>> MING: Hey, Ming Tsai here with Simply Ming.

Today in the house, the father of fusion cuisine, down from Toronto, Canada, Susur Lee, my great buddy of more than three decades.

He's been rated by Food and Wine as a top-ten chef this millennium, he's top 50 restaurants in the entire world, and he's in Iron Chef Canada.

Today he's going to be roasting some eggplant, putting it on a polenta cake, and serving it with a tuna XO.

>> XO sauce is actually, you know, developed by a Hong Kong Cantonese chef.

The chef felt that XO is such a high premium status, right?

So he decided to, you know, use the name for this sauce.

>> MING: I'm going to be taking another version of tuna, do a tataki, and serve it with a roasted eggplant caviar.

Tataki's just a way of searing, just to get a little color.

It's coming up right now, on Simply Ming.

♪ ♪ >> MING: Sus, good to have you here, brother.

>> Thanks for having me, Ming.

>> MING: Nice to have you back.

It's been a while, man.

>> I know.

>> MING: You look good.

Doesn't age, he's 192 years old.

>> Look at him.

>> Like a Yoda chef.

>> MING: You're like Yoda, exactly.

As you know, we're going to start with a cocktail, just to get us in the mood.

I have sparkling water to chill down the glasses, because, you know, bubbles help chill it quicker.

If you don't mind dumping those, I'll get this drink started.

>> Actually did not know that.

You actually make the glass chillier faster?

>> MING: Yep.

>> Oh.

>> MING: I mean, the worst thing to do is make a great cocktail, chill it at 33 degrees, and put it in a 75-degree glass, right?

You ruined it.

So this cocktail's called a Closing Argument.

It's a riff off of something called Last Word, which is a Prohibition drink developed in the 1920s at the D.A.C., the Detroit Athletic Club.

So, the only difference is, we take mescal and replace it with the gin.

So, it's a smoky one.

So, one and a half ounces of mescal.

We do Green Chartreuse, as well.

This is a great botanical.

One and a half ounces.

>> Chartreuse, it's, like, made by the monks.

>> MING: Yes, exactly.

>> And it's like a herbal medicine.

>> MING: It is, it's, like, I don't know, 30 different herbs and spices.

Then a little maraschino cherry, as well.

>> So, does it have any sweetness on the maraschino?

>> MING: This does, yeah.

So it's one-and-a-half ounces of each, and then last but not least, one-and-a-half ounces of freshly squeezed lemon juice.

>> To balance the sweetness.

>> MING: To balance it all out.

>> Like, I'm feeling the flavor already.

Herbalness and also a little bit of root.

>> MING: Right.

>> From, you know, the maraschino, with the sweetness, and the floralness.

>> MING: Well, you tell me.

>> I can't wait to taste this, Ming.

>> MING: All right.

Gonna go straight up like this.

All right.

And again, it's so important to have the coupe glass so cold, because it's all about nice and cold.

And then... >> But I noticed, you didn't shake for too long.

>> MING: Awesome.

>> MING: No, you don't-- you know what?

Because once you go at, in my opinion, after 30, it starts waterizing.

I just want to get it cold.

I don't want to get it waterized.

>> Right.

>> MING: So, some beautiful Luxardo cherries.

Ganpei.

>> Ganpei.

>> MING: To your health.

>> Cheers.

You can drink these all year round, number one.

>> MING (laughing): Good.

>> Number two, is the balance, because you don't lose any flavor identified of that three different kinds of liqueur.

>> MING: Right, beautiful.

>> Cheers.

>> MING: I think we're eating eggplant.

>> Let's go.

>> MING: Let's go.

(laughing): Come on, let's go.

>> MING: All right, Sus, what's the name of the dish?

>> It's my version of Hong Kong XO sauce with grilled polenta.

>> MING: Okay.

>> And also eggplant.

>> MING: Okay.

>> And sautéed shrimp.

>> MING: Awesome.

So you have some peppers here, right?

