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 Chef/owner Blue ginger Boston and host of Simply Ming on PBS
*Portraits by Anthony Tieuli
*Food Photographs by Christophor Cavalieri
Chef Ming Tsai grew up in the kitchen cooking alongside his mother at their family restaurant, Mandarin Kitchen. After studying at Le Cordon Bleu, and cooking around the globe, he opened the Blue Ginger in 1998 in Wellesley, Massachusetts. The restaurant’s innovative East–West cuisine was an immediate hit with diners, and soon garnered numerous awards, among them recognition for Ming as “Chef of the Year in 1998” by Esquire Magazine, and “2002 Best Chef Northeast” by the James Beard Foundation.
In addition to his PBS duties, Ming has won an Emmy for hosting the Food Network’s East Meets West with Ming Tsai and this year traveled with NBC’s Today Show to Bejing during the Summer Olympic Games, providing feature stories on Chinese food customs and traditions. Ming is also the author of several cookbooks, creates a line of frozen Asian cuisine for Target, and designs eco-friendly kitchenware for Tru Bamboo.
Ming’s conversation can be described in one word—enthusiastic. Anecdotes, opinions, and ideas flow forth rapidly, and comments are frequently peppered with laughter. Ming is clearly a man brimming with energy and passionate about life.
I noticed that you earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Yale; have you ever used that degree? Does it come in handy at all in your present work?
Yes—in theory, I use it every day. Engineering teaches you how to solve problems. Memorizing all those equations and formulas trains your mind. Running a restaurant and being a chef requires you to constantly “put out fires,” as they say, so that’s good training to have. From an analytical standpoint, being able to crunch numbers is a critical skill for a chef. Then there’s the design side, which I still love. I use it in various ways, from designing my line of knives, cutting boards, and the like for Tru Bamboo, to creating my food line for Target; my understanding of thermodynamics and crystallization helps me understand the best way to freeze certain products.
You spent the summer of your sophomore year of college at Le Cordon Bleu—what led to your going there?
Well, first understand that I already had a cooking background thanks to my mom having an Asian restaurant. I worked there from a young age, and always loved cooking. A friend of my father’s lived in Paris, and offered me the chance to go abroad for the summer and live for free. But I had to become proficient in French before I could work in a kitchen. I had only high school knowledge and you must know French in a French kitchen—the chefs won’t waste time teaching you. Once I mastered French, it was on to cooking. My initial thought was “I’ll just get a taste of French cooking then I’ll open a Chinese restaurant.” But I wound up going back there for several summers. From day one, I began thinking of ways I could com-bine French and Chinese cooking. Two weeks after I graduated from Yale, I returned to Paris to cook professionally. I immediately began expanding ways to blend Chinese and French cuisines. French chefs understand and use Asian ingredients, but at that time, no one was really doing much East–West blending in Paris, so I was one of the first.
You’ve said your goal was always to have your own restaurant, but you didn’t jump into that right away, even after achieving some early success as a chef. How come?
We Chinese believe in the value of education. I felt I still had more to learn so I went to Cornell University to their hotel administration program. I was soon opening hotel restaurants all over the country. I felt that if I could successfully open a hotel with three restaurants, then I could successfully operate one of my own. Working as a food and beverage director was one of the toughest jobs I ever had, and I’m not afraid of hard work. The issue was that no matter what went wrong, it was your fault. If Joe Smith’s breakfast was late, and you were home sleeping, it was your fault. And whatever the problem, you were called at odd hours, and you’re already working six or seven days a week. I found myself spending my breaks in the kitchen hanging out with the chefs, and I knew then that being a chef was my true calling. Besides, I learned that in the end, whoever owns the place is always right! I wanted to be that guy!
 In 1998, you and your wife, Polly, opened Blue Ginger. What’s the philosophy behind your restaurant?
