menu has evolved over time, particularly since opening a second restaurant in Sydney, but these are some of his favourites.

Roasted cauliflower with curry spiced coconut cream

I have always loved cauliflower, especially roasted or barbecued. This dish, featuring well-seasoned roasted cauliflower and the heady scent of curry spice in coconut cream, is one of my favourite vegetable dishes to cook at home or to eat at work.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 150ml extra virgin olive oil
• handful of fried curry leaves and sliced red chilli to serve

Curry-spiced coconut cream

• 100ml vegetable oil
• 1 tsp scud chilli, crushed
• 3 tbsp curry powder (Keen's or other mild curry powder)
• 100g-150g shredded fresh coconut meat*
• 1-2 stalks curry leaves
• 1 tbsp sugar (raw or caster)
• 1 cup coconut cream
• 2 tbsp soy sauce

​Sesame salt

• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp sea salt flakes

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 200C fan-forced (220C conventional) and line a roasting tray with baking paper.
2. Cut cauliflower into large florets, keeping any smaller pieces or "crumbs" for the sauce. Put the cauli florets and olive oil in a bowl with a large pinch of sea salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper, and toss to coat. Place florets in prepared tray and roast in the oven until golden (about 20-30 minutes), turning occasionally so they brown evenly. Once ready, remove from the oven and set aside.
3. To make the curry-spiced coconut cream, heat the oil in a wok or heavy-based pan over medium heat then fry the scud and curry powder for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and the oil has infused with the curry flavour. Add the shredded coconut, cauliflower "crumbs" and curry leaves and fry until golden. Add the sugar and lightly caramelise, then add the coconut cream, soy sauce and a splash of water and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for a further 5 minutes until thickened slightly. If sauce is too thick, thin out with a splash of coconut milk or water.
4. To make the sesame salt, toast the sesame seeds in a dry heavy-based frypan until golden brown, then crush the seeds and salt with a mortar and pestle or in a blender or food processor. They should be chunky rather than a fine powder.
5. To serve, spoon a large ladle of curry sauce on a serving plate and pile the roasted cauliflower on top. Spoon over more sauce so it is evenly covered, then garnish with a sprinkling of sesame salt, curry leaves and sliced red chillies.

Serves: 4-6 as a main, 8-10 as a side dish

* If you can't find fresh coconut, substitute frozen or dried shredded coconut

Butter chicken curry with yoghurt and green chilli

It made the list largely because owner Chris Lucas loved the dish and wanted a similar style of curry at Chin Chin – something a little less in-your-face and a bit more comforting than some of our other fiery curries. Marinate the chicken the night before you intend to serve it.

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5kg chicken thigh fillets, chopped into 2cm dice

Garam masala

• 1 tbsp coriander seed
• 1 tbsp cumin seed
• 1 tbsp fennel seed
• 1½ tsp black peppercorns
• 1½ tsp cardamom
• ½ tsp cloves

Chicken marinade

• 2 tbsp garam masala (see recipe)
• 1½ cups Greek yoghurt
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Fenugreek spice

• 1½ tbsp fenugreek seeds
• 3 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp white pepper

Butter chicken curry sauce

• 300g butter
• 50g garlic, finely chopped
• 50g ginger, finely chopped
• 1½ tbsp fenugreek spice mix (see recipe)
• ½ cup tomato paste
• 1½ tbsp sugar
• 2 cups Greek yoghurt
• 2 cups coconut cream
• 50-70ml fish sauce

To serve

• 5-8 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1-2 green chillies, sliced
• 50ml coconut cream fried shallots
• ½ cup coriander leaves

METHOD

1. The day before you intend to serve this, make the garam masala by toasting each spice separately until fragrant, then grinding to a fine powder.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of garam masala to remaining marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces and mix so they are completely covered. Cover and place in fridge overnight.
3. The next day, once you are ready to cook the curry, remove the chicken from the fridge and cook in a pan or on the barbecue until golden (about 7-8 minutes). Set aside.
4. To make the fenugreek spice, toast each spice separately until fragrant, combine and grind to a powder and set aside.
5. To make the sauce, melt half the butter in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat and fry the garlic, ginger and a large pinch of salt until fragrant. Don't overcook, as you want to retain the zing of the ginger and the sweetness of the garlic. Add the fenugreek spice mix and cook until fragrant, then add the tomato paste and sugar and lightly caramelise.
6. Add the yoghurt, coconut cream and remaining butter and fish sauce and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 2-3 minutes to allow the flavours to combine and settle.
7. Add the cooked chicken thigh and allow to heat through.
8. Divide the cherry tomatoes and green chilli between serving bowls, ladle over the chicken and curry sauce. Drizzle over a little coconut cream, sprinkle with fried shallots and garnish with coriander leaves.

Serves: 4-6

Pad seuw (slow-cooked wagyu with rolled rice noodles, gai laan and fried shallots)

Pad seuw has been on the menu at Chin Chin almost since the beginning. It's one of my all-time favourite Thai dishes, mainly because it is so simple and has no chilli spice, yet it still has plenty of depth and complexity. To get this on the table quicker, you can swap the master stock-cooked beef chuck for a similar quantity of thinly raw sliced beef sirloin or fillet (something that cooks quickly). Add this to the noodles at step 7.

