“Now add the buah keluak — it’s buah keluak ah, not baccarat!” exclaims Ah Ge Li Nanxing as he empties a bowl brimming with the earthy black paste into a sizzling pan of beef and chicken rendang. Everyone laughs at his thinly veiled reference to his iconic God of Gamblers character Yan Fei in the classic Ch 8 drama The Unbeatables. The smell is amazing, and our stomach growls in anticipation.

We’re at an event with the 54-year-old at Holland Village supermarket Taste, which is revamping itself as Taste Butchery & Seafood Factory Outlet to offer fresh and packaged produce at “factory direct” prices (for instance, a 250g pack of Frozen Kurobuta Pork Belly Shabu here retails at $10, while Taste’s competitors are selling it for about $15). The sprawling store also has new sections stocked with ingredients for barbecues and shabu-shabu. Taste is run by the folks behind seafood purveyor Far Ocean, whose boss is longtime pals with Nanxing.

To launch the revamped Taste, Nanxing is participating in the Taste Singapore Star Charity Cook-Off, armed with his famous cooking chops. His ‘competitor’? His makan kaki and fellow competent home cook Christopher Lee, 48.

So the two men take their places behind a makeshift kitchen setup at the supermarket, ready to whip up their dishes with the store’s ingredients to impress. In one corner is Nanxing with his mum’s Beef and Chicken Rendang recipe, and in the other corner is Christopher with his wife Fann Wong’s favourite Braised Pork and spicy Stir-Fried Prawns.

We’re expecting some serious competition, but it turns out to be more like spending an afternoon at home with the veteran actors as they cook dinner. They help each other with their dishes (Li Nanxing wipes Chris’ sweaty brow!), trade bro insults and banter about their cooking. After all, the event is done for a good cause: proceeds from the 150 tickets sold to the public to watch and sample the Ah Ges’ cooking goes to charity (Nanxing and Chris’ famous pals like Pan Lingling and Rayson Tan had also bought tix to support, while Chris’ younger brother Frederick Lee, far left in pic, also turned up).

Other than food cooked by the stars, the 150 ticket-holders also get their dishes served to them by Fann Wong (who brought along her adorable, five-year-old budding gourmand son Zed to support his dad Chris), Julie Tan and Constance Song, while much-missed former Love 972 deejay Dongfang Billy made a kefir cheesecake dessert and his famous Billy’s Signature Lemonade. Talk about a surreal dining experience.

Even if you missed out on attending this event, you can still try the stars’ homecooked dishes… sorta. Nanxing’s beef and chicken rendang and Chris’ braised pork will be sold as ready-to-eat takeaway dishes at Taste at $19.90 per 300g (order at least three days in advance). But it wouldn’t be cooked by the celebs themselves; the recipes are given to Taste’s in-house chefs to prepare instead.

“It’s not easy being a man these days. You need to capture a woman’s heart and her palate as well,” quips Chris as he preps his dish. For the record, he’s a natural in the kitchen, sautéing garlic and adding pinches of cinnamon to his braised pork, which he finishes with some rock sugar like a pro. He then adds a splash of vinegar to his stir-fried prawns and jokes: “I add very little vinegar when the dish is for my wife. She hardly chi chu! (which literally means ‘consume vinegar’ in Mandarin and is slang for being jealous).”

No wonder Fann is counting her blessings. “I married him because he can cook,” she laughs. “I think it’s so great that a modern guy like him can cook.” Though Chris modestly deflects her compliment. “I think Li Nanxing is a better cook. We’ve been to his house for meals a few times. The moment he catches some fresh crabs [from his kelong], he’d invite us over to eat. I like his Malay dishes. His sotong and sea hum (blood cockle) dishes are delicious,” he shares as Fann adds wistfully, “His pig’s stomach soup is also good.”

Alas, the answer is no. “It’s a lot of pressure you know!” Li Nanxing tells us, his eyes widening. Chris concurs. “Cooking is really tough. Even if you can manoeuvre your stove at home, being in a professional kitchen is different.” But if they decide to open an eatery, perhaps Fann can do the desserts. After all, she has a secret talent for baking. “I do bake cakes at home, simple ones. And cookies,” she shares shyly as Nanxing expresses his surprise: “Wah, you know how to bake cakes? Aiyoh!” And she also gamely volunteers to cook for Chris: “I can cook for him. Or maybe he’ll say, ‘No need lah lao po, please go rest’ (laughs).”

While we were really looking forward to tasting the stars’ cooking, sadly, we didn’t get to try much of the food at the packed venue — the event was sold out and everyone wanted a piece of Li Nanxing and Christopher Lee… plus their makan. Meanwhile, we’ve included photos of their dishes for your visual feasting (hey, it's better than nothing).

Taste Butchery & Seafood Factory Outlet, 18 Holland Ave, S278997. Tel: 6264-8389. www.facebook.com/pg/tastesgp.

PHOTOS: AIK CHEN