MarkKim + Chef (2023-…): Season 1, Episode 8 - Episode #1.8 - full transcript
Everyone knows how much we love to eat
but neither of us knows how to cook.
As we're getting married soon
we've asked some of the best-known chefs
in Thailand to teach us to cook.
Today, we'll be trying our hand
at Chinese cuisine which we simply adore
but we try not to eat too much of
because Chinese food tends to be
high in carbs, full of grease
and mostly fried.
OK, let's turn on the cameras first.
Hi.
Today, we would like to learn
to cook some Chinese dishes
but we'll tweak the recipe slightly
to match our palates.
Let's meet our chef.
There he is.
- Hello, Chef Pom.
- Hello, Chef.
Hello.
We're thrilled to be learning
to cook Chinese food with this chef
who has been known as
the King of Contemporary
Chinese Cuisine.
He is none other than Chef Pom
Thanarak Chuto.
He's a senior chef with
plenty of experience under his belt.
He's the owner
of two contemporary Chinese restaurants
"Chef Pom Kitchen"
and "Chef Pom Chinese Cuisine By TODD".
Today is going to be another
brand-new cooking experience for us.
We have all the ingredients
that you sent us right here.
Those are all premium ingredients.
Nothing's gonna jump out at us, right?
Is it a fish?
It's red coral trout.
They are expensive
and difficult to find.
They're found
in the eastern region of Thailand
like Chanthaburi province for instance.
What is this?
It's some shellfish?
Is this abalone?
Yes...
I love abalone!
I absolutely adore abalone, Chef.
Before we begin,
I have to put this on the table.
I think Chinese food is very oily.
Yes, and spicy too. I don't take spice.
I'm the head chef for today
but could you tweak the recipe for Kim
so that the food is less oily
less spicy and not so carb-laden?
Today, we're going to be making
Cantonese food.
Most Cantonese dishes aren't spicy.
The two dishes
that we'll be cooking today
are a main dish and a soup.
For the main dish
we'll be making abalone with rice.
As for the red coral trout
we'll be using it
for a salted plum soup.
The rice and the soup
will go perfectly together.
- Babe, please make it tasty!
- OK!
Today's dishes are not difficult
but there are a lot of steps.
Please be patient with me, Chef.
- Definitely!
- Chef.
I'm going to start by
boiling some water.
- Go ahead.
- OK.
First, I want you to prepare
the abalone.
- The abalone, sure.
- Yes.
We'll also be needing
char siu (BBQ pork).
Char siu?
- Oh, here it is.
- OK.
- And vegetables.
- Vegetables.
And chicken.
Chicken breast.
This is Japanese abalone
which is high-quality
and rather expensive.
We'll need to clean the abalone.
And we're going to do that
by blanching them.
I see, all right.
I'm going to start blanching them.
Can I put them in now?
Yes, go ahead.
What kind of Chinese food
do you usually eat?
Dim sum.
Steamed buns.
Oh, the popular stuff.
Got it.
Chef, may I ask you something?
How did you become a chef?
Well, I was quite a troublemaker
when I was young.
I kept changing jobs.
Back then, the best place to work
was in a restaurant
because you get three free meals a day.
But working in a Chinese restaurant
you'd get four meals!
The pay was decent
- but the work was relatively hard.
- I see.
I've enjoyed cooking
since I was 14 or 15.
What age did you start working
in a restaurant?
I think I started at around 13 or 14.
Did you work in Thailand or China?
First in Thailand
and then I went to China
Hong Kong and Taiwan.
I was away for about 40 years
where all I did was cook.
Oh, sounds like a long
and colourful career.
- OK.
- You can already eat this as it is.
We call this part the liver
but we won't be using it today.
So let's remove it.
I've heard that the liver
is sometimes used
to make sauce, right?
Yes.
Remove the liver and rinse the abalone.
Rinse the abalone
- We have to wash them.
- Yeah.
We need to scrub these black bits off.
Give them a good bath.
Scrub along this edge.
We need to remove the black bits.
Scrub them all off.
Oh, it's like brushing your teeth.
