I'm Sean, a 28 year old food anthropologist, chef, and occasional vegetable farmer. I was born in Hong Kong, grew up in the UK, and moved back to Hong Kong a few years ago. I've always been really interested in food on every level - especially the cooking and eating part, and have worked in Chinese and western restaurants in both London and Hong Kong before starting Fragrant Knives.
What inspired you to start Fragrant Knives?
I'd always been told in professional kitchens in London that Japanese knives were the gold standard - all the best chefs had an exquisite set of handmade Japanese knives that they keep pristine in their knife rolls. I went ahead and got a couple of lovely knives, and really came to love them. They cost an arm and a leg, but that's the price you pay for handmade craftsmanship. But after a few shifts in restaurants in Hong Kong I noticed that all of these incredible chefs used comparatively cheap, tough and unfussy Chinese chef's knives (cleavers). I realised that the vast vast majority of people just don't need knives like that - even most professional chefs don't need a collection of £200+ knives. They're beautiful objects, but the amount of care they demand and the cost is just overkill.
I used an old Chinese chef's knife that my grandmother gave to me in the kitchen for a while and really fell in love with it - it was tough, easy to care for and could do absolutely everything I asked of it. I thought, why not design a knife like this slightly more suited to the western homecook, offer a reliable alternative to the Japanese knife trend, and show them how great these knives can be?
Can you tell us a little about the materials you use and why you chose them?
We're proud to use a Chinese steel for our blade and Chinese rosewood for our handle. The blade metal is a three-layer composite steel. Its core is a 'high carbon stainless steel' - a material that holds a very fine edge without the propensity to rust found in other high carbon steels. We chose rosewood because it looks fantastic, and holds a special cultural significance in Chinese design.
What makes Fragrant Knives different to other chef’s knives on the market?
We've definitely taken inspiration from the classic Chinese chef's knife form, but made some modifications. First, as I mentioned earlier, we use a higher grade of steel than what's normally used for Chinese chef's knives. The steel is harder (with more carbon in its chemical composition), meaning it holds a sharper edge longer than other stainless steels. Second, we've moved the balance point toward the tip of the knife, meaning that when you pick the knife up, you naturally find yourself pinch-gripping the blade. This makes the knife a fair bit easier to use for beginners than other Chinese chef's knives on the market too. Finally, I think our design really stands out - the carved rosewood handle doesn't add much to our final sale price compared to a standard handle, even though it's a fair bit more work to get them perfect, but I think it makes a big difference in aesthetics and function too.
How did you choose your manufacturers?
Luckily, Chinese knifemaking has been concentrated in one city for hundreds of years: Yangjiang, Guangdong province. The city eats sleeps and breathes knives. It accounts for around 70% of global knife production in a city of just a few million people, and almost everyone works in knife or scissor production or has a family member who does. It's only a few hours from Hong Kong by train, so visiting and meeting a bunch of potential manufacturers was well worth the trip. When an industry is so geographically centralised, it makes finding the ideal fit much easier. Initially, we approached factories with output in the millions per year aimed at volume and cost effectiveness over quality, but they were able to pass us on to friends until we found a small workshop that were forward thinking enough to produce our slightly unorthodox chef's knife with the materials and precision that we wanted. It took a long time, a lot of visits, a lot of cups of tea and a big jump in my Cantonese ability to make it happen though!
How do you balance aesthetics with function when it comes to your knives?
I don't always see these two concepts in opposition to each other: I think function is beautiful. It's kind of what drew me to Chinese chef's knives in the first place - they're tools first and foremost, designed to serve the user functionally, but it's that almost brutal functionality that makes them so stunning to me. Even better when they've been battered by years of use. When looking at some of the exquisitely handcrafted Japanese blades that need such care, that's when I find there's a trade-off between aesthetic and function that isn't my preference. In my opinion, for something as regularly used as a knife, every design choice has to have a functional justification.
What about Fragrant Knives are you proudest of?
I'm probably most proud to be introducing so many people to Chinese chef's knives for the first time!
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned on this journey?
That global logistics, customs and duties are even more complex than I could have imagined!
What is your favourite recipe to cook at home?
At the moment, it's probably stir-fried tomato and egg over rice. It's a classic homestyle chinese dish, made a billion different ways across greater China. It's pretty difficult to prove this, but I reckon it's got a shout at being the most consumed dish in the world, as the go-to, affordable and easy-to-make dish across economic and social classes. It's often the first dish you ever learn to make in the kitchen. It's a particularly good time to try it right now, as tomatoes are coming fast into season. Just try and get your hands on some ripe locally grown tomatoes (that haven't been refridgerated) - it really makes a difference. I love it because you can endlessly play with it - adding in different flavours or ingredients (spicy green peppers and cilantro adds a bitter complexity for example) and the dish comes together in under 15 minutes.
6-8 eggs
4-5 large tomatoes (or 1.5x your beaten egg by volume)
3 spring onions
ginger, garlic
pixian toubianjian (or any fermented chilli paste with an umami kick)
- Put on your rice, beat 6-8 eggs with a couple of tablespoons of light sauce, roughly chop up your spring onion, ginger, garlic and tomatoes. Get your spring onion greens sliced nice and fine for garnish, and extra points.
- Get a large wok with a few tablespoons of peanut (or other neutral oil) smoking hot (the oil should bubble around a wooden chopstick or spoon that's dipped into it). Pour in the eggs, which should bubble and puff up excitedly. Turn a couple of times, breaking them up and getting them almost cooked through, before removing into a bowl.
- Add a touch more oil into the wok, on a medium high heat, and add the aromatics. Stir fry until fragrant, then add 1tbs pixian toubanjian, stir frying for another minute. As the oil begins to split, add in your tomatoes, a pinch of salt, a tbs of white sugar (or ketchup if you feel like it), and cook until the tomatoes break down. You don't want them to get too dry, so add a ladle or two of water if your pan gets dry before the tomatoes break down into a sauce.
- Taste and adjust your tomato sauce - it should taste strong, slightly sweet, spicy and umami. It should also be well seasoned, as you're going to have it with a lot of white rice. it shouldn't be too thick either, as the almost cooked scrambled egg you set aside will thicken it slightly when you add it back in.
- Add the eggs back in, mix it through and add your spring onion greens. enjoy over rice.
Shop Fragrant Knives here