To offer East–West cuisine with bold flavor—I hate the term fusion—it sounds too chemical, like a nuclear reaction. I also hate bland food. I love contrasting texture and temperature. I think the hot fudge sundae may be the perfect food—you have cold creamy ice cream, hot fudge sauce, crunchy nuts on top—all in one bite! Or a great hot steak with a crisp salad on top—perfect! I also want the food we serve to look beautiful. I don’t make conscious choices when it comes to colors; I feel that if you use good ingredients and prepare them well, they will look good. I also make sure our food is healthy—I’m not a “diet chef,” but most of our dishes are good for you. Even the fried calamari is not all bad—yes, it’s fried, but it’s lightly battered and we use vegetable oil, so it’s as healthy as it can be. I also insist on providing exceptional service. People may forget the meal, but they always remember bad service. Finally, we try to keep items reasonably priced and we make sure you never leave hungry. With my Chinese heritage, having guests leave hungry would be a sacrilege!
You used Feng Shui masters to help design the restaurant. Do you think they made a difference? (Feng Shui is a Chinese philosophy that believes life forces are governed by the flow of energy. By incorporating Feng Shui into design, good energy forces are not blocked and bad energy forces are mitigated.)
It made a ton of difference! We actually used two Feng Shui masters, and have used them at home as well. Natalia Kaylin is a Russian physicist with a background in quantum physics, which she has combined with Feng Shui. We used her advice on where to locate the kitchen, the cash register, the door openings, and for materials. We had one problem area because we are located across the street from a funeral home, and obviously couldn’t move the building. So we hung a Chinese Foo Dog mask from the highest soffit facing the funeral home to ward off the evil energy of the spirits from the funeral home. Some folks die peaceful deaths, but some don’t, so you have to protect against that energy. We also buried Chinese coins in key areas where we needed more metal to balance energy flow.
My other Feng Shui master guided us to an auspicious opening date using my and my wife’s birth dates, down to the seconds. It’s a kind of a funny story. The business previously on this spot had failed, so the master said we needed to get rid of that negative energy. At the precise moment of the opening, I had to station all of my staff at every water source in the restaurant—the sinks, the toilets, the urinals, everywhere. We were to run and flush water for five minutes to flush out this bad energy. Now mind you, most of my staff was new and here I am, this crazy Chinese guy, telling them to flush urinals for five minutes! I was afraid they’d all quit, but they stayed. But you could tell they were thinking “I hope he can cook. . . .”
You’ve been cooking for quite awhile now.
What keeps it fresh?
Nothing is more fun for me than going out to eat. I especially love going to someone’s home—like visiting someone’s grandparents who are from Thailand, India, or Ethiopia. Eating traditional ethnic cuisine in that environment is my favorite experience. I get excited when I discover some hole-in-the-wall Thai, Indian, or Vietnamese place where there are dishes I haven’t seen before. They give me ideas I can bring to my cooking. I’m glad I learned Asian cuisine first. For me, the key to good East–West cooking is to truly understand both the Asian ingredients and how they are used and the French. There is nothing worse than bad fusion cooking. For example, an Asian chef would use sesame oil very, very sparingly, yet I’ve seen some young European chefs use four tablespoons in a single dish! Not only does it ruin the dish, the guest will taste nothing but sesame oil all night long!
You are the national spokesperson for the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN); is there a personal reason behind this?
Yes, my son suffers from food allergies, and when he was young, there were actually many restaurants who wouldn’t serve us because they couldn’t guarantee that their dishes might not be contaminated with one of his allergens. That experience made me passionate about restaurants being accountable for what’s in their food. When I opened Blue Ginger, I prepared a Food Reference Manual that lists the top eight most severe food allergies and cross-references what those items might be found in. It also lists every ingredient in every item we serve. Last, the staff is totally trained on cross-contamination issues and everything that comes in contact with a potential allergen is washed before it touches something else. I’m actually working to get legislation passed in Massachusetts that would require all restaurants to have such manuals. My feeling is if you don’t know what’s in your food, you shouldn’t be running a restaurant. It’s a matter of life and death.
I have moms come in and burst into tears because this is one of the few places they can safely take their kids out to eat. Most families just stop going out because the risk is too great.
I’ve heard that you are passionate about golf; what drew you to the sport?
The challenge of taking up something new. I’d played a lot of squash and tennis, but this was different. It’s the perfect sport for a chef as I can go by myself in the early morning when it’s quiet and practice. I also travel a lot and there’s always a golf course—usually someplace beautiful and with a great restaurant, so it’s the best of both worlds. I love being outside for four or five hours. The whole experience clears my mind. Golf requires such concentration that you don’t have room to think of anything else.
This is our readers’ favorite question; what was your most embarrassing moment in the kitchen?