Is this black thing mud?
Chef, what are the health benefits
of eating abalone?
There's a lot of misinformation
out there
that abalone is high in cholesterol
and that we shouldn't eat them
- but that's not correct.
- Oh, really?
Abalone is rich in amino acids.
Some of these amino acids actually help
to reduce cholesterol levels.
Also, abalone is rich
in collagen and protein.
Sounds like we should eat abalone
after workouts.
I don't think you need to
exercise beforehand.
Just eat 'em, right?
OK, Chef. I have four abalone ready.
I got them squeaky clean.
OK. Let's cook the rice now.
Rice.
Three-quarters of a cup.
3/4 cup of rice
We need to wash the rice.
Babe, can you wash the rice?
Wash the rice
We're going to add conpoy to the rice.
What is "conpoy"?
- Conpoy.
- Conpoy.
It's dried scallop.
Can we eat it as it is?
Yes, but it's very chewy.
Oh, it really is.
It's like eating dried squid.
This is S size conpoy.
Conpoy also come in M, L,
and king sizes.
There are also conpoy
that are smaller than this.
Conpoy of this size are about
7,000 Thai baht per kilogram.
We'll only need three.
It's like eating dried squid.
This is an easy step.
It's delicious.
Done.
After you're done
we'll add some dried shrimp.
Dried shrimp.
As much as we want, right?
Yeah, knock yourself out.
We'll be using this stock
to cook our rice.
What kind of stock is this?
- Chicken.
- Chicken.
I have a handy cooking tip
for you, Mark.
The one-knuckle trick.
- What?
- One knuckle.
- One knuckle.
- Oh, one knuckle!
I see!
Oh, the one-knuckle trick.
Why were you whispering, Chef?
You're so funny, Chef.
Before we started today's recording
Chicken stock
the crew warned
us that you looked fierce
but you actually aren't, are you?
In Chinese kitchens
we use high-powered wok burners
which are very noisy.
So, when someone tries to talk to us
we might not hear them.
That's why people get the idea that
- we're rude and fierce.
- I see.
Well, I don't think you're fierce.
I think you're adorable.
After you've added the chicken stock
we'll need to add some oil.
Vegetable oil.
One tablespoon of vegetable oil
The rice we're cooking today
looks kind of like chicken rice.
I see.
Is this claypot rice?
Yes, authentic claypot rice.
Why don't we just use a rice cooker?
You dropped something, Chef.
Because it's called claypot rice
not rice-cooker rice.
I'm sorry.
I apologise.
Next, add the abalone.
Then, turn on the stove.
Wait for it to start boiling.
Oh, we have to use high heat.
As soon as it boils,
we'll lower the heat
and let it cook slowly.
Next, let's start on the chicken.
OK.
OK.
Slice it in half...
Slice chicken breast in half
Slicing it in half.
See?
Do we only need
one chicken breast, Chef?
I think one is still too much.
We'll just need half.
Oh, half.
OK, I'm going to lower the heat.
Babe, lower the heat.
I feel intimidated.
Slicing them up.
There are many ways to cut chicken
in Chinese cuisine.
We slice, dice or julienne.
It depends on what we're cooking.
Since we'll be having chicken
with the rice
we'll cut the chicken into chunks.
Bite-sized chunks.
So, should I cut it
into strips or dice it?
Cut it into strips first,
then dice the strips.
OK.
Cutting now.
Dice the chicken
Pot... claypot...
When it boils
we have to lower the heat.
This is the traditional method
of cooking claypot rice in China.
If you go to Hong Kong, you'll see them
cook this dish by the side
of the road. Fresh.
It takes about 15 minutes.
They call it bo zai.
Bo zai is the claypot
they cook the rice in.
Next, we're going to cut
the char siu.
Char siu.
50g of char siu
Cut it into strips
and then cut the strips into cubes.
Dice the char siu
Dicing...
Shiitake mushrooms.
Remove the mushroom stalk.
We only need about four mushrooms.
Four shiitake mushrooms.
If you were to cook this again
I recommend using dried
shiitake mushrooms.
