TASTE
TASTE
A chef's travels
By Mike Gordon
Advertiser Staff Writer
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Whenever he travels to China, which is roughly eight times a year, TV chef Martin Yan is sort of a food tourist.
Maybe it's an occupational hazard for a guy who has been the host of cooking shows for 29 years, but Yan always packs a video camera and zooms in on anything that looks like it might taste good.
His latest show on public television — "Martin Yan's China" — is a blend of travel, culture and cooking. The show is not carried locally, but you can catch Yan's fast and funny demonstrations this weekend at the sixth annual Splendor of China Cultural Festival & Trade Show.
"I travel to different regions," the 56-year-old Yan said by telephone. "In China, different regions have different cuisines and lifestyle, and different architecture, different music and different flavors."
Even with a chef as skilled as Yan, there are no guarantees that everything is going to taste good. As he gathered recipes this year for his show, Yan would test them on his family and production staff. If something didn't work, he wasn't above getting a bit creative to help it out.
"Each different region, different cuisine and different people have a different palate," he said. "They taste things and they look at things and they prepare things a little bit different. So a lot of things I prepare may not be the same things everybody loves. And the things they prepare, I may not get used to it. In that case, I will try to modify it."
We asked Yan to tell us more about his travels and endeavors:
Q. What was the inspiration behind creating "Martin Yan's China"?
A. In China there are still a lot of places to explore. The U.S. is so new and the history is so short, so you don't really see much difference from one city to another. In China you can see city walls that have been standing for about 2,200 years. Everywhere you go, basically we are talking about architecture, history and heritage, about cuisine and about people.
Q. What have you found during your search for exotic Chinese dishes that surprised or impressed you in some way?
A. I look at it, and I noticed that there are so many things I had never seen, never tasted, never known how they cooked it. A lot of the ingredients that they use are only available locally. Some of the spices and some of the herbs and some of the vegetables are only available locally. And people use the minimum amount of tools, minimum amount of equipment to do a multitude of dishes that are healthy and are wonderful. That really inspired me to always tell people: All the food you do, you don't have to have expensive ingredients. All you have to do is use your common sense and imagination.
Q. How difficult are these dishes to prepare — and will it be hard to find the ingredients?
A. Not difficult at all. You know, in many parts of China they live a very simple life. They use simple ingredients. They don't have caviar, they don't have truffles. They don't have any of those fancy stuffs. They use the simplest seasonings, the simplest ingredients to do a home-cooked meal. Basically what I am doing is making a home-cooked meal. And there is nothing fancy or nothing difficult about it. Everything can be found locally. It's just a technique, a basic concept of cooking and you can create all kinds of things.
Q. Are American taste buds ready for these dishes?
A. I always tell people, before you do anything, don't ask, just taste it. If you like it, ask what it is and you can learn how to cook it. Not everything you look at or taste, you like. Nobody learns to like everything. To me the most important thing is to let people experience and be educated. The whole idea is to maintain the original tradition, and at the same time not make it too adulterous and change it too much, and to let people appreciate local cuisine.
Q. You were here last year, so what brought you back to this year's Splendor of China?
A. Hawai'i is my favorite vacation place. Every year I go to Hawai'i; I just don't let people know what I am doing. I am not kidding. Because Hawai'i is the only place I can truly relax. When I go to Hawai'i I can slow down a little bit. You go to other places, you may not be able to slow down. I like that because my life is so hectic.
Q. Any must-eat items while you're in the Islands?
A. I love seafood, and Hawai'i has great seafood. When I am traveling, I try to try all the local stuff. I go to Hawaiian lu'aus. I like Hawaiian pig. I love the gooey stuff - poi. People don't like it, and I love it. I love the texture.
CORN STIR-FRY
Corn has found a place at the Chinese dining table like other New World veggies such as tomatoes and eggplants. These days, corn is cultivated and consumed regularly in many parts of China.
If using fresh corn, shave the kernels off each ear with a sharp knife. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.
In a small frying pan, toast the Sichuan peppercorns over medium heat, shaking the pan frequently, until fragrant and lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Immediately pour them onto a plate to cool.
Place a wok or stir-fry pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil, swirling to coat the sides. Add the corn, tomato, bell pepper, onion, jicama, tofu and water chestnuts and stir-fry until the vegetables are tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce, salt, sugar and Sichuan peppercorns, tossing until well combined.
Transfer to a serving plate, garnish with the cilantro, and serve.
Makes 4 servings.
• Per serving: 230 calories, 10 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 600 mg sodium, 32 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 7 g sugar, 8 g protein
SHANGRI-LA BEEF
The original recipe for this dish featured yaks, which are long-haired highland buffalo. Seeing that yak meat is hard to find, beef steak is a recommended substitute. The dry-
frying technique is designed to bring out the beef's more concentrated flavors.
Marinade
To make the marinade, combine the regular and dark soy sauces, rice wine and cornstarch in a medium bowl and mix well. Add the beef and stir to coat evenly. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Place a wok or stir-fry pan over high heat until hot. Add the oil, swirling to coat the sides. Add the chiles and garlic and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add the beef and stir-fry until barely pink in the center, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the green onions and bell pepper and cook until the green onions wilt. Add the
chili bean paste and hoisin sauce and toss to coat the meat evenly.
Transfer to a serving plate and serve.
Makes 4 servings.
• Per serving: 250 calories, 13 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 50 mg cholesterol, 600 mg sodium, 16 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 3 g sugar, 21 g protein
Reach Mike Gordon at mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com.
