Canberra Chefs at Home: Anand Kumar (AK) Ramakrishna

Posted on 8 October, 2021

Food can bring us comfort in the most challenging of times—so why not turn to Canberra’s vibrant chef community for inspiration?

In partnership with local grocery delivery company Alpha Fresh, we asked some of Canberra’s most inspirational chefs to give us their staple recipes for lockdown—complete with shopping lists!

This week, ready your kitchen and tastebuds for a recipe from the home of XO Head Chef Anand Kumar Ramakrishna, known as AK.

AK is immediately recognisable as one of the original faces behind XO’s fast and furious success, bringing his culinary influences—Malaysian born and trained in French and Italian cuisine—to XO’s bustling kitchen.

Across six years of serving fusion cuisine in a once non-descript part of Narrabundah, XO’s reputation as one of Canberra’s most beloved casual fine dining restaurants has never wavered, and it’s easy to see why—just look at what AK serves up!

Today, he’s showing us how to cook his Char Siew Pork with pickled cucumber and enoki. *Chef’s kiss*.

What better recipe to celebrate our final week of lockdown?

Char Siew Pork, pickled cucumber and enoki

CHAR SIEW PORK

• 220-250gm Pork neck

MARINADE

• 15gm ginger powder
• 15gm garlic powder
• 15gm five spice powder
• 10gm white pepper
• 120ml hoisin sauce
• 50gm oyster sauce
• 20ml lite soy
• 20ml dark soy sauce
• 300ml honey
• 40ml rose wine
• 20gm sugar
• 40ml sesame oil

METHOD

To begin, rub sugar and rose wine onto pork neck averaging between four hours to overnight.

Next, add all ingredients into a bowl and mix well till all combined, careful of powdered lumps. This marinade will be enough for 2 kilos of meat—use two tablespoons and store leftover marinate in a jar in the fridge for up to six months.

In a 220 degree oven, place pork neck flat on a wire tray, and into the oven for first seven minutes, then drop to 180 degrees for a further 13 minutes.

Next, spoon a little marinade on the cooked pork and grill on high till lightly charred. Let rest for 10 minutes then slice and place on plate.

CHILLI GINGER RELISH

• 200gm long red chilli
• 80gm young ginger
• 70gm shallots
• 30ml mirin
• 30ml sweet sake
• 70gm sugar

METHOD

B lend chilli and ginger in a small blender or food processor. Cut both into smaller pieces to avoid blending too much which may make relish bitter.

Fine chop shallots, both green and white bits. Next, mix sugar, mirin and sake well till sugar is dissolved.

Then add the chilli mix and stir well. The relish should last well over a month if stored properly and chilled.

PICKLED CUCUMBER

• 200ml chun kiang vinegar
• 50gm sugar
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 4 tablespoons ginger powder
• Enoki mushrooms to taste
• One half cucumber

METHOD

Mix all ingredients together except the cucumber and mushrooms and whisk well, adjust with more sugar or salt if needed.

Cut half cucumber horizontally, smash lightly with knife and toss with three tablespoons of dressing and add raw enoki mushrooms.

SHOPPING LIST

• Cucumber
• Red chillis
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Shallots