A master with the sushi blade
Hao Chen, a Shanghai native, abandoned a future in computer science to chase his dream to become a sushi chef.
He is now a master with the sushi blade and his Canberra restaurant Raku Dining has earned, and kept, several chefs hats. He says his journey is ongoing.
We were honoured to host Chef Hao and his team in 2024 and see their fast, light touch transform everyday ingredients into art.
Rock Oysters with Tosazu Dressing
Ingredients
• 12 Rock Oysters, shucked and cleaned
• 1 pickled cucumber
Tosazu dressing:
• 1125ml Rice vinegar
• 900g Sugar
• 140ml Soy sauce
• 20g Bonito flakes
Dressing Method:
Dressing:
1. Heat up vinegar, soy and sugar until warm (approx. 50 degrees celsius), then add bonito flakes.
2. Chill and then strain out bonito flakes.
Cucumber:
1. Finely dice cucumber and leave in a separate container with some Tosazu dressing overnight.
Note: For a smaller amount of dressing, cut the ingredients to 500ml rice wine vinegar, 400g of sugar, 60ml of soy sauce and 10g of bonito flakes.
Plating Method:
1. Place shucked oysters onto crushed ice/rock salt.
2. Drizzle approximately 20ml of dressing onto each oyster.
3. Add 4-5 pieces of pickled cucumber to each oyster and serve.
Rock Oysters with Miso Cream Vinegar & Roe
Ingredients:
• 12 x Rock Oysters,
shucked and cleaned
• 25g Salmon roe
• 25g Lumpfish roe
Dressing:
• 100ml Tosazu (from earlier recipe)
• 100ml Pure cream
• 30g Yuzu kosho miso
• 200ml Rice vinegar
• 40g Shiro miso
• 12g Yuzu kosho
• 40ml Lime juice
• Collect all ingredients and blend to the fine consistency
Plating:
1. Place shucked oysters onto crushed
ice/rock salt
2. Drizzle approx. 20ml of dressing onto each oyster
3. Add 2g of both Salmon and Lumpfish roe each oyster and serve
Proudly supported by Julian, Liz and the team at Narooma Better Home Living
It’s always a full house in the Narooma Betta Home Living Cooking Demonstrations at Narooma Oyster Festival. In 2024, we were delighted to feature NSW seafood in every dish, supported with grant funding from the Eat More NSW Seafood Program.
Chefs love to visit Narooma to share their favourite oyster and seafood recipes and explore the oyster farms, the audience love receiving our recipe hand outs and learning new things to try at home. If they’re lucky, get a taste of some incredible dishes too.
It’s all included in Saturday General Admission Ticket, with dates for the next festival set for May 2-3, 2025.
