Monique van Loon
Amsterdam based Monique van Loon is a 29 years old online entrepreneur, culinary writer and food photographer. She’s the founder and chief editor of the successful online culinary magazine www.culy.nl a website with over 1 million unique visitors from The Netherlands each month. She is the author of ‘The Culy Way Of Life’, a book filled with Monique’s favorite recipes, hotspots and lots of cooking tips and tricks.
Can you please tell us more about your background and on your career as a food professional?
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I started a Dutch culinary website in 2009 that delivers food inspiration on a daily basis. Since then I’ve done a lot of work in the food world, especially writing recipes, styling plates, taking food photos and advising new food brands about online marketing and social media strategy.
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You are known for your amazing cooking. How did you manage to make a profession from your hobby?
I just did it, haha! Before my career in food I founded a website for women covering fashion, beauty and lifestyle and managed this site for 8 years. Through this experience I learned everything there is about blogging, social media and online entrepreneurship. My personal love for eating and cooking, combined with the experience of my first website, made a perfect start for this new profession in food.
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Where and how did you learn to cook?
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My parents were always really into food, but they weren’t real chefs. I think I learned to eat well at a young age; we always visited good restaurants with pure cooking. For example, in our yearly vacations to France we regularly ate at Ferme Auberges, where all the ingredients used in the dishes were farm fresh and locally produced. The cooking came later; I just read a lot of cookbooks, especially by Nigella Lawson, and started practicing at home.
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The world is getting more and more familiar with Chinese New Year. Do you do anything special for this occasion?
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Personally, no, but I do write about it to my audience. Last year we did a big feature about jiaozi, the steamed dumplings that are traditionally served at Chinese New Year.
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Are you familiar with the signature/special dishes families normally have with Chinese New Year?
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A few, yes! I really like the jiaozi and yu sheng, the raw fish salad.
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Have you ever been in Asia or China during Chinese New Year? Can you tell us more about this experience?
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Unfortunately not…
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What does authentic Chinese food mean to you?
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I think Chinese food is so comforting and full of flavour at the same time. I really like to go to the traditional places in Amsterdam. Instead of ordering usual things like the Babi Pangang that Dutch people know from the ‘afhaalchinees’ (Chinese takeaway) I’d rather go to Nam Kee or New King and order wonton soup or steamed oysters.
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How do you envision the future of Chinese food in The Netherlands?
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I think we’re all getting to know the real Chinese food culture a lot better in The Netherlands nowadays. Especially in the bigger Dutch cities, people want to know what the traditional dishes are, instead of just always ordering the same Chinese take-away food. I do think that because of the increase in food blogs and culinary websites, such as my own, people are much more informed and inspired to cook Chinese food at home. I really like that!
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Is there an element of the Chinese food culture you admire or has had influence on your work? Can you please tell us why?
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I admire the amount of effort Chinese chefs put into dishes, for example Peking duck. It’s not hasty cooking or taking shortcuts. I like that. And I love the fact that Chinese cooking is often super consistent; you know what you’re getting, because they have mastered the techniques over the ages.
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Have you ever tried using oyster sauce or soy sauce to make a Dutch or western dish? Please explain.
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I often use soy sauce in non-Asian dishes, for example baked salmon, traditional Dutch speklapjes (porkbelly), roasted chickpeas or salmon tartare.
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Are there any typical Dutch ingredients you would be able to use for Chinese dishes?
Yes, I think you can really fuse these two food cultures. Dutch cabbage or peas for example are perfect for a Chinese stir-fry or soup.
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What ingredient do you always have in your fridge to make Chinese food? (please also refer to the Lee Kum Kee sauces)
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Oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and hoisin sauce are basic staples in my kitchen. When I run out of them, I have to run to the supermarket immediately, haha!
Do you often use oyster sauce at home? If so, how do you normally use it?
Yes, I use oyster sauce especially in noodle dishes and stir-fry’s, but also in a spicy chicken dish that I serve with rice.
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Do you have a signature dish in which soy sauce plays an important role? if so, what is it?
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A simple lazy sushi bowl is something me and my friends always make. Super fresh salmon, the best rice, edamame beans and avocado, and then a quick sauce made with mayonaise, rice vinegar, wasabi and of course soy sauce.
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Do you have a signature dish in which oyster sauce plays an important role? if so, what is it?
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This will have to be my Hassle-free Oriental style spicy chicken, served with rice. My boyfriend goes crazy for this dish.
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Beside oyster sauce and soy sauce, what is your favourite Lee Kum Kee sauces?
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Hoisin sauce, by far. I really like using that for duck or on steamed buns with pork belly.
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What does Lee Kum Kee mean to you? (please describe in three sentences)
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It’s maximum flavour in a small bottle that’s always convenient. And it’s so versatile: you can use the sauces in so many ways. And on top of that I really dig the authentic feel the labels give me.
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What dish do you like to cook when you're at home and you have people coming over for dinner? And what is your favourite fast dish (max 15 minutes)?
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When people come over for dinner, I always like to fill up the whole table with all sorts of dishes. That can be pasta and salad, or a Middle-Eastern feast, I like to mix it up a lot. But when I’m in a hurry, I usually make myself a noodle bowl. Fast and so good!
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If you could tell the home cooks of the world one thing, what would this be?
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Invest in good staples in your cabinets, fridge and freezer. Make sure you always have lots of flavours to hand; whether that’s an authentic soy sauce, a good rice or frozen peas.
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Please provide a brief description of the three recipes you have created. What is the story behind the dishes? Could you give us more insights on the combination of the sauces with the other key ingredients in the dish? Do you have any tips?
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My Lazy Poke Bowl with Salmon is one of my favourite dishes to create when I have friends coming over. It uses really fresh ingredients with salmon, avocado and water cress and the Lee Kum Kee Premium Light Soy Sauce brings a delicious saltiness to the dish that stops it from being too simple. Usually a poke bowl features raw fish but I love to cook my salmon through as I think it creates a more authentic Chinese flavor and makes the dish feel heartier and more filling while staying nice and healthy. The dish is really simple to make and using Soy Sauce means you don’t really need to season the fish at all. The Wasabi mayonnaise adds an extra kick to the dish but some of my friends prefer to have theirs with just an extra drizzle of soy!
My Hassle-free Oriental style spicy chicken is my boyfriend’s favourite! It is literally bursting with flavour because you combine three different Lee Kum Key sauces. The hoisin sauce made with soybeans, sesame seeds, white distilled vinegar, salt and garlic has a deep, sweet flavour while the chill garlic sauce adds a great hit of spice and the Premium Oyster sauce helps bring a perfect balance of Unami to the dish. It’s another dish that is pretty quick to cook but the flavour makes it seem like you have been cooking for hours! Served hot with rice this is the perfect dish for a quite night in or to make lots of and share with family.
My Noodles with beef and roasted broccoli takes a bit of extra prep time as you really want to marinate the beef in the Lee Kum Kee Premium Oyster and Premium Light Soy sauce to let it absorb all the delicious flavours – but it is well worth the wait. The sauce flavours change the longer you leave them so its worth sticking it out for 8 hours if you can but if not a minimum of two will still make a tasty dish. The soft hot noodles and the pan-fried steak with golden brown broccoli all covered in the thick marinade sauce makes this dish feel really indulgent. Beef goes really well with soy and you can even add a dash into western beef dishes like spaghetti bolognaise. I’ve found that this dish is a real crowd pleaser – old and young love it and with the sprinkling of cashews and coriander on top it looks amazing served on a big dish for everyone to help themselves.
