How a Pro Chef Makes Traditional Chinese Steamed Fish for Lunar New Year

Video Description

Steamed fish isn’t just a dish for Chef Philip Leong of Gai Wong—it’s the centerpiece he turns to whenever his family gathers for Chinese New Year. It’s the dish his father taught him while running one of Brunei’s largest floating fish farms, the one he now prepares for friends celebrating Lunar New Year, for family who want a meal that’s both comforting and ceremonial, and for anyone who values food cooked with care and respect. In Philip’s world, this simple fish is a quiet kind of tradition, built on technique, memory, and the belief that good cooking should make people feel connected. Those principles guide every moment of this StoryBites episode. From the bustle of Footscray Market to the calm of his kitchen, Philip reveals the small, practical skills that give steamed fish its depth. At the fishmongers, he shows how to select the freshest fish, explaining why Murray Cod, marorn, or other Australian freshwater options make for the perfect Lunar New Year dish. He shares tips for portion sizes, how to spot freshness, and why choosing your own fish matters just as much as the cooking itself. In the produce section, he teaches how to pick ginger, coriander, and spring onions with purpose—ingredients that lift the fish, mask any muddy notes, and build the fragrance that makes this dish unforgettable. Once he’s back at the stove, Philip’s approach becomes even more generous. He demonstrates how to clean, gut, and rub the fish the right way, how to cut aromatics to unlock maximum flavour, and how to manage steaming so the fish comes out perfectly tender. Everything he does is simple enough for beginners, yet grounded in the accumulated wisdom of a chef who has lived with seafood his entire life. And woven through all of it is the reminder that steamed fish matters because of why it exists in the first place. It’s a dish rooted in care—an act of feeding someone who deserves strength, comfort, or a moment of celebration. Philip’s hope is that viewers won’t just learn how to make a better Lunar New Year fish, but how to bring more intention and attentiveness into their own kitchens. If you’re looking for a CCK Knife of your own to cook like Philip, visit Chefs Edge today: https://www.chefs-edge.com.au/collections/cck?srsltid=AfmBOopyxFCoM71WZXQzskho43FcLf5zNCPDuGrxfg02t4D48-k0YPmV Follow StoryBites: https://www.instagram.com/storybites._/ Follow Uncle Lip: https://www.instagram.com/unclelip_gaiwong/ Follow Chefs Edge: https://www.instagram.com/chefsedgeau/