>> Yes.

>> MING: Some Anaheims, looks like?

>> Yeah, so... >> MING: Char them just to get the skin off.

>> Yeah, what I-- yeah, just throw them on the stove or barbecue.

>> MING: Okay.

>> And after that, you know, the best thing to... >> MING: I'll take them.

>> To actually use the next day, if you put it into a container or in a bag, you get the sweetness and the flavor and the juice and the smokiness.

>> MING: So this is before and this is after, obviously.

All right, so just take the skin off?

>> Yeah.

>> MING: Okay.

>> So, Ming, meanwhile, I'm going to start the polenta.

>> MING: Okay.

>> What I did, I soak in water.

>> MING: You pre-soak your polenta?

>> Yes.

>> MING: How long?

>> I would say, like, 15, 20 minutes, just to open up a bit.

>> MING: And does it matter how much water?

>> Just enough to make it very moist.

>> MING: Okay, interesting.

>> And also, you know, while you're putting in hot water, it's really great, you won't get lumps when this already have water in.

That's one of the tricks I've... >> MING: Oh, interesting.

>> So, olive oil, hot water.

>> MING: Okay.

>> And of course, a pinch of salt.

So I just throw everything in in one shot, and then I keep stirring.

>> MING: Me, myself, at home, at the restaurant, you get, you get lumpy, lumpy polenta.

>> Right.

>> MING: It just happens.

So, pre-soaking it.

>> Cooking polenta, sometimes, you know, people thought, you know, when it gets thick, "Oh, it's ready."

But actually, when it gets thick, that's where you're going to slow down the stove.

>> MING: Okay.

>> Because you want to really slowly open it up until they're really tender and soft.

But meanwhile, I have also parmesan cheese.

>> MING: Okay-- you add that now?

>> Not yet, until I'm fully cooked, but I'm going to prepare for that.

I'm going to also use one egg yolk in my recipe.

>> MING: In the polenta?

>> In the polenta.

>> MING: You're doing a cake, right?

So you're gonna lay this on a sheet tray?

>> Right, and then, also, by the time, and I cook it, give it a very nice rich golden-brown.

So, peppers, I want it to be shredded.

>> MING: Shredded?

>> Yeah, almost like a baby fingernail-- strips.

>> MING: Strips?

Strips.

>> Polenta.

I'm still, you know, cooking.

You can see, you know, they opened up very fast.

Ming, you see?

>> MING: Yeah, that's amazing.

>> Right?

>> MING: I love that trick.

But this is still gonna take 20 minutes-plus, right?

>> Oh, yeah, absolutely.

So you need it to, you know, open up slowly.

It's very-- you need patient, you know.

>> MING: Okay.

>> Something like that, you want to be very, like, soft... >> MING: No, we're patient.

Hey, what are you gonna do with this eggplant?

>> Okay.

>> MING: Show me, show me the cut.

>> We're going to take this.

I just want to... just peel off just a little bit on the top.

Now, purposely, I want to use, you know, Asian eggplant.

>> MING: Right.

>> And I think, you know, cook a little bit...

I would use the word a little faster, because the water content is quite high.

So I'm gonna cut this right here.

>> MING: Right.

>> And I just want to split it right in half for presentation.

I'm always trying to, you know, shave it off a little bit.

So keep a little bit green.

>> MING: I love that.

Because most people, myself included, would just take off the end, right?

>> Right.

>> MING: But, you... >> So, I'm going to score it.

Open, like fan.

You want to do that, like, you know, like cards.

>> MING: But anyway, you know what, Sus?

We're going to take a quick break, because this takes 20 minutes.

>> Yes.

>> MING: And then you're going to lay it on a sheet tray, right?

>> Right.

>> MING: But then, before that, you add the egg and the parmesan.

>> Right-- the tray, we gotta put a little bit of oil, olive oil, and chill it, put it in the fridge.

>> MING: Perfect, all right, stick around-- 20 minutes.

Don't go.

