MarkKim + Chef (2023-…): Season 1, Episode 6 - Episode #1.6 - full transcript
- There are plants!
- What are these?
Are they edible?
- What is this?
- Can you eat these, babe?
- Hi!
- Hi!
- Hi!
- Come help us carry the stuff.
Everyone knows how much we love to eat
but neither of us knows how to cook.
As we're getting married soon
we want to learn to cook
from some of the most renowned chefs
across Thailand.
Tarragon.
Why are there so many vegetables, babe?
Wait, I know why.
I think we're doing healthy dishes today
from all these vegetables we have here.
- OK.
- So, shall we turn on the cameras?
Today, we'll be learning to cook
from Chef Tam, Chudaree Debhakam
the winner in season one
of Top Chef Thailand.
She was a chef at a renowned
Michelin two-star restaurant
called Blue Hill at Stone Barns
in New York for three years.
Nowadays, she is the head chef
and owner of Baan Tepa Culinary Space
a restaurant with a "farm-to-table"
concept.
We can't wait to find out
what dishes she'll be teaching us today.
Shall we meet her now?
- Let's do it.
- OK.
I think she's waiting.
Is it on?
- Hello.
- Hello.
- Hello.
- Hello.
We're Mark and Kim.
And we have Kim's friends
- as our guests today.
- These are my friends.
- Opal and Bow.
- Hello!
Hello...
Judging by the ingredients here
we'll be making healthy dishes, right?
Healthy dishes, yes?
I heard that you guys
preferred healthy food.
That's good for us and the girls.
- Yes.
- So what will you be teaching us?
Yes, what is it gonna be?
Well, I heard that
Kim tried to cook
this for her friends once
but it didn't turn out so well.
Don't tell me it's...
Babe, you've cooked for them?
I made pasta for them once
but we ended up throwing
the whole thing away.
We did try really hard to eat it
by brainwashing ourselves
that it wasn't that bad
and a little more salt
would do the trick.
OK. Where do we start, Chef?
Let's start by
making pasta first.
We'll be using fresh pasta.
We're also going to use herbs
from Baan Tepa's garden
to make pesto sauce.
And our other dish for today will be
butternut squash soup.
We'll be roasting the squash
before blending it to make a soup.
I'm sure you'll love it.
- Nice!
- Sounds wonderful!
- Time to redeem yourself.
- Thank you, Chef.
I'll be sure to learn
how to cook this properly.
Do you see the ingredients
in front of you?
On the left, we have cumin.
Next to it, we have tarragon.
I grew them in my garden
and took good care of them
just for today.
I want to grow my own herbs too.
We have none of these at home.
If we ever try to keep a plant
I bet it would die in two months.
See, you have to take
special care of them
as if they were your children.
Talk to them when you wake up
and water them.
What would you say to them?
Like good morning?
Did you sleep well last night, my child?
It's a form of stress relief.
If you had a stressful day
getting in touch
with nature will help you relax.
That's true...
First, let's clear our kitchen counter.
We won't be needing the herbs just yet.
Would you like to be
the head chef today?
Since your friends are here.
You can cook for them
and redeem yourself while you're at it.
- OK.
- Do it, babe.
I'll redeem myself this time.
I'll just go sit on the sofa and wait.
Just throw her
in at the deep end, right?
- Mark, you've gotta be my assistant.
- OK.
- Be good.
- OK...
OK, let's get started then.
Do you have a weighing scale?
Yes, we do.
Next, get a mixing bowl.
Is this OK, Chef?
Yes, it'll work.
OK.
Semolina flour.
We need 126g.
126g of semolina flour
What's the difference
between semolina flour
wheat flour, corn flour...
and the other kinds of flour?
Semolina flour is durum wheat flour
that has been coarsely milled
so it has a coarser texture.
This kind of flour
will impart a unique aroma
and a chewy texture to your pasta.
OK.
Next, we'll be using this.
It's 00 flour.
We want 40g.
00 flour is high in gluten
which means when you knead the dough
it will make your pasta more chewy.
So this flour will make pasta chewy.
And the flour will do that too.
Did you make your own pasta
the time you cooked pasta and failed?
Of course she didn't.
- I didn't.
- She used store bought pasta.
She didn't even make the pasta herself.
It was store bought.
If I had been there
you would have had a delicious meal.
I wouldn't say that.
You can't be sure of that.
OK, let's continue, Chef.
What should we do next?
Next, make a crater in the middle.
Mix your dry ingredients together
and then make a crater.
We're going to crack three eggs.
Crack the eggs in a separate bowl first.
All done.
Next, add two eggs in first
and do this using your hand.
To beat the eggs?
Are we mixing the eggs with the flour?
That's right.
OK, add the last egg in.
Mix it... mix it well.
I got it, Chef.
The dough will start to come together.
It's coming together.
This is starting to look promising.
I think our counter is too high.
- It really is.
- Babe, lift me up.
