ASSOCIATED PRESS

Hong Kong chef creates his own cuisine

Web posted July 16, 1997

By Linda Beaulieu
Associated Press

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Jacky Ko cared little for his mother's cooking while he was growing up in southern China, but that didn't stop him from becoming a talented chef and restaurant owner.

In 1982, the Ko family moved to Hong Kong and eventually to the United States. He honed his Asian cooking skills at restaurants in Rhode Island while he attended graduate school at Johnson & Wales University.

Today, Mr. Ko is the owner of Galaxie II, an Asian restaurant in North Providence, R.I., where the food is fresh and light without a hint of grease or MSG (monosodium glutamate), not at all like his mother used to make.

After lunch and before the dinner crowd begins to arrive, waiters can be seen in the dining room, picking over lush bunches of fresh basil and mounds of perfect string beans.

The vast menu, which features many fresh vegetable dishes, reads like a Pacific Rim road map. Eight cooks work under Mr. Ko's direction in the kitchen, preparing everything from Vietnamese bee boong to the intense Yao horn soup in a fire pot, popular with Korean customers.

Noodles play a major role in the Galaxie II kitchen. There are rice noodles, stir-fried yellow noodles, crispy noodles, Cantonese noodles and lo mein noodles, to name just a few.

Mr. Ko explains, ``Singapore is famous for its very skinny rice noodles, and Shanghai is known for its crispy, pan-fried lo mein.

``Banh hoi is a special Vietnamese rice noodle dish served with fresh lettuce, bean sprouts, mint, cucumber and peanut sauce similar to the popular nime chow appetizer but more of a main course. And lort is a short rice noodle that is stir-fried with bean sprouts and green onions.''

Nime Chow

1 ounce uncooked bean threads (cellophane noodles)

2 cups hot water

12, 8-inch round sheets rice paper (imported from Thailand)

2 cups thinly sliced green lettuce

1 cup fresh bean sprouts

24 basil leaves

32 medium-size shrimp, cooked and peeled

1 cup Lime-Vinegar Sauce (recipe follows)

1/2 cup finely chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts

Combine bean threads and hot water in a bowl; let stand 10 minutes. Drain; cut into 2-inch lengths.

In a large shallow dish, pour 1 inch of cold water. Cut 4 rice paper sheets in half, leaving the remaining 8 sheets whole. Place 1 whole rice paper sheet and 1 half rice paper sheet in dish of water. Let stand 2 minutes or until soft. Remove sheets from water. Place whole rice paper sheet on a flat surface top with the half sheet, lining up edges of both sheets.

Place 1/4 cup lettuce over half sheet, leaving a 1/2 -inch border around outer edge of half sheet. Place 1 tablespoon bean threads, 2 tablespoons bean sprouts, 3 basil leaves and 4 shrimp over lettuce. Fold sides of rice paper sheets over filling; roll up jelly-roll style. Gently press seam to seal tightly. Place, seam side down, on a serving platter. Cover to keep from drying out. Repeat procedure with remaining rice paper sheets, lettuce, bean threads, bean sprouts, basil and shrimp.

Cut each roll in half crosswise. Serve with Lime-Vinegar Sauce and finely chopped peanuts. Makes 16 rolls.

Lime-Vinegar Sauce

1 cup hot water

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 tablespoon fish sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

In a small bowl, combine the water, sugar and salt. Stir well. Allow to cool completely. Stir in lime juice, white vinegar, fish sauce and garlic. Makes 1 and 1/4 cups.

Note: Unusual ingredients such as the bean threads, rice paper and fish sauce are available in Asian markets as well as large supermarkets.