>> 20 minutes, yes.

>> MING: All right, so 20 minutes, looks pretty good.

>> Yeah, nice and thick.

>> MING: So now you add this stuff?

>> Consistency's great-- yeah.

>> MING: Cheese?

>> Cheese?

Yes.

>> MING: Okay.

>> Parmesan cheese.

If you want, use feta, it's also nice.

>> MING: One egg?

>> One egg, yes.

>> MING: Okay.

>> Yeah.

And grate me some nutmeg.

>> MING: I love nutmeg.

People don't use it enough.

Keep going?

>> Yeah.

That's great, perfect, Ming.

>> MING: Okay.

>> So, there we go.

Oiled the pan.

The pan, a little bit of olive oil.

>> MING: Yeah.

>> And you just go straight.

>> MING: Straight into the fridge?

>> Straight into the fridge.

>> MING: Okay.

>> Can you bang it a little bit, nice and straight?

>> MING: Yep, I think I'll do that right here.

>> There you go.

>> MING: All right.

>> Cool, so, next thing, we're going to blanch some cherry tomatoes.

>> MING: How long does that take in the fridge, Sus?

>> I would say at least a couple of hours.

>> MING: Yeah, that's exactly what we have here, Sus.

Looks beautiful-- so this is two hours.

>> So we're going to cut it into a form.

While I'm going to make that into a shape, I'm going to pan-fry these and cook it in the oven at the same time.

>> MING: Okay.

So, you know, can you blanch a little bit of cherry tomatoes?

>> MING: Okay.

>> So the little trick is, cut the top a little bit, so it's easy to peel the skin off.

>> MING: Okay.

>> You don't have to score it.

>> MING: In France, they teach us to score.

But this is just easier.

>> Really, you don't need... >> MING: More efficient.

>> Yeah.

>> MING: Is that enough?

>> So, there you go.

That's enough.

>> MING: That's enough.

Okay, perfect.

>> You a little, you know, kind of want to... Yeah, cherry tomatoes.

>> MING: All right, that's really quick.

That's 30 seconds, right?

>> 30 seconds, chill it out.

>> MING: And those we'll peel?

>> Yeah.

>> MING: All right.

>> So, you know, this... Just give it a little squeeze, it'll all come out very nicely.

>> MING: All right, Sus, let's see how you did here.

Oh!

>> Nice.

>> MING: (speaking Chinese) That's Chinese for really beautiful.

>> So, we're gonna make it into a strip.

>> MING: Sus, what do I do with all these perfectly sliced peppers?

>> So, put it in the tomato purée.

>> MING: Okay.

>> And can you start to make the XO sauce?

>> MING: Yep.

>> You start with shallot, garlic, ginger.

>> MING: Okay-- what about these Thai birds?

>> And also goes together with it.

>> MING: Yeah, just one, two?

>> I think one is more than enough.

>> MING: One, with the seeds.

>> Yeah.

If you decided not to use Thai bird chili, that's also fine, too.

>> MING: Right.

>> So, meanwhile, I'm just going to cook with... You know, the roasted polenta.

(sizzling) >> MING: Awesome.

>> Now... >> MING: Do you want olive oil for the XO?

>> Right.

>> MING: Okay.

>> And I'm sure you want to understand why... A little bit more.

What is XO sauce, right?

>> MING: Yeah, what is it?

I know, but please, tell us.

Is that enough shallots, Sus?

>> Yeah, that's enough.

>> MING: Okay.

Start the heat going.

>> MING: You know, what is XO sauce?

>> XO sauce is actually, you know, developed by a Hong Kong Cantonese chef, a Chinese chef.

Because XO, of course, you know... (sizzling softly) The alcohol.

>> MING: That's right.

Which is the cognac, right?

There's VS, V.S.O.P., then XO is the second- to-the-highest-rated cognac, armagnac-- XO, right?

>> Right.

So, you know what, the chef felt that XO is such a high premium status, right?