OK.
- OK...
- I should step aside.
Wait a second. Stay in that position...
- OK.
- Are you still alive?
What kind of cooking are we doing here?
Keep kneading the dough.
Knead me first!
Mark's face is turning red.
May I show you a quick
kneading technique?
- All right.
- Sure.
When you have your ball of dough
put it on your chopping board.
Then, using the heel of your hand
push the dough down and outwards
and roll it back towards you.
Looking good. Looks much better now.
OK, excellent!
Let's wrap it with plastic wrap
and let it rest in the fridge
for at least two hours.
Wait a minute.
- Two hours!
- When will we get to eat?
This will be our dinner.
Next up, the butternut squash soup.
It's the second dish
that we're making today.
That's bottle gourd, right?
It's like the Western
version of a bottle gourd
that's orange on the inside.
Butternut squash is sort of like
a cross between a pumpkin
and a sweet potato
that's lower in carbohydrates.
We're going to roast it by baking it.
Slice off the ends first.
Then peel the skin.
Watch your fingers.
Today's cooking is gonna be tiring.
Sorry about that.
I'm fine with it.
Actually, I should have told you earlier
so you could skip your morning exercise.
This is quite a workout.
How do you know
we exercise in the morning?
Of course I do.
What about you, Chef? Do you exercise?
I do.
I usually play tennis or go to the gym.
Wow! Tennis!
OK.
After that's done
we're going to cut the squash in half.
Be careful...
Then, we'll remove the seeds.
OK, now we'll cut it
into small pieces.
Cut it lengthwise first
then cut it in half again.
Half.
Now we can cut it like this.
OK.
- OK.
- OK.
Can you preheat the oven at 180°C?
180°C.
Both top and bottom heating?
Yes, both top and bottom heating
with the fan on.
Meanwhile, may I ask you some questions?
How did you become a chef?
By accident, to be honest. Before this
I really wanted to be an athlete.
I used to play basketball and football.
I swam
and I enjoyed every type of team sport.
Very athletic.
But then I joined this running race
where I was competing against foreigners
and I was left in the dust
so I gave up.
My dream was shattered.
So, I started cooking
because I was interested in nutrition.
And then you started
taking cooking classes?
Actually, before taking actual classes
I was part of the kitchen staff
in a restaurant
peeling garlic and whatnot.
In America.
Are you done?
Next, we're going to season our squash.
Do you have a bigger bowl?
Yes, we do.
We're going to put
the butternut squash in a big bowl.
We'll be using rice bran oil today.
Add about three tablespoons.
OK, three tablespoons, done.
OK, let's start by adding some salt.
OK.
Add salt to taste.
Pepper.
Then, add miso.
Half a tablespoon.
1/2 tablespoon of miso
Give it a good mix.
Mix well
OK, aluminium foil.
OK.
Dump your butternut squash on it.
Butternut squash.
Wrap it up well.
Wrap it well...
This can go in the oven.
It smells good already.
No, not yet!
You're exaggerating.
Set the timer for 20 minutes.
OK, 20 minutes.
Next, we'll prepare the ingredients
we'll be sautéing to make the soup base.
- OK.
- Start by cutting the onions.
It doesn't have to look pretty
because we're going to blend it anyway.
But just like with the butternut squash
we'll try to cut it uniformly.
Next, the celery.
Two sticks of celery
And then the garlic.
We'll use six cloves.
Six cloves of garlic
Then bacon.
Try cutting it
the same size as the onion.
Opal and Bow
what do you ladies think?
Will Kim pull off today's dishes?
I'm rather concerned because
I've tried her cooking
many times before.
Every time she cooks,
everything looks good.
Everything looks good
while she's preparing them.
I think we should wait
for the end product.
Done!
Let's start sautéing our ingredients.
This is called mirepoix.
- Meer-kroa?
- Meer-poor?
It's French.
OK.
So mirepoix is basically
a mix of vegetables.
OK. Let's start.
We're going to sauté our mirepoix.
Set the stove to medium heat.
Add some rice bran oil to your pan.
About four tablespoons.
Four tablespoons of rice bran oil
Once your oil is hot, add the bacon.
Add bacon
It smells so good.
We want the bacon to brown
so just leave it to cook for now.
No... just leave it to cook.
But the bacon's starting to char, Chef.
We want the bacon to brown.
If you stir it now
the bacon will release water.
Look at mine.
Just let it cook...
I'm worried the bacon will burn.
Don't worry...
Chef can say "don't worry"
because she's not here.
The people here are quite worried.
When the bacon starts to turn brown
you can flip them over.
Don't stir.
After the bacon has browned
add all the chopped vegetables.
We're going to toast our pine nuts
for the pesto sauce.
Smells good.
Five tablespoons of pine nuts
Pine nuts are the nuts used in pesto.
Italian pesto sauce.
Grab your white wine.
OK, pour in a quarter of the bottle.
1/4 bottle of white wine
That's not a lot.