Why?
It's more aromatic.
More aromatic.
Now, these are not dried mushrooms
so they're much softer.
We can just cut them in half.
Done.
Next, we need to do some prep work.
- Grab some ginger.
- OK.
And garlic as well.
Ginger / Garlic
This is called cao liu in Cantonese.
Cao liu is a mixture of aromatics
which we stir-fry to add
fragrance to a dish.
When you eat at a Chinese restaurant
have you ever wondered why
dishes like stir-fried pork
are so fragrant?
That's because they sauté
these ingredients
first to get the fragrance.
I see.
We'll peel the ginger first.
Slice it thinly
so we can mince it later.
That's right.
After you're done slicing the ginger
stack the slices together
and mince them.
Check the rice.
Babe, check the rice.
Kim, please check the rice first.
It should look like this.
Mine is still watery.
It smells very nice though.
Don't stir it... just let it dry.
Don't stir it.
You can leave the claypot uncovered.
It will dry faster that way.
OK.
We'll use about four cloves of garlic.
- Babe, mince it a little more.
- OK.
Mince the garlic.
Mince the garlic
OK.
Please put it on a plate.
- Next, the kale.
- Kale.
Three stalks of kale.
One, two, three.
Remove the tips.
Remove the tips...
We'll cut it in half.
Here. This is one stalk of kale.
Babe, Chef cut it this way just now.
Chef cut it lengthwise?
Yes.
I said in half... that's lengthwise!
In half.
In half...
Like this, right?
Yes, that's right!
- What?
- He said to cut it in half.
Cut it in half like this.
But that's not half. This is half!
Maybe we should change our head chef.
We have different ideas
of what a half is.
OK, let's put this aside for now.
Now it's time to start
on the other dish.
Let's begin with the fish.
- It's time for the fish!
- Fish.
Get a clean piece of cloth.
Clean cloth.
We're only using one side of the fish.
Babe, don't botch this up.
This fish is really expensive.
Where can we find this fish?
It's a sea fish.
You can find them
in the eastern provinces
such as Chon Buri, Chanthaburi and Trad.
The fish tastes great
unlike those in the Andaman Sea.
And that's because of the difference
in the density of the seawater.
Like this, Chef?
- Wow. Well done!
- Thank you.
- Excellent!
- I gotta take this off.
It keeps getting in the way.
I'm sorry. What do we do next?
Remove the belly part.
I've already done that, Chef.
OK.
Chef, can we turn off the stove now?
Taste it.
Taste it and see if it's dry enough.
It smells heavenly.
It's tasty!
- It's tasty. It's already tasty.
- So tasty.
We don't even need to add anything else.
Chef, the rice at the bottom
is a bit burnt.
That's OK.
A good claypot rice
should be slightly burnt.
OK, then we'll leave it like this.
Have you ever had rice
cooked the traditional Thai way?
Does sticky rice in bamboo count?
Chef is facepalming again.
No?
Back in the day
we didn't have rice cookers.
So we'd boil rice, drain the water
and cook the rice until it's dry.
Eating rice was a big deal back then.
We call it khao tu-khao tang.
We would scrape out the burnt rice
dry them under the sun and fry them.
It smells really good.
We're going to slice the fish now.
We're slicing it?
Mark, try this. It's beautiful.
It's gorgeous.
How's this, Chef?
That's too thinly sliced.
Too thin.
Slice the fish
This is beautiful. I'm proud of myself.
We can make sushi with this, babe.
Yes, but this type of fish
isn't suitable for sushi
because the skin is too thick.
Oh yes, it is.
After we're done cutting the fish
add some salt. Just a pinch will do.
Sprinkle a pinch of salt
Then we're going to bring
some water to boil.
Boil some water.
OK, next we'll cook some vegetables.
- OK. A bitter gourd.
- Bitter gourd.
We want half of a bitter gourd.
Half a bitter gourd
That's right. Cut off the ends first
then cut it in half lengthwise.
Next, use a spoon.
Scrape the seeds out.
Then, we're going to cut it
into pieces like this.