So he decided to, you know, use the name for this sauce.

But it has nothing to do with anything to do with XO.

There's no XO in it.

>> MING: So you don't flip it?

>> No, I don't flip it.

I'm just going to roast it.

>> MING: Okay.

>> With one side.

>> MING: All right, that's 350 degrees.

How long do you go for?

>> I would say about, maybe about eight minutes.

>> MING: Okay.

>> And I put a little bit of salt in the eggplant.

>> MING: Awesome.

>> And meanwhile, this has sautéed very nicely.

>> MING: Want some grated ginger?

>> A little bit of grated ginger.

>> MING: Okay-- why do you grate your ginger, not mince?

>> Well, because, you know, when ginger get to a certain time of year, sometime it get very fibery.

That is perfect, yeah.

>> MING: To his point, you see all those fibers, those hairs?

That's what you're talking about, right?

>> This is one of the best inventions.

>> MING: Oh, the rasper-- awesome, right?

>> It really changed the culinary scene.

So peppers... you can start getting the peppers... Let's get it a little bit soft a little bit first.

And then what I have is tomato purée.

And also, you know, this... >> MING: So canned tomatoes that you just puréed?

>> No, I used fresh tomatoes.

>> MING: Fresh tomato purée, okay.

>> And I add a little bit tomato paste.

>> MING: You do?

>> Just give it a little bit thickness.

>> MING: Got it.

>> So put it in to start to stir it up, all the peppers.

>> MING: Smells so good here.

Here's your tuna for your XO.

So talk to me about, what tuna do you use when you... for your XO sauce?

>> Well, tuna, I love to use the European oily tuna.

>> MING: So, like Spain, Spanish, Italian, all of them?

>> Yeah.

>> MING: Got it.

>> So, meanwhile, you can see the... You know, the color comes out.

>> MING: Yeah, looks nice.

>> And just put a little bit of salt.

>> MING: And Sus, you have some shrimp here.

This is, this is the secret protein for the dish?

>> We're going to sauté it and put it right on the top.

Use the same thing.

>> MING: Salt and pepper?

>> A little bit of salt, a little pepper, and also a little bit of, you know, a little bit of garlic in there, too.

>> MING: With the shrimp?

Cool.

>> With the shrimp, yeah.

>> MING: Okay.

All right.

And sauté it in olive oil?

>> With olive oil, yes.

>> MING: Okay.

>> And then I put tuna.

>> MING: How long is those eggplant going to take in the oven?

>> I would say another maybe, what, three minutes?

>> MING: Okay, so get the shrimp going, right?

>> Yeah.

>> MING: Awesome.

All right, so we got about three minutes, guys.

We got the XO going, we got the shrimp sautéing, we got polenta and eggplant in the oven.

Three minutes, we're going to plate this dish up.

>> Then we're going to make the salad on the top.

>> MING: Oh, the salad, too-- why not?

>> Try this, Ming.

>> MING: This looks so good, dude.

Oh, my God!

>> You can eat this cold.

You can eat it with pasta.

>> MING: You could eat it with nothing else.

Dude, that is so good.

All right, let's finish this dish.

What's your vinaigrette?

>> Well, want to make me a little bit of lemon juice?

A little bit of zest, too?

>> MING: Okay.

>> Little bit of zest.

Put the soy sauce in.

>> MING: Okay.

Olive oil?

>> Yeah.

Olive oil.

>> MING: Little juice?

>> Little bit of juice.

That's great.

Put the cherry tomatoes in.

>> MING: Okay.

These are nice and peeled, concassé.

>> And after that, can you chop me the herbs for the shrimps?

>> MING: Check.

>> A little Thai basil, a little chopped herbs, and then... >> MING: What you want, chiffonade on this?

>> Chiffonade both of them.

>> MING: Okay.

>> Then I'm going to start taking... >> MING: So that's been, what, about 15 minutes maybe?

>> I would say... >> MING: 12, 15?

>> I would say ten minutes.