Now, we can add the thyme.
Add about five to six stalks.
Let's check on our butternut squash.
I just checked and my butternut squash
needs a bit more time in the oven.
How do we check, Chef?
Try to pierce the butternut squash
with the tip of a small knife.
It's still hard.
It might need about 20 more minutes.
20 minutes in the oven
Why are my nuts turning black?
Hey! Babe!
Oh yes, right.
Mark, is your heat too high?
Taste it. Does it taste bitter?
- It's not.
- Is this really OK, Chef?
It's not bitter...
Once the nuts are done,
you can pour them out.
Let's move on.
The liquid has cooked off, Chef.
OK.
Turn off the heat and put the lid on.
Turn off the heat and put the lid on.
- The heat is off.
- OK.
Chef, I'm so glad
we get to make pesto sauce today.
This is exactly what
I tried to cook
for my friends and failed.
We had to throw the whole thing away.
Oh, really?
It was inedible and smelled horrible.
It was so bad.
What made you decide to make pesto?
I wanted to eat healthy and cook
for my friends when they come over.
Well, when cooking healthy meals
we tend to go for
green vegetables and herbs, right?
But we also need to make sure
we balance the flavours.
This sauce, for example
in order to tone down
the strong flavours of the herbs
you need to add ingredients
like pine nuts
parmesan cheese
garlic, lemon and olive oil.
These ingredients
work together to create
a creamy texture for the sauce.
Make sure you use good fats.
We need to find the balance.
Let's see how it goes today.
For the pesto sauce
- the herbs we are using...
- Yes.
are those potted plants
that you guys saw earlier.
We have tarragon
cumin and sweet basil.
We'll start by picking
the sweet basil leaves.
We'll need about one big handful.
Sous-chef, you can help to pick
the tarragon and cumin leaves.
1/2 handful of tarragon leaves
1/2 handful of cumin leaves
Can we mix them?
Yes, but wash the leaves first
and drain them dry.
Next, we'll use a food processor.
Put all the pine nuts in.
One clove of elephant garlic
One clove of elephant garlic.
Garlic.
Then, add cheese.
Start with three tablespoons.
OK, now, olive oil. A generous amount.
Olive oil
Now, we'll blend the ingredients.
Blend our base first.
Pat the herbs dry.
Make sure they're not too wet.
- Do we put them in?
- OK.
Start with a handful.
Just a big handful.
Don't put everything in.
One handful of herbs
I'm adding a little more.
Add another 1/2 handful of herbs
Then, add pickled onion juice.
Four tablespoons of pickled onion juice
Next, zest a lemon.
Half of it.
Zest half a lemon
All right, I'll get you a spoon.
The saltiness will hit you first.
It doesn't smell bad anymore.
- No overpowering smell of herbs.
- OK.
It's tasty now.
We'll put this in the fridge for now.
Cover it with plastic wrap.
Cover sauce with plastic wrap
and refrigerate
Oh, yes. Guys, please check
the butternut squash in the oven.
It should be done by now.
OK. Check if it's tasty.
You can eat it. It's not that hot.
There.
- So good! It's good.
- Is it good?
Let's take a look at our sauté pot.
Take out the thyme.
Got it.
Then, you can put
the butternut squash in.
I love this.
I've sent you some chicken stock.
For this, we're going to
use a 1:1 ratio.
Four ladles of chicken stock
with four ladles of water.
Four ladles of chicken stock
Four ladles of water
It's overflowing.
Just enough to cover the ingredients.
- OK.
- OK.
Turn on the heat
and warm everything up.
Chef, are you seeing anyone right now?
- Well... yes.
- Ooh.
Actually... my mum's right here.
So your mum didn't know?
Why didn't you tell her?
Well, now she knows.
- Babe, jackpot!
- Oh, man.
I have no part in this.
- Hello.
- You know what?
Hello.
My mum is a huge fan of yours.
Thank you!
Initially, my mum thought
you guys would be cooking at my place.
She got super excited.
She was screaming in joy.
Really?
That's fine.
We can still meet another day.
We'll meet you at your restaurant.
Now, the tricky part.
Pasta rolling.
Bring out the dough.
Cut it in half.
Grab the pasta roller.
Oh, this dough is really firm
unlike those used for baking.
That's correct.
Do we flatten it, Chef?
Yes, flatten it a bit
so we can feed it
into the pasta roller.
Got it.
This dough is supposed to be pretty dry
but if yours is damp or sticky
you can sprinkle a bit of flour.
- Babe!
- Sorry!
You have to do it from the side.
No... don't sprinkle flour
on the roller.
On the...
- On the countertop.
- On the countertop!
...countertop next to the roller, yes!
OK, we'll start rolling our dough.
We'll start with the roller
setting at "one"
and go up to "six".
Use one hand to turn the crank
and the other hand to hold
the roller steady.
- Cool!
- Yes!
It's coming out.