OK.
Do you have ice?
- Yes, we do.
- Yes.
Prepare a bowl of ice water.
Use a bigger bowl.
Chef, do you usually
cook when you're at home?
I order in.
He orders in?
Yes, I order in from restaurants.
I guess you want to taste
other people's cooking.
- Nah, I'm just too lazy to cook.
- OK!
Awesome.
Now, the abalone in our rice.
Take them out.
We're going to cut the abalone.
OK.
The water is boiling.
The water is boiling.
Add half a teaspoon of baking soda
into the water.
Half a teaspoon.
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
The water will bubble up like this.
We're making the water alkaline
to cut the bitterness
of our bitter gourd.
Then, add a little bit of salt.
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Salt. OK.
Next, we can blanch the bitter gourd.
How do we know when it's done?
It's done when it turns translucent.
Yours are done. That looks good.
Scoop them up and dunk
them in the ice water.
We dunk them in ice water
for a nicer colour.
So that it'll retain
its vibrant shade of green.
I see.
Then, let it cool down for a bit.
We have to be careful with this step
because the bitter gourd
will lose its crunch
if we wait too long.
Grab the stock.
Prep your celery.
- Pour the stock into a pot.
- The stock...
- Yes, add the stock.
- A lot more.
The stock...
Oh, the stock?
That's tap water.
I'm sorry.
Chicken stock
That's right.
Actually
celery leaves are not commonly used
in Chinese cuisine.
When we do use celery
we don't eat the leaves. It's bitter.
But today, we want its aroma
and it will also make our soup
look more appetising.
Cut some ginger.
Remove the skin first.
We want thin slices.
Thin slices.
About three to four thin slices.
OK.
Done.
Add some shimeji mushrooms.
I prefer to use white shimeji mushrooms
The brown ones look dirty.
- Take it away. It's dirty.
- Take it away.
Take it away.
Why did you give me brown ones?
And next... ta-da! Do you have this?
- It's plum.
- That's plum?
- It's plum?
- Yes.
Two salted plums
- How is it?
- Very salty.
You're doing the right thing.
We should always taste
our ingredients first.
We'll use two plums for now.
Two plums.
Remove the stone first.
Two plums should be enough.
We don't want our soup to be too salty.
Next, add in some ginger.
The ginger slices.
Ginger
And celery.
Add the celery.
Add more stock.
Chef, do you cook
other types of cuisine?
In this lifetime or the next?
Let's focus on this lifetime.
I cook Chinese cuisine in this life.
I'll try other types of cuisine
in my next life.
You really make me laugh, Chef.
Be careful, you have to taste
your soup first
because it can be very salty.
It's delicious.
- Is it salty?
- Yes, it's salty.
OK.
Add a bit of sugar.
1/2 tablespoon of sugar
And abalone sauce too.
Oh, we have abalone sauce?
- Abalone sauce, really?
- Yes, that one.
Just a bit so it won't be too salty.
This is gonna be delicious.
1/2 tablespoon of abalone sauce
Mark, one thing to note about cooking...
is that timing is really important
especially if you're cooking
for your wife.
It's not good to have your soup
and rice ready
before your stir-fried dishes are.
Because the soup
and rice would've gotten cold
by the time you're done with
the stir-fried dishes.
We'll end up getting yelled at.
Getting yelled at is not that bad.
I've gotten things thrown at me before.
- OK.
- Poor thing.
You know how when your wife yells at you
you start to panic?
You're like, "Oh crap,
where's that pot?"
"Where's this? Where's that?"
So, we have to get everything ready.
Gather everything that we need.
- I see.
- Let's be prepared.
So we're ready to put
this in and put that in.
Do you get yelled at a lot?
I'm not at liberty to say.
What do you usually get yelled at for?
All kinds of things.
Did you get into trouble this morning?
Well, it all depends on her mood.
I even got yelled at
for wearing my belt the wrong way.
I really want to meet your wife.
You're enjoying this, aren't you?
Yes. We're in the same boat.
20 years ago, I didn't have a wife.
Life was so easy.
