Liaw to light up festivities

Sydney-based cook, food writer and TV presenter Adam Liaw shot to fame in 2010 after claiming the culinary crown in the finale of MasterChef Australia’s second season — a victory which remains the most watched non-sporting event in Australian TV history.

The charismatic 36-year-old has dished up mouth-watering meals across Australia, China, Malaysia, New Zealand, India and Japan, and is looking forward to his first visit to the region as one of the biggest names on this year’s Taste Great Southern Festival line-up.

Liaw will host one of the highlights on the action-packed program, the 26th Porongurup Wine Festival, which is set to transform Ironwood Estate Wines into a feast for the senses on March 1, with tastings of premium cool climate wines, crowd-pleasing Great Grape Stomp and popular One Wok Wonder cook-off.

“I am very excited to take part,” he said.

While he remained tight-lipped about what he will whip up in his own wok as part of a cooking demonstration before opponents don their aprons and take up their tongs, he had some hot tips for participants.

“Keep it simple, above all,” he said.

“Food is so much better when it is simple (and) Asian food is probably only good when it is simple — when you start to over-complement Asian food, you start to get a real mess, in my opinion.

“When people are trying to impress and whenever people bring out a wok, they feel the urge to throw in 15 different ingredients … I think that is absolutely the wrong approach.”

Liaw said he would be looking for contestants who could “tell their own story” in their offering.

“It sounds a bit silly, but if you can cook a dish and have your own signature in there without having to throw a whole bunch of strange ingredients in there trying to impress someone, I think that is exactly what you should be trying to do,” he said.

After the festival wraps up, Liaw will team up with Albany-bred chef Paul Iskov, of roaming restaurant Fervor, to create an Asian-inspired pop-up degustation dinner using local and foraged ingredients.

“I am working on the menu for the dinner I am doing with the guys from Fervor, trying to use as much local produce as possible … possibly some abalone,” Liaw said.

“They are one of the reasons I am so excited about being part of Taste Great Southern. The dinner is going to be pretty special … I am certainly looking forward to it.”