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episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • cooking • 25m
PG
episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • cooking • 25m
PG
We all know him for his soulful voice and as a judge on The Voice Australia, but did you know Guy Sebastian is also passionate about food? When chef and television host invited the iconic Australian singer-songwriter into the kitchen for Season 8 of , Sebastian reveals that his passion for cooking, like music, runs deep.
"If I were stranded on a desert island and could only eat one dish for the rest of my life, it would be ," Sebastian confesses. "It's from Sizzler, back in the day when I was young. We'd go to Sizzler as a big family treat, and they'd have bread and butter pudding."
But life on tour doesn't allow for such decadence. "When I'm singing, I'm so boring with what I eat," he laments, explaining that he gravitates toward clean, light meals like steamed fish, steamed chicken, and sashimi. Heavier, spicier foods like curries – which can affect vocal cords – are off the menu.
His touring experiences have also exposed him to unusual culinary adventures, suches as eating "Hooves in Wuhan," he recalls.
In the kitchen with Guy Sebastian
Born in Malaysia to a father of descent and a mother who was raised in India, Sebastian’s rich culinary background is evident in his favourite ingredients, dishes and cooking techniques.
Sebastian loves beef, "As marbled as that beef can be." His favourite vegetable is sweet potato, his fruit of choice is mango, and garnish is coriander. Galangal is his choice in aromatic flavour enhancer – "It's my favourite to cook with, it's turmericy-ginger”.
In fact, in Season 8 of The Cookup with Adam Liaw, the dish he chose to make is his .
Though lactose-intolerant, Sebastian admits he still "torments” himself and eats cheese from time to time, with a particular weakness for bocconcini. "I love that on tomato," he says. His favourite sauce is – "I put it on literally everything – eggs, fish, everything."
Sebastian's approach to cooking reveals his attention to detail and timing – "I love smoking slow, really slow. I love the effort," he says about his preferred cooking technique. His home kitchen is equipped with a dry-ager, and he enjoys experimenting with smoke flavours.
"I love smoking meats, but also smoking vegetables and things like that" he says. I'll sometimes smoke capsicum or smoke eggplants and make pasta sauces and have that real char taste, that smoky taste through the sauces. But definitely meats – a lot of briskets, pork belly, short ribs."
I love smoking meats, but also smoking vegetables.
His favourite cooking vessel, aside from a smoker, is his wok. "I've got this fancy wok burner, it's like a jet," he enthuses. And when it comes to kitchen utensils, Sebastian's choice reflects his drive for precision: "My knife sharpener. I love sharp knives. I hate cutting things unless it's razor sharp like a Japanese blade."
Sebastian, who shares two sons with his wife Jules, faces the same challenges as many parents when cooking for his family – "It's getting increasingly more difficult because of their differences in taste," he says, but is ‘generally safe with bolognese’ – “Which I get very bored of cooking, but everyone loves bolognese!”