Yeah!
We have to work fast
or the dough will dry out.
OK.
Quick... quick!
Got it!
- Looking good!
- Oh, so this is how it works.
Now, we'll cover it with plastic wrap
and put it in the fridge.
OK, now for the soup.
We can get the blender out.
All ready, Chef.
All right, go ahead.
Get some butter.
Two knobs of butter.
Add them in while the soup's hot.
Blend them well.
Whoever is free, fill a pot with water
and bring it to boil for the pasta.
Oh, I shouldn't lift it up.
- Scary!
- Yeah! Right?
You can taste the soup.
Is it good?
So good!
It's delicious, Chef.
Let's wrap up.
Zest a lemon.
Zest a lemon
OK. Let's continue with
the pasta dough that we've put aside.
We're going to turn it into strips now.
Feed it into the roller slowly
and use one hand to turn the crank.
Don't stop once your dough is in.
Keep turning.
It looks so nice!
Wow, cool!
- Rapunzel!
- Well done.
- Put it on a plate.
- Good.
Yeah. Looking good...
It's done, Chef. I love this.
I really like making my own fresh pasta.
OK, now add some salt
to the boiling water.
We're going to cook the pasta now.
First, I'm going to cut
some dried chilli.
One dried chilli
Two cloves of garlic.
Is this enough?
We'll heat the pan.
Use a pan that's about this size.
Got it, Chef.
First, add some olive oil.
Olive oil
Sauté the chilli and garlic first
until they are fragrant.
Then, add white wine.
Two tablespoons of white wine
The heat is too high.
Too high!
It's starting to burn.
Oh no! It's burning!
It's OK. Let's start over.
- It's been in for too long.
- Sorry.
Let's start over.
This is easy. Just add olive oil
chilli and garlic.
Make sure the heat is not too high.
Add the white wine
and then, some chicken stock.
Four tablespoons of chicken stock
Then, add half a knob of butter
and mix them together.
- OK.
- Now, let's cook the pasta.
Drop the pasta into the boiling water
and let it cook for three minutes.
Cook pasta for three minutes
Do you have any croutons
in your kitchen?
What are coupons?
Coupons?
Not coupons.
Coupons?
Croutons.
What's a crouton?
Cubes of toasted bread.
- That's called
- Here it is.
Oh, you mean...
- Croutons.
- Is this what you mean?
They're called croutons?
Yes, we're going to garnish
the soup with it.
The soup's ready to be served.
Babe, it's boiling.
The pasta need not be fully
cooked right, Chef?
That's correct. Don't cook it fully
as we're going to finish cooking
it in the pan.
So, it should be cooked just enough
so that it's not hard in the middle.
We'll mix it with the sauce later.
Got it! Tender but firm, right?
That's right. The middle should be firm.
What do we call this level of doneness?
It's called al dente.
Al dente. OK.
Just a bit chewy.
- Put it in.
- Now?
Yes, put it in.
It looks a bit dry over there.
You can add more chicken stock.
I'm sure this is gonna be delicious.
OK. Now, the pesto sauce that we made.
Add it now and fold it into the pasta.
Pesto sauce
How is it going? Looking good.
Let's dish up.
Go ahead and choose a plate.
Well, it doesn't look too bad.
OK.
- What's next?
- What are we doing next?
Top the soup with croutons.
A bit of lemon zest
to make the flavours pop.
A dash of pepper.
Pepper
Grate some cheese
and sprinkle some toasted pine nuts.
Sprinkle toasted pine nuts
- A little bit.
- Just a little bit.
It looks really good.
- I'm going to try it now.
- All right.
Delicious!
Unbelievable!
It's so good!
It's so good! Super yummy!
Really?
It's so good! I didn't expect the sauce
to be so rich and creamy.
- And not stinky at all.
- Not this time.
Yeah, you did it!
- Yes! I've redeemed myself!
- Great!
Good job!
- I'm so proud of myself.
- Now, the soup...
It has a nice texture.
It doesn't taste like anything
we'd made before.
- Very tasty.
- Delicious!
The lemon zest
goes really well with the soup.
This is really nice.
That's great.
I'm really proud of you guys.
- You've been a great teacher.
- Thanks.
Let's talk about the donation.
We'll be donating 30,000 Thai baht
to a charity organisation
of your choice.
So, I'd like to ask which organisation
you'd like the donation to go to.
I'm going to pick the Sati Foundation.
They work with underprivileged children
helping them to receive proper education
and get access to public health care.
- OK. Thank you.
- Thank you very much.
- We rejoice in your merit.
- Thank you.
See you at your restaurant.
Thank you. Bye!
Bye-bye!
When we make this dish again
we should tag Chef Tam on social media.
- It's so good. Very tasty.
- It is!
The next time you make this dish
let me taste it and see
if it's still this good.
- It's so good.
- You're not allowed to eat
if you don't have faith in me!
Let's rate this meal.