>> MING: Okay.

>> Yeah.

>> MING: All right, Sus, that looks good.

So... Oh, look at that color.

So that's why you sear it first and throw it into the oven, right?

Because you want it cooked all the way through and hot?

>> Yeah, so they're nice and soft one side and crispy the other side, so I don't flip it.

That's one of the reason.

Then I'm going to put the XO tuna sauce right on the top.

>> MING: So good.

>> You know, this, this sauce is so great, you know, even eating with toast, you know, keeping it in the fridge.

So, can I have some of these herbs?

>> MING: Chopped chives, basil chiffonade.

Good?

>> Nice.

>> MING: Sus, this is like the American favorite avocado toast, but so much better.

(laughs) >> So we put a little eggplant right on the bottom.

>> MING: Ah, so pretty.

>> So, can you line a few shrimp on the top?

Yeah.

>> MING: Going the same way?

>> Yeah.

There you go.

Mm-hmm.

>> MING: (speaking Chinese) I'm saying in Chinese you need five, not four, because four is death in Chinese, too, right?

Si.

>> So a little eggplant on the top.

>> MING: Oh, my God.

>> Then we're just going to make a little salad, put it on the top.

>> MING: Okay.

So dump this in here?

>> Mm-hmm.

Toss.

>> MING: You got it.

>> Nice, so... Can I use this?

So I'm just going to use... You want to put the cherry tomatoes, four pieces?

>> MING: Yeah.

Just on the plate?

>> Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

>> MING: This is such a pretty dish, Sus.

That's why you're the master of fusion.

Four, five?

>> Yeah, this is good.

>> MING: I'm doing five, Sus, sorry.

Oh, my God.

>> So... >> MING: That is a beautiful dish-- go ahead.

Oh, you're not done?

>> Just a little bit.

A little bit of olive oil, just a little bit.

Can you squeeze a little fresh lemon juice on it?

>> MING: Yes.

>> Just squeeze it right on the top.

That's when I call it done.

>> MING (sighs): That's it?

>> So simple.

>> MING: All right, stick around, we got one more dish.

It's got eggplant-- that's all I know.

♪ ♪ Sus, that dish looks so good.

I cannot wait to eat it.

>> Thank you, Ming.

>> MING: Thank you-- all right, so listen.

What I have here-- you've done this before.

This is coriander seeds, right?

So I'm just smashing it up.

>> I like the way you use a pan to grind it out.

That's so old-school.

>> MING: It is old-school.

So what we're going to do, I want you to do some chopped chives, chive batons, and then sliced scallion greens.

>> Oh, that's, that's... >> MING: I'm going to break down this tuna.

I'm doing a tuna tataki, coriander- and togarashi-crusted, with an eggplant caviar and curry oil.

>> Wow, that's like a Middle East-East kind of dish, right?

>> MING: Yeah, it is.

And you, because you did tuna-- a different tuna, obviously-- I'm just going to square this off, make a nice kind of finger.

This is... this, by the way, you're not throwing any of this tuna away, right?

This is perfectly delicious tuna.

I just wanted a nice piece that ideally didn't have any sinew.

>> So, so, I did a cooked tuna.

You did sort of like a rare kind of tuna, is it what it is?

>> MING: Yeah, this is tataki, yeah, so we're just going to sear it, really rare.

So what we're going to do is, on the cutting board, salt.

>> So, tuna-- would you, would you say... Like, any favorite part of the tuna you use on this recipe?

>> MING: So this is the... this is what we call center cut of the loin.

>> Center cut.

>> MING: So it's the top loin or the loin.

>> Right, so you're taking all of these kind of... >> MING: So I took the sinew out, right?

So that's a little togarashi.

And this is the coriander seed, right?

So with the salt, togarashi, mix that all up on the board.

>> I can smell the coriander seed, it's beautiful.

>> MING: Isn't that great?

>> Yeah.

>> MING: And then we're just going to roll our tuna in this salt-togarashi- coriander mix.