Oh, there have been many! But one that stands out is back when I was at Fauchon in France. Chef Pierre Herme asked me to make a ganache. There are only two ingredients in ganache, cream and chocolate, and of course, this was very expensive chocolate. Once you start making the ganache, you must stir constantly and you cannot stop or the chocolate will burn and be ruined. Chef gave me the basic formula and I calculated the amount I thought was needed. I started the process, which required using this gigantic Cuisinart. Suddenly Herme storms over and says, “What the hell are you doing?” My formula was off by a factor of 10! He quickly adds more cream, so now this Cuisinart is filled to the very brim; I have to balance this thing and keep stirring, and cream and chocolate are continuously slopping over the side. By now, a crowd has gathered. After all, I’m the only Chinese chef in the place and I’m waging war with this ganache. Finally it’s done, and it’s okay. But I am covered with chocolate—it’s in my hair, my ears, even inside my socks! From that day on, they called me Chocolat!
You’ve accomplished so much. What’s next?
I’m always contemplating new restaurant ideas, but for now, I’m content with Blue Ginger and where we’re going. We’ve doubled in size, adding three private dining rooms and one of my favorite parts, a bar with big screen televisions tuned to the Boston sports teams, and a great menu of Ming Bings. These are “hockey-puck” shaped dumplings in an array of flavors, fun to eat and very affordable. The bar is already becoming a neighborhood hangout, just as I hoped. I enjoy everything I’m doing now. I have to say my next goal is to become a great scratch golfer!
Sweet and Sour Cranberry Chutney
Makes about 3 cups
2 red onions, cut into 1⁄2-inch dice
2 tablespoons minced lemongrass, white part only
2 cups dried cranberries, such as CRAISINS, chopped
1⁄2 cup sugar
2 cups naturally brewed rice vinegar
Canola oil for cooking
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
In a sauté pan coated lightly with oil over high heat, sauté the onions and lemongrass until soft, about 5 minutes. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and check for flavor. Add cranberries and sugar and deglaze with naturally brewed rice vinegar. Reduce by 75 percent, or until liquid is absorbed. Check again for seasoning. When cool, transfer to a container, cover, and store in fridge for up
to two weeks. Use chutney in following recipes.
 Cranberry-Crab Rangoons
Makes 10 to 12 rangoons
1 pound picked, best-quality, fresh crab meat
1⁄4 pound cream cheese, softened
1 cup Sweet and Sour Cranberry Chutney, plus some for garnish
3 tablespoons chopped chives, save 1 tablespoon for garnish
1 package thin square wonton skins, defrosted
1 egg mixed with 2 tablespoons water
Grapeseed or canola oil for cooking
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
In a large bowl, mix the crab, cream cheese, chutney, and chives. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and check for flavor. Lay out 4 to 6 skins, lightly brush the edges with egg wash and place a small mound of the mix in the middle. Top with second skin and press firmly to seal. This is very important so the rangoons do not burst and leak. Repeat until the filling is gone. Preheat a large sauté pan coated with 1⁄4-inch of oil over medium-high heat. Add as many rangoons as the pan can hold in one layer. Shallow fry until golden brown, flip and fry other side until golden brown. Transfer rangoons to a plate lined with paper towels. Place a small mound of chutney on a plate, surround with 3 rangoons, garnish with chives
and serve hot.
 Sweet and Sour Pork Fried Rice
Serves 4
3 eggs, beaten
1 pound ground pork
1 bunch scallions sliced, white and green parts separated
6 cups cooked long grain rice, preferably day old so it’s nice and dry
(In a rush,place cooked rice on a sheet tray and place in freezer to cool and dry.)
1 cup Sweet and Sour Cranberry Chutney, plus 2 tablespoons for garnish
1 tablespoon naturally brewed soy sauce
Canola oil for cooking
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
In a wok (preferably non-stick) or sauté pan coated well with oil over high heat, add eggs (they should puff up immediately), stir quickly and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Place the wok back over high heat and add the pork. Break up and cook until browned, then add the scallion whites and mix. Add the rice, Chutney, naturally brewed soy sauce, and the eggs. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and check for flavor. Serve in a large bowl and garnish with scallion greens and additional Chutney.
Recipes reprinted with permission
from Ming’s Master Recipes
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