How would you rate this? Out of ten.
11.
11? Why?
Because it's super good.
- What are these?
Are they edible?
- What is this?
- Can you eat these, babe?
- Hi!
- Hi!
- Hi!
- Come help us carry the stuff.
Everyone knows how much we love to eat
but neither of us knows how to cook.
As we're getting married soon
we want to learn to cook
from some of the most renowned chefs
across Thailand.
Tarragon.
Why are there so many vegetables, babe?
Wait, I know why.
I think we're doing healthy dishes today
from all these vegetables we have here.
- OK.
- So, shall we turn on the cameras?
Today, we'll be learning to cook
from Chef Tam, Chudaree Debhakam
the winner in season one
of Top Chef Thailand.
She was a chef at a renowned
Michelin two-star restaurant
called Blue Hill at Stone Barns
in New York for three years.
Nowadays, she is the head chef
and owner of Baan Tepa Culinary Space
a restaurant with a "farm-to-table"
concept.
We can't wait to find out
what dishes she'll be teaching us today.
Shall we meet her now?
- Let's do it.
- OK.
I think she's waiting.
Is it on?
- Hello.
- Hello.
- Hello.
- Hello.
We're Mark and Kim.
And we have Kim's friends
- as our guests today.
- These are my friends.
- Opal and Bow.
- Hello!
Hello...
Judging by the ingredients here
we'll be making healthy dishes, right?
Healthy dishes, yes?
I heard that you guys
preferred healthy food.
That's good for us and the girls.
- Yes.
- So what will you be teaching us?
Yes, what is it gonna be?
Well, I heard that
Kim tried to cook
this for her friends once
but it didn't turn out so well.
Don't tell me it's...
Babe, you've cooked for them?
I made pasta for them once
but we ended up throwing
the whole thing away.
We did try really hard to eat it
by brainwashing ourselves
that it wasn't that bad
and a little more salt
would do the trick.
OK. Where do we start, Chef?
Let's start by
making pasta first.
We'll be using fresh pasta.
We're also going to use herbs
from Baan Tepa's garden
to make pesto sauce.
And our other dish for today will be
butternut squash soup.
We'll be roasting the squash
before blending it to make a soup.
I'm sure you'll love it.
- Nice!
- Sounds wonderful!
- Time to redeem yourself.
- Thank you, Chef.
I'll be sure to learn
how to cook this properly.
Do you see the ingredients
in front of you?
On the left, we have cumin.
Next to it, we have tarragon.
I grew them in my garden
and took good care of them
just for today.
I want to grow my own herbs too.
We have none of these at home.
If we ever try to keep a plant
I bet it would die in two months.
See, you have to take
special care of them
as if they were your children.
Talk to them when you wake up
and water them.
What would you say to them?
Like good morning?
Did you sleep well last night, my child?
It's a form of stress relief.
If you had a stressful day
getting in touch
with nature will help you relax.
That's true...
First, let's clear our kitchen counter.
We won't be needing the herbs just yet.
Would you like to be
the head chef today?
Since your friends are here.
You can cook for them
and redeem yourself while you're at it.
- OK.
- Do it, babe.
I'll redeem myself this time.
I'll just go sit on the sofa and wait.
Just throw her
in at the deep end, right?
- Mark, you've gotta be my assistant.
- OK.
- Be good.
- OK...
OK, let's get started then.
Do you have a weighing scale?
Yes, we do.
Next, get a mixing bowl.
Is this OK, Chef?
Yes, it'll work.
OK.
Semolina flour.
We need 126g.
126g of semolina flour
What's the difference
between semolina flour
wheat flour, corn flour...
and the other kinds of flour?
Semolina flour is durum wheat flour
that has been coarsely milled
so it has a coarser texture.
This kind of flour
will impart a unique aroma
and a chewy texture to your pasta.
OK.
Next, we'll be using this.
It's 00 flour.
We want 40g.
00 flour is high in gluten
which means when you knead the dough
it will make your pasta more chewy.
So this flour will make pasta chewy.
And the flour will do that too.
Did you make your own pasta
the time you cooked pasta and failed?
Of course she didn't.
- I didn't.
- She used store bought pasta.
She didn't even make the pasta herself.
It was store bought.
If I had been there
you would have had a delicious meal.
I wouldn't say that.
You can't be sure of that.
OK, let's continue, Chef.
What should we do next?
Next, make a crater in the middle.
Mix your dry ingredients together
and then make a crater.
We're going to crack three eggs.
Crack the eggs in a separate bowl first.
All done.
Next, add two eggs in first
and do this using your hand.
To beat the eggs?
Are we mixing the eggs with the flour?
That's right.
OK, add the last egg in.
Mix it... mix it well.
I got it, Chef.
The dough will start to come together.
It's coming together.
This is starting to look promising.
I think our counter is too high.
- It really is.
- Babe, lift me up.
OK.
- OK...
- I should step aside.
Wait a second. Stay in that position...