>> Like turning it, like a crust, you're saying.

>> MING: Exactly.

Crust with flavor, okay?

Then, in this same pan that we had the coriander, we're just going to sauté a little bit of shallots and garlic, because what we're going to do, like you, I'm going to roast some eggplant in the oven.

But it's going to be a little bit different.

I'm just going to halve big eggplant, not the Chinese eggplant you had.

And we're going to cook it all the way through.

>> What makes you decide to use the European-style eggplant?

>> MING: You know, because I'm doing an eggplant caviar, which is a, which is a purée, so I just wanted more meat.

>> Right.

>> MING: So I'm just sautéing a little bit of garlic and shallot just to get the rawness out.

And then in this pan, we're going to go ahead and get the tataki going.

>> I got some preparation for you ready here, Ming.

>> MING: Do me a favor-- slice the eggplant in half and then... >> So you don't need the top, obviously.

>> MING: Top off, slice in half, and then you're just going to salt, pepper, olive oil, please.

And here's your olive oil, sir.

So just on, yeah, that on the pan.

That can go into the oven.

And this will take... Um, this will take about 30 minutes in a 375-degree oven.

>> 375.

>> MING: Okay?

So this pan I want screeching-hot.

So here we're going to use canola oil.

Olive oil has a much lower smoking temperature, so it will burn, so we don't want that.

>> So, the eggplant, do you want me to poke some holes or just leave it the way it is?

>> MING: No, just like that.

>> Just like that, mm-hmm.

>> MING: Because I want it to... All right, so there's salt... did you put pepper?

>> Yeah, can you put some pepper?

So 375 for... 20 minutes?

>> MING: For 30 minutes.

>> 30 minutes.

>> MING: Here, go in there, brother.

And this, after 30 minutes... >> Oh, now I can see it.

>> MING: Look, look what this looks like, guys.

Right?

That's why I wanted it whole, and it gets nice and soft-- it's super-soft.

Now, here, super-hot pan.

(sizzles) Literally 30 seconds a side, right?

The tuna is going to be raw in the middle and still cool.

Tataki is just a way of searing just to get a little color.

All right?

That's all we're looking for, guys.

>> So, you seared, like, one side, how many seconds?

>> MING: I'd give it 30 seconds?

>> 30 seconds?

>> MING: Right?

Literally.

And then the key is, you want to just let it rest for a few minutes before you sear it... >> Uh-huh.

>> MING: Before you slice it up.

>> This is for your eggplant caviar?

That's, yeah.

>> I can see... >> MING: So that's good.

>> I really like the fact that doesn't stick.

Because of the crust, you create sort of like a skin.

>> MING: All right, here, take that top off for me.

Okay, so now we're going to take our... Yeah, thank you.

We're going to take this eggplant.

And we're going to...

I'm going to...

I can just scoop it here on the tray first.

You see how soft that is?

>> Yeah.

>> MING: Look at all that meat.

>> Let me do this-- let me do the other piece.

>> MING: Okay-- oh, I got it, Sus, I got it.

Here, dump it in, dump it in a blender for me, though.

Really hot.

You have to use this hot, guys, because at the very end we're going to monter au beurre, which is a little bit of butter to bring this all together.

>> Oh, you use butter on this.

>> MING: Yeah.

(speaks Chinese) >> Mm-hmm.

>> MING: Okay, we have this.

Fantastic.

All right, so here's sautéed... Just a good heaping tablespoon of that.

That's all we need there.

Yeah, we'll do that when we get it blended first.

So if we're going to get it going first, cover...

This is industrial, baby.

(blender whirring) Now, a little bit of butter.

One, two, three, four, fix, six, seven, eight.

Nine, ten.

A little more salt.

(blender stops) >> You get it very creamy.

>> MING: That's it.

Yeah, this is, this is like an eggplant caviar sauce, if you would, right?

>> Mmm.

>> MING: See that?

