Memories of home are the flavours this
Lunar New Year

There are many things that remind Simon Ming of home, but slow cooked beef shank is just one of them.

“As a kid I would sneak into the fridge late at night while everyone was asleep, just to have a little morsel or two before anyone else,” the Le Cordon Bleu Adelaide alumnus recalls.

“Coming from China, this is a dish that we used to make a lot as a family, and I still love to cook it to this day."

To celebrate Lunar New Year, Simon has shared his generations-old recipe with us.

He says for best results, the beef is slow cooked overnight, and then left to soak in the broth to let the flavours infuse into the meat.

“It really is a comforting, home-style meal that I usually cook when I’m missing home, but in particular for Lunar New Year along with some pickled vegetables, dumplings and glutinous rice balls.”

Simon said goodbye to his family and moved from Sichuan, China to Adelaide when he was just 21. This was where his true ambition to make a name for himself in the food and wine capital of Australia took hold.

After graduating from Le Cordon Bleu Adelaide's Diplôme de Commis Cuisinier in 2019, he immediately got a position working under the late Jock Zonfrillo at restaurant Orana. From there, he travelled interstate and worked at top restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne, but always felt a strong connection to South Australia.

“Growing up in a very populated country, I was tired of that big city life,” he says.

“I started my culinary journey in Adelaide and I felt very connected…it felt like Adelaide was where I needed to be.”

Now, at the age of 29, Simon is the head chef and part-owner of French and Spanish fusion restaurant ODÉ Bistro in North Adelaide, where he uses French culinary techniques taught by Le Cordon Bleu to bring his dishes alive.

Check out Simon’s slow cooked beef shank recipe below. From the team at Le Cordon Bleu Australia, we wish you a prosperous Lunar New Year 2024 – the year of the dragon.