- OK.
- Are you still alive?
What kind of cooking are we doing here?
Keep kneading the dough.
Knead me first!
Mark's face is turning red.
May I show you a quick
kneading technique?
- All right.
- Sure.
When you have your ball of dough
put it on your chopping board.
Then, using the heel of your hand
push the dough down and outwards
and roll it back towards you.
Looking good. Looks much better now.
OK, excellent!
Let's wrap it with plastic wrap
and let it rest in the fridge
for at least two hours.
Wait a minute.
- Two hours!
- When will we get to eat?
This will be our dinner.
Next up, the butternut squash soup.
It's the second dish
that we're making today.
That's bottle gourd, right?
It's like the Western
version of a bottle gourd
that's orange on the inside.
Butternut squash is sort of like
a cross between a pumpkin
and a sweet potato
that's lower in carbohydrates.
We're going to roast it by baking it.
Slice off the ends first.
Then peel the skin.
Watch your fingers.
Today's cooking is gonna be tiring.
Sorry about that.
I'm fine with it.
Actually, I should have told you earlier
so you could skip your morning exercise.
This is quite a workout.
How do you know
we exercise in the morning?
Of course I do.
What about you, Chef? Do you exercise?
I do.
I usually play tennis or go to the gym.
Wow! Tennis!
OK.
After that's done
we're going to cut the squash in half.
Be careful...
Then, we'll remove the seeds.
OK, now we'll cut it
into small pieces.
Cut it lengthwise first
then cut it in half again.
Half.
Now we can cut it like this.
OK.
- OK.
- OK.
Can you preheat the oven at 180°C?
180°C.
Both top and bottom heating?
Yes, both top and bottom heating
with the fan on.
Meanwhile, may I ask you some questions?
How did you become a chef?
By accident, to be honest. Before this
I really wanted to be an athlete.
I used to play basketball and football.
I swam
and I enjoyed every type of team sport.
Very athletic.
But then I joined this running race
where I was competing against foreigners
and I was left in the dust
so I gave up.
My dream was shattered.
So, I started cooking
because I was interested in nutrition.
And then you started
taking cooking classes?
Actually, before taking actual classes
I was part of the kitchen staff
in a restaurant
peeling garlic and whatnot.
In America.
Are you done?
Next, we're going to season our squash.
Do you have a bigger bowl?
Yes, we do.
We're going to put
the butternut squash in a big bowl.
We'll be using rice bran oil today.
Add about three tablespoons.
OK, three tablespoons, done.
OK, let's start by adding some salt.
OK.
Add salt to taste.
Pepper.
Then, add miso.
Half a tablespoon.
1/2 tablespoon of miso
Give it a good mix.
Mix well
OK, aluminium foil.
OK.
Dump your butternut squash on it.
Butternut squash.
Wrap it up well.
Wrap it well...
This can go in the oven.
It smells good already.
No, not yet!
You're exaggerating.
Set the timer for 20 minutes.
OK, 20 minutes.
Next, we'll prepare the ingredients
we'll be sautéing to make the soup base.
- OK.
- Start by cutting the onions.
It doesn't have to look pretty
because we're going to blend it anyway.
But just like with the butternut squash
we'll try to cut it uniformly.
Next, the celery.
Two sticks of celery
And then the garlic.
We'll use six cloves.
Six cloves of garlic
Then bacon.
Try cutting it
the same size as the onion.
Opal and Bow
what do you ladies think?
Will Kim pull off today's dishes?
I'm rather concerned because
I've tried her cooking
many times before.
Every time she cooks,
everything looks good.
Everything looks good
while she's preparing them.
I think we should wait
for the end product.
Done!
Let's start sautéing our ingredients.
This is called mirepoix.
- Meer-kroa?
- Meer-poor?
It's French.
OK.
So mirepoix is basically
a mix of vegetables.
OK. Let's start.
We're going to sauté our mirepoix.
Set the stove to medium heat.
Add some rice bran oil to your pan.
About four tablespoons.
Four tablespoons of rice bran oil
Once your oil is hot, add the bacon.
Add bacon
It smells so good.
We want the bacon to brown
so just leave it to cook for now.
No... just leave it to cook.
But the bacon's starting to char, Chef.
We want the bacon to brown.
If you stir it now
the bacon will release water.
Look at mine.
Just let it cook...
I'm worried the bacon will burn.
Don't worry...
Chef can say "don't worry"
because she's not here.
The people here are quite worried.
When the bacon starts to turn brown
you can flip them over.
Don't stir.
After the bacon has browned
add all the chopped vegetables.
We're going to toast our pine nuts
for the pesto sauce.
Smells good.
Five tablespoons of pine nuts
Pine nuts are the nuts used in pesto.
Italian pesto sauce.
Grab your white wine.
OK, pour in a quarter of the bottle.
1/4 bottle of white wine
That's not a lot.
Now, we can add the thyme.
