Tat-tat-taaaat-tat-tat-taaaat-tat! That, my friends, is the beautiful sing-song sound of Chef Martin Yan’s cleaver as he chops bok choy. In fact, everything about Martin is musical, from the lyrical harmony of his Chinese accent (yes, it’s real – I asked) to the way he rhythmically pulses the food processor. Brrrrrr-brr.brr-brrrrr.

I met Martin Yan last week at his special class held at Aprons cooking school, and it really was a childhood dream come true. When I was kid, I watched “Yan Can Cook.” Back then, in the 80’s, it was a big deal to me, not for the cooking aspect of the show, but because he was Chinese, with a thick accent, starring in his very own show on television. He created an entire brand empire around his kung fu-esque knife action and very funny, punny jokes.

But, putting showmanship aside, he gave the class very useful cooking tips:

• Tsingtao beer is great for steaming mussels
• If you;re running low on Hoisin sauce, just add a bit of soy sauce, sugar and Sriracha hot sauce to the bottle, close and shake to mix
• Don’t waste leftover bits of vegetables, seafood or meat -chop them up and simmer in canned chicken broth for an instant soup
• Deep-fried chiffonade strips of bok choy leaves makes a crisp, nutty and sweet topping for a stir-fry

You know what though, I don’t think I can fully express my admiration for the Yan man in words. I mean, this is the guy who’s hosted over 2,000 cooking shows, authored 28 cookbooks, carves a chicken in 18 seconds flat and minces a garlic clove in a split-second, single-handed thwack. He’s totally my kitchen super-hero and get this, he mentioned writing a blurb for the back of my cookbook! He showed me where Jackie Chan had blurbed the back of his book and called him a “man of perpetual motion.” And yes, he is.

Oh, please excuse that whoosh of air. That’s just silly me sucking up.