I wasn't scared of anything.
Are you constantly afraid now?
She's there watching me right now!
OK, do you have a pan?
A pan.
Good, now add a bit of oil.
Vegetable oil. Right, Chef?
Yes, vegetable oil.
Add the minced ginger and
minced garlic that we prepped earlier.
Next, the chicken.
OK.
Chicken takes the longest to cook
so we'll put it in first.
Add chicken into the pan
Here we go.
All right!
OK, now add some stock.
Add stock
You have Chinese cooking wine, right?
Add some cooking wine, quick.
Chinese cooking wine.
Chinese cooking wine
We add the wine
while the pan is still sizzling hot
to cook off the alcohol.
- OK.
- It'll impart a fruity aroma
or the fragrance
of fermented rice to your dish.
You won't taste the alcohol at all.
OK, now we're going to add
a spoonful of abalone sauce.
A spoonful of abalone sauce.
A bit of oyster sauce.
1/2 tablespoon of oyster sauce
- Oyster sauce?
- Yes.
A dash of soy sauce.
1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce
Soy sauce.
A little.
A pinch of sugar.
Sugar
Then, grab a small bowl.
Put some cornstarch in it.
Cornstarch.
Add this much cornstarch.
Half a tablespoon.
1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch
Add water.
Just a bit and stir well.
OK.
Next, let's add...
we'll add the abalone.
The abalone.
Char siu and shiitake mushrooms.
This is dark soy sauce.
Just a little.
1/2 teaspoon of dark soy sauce
Around this amount.
Look at the colour.
You can decide how dark
you want the colour of your dish to be.
- Just a little bit.
- Just a little bit.
And then add two tablespoons
of cornstarch.
Two tablespoons of cornstarch
A little bit of sesame oil.
Four drops. About four drops.
Four drops.
Four drops of sesame oil
Now, make some space
in your pan like this.
OK, make some space in the pan.
We want to keep half the pan empty.
OK, keeping half the pan empty.
That's right. Now pour some cooking wine
into the empty space.
One teaspoon of Chinese cooking wine
- Here?
- Yes, pour it in.
So little?
As soon as it boils,
mix it all together.
Very good...
It smells great.
Add some vegetable oil.
OK.
Once it's done,
we'll pour it over the rice.
Pour it over the rice.
Then put the pot on the stove.
It looks great.
Put it on the stove.
How is it? Does it smell good?
It smells wonderful.
To avoid upsetting the wife
we have to serve the dishes
at the same time.
Put it aside.
And this is how we men survive.
Oh, crap.
- What's wrong, Chef?
- What is it?
We haven't stir-fried the kale yet.
Put your pan on the stove.
OK.
Add some oil.
Add some oil.
Cut a lime in half.
Put the kale in when the pan is hot.
Kale
OK.
Then add a spoonful of stock.
The stock is all gone.
Water is fine.
It won't affect the taste.
I'm using stock
just to make it cook faster.
The abalone sauce is what gives
this dish its flavour.
Add abalone sauce.
One tablespoon of abalone sauce
- Done.
- Then, add oyster sauce.
One tablespoon of oyster sauce
Add some Chinese cooking wine.
Oyster sauce...
Chinese cooking wine...
Chinese cooking wine
All done. Put it on the side.
OK.
OK, let's do the fish.
The fish soup is boiling, right?
- Yes.
- OK.
Add the celery.
Adding the celery.
Cook the fish quickly.
How long do we cook it, Chef?
That looks good.
Until it turns white.
- Put it in a serving bowl.
- Yes, sir.
It's boiled fish.
Boiled fish.
Scoop it out.
OK, now add bitter gourd into the pot.
Add bitter gourd and cook through
Scoop the bitter gourd out.
Beautiful.
The colours are beautiful.
Yeah, it looks amazing.
What about these white mushrooms, Chef?
Blanch them too.
All right.
Chef Mark.
OK.
Blanch the white shimeji mushrooms
Almost there...
It's almost time to eat.
Pour the soup over the fish.
Do you have lime?
One slice of lime
Impressive.