Add about five to six stalks.
Let's check on our butternut squash.
I just checked and my butternut squash
needs a bit more time in the oven.
How do we check, Chef?
Try to pierce the butternut squash
with the tip of a small knife.
It's still hard.
It might need about 20 more minutes.
20 minutes in the oven
Why are my nuts turning black?
Hey! Babe!
Oh yes, right.
Mark, is your heat too high?
Taste it. Does it taste bitter?
- It's not.
- Is this really OK, Chef?
It's not bitter...
Once the nuts are done,
you can pour them out.
Let's move on.
The liquid has cooked off, Chef.
OK.
Turn off the heat and put the lid on.
Turn off the heat and put the lid on.
- The heat is off.
- OK.
Chef, I'm so glad
we get to make pesto sauce today.
This is exactly what
I tried to cook
for my friends and failed.
We had to throw the whole thing away.
Oh, really?
It was inedible and smelled horrible.
It was so bad.
What made you decide to make pesto?
I wanted to eat healthy and cook
for my friends when they come over.
Well, when cooking healthy meals
we tend to go for
green vegetables and herbs, right?
But we also need to make sure
we balance the flavours.
This sauce, for example
in order to tone down
the strong flavours of the herbs
you need to add ingredients
like pine nuts
parmesan cheese
garlic, lemon and olive oil.
These ingredients
work together to create
a creamy texture for the sauce.
Make sure you use good fats.
We need to find the balance.
Let's see how it goes today.
For the pesto sauce
- the herbs we are using...
- Yes.
are those potted plants
that you guys saw earlier.
We have tarragon
cumin and sweet basil.
We'll start by picking
the sweet basil leaves.
We'll need about one big handful.
Sous-chef, you can help to pick
the tarragon and cumin leaves.
1/2 handful of tarragon leaves
1/2 handful of cumin leaves
Can we mix them?
Yes, but wash the leaves first
and drain them dry.
Next, we'll use a food processor.
Put all the pine nuts in.
One clove of elephant garlic
One clove of elephant garlic.
Garlic.
Then, add cheese.
Start with three tablespoons.
OK, now, olive oil. A generous amount.
Olive oil
Now, we'll blend the ingredients.
Blend our base first.
Pat the herbs dry.
Make sure they're not too wet.
- Do we put them in?
- OK.
Start with a handful.
Just a big handful.
Don't put everything in.
One handful of herbs
I'm adding a little more.
Add another 1/2 handful of herbs
Then, add pickled onion juice.
Four tablespoons of pickled onion juice
Next, zest a lemon.
Half of it.
Zest half a lemon
All right, I'll get you a spoon.
The saltiness will hit you first.
It doesn't smell bad anymore.
- No overpowering smell of herbs.
- OK.
It's tasty now.
We'll put this in the fridge for now.
Cover it with plastic wrap.
Cover sauce with plastic wrap
and refrigerate
Oh, yes. Guys, please check
the butternut squash in the oven.
It should be done by now.
OK. Check if it's tasty.
You can eat it. It's not that hot.
There.
- So good! It's good.
- Is it good?
Let's take a look at our sauté pot.
Take out the thyme.
Got it.
Then, you can put
the butternut squash in.
I love this.
I've sent you some chicken stock.
For this, we're going to
use a 1:1 ratio.
Four ladles of chicken stock
with four ladles of water.
Four ladles of chicken stock
Four ladles of water
It's overflowing.
Just enough to cover the ingredients.
- OK.
- OK.
Turn on the heat
and warm everything up.
Chef, are you seeing anyone right now?
- Well... yes.
- Ooh.
Actually... my mum's right here.
So your mum didn't know?
Why didn't you tell her?
Well, now she knows.
- Babe, jackpot!
- Oh, man.
I have no part in this.
- Hello.
- You know what?
Hello.
My mum is a huge fan of yours.
Thank you!
Initially, my mum thought
you guys would be cooking at my place.
She got super excited.
She was screaming in joy.
Really?
That's fine.
We can still meet another day.
We'll meet you at your restaurant.
Now, the tricky part.
Pasta rolling.
Bring out the dough.
Cut it in half.
Grab the pasta roller.
Oh, this dough is really firm
unlike those used for baking.
That's correct.
Do we flatten it, Chef?
Yes, flatten it a bit
so we can feed it
into the pasta roller.
Got it.
This dough is supposed to be pretty dry
but if yours is damp or sticky
you can sprinkle a bit of flour.
- Babe!
- Sorry!
You have to do it from the side.
No... don't sprinkle flour
on the roller.
On the...
- On the countertop.
- On the countertop!
...countertop next to the roller, yes!
OK, we'll start rolling our dough.
We'll start with the roller
setting at "one"
and go up to "six".
Use one hand to turn the crank
and the other hand to hold
the roller steady.
- Cool!
- Yes!
It's coming out.
Yeah!
We have to work fast
or the dough will dry out.
OK.