INGREDIENTS

• 60ml vegetable oil
• 600g wagyu beef chuck
• 2 litres master stock (see below)
• 70ml vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1kg packet fresh rolled rice noodle (cheung fun), cut into 3cm pieces
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 stems gai laan, cut into 5cm lengths
• 2 tbsp kecap manis
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• large pinch white pepper
• ¼ bunch coriander leaves
• 2 tbsp fried shallots

Master stock

• 2 litres water
• ½ cup whiskey
• ½ cup shao hsing
• ⅓ cup dark soy
• ⅓ cup soy sauce
• 150g yellow rock sugar*
• 1 head garlic, cut in half horizontally
• 2 large knobs ginger
• 2 spring onions
• 1 large piece cassia bark
• 1 tbsp star anise
• 1 tsp cardamom pods
• ½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• ½ tsp fennel seeds
• ½ tsp coriander seeds

METHOD

1. To make the master stock, place all ingredients in a pot, bring to the boil then allow to simmer for 30 minutes to infuse with flavour. Strain the stock into a clean pot.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy-based pot and sear the beef chuck well all over. Once you have a good golden crust on the beef, add the master stock, bring to the boil and then simmer for 5-6 hours, until the beef is tender and juicy.
3. Remove meat from the stock and allow it to cool. You can then either slice the beef or pull it apart. Strain the stock, bring to the boil and then remove from the heat. Once cold, freeze remaining stock. (Reuse the broth to braise various meats, straining and reboiling each time.)
4. Heat the extra oil in the wok until just smoking and gently crack in the eggs (be careful as the oil may spit), scrambling them until the oil starts to foam.
5. Add the noodles and cook so that the outer layer starts to blister and become translucent. Add the soy sauce and cook until dry again.
6. Add the gai laan and kecap manis, stir-fry until the noodles are glistening with soy and the gai laan has wilted.
7. Add the oyster sauce and beef and again cook until dry. Season with white pepper.
8. Remove from heat, place on a flat plate or bowl and garnish with the coriander and the fried shallots

Serves: 4-6

* Yellow rock sugar is sold at Asian grocers and some supermarkets.

Note: Because the flavours in the master stock complement most meats, you can slowly braise various meats such as duck, chicken, beef brisket, oxtail or pork shoulder in the same broth, straining it, reboiling it then cooling it and freezing it after each use. It will become more complex with each reuse. You can keep the master stock for years and years – it's an investment of time and passion. It's so versatile and can be used for a variety of soups and bases.

Coconut panna cotta with Vietnamese coffee syrup and cashew praline

The first time I had a coffee in Ho Chi Minh I felt like I wasn't going to sleep for two days. Vietnamese-style coffee is served in tall glasses over ice, all spices and bitterness but in a good way. It wasn't until I'd finished it that my body registered the caffeine hit. This dessert is my play on that coffee flavour, with the deliciousness of coconut to temper the bitter kick of black coffee. It's a great way to end a meal. The praline recipe makes more than you need for this dessert, but it's a great cheeky treat to have in the cupboard.

INGREDIENTS

• 5 leaves gold-strength gelatine
• 400ml coconut cream
• 400ml coconut milk
• 1-2 vanilla beans or 1 tbsp vanilla paste
• 200g caster sugar
• 30ml coffee syrup (see below)
• 5-10ml condensed milk to serve
• 10-15g cashew praline (see below), broken into chunks

Coffee syrup

• 125g raw sugar
• 125ml water
• 1g salt
• 30g granulated coffee

Cashew praline

• 65ml water
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 350g sugar
• 250g roasted unsalted cashews

METHOD

1. To make the cashew praline, heat water, salt and sugar in a pot and cook until golden and syrupy. Avoid stirring if possible as it may cause the syrup to crystallise. Place the lightly crushed cashews on a tray lined with baking paper. Once the syrup is golden and thickening, pour over the cashews and allow to cool.
2. To make the panna cotta, soak gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes. This will ensure a smooth consistency. Prepare 6 x 150ml moulds or 10 x 100ml ramekins by oiling lightly.
3. Add remaining ingredients to a medium saucepan (if using vanilla pods, split lengthways and scrape out seeds with the back of a knife). Bring just to a boil over moderately high heat, stirring to ensure the sugar has completely dissolved, and the vanilla is well dispersed. Remove from heat.
4. Squeeze excess water from the gelatine and add to the coconut mixture. Strain the mixture into a jug and then pour into prepared ramekins.
5. Place ramekins on a flat tray, wrap with cling film to avoid fridge smell contamination, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight if you can).
6. To make the coffee syrup, combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat (skimming when needed) until it becomes syrupy. It should be really punchy with coffee flavour and a little bitter to offset the creaminess of the panna cotta and the sweet nuttiness of the praline. Remove from heat and set aside.
7. To serve, check the panna cotta are set – they should feel springy and slightly firm to the touch. Turn each ramekin upside down onto a serving plate. You may need to gently loosen the edges with a thin, sharp knife. Serve with a drizzle of coffee syrup and condensed milk and garnish with chunks of cashew praline.

Serves: 6-10