Taste it. Let's taste it.
OK.
I'll taste it too.
I don't usually eat a lot.
Are you using that big mixing bowl?
I think you can eat straight
from the pot.
Chef.
I don't eat a lot.
All right, let's taste it.
Babe, we didn't add a lot of seasoning
but this is so good.
I'm getting so many layers of flavour.
First, the dried shrimp
then the dried scallop
and then I bite
into the abalone, it's like...
- So good.
- ...yet another layer
of flavour and fragrance.
Let me try the soup.
Man, the fish is out of this world.
The fish is really good.
Please rate the dishes.
Out of what?
Out of ten, of course, as always.
- Out of ten?
- Yes, ten.
Ten.
- Ten?
- Yes, ten.
Ten? Ten again?
How much do you rate the chef?
Rate my cooking, please.
I'm giving you 100 points.
Mini hearts.
Let's wrap up.
MarkKim + Chef
will donate 30,000 Thai baht
to a charity organisation
of your choice.
Chef, please pick the organisation
you'd like the donation to go to.
I have some experience
with Ramathibodi Hospital Foundation.
My father was hospitalised
at Ramathibodi Hospital previously
and the hospital didn't have
sufficient medical equipment.
It was hard to perform
a heart surgery then.
It's much more developed today.
I want everyone to have access
to those life-saving medical equipment.
So I'd like the money to go to
the Ramathibodi Hospital Foundation.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Thank you for today.
Mini hearts.
Chef Pom is so adorable.
It's unbelievably good.
You like to exaggerate
but this is really very good.
but neither of us knows how to cook.
As we're getting married soon
we've asked some of the best-known chefs
in Thailand to teach us to cook.
Today, we'll be trying our hand
at Chinese cuisine which we simply adore
but we try not to eat too much of
because Chinese food tends to be
high in carbs, full of grease
and mostly fried.
OK, let's turn on the cameras first.
Hi.
Today, we would like to learn
to cook some Chinese dishes
but we'll tweak the recipe slightly
to match our palates.
Let's meet our chef.
There he is.
- Hello, Chef Pom.
- Hello, Chef.
Hello.
We're thrilled to be learning
to cook Chinese food with this chef
who has been known as
the King of Contemporary
Chinese Cuisine.
He is none other than Chef Pom
Thanarak Chuto.
He's a senior chef with
plenty of experience under his belt.
He's the owner
of two contemporary Chinese restaurants
"Chef Pom Kitchen"
and "Chef Pom Chinese Cuisine By TODD".
Today is going to be another
brand-new cooking experience for us.
We have all the ingredients
that you sent us right here.
Those are all premium ingredients.
Nothing's gonna jump out at us, right?
Is it a fish?
It's red coral trout.
They are expensive
and difficult to find.
They're found
in the eastern region of Thailand
like Chanthaburi province for instance.
What is this?
It's some shellfish?
Is this abalone?
Yes...
I love abalone!
I absolutely adore abalone, Chef.
Before we begin,
I have to put this on the table.
I think Chinese food is very oily.
Yes, and spicy too. I don't take spice.
I'm the head chef for today
but could you tweak the recipe for Kim
so that the food is less oily
less spicy and not so carb-laden?
Today, we're going to be making
Cantonese food.
Most Cantonese dishes aren't spicy.
The two dishes
that we'll be cooking today
are a main dish and a soup.
For the main dish
we'll be making abalone with rice.
As for the red coral trout
we'll be using it
for a salted plum soup.
The rice and the soup
will go perfectly together.
- Babe, please make it tasty!
- OK!
Today's dishes are not difficult
but there are a lot of steps.
Please be patient with me, Chef.
- Definitely!
- Chef.
I'm going to start by
boiling some water.
- Go ahead.
- OK.
First, I want you to prepare
the abalone.
- The abalone, sure.
- Yes.
We'll also be needing
char siu (BBQ pork).
Char siu?
- Oh, here it is.
- OK.
- And vegetables.
- Vegetables.
And chicken.
Chicken breast.
This is Japanese abalone
which is