Quick... quick!
Got it!
- Looking good!
- Oh, so this is how it works.
Now, we'll cover it with plastic wrap
and put it in the fridge.
OK, now for the soup.
We can get the blender out.
All ready, Chef.
All right, go ahead.
Get some butter.
Two knobs of butter.
Add them in while the soup's hot.
Blend them well.
Whoever is free, fill a pot with water
and bring it to boil for the pasta.
Oh, I shouldn't lift it up.
- Scary!
- Yeah! Right?
You can taste the soup.
Is it good?
So good!
It's delicious, Chef.
Let's wrap up.
Zest a lemon.
Zest a lemon
OK. Let's continue with
the pasta dough that we've put aside.
We're going to turn it into strips now.
Feed it into the roller slowly
and use one hand to turn the crank.
Don't stop once your dough is in.
Keep turning.
It looks so nice!
Wow, cool!
- Rapunzel!
- Well done.
- Put it on a plate.
- Good.
Yeah. Looking good...
It's done, Chef. I love this.
I really like making my own fresh pasta.
OK, now add some salt
to the boiling water.
We're going to cook the pasta now.
First, I'm going to cut
some dried chilli.
One dried chilli
Two cloves of garlic.
Is this enough?
We'll heat the pan.
Use a pan that's about this size.
Got it, Chef.
First, add some olive oil.
Olive oil
Sauté the chilli and garlic first
until they are fragrant.
Then, add white wine.
Two tablespoons of white wine
The heat is too high.
Too high!
It's starting to burn.
Oh no! It's burning!
It's OK. Let's start over.
- It's been in for too long.
- Sorry.
Let's start over.
This is easy. Just add olive oil
chilli and garlic.
Make sure the heat is not too high.
Add the white wine
and then, some chicken stock.
Four tablespoons of chicken stock
Then, add half a knob of butter
and mix them together.
- OK.
- Now, let's cook the pasta.
Drop the pasta into the boiling water
and let it cook for three minutes.
Cook pasta for three minutes
Do you have any croutons
in your kitchen?
What are coupons?
Coupons?
Not coupons.
Coupons?
Croutons.
What's a crouton?
Cubes of toasted bread.
- That's called
- Here it is.
Oh, you mean...
- Croutons.
- Is this what you mean?
They're called croutons?
Yes, we're going to garnish
the soup with it.
The soup's ready to be served.
Babe, it's boiling.
The pasta need not be fully
cooked right, Chef?
That's correct. Don't cook it fully
as we're going to finish cooking
it in the pan.
So, it should be cooked just enough
so that it's not hard in the middle.
We'll mix it with the sauce later.
Got it! Tender but firm, right?
That's right. The middle should be firm.
What do we call this level of doneness?
It's called al dente.
Al dente. OK.
Just a bit chewy.
- Put it in.
- Now?
Yes, put it in.
It looks a bit dry over there.
You can add more chicken stock.
I'm sure this is gonna be delicious.
OK. Now, the pesto sauce that we made.
Add it now and fold it into the pasta.
Pesto sauce
How is it going? Looking good.
Let's dish up.
Go ahead and choose a plate.
Well, it doesn't look too bad.
OK.
- What's next?
- What are we doing next?
Top the soup with croutons.
A bit of lemon zest
to make the flavours pop.
A dash of pepper.
Pepper
Grate some cheese
and sprinkle some toasted pine nuts.
Sprinkle toasted pine nuts
- A little bit.
- Just a little bit.
It looks really good.
- I'm going to try it now.
- All right.
Delicious!
Unbelievable!
It's so good!
It's so good! Super yummy!
Really?
It's so good! I didn't expect the sauce
to be so rich and creamy.
- And not stinky at all.
- Not this time.
Yeah, you did it!
- Yes! I've redeemed myself!
- Great!
Good job!
- I'm so proud of myself.
- Now, the soup...
It has a nice texture.
It doesn't taste like anything
we'd made before.
- Very tasty.
- Delicious!
The lemon zest
goes really well with the soup.
This is really nice.
That's great.
I'm really proud of you guys.
- You've been a great teacher.
- Thanks.
Let's talk about the donation.
We'll be donating 30,000 Thai baht
to a charity organisation
of your choice.
So, I'd like to ask which organisation
you'd like the donation to go to.
I'm going to pick the Sati Foundation.
They work with underprivileged children
helping them to receive proper education
and get access to public health care.
- OK. Thank you.
- Thank you very much.
- We rejoice in your merit.
- Thank you.
See you at your restaurant.
Thank you. Bye!
Bye-bye!
When we make this dish again
we should tag Chef Tam on social media.
- It's so good. Very tasty.
- It is!
The next time you make this dish
let me taste it and see
if it's still this good.
- It's so good.
- You're not allowed to eat
if you don't have faith in me!
Let's rate this meal.
How would you rate this? Out of ten.
11.
11? Why?
Because it's super good.