>> It is, it's almost like an eggplant tahini kind of a... >> MING: Yeah, I think that's right.

I think tahini is a good, a good classic word for that.

All right, so I tell you what, Sus... >> Could I do a little taste?

>> MING: Yeah, please.

We're going to let this tuna rest.

Needs to rest about ten minutes before you slice it.

And when we come back, we're going to plate this up with some eggplant caviar.

Pretty good?

>> Tastes really nice with the butter.

>> MING: It's not quite done-- ten minutes, stick around.

All right, Sus.

So, please add some of your chopped chives and your sliced green scallions.

I'm going to add just... You know eggplant's a little bitter.

Just a touch of honey.

>> What about the chopped... >> MING: No, that's garnish.

All right.

>> A little bit of green onions.

>> MING: Perfect >> Enough?

Little bit more?

>> MING: Give that a mix for me, Sus.

All right, here's our beautiful tuna.

>> Ah, beautiful.

>> MING: All right.

How many people?

You're hungry, right, Sus?

>> Mm-hmm.

>> MING: We'll go... (speaks Chinese) Okay, let's plate this up, Sus.

Let's do it right here.

Just going to take our eggplant caviar.

So simple, right?

I mean, this really was not a hard dish at all.

>> Yeah, very little step, but the results look really good.

Did you say you add some honey in there?

>> MING: I did, just a touch of honey.

>> Oh, give a little sweetness.

>> MING: Just a little bit.

Just like this, Sus.

So, a good little hors d'oeuvre, maybe.

Good appetizer.

And the other thing that we made for this that I love is curry oil.

So that's what I have right here, Sus.

We take Madras curry powder.

>> Uh-huh.

>> MING: In a dry sauté pan, we just heat it till it's smoking.

>> Right.

>> MING: We add canola or grapeseed oil, mix it up, put it into a tall container, let it sit, and it separates.

>> Oh, I see, so you let it infuse.

>> MING: What you have left is a beautiful curry oil.

>> Right.

>> MING: Look how pretty this is.

>> So, basically, you're roasting the seed and the spices.

>> MING: Yeah.

And this is... look at this great color this curry oil has.

Just on tuna, on the eggplant.

>> Mmm.

>> MING: Like that.

Add some perfectly cut chive batons.

♪ ♪ Let's eat.

>> Wow.

>> MING: Boom.

>> That's awesome.

>> MING: Here we go, tuna time.

Sus... >> Cheers, Ming.

>> MING: To you.

>> Cheers.

>> MING: A little sauvignon blanc from New Zealand.

>> Thank you.

>> MING: Santé.

Dude, I cannot wait.

Give me some of your dish, please.

Here, I'll going to put my plate right next to you.

I will serve you some of mine, as well.

A little eggplant caviar, excuse me.

>> Uh-huh.

>> MING: A little tuna.

All right, give you a little bit more eggplant.

Voilà, awesome.

>> You need a little garnish.

>> MING: (speaking Chinese) Awesome-- mmm.

This looks so good, dude.

This is good-- this is East-West, chopsticks and fork.

>> You know, it's so nice, you know, when I come on your show, I always learn something.

>> MING: Dude, this is amazing.

Your tuna XO...

I'm serious, guys, this is unbelievable.

>> Room temperature tastes amazing.

>> MING: Right?

The tuna?

>> With the eggplant caviar.

>> MING: Yeah, I don't mind.

>> You know, the oil...

The curry oil really gives the last... kind of finish.

>> MING: Right.

Dude, your dish...

The XO is ridiculous.

>> Well, thank you.

>> You could eat nothing but the XO, but the polenta... Two textures-- crispy and soft.

Love that, right?

And the shrimp perfectly cooked.

Sus, thank you.

You're absolutely the best, such a talented chef.

>> That is a beautiful dish, Ming.

>> MING: Yours, as well-- thank you so much, dude.

And all you out there, as always, thank you.

Peace and good eating.

>> Cheers.

>> MING: Cheers.

♪ ♪