Chef Katherine Lim brings her Hakka mastery to InAzia, as Sheraton Grand Whitefield Hotel & Convention Centre‘s sophisticated Pan-Asian restaurant welcomes the Lunar New Year. The three-day culinary pop-up features the guest master chef’s sensational à la carte creations, offering diners a rare glimpse into authentic Hakka traditions.

The specially curated menu along with Executive Chef Hitesh Pant tells the story of Hakka tradition through symbolic New Year dishes like the abundant Yam ‘Abacus’ beads and auspicious 8 Treasure Soup. Katherine’s repertoire extends to rare authentic preparations like salt-baked chicken, while creative interpretations such as the triple-style rice cakes and regional influences like Xinjiang mutton showcase the evolution of Hakka cuisine.

At Chef Katherine Lim’s intimate Chef’s Table, TheGlitz experienced her ‘I Am Not A Noodle’ concept as Hakka cuisine unfolded through passionate tableside narratives.

A Taste of Heritage: Chef Katherine Lim’s Culinary Journey

In the heart of Kolkata’s vibrant Chinatown, Chef Katherine Lim crafts a narrative that spans continents and generations. Born in Amritsar as part of the only Chinese family in the neighbourhood, her journey embodies the rich tapestry of Hakka heritage—a story of resilience, adaptation, and culinary mastery that began 1,700 years ago when her ancestors left the Yellow River plains of China.

A Legacy Preserved Through Flavour

Growing up between two distinct worlds, Katherine found her true identity in the kitchen. Her earliest memories are filled with the sight of her grandparents and mother bringing China to their dinner table—crafting homemade soy milk, tofu, and lap cheong with practiced precision. These cherished techniques, passed down through generations, became more than recipes; they transformed into a bridge connecting her to her roots. Through extensive research and conversations with Hakka communities worldwide, from Hong Kong to Canada, Katherine has woven together a distinctive culinary philosophy that honours tradition while embracing innovation.

Progressive Hakka Cuisine: The Ultimate Surrealist Lunch

From the traditional Yam ‘Abacus Beads’ to the contemporary Typhoon Shelter Prawns, each dish emerged as a masterpiece, showcasing her artful blend of ancient Chinese techniques with local Indian ingredients. What made the evening particularly special was Katherine’s personal touch—she visited our table to share the intricate stories behind each preparation, from the precise temperature control needed for her signature roast crackling pork belly to the street food inspiration behind her Xinjiang toothpick mutton. “This is living, breathing cuisine,” she explained, as we savoured her sophisticated interpretations of household staples.

Our lavish lunch concluded over steaming jasmine tea and spirited conversation with Katherine. A playful quickfire round had us all laughing, though one question comparing her grandmother to Gordon Ramsay struck a tender chord—the gentle protest spoke volumes about her cherished culinary roots. While we basked in the afternoon’s culinary memories, the kitchen was already buzzing with evening preparations—in chef Lim’s world, each ending is just another beginning.

Rajeev: How do your Amritsar roots and Kolkata upbringing influence your approach to Progressive Hakka Chinese cuisine?

Chef Katherine Lim: I feel that having roots both in Amritsar and Kolkata have made me more open to exploring new flavours and experimenting. Right from my childhood, I’ve seen my grandparents & mom try to bring China to the dinner table. Since we did not have access to a lot of Chinese ingredients, I have seen them making their own soy milk and tofu, pickled mustard greens, lap cheung & lap yuk, egg noodles, which not only fuelled my thirst to learn, but I also learned how to make them. Had I grown up somewhere where all these ingredients were readily available, I may have never needed to learn these ancient recipes.

Can you share a memorable story behind one of your signature dishes that reflects the global Hakka diaspora?

Well, I recently hosted my uncle, who’s also a chef, and his family at one of my pop-ups. The Hakka Yam Abacus Beads, a quintessential beloved Hakka dish that represents reunion and signifies wealth and prosperity, a dish I first tasted in Singapore, had everyone flummoxed as to whether it was actually squid. When I told them, it was made with yam, my uncle commented that you’ve surpassed me in cooking!! That was a stupendous compliment for me!!

What contemporary techniques have you integrated into traditional Hakka recipes, and how do they enhance the flavours?

Hakka food doesn’t use a lot of baking, as we never had access to ovens since we were nomadic in nature. For example, the Hakka salt baked chicken traditionally has the whole chicken wrapped in paper cooked in hot salt. But now that I’m doing a lot of work in commercial kitchens, I feel baking the paper wrapped chicken achieves the same results in half the time, while keeping the flavours intact.

What do you hope guests will take away from experiencing your exclusive three-day pop-up with Gormei?

I’m hoping guests will be enriched by their experience and learn more about Hakka cooking and traditions. And that noodles and chilli chicken isn’t our daily diet.

Quickfire Round with Chef Katherine Lim

If you’re stuck on a desert island with only three kitchen utensils, which would guarantee your survival – and your sanity?… Definitely a Chinese cleaver, though I don’t know whether it qualifies as a kitchen utensil. A wok with the Chinese spatula. And the pressure cooker.

You’re among the finalist in a global cooking competition and the secret ingredient you picked is something you absolutely despise. What’s your most creative culinary revenge?… Well, as a chef, I can’t afford to despise any ingredient. I’ve managed to turn a lot of my dislikes into dishes that diners love. For example, I’m not a big fan of mutton and avoided cooking with mutton for the longest time. But now, the Xinjiang spice mutton is one of the most loved dishes in my pop ups.

Gordon Ramsay and your grandmother are having a cook-off in your kitchen. Who gets voted off first and why?… My grandmother was a female chef in a commercial kitchen long before chefs were a big thing! I would love to have Ramsay voted off first, because I feel my grandmother was an unsung culinary hero, who never got her rightful share of fame and recognition.

Come to think: your culinary superpower is accidentally discovered by aliens. They offer you a choice: cook for their entire clan or never touch a wok again. What’s your move?… Of course! I’d willingly cook for their whole species!! That’s a no-brainer!

If your Wok could talk, what lol cooking blunder would it reveal?… Hmmm…too many to talk about! Everything that can go wrong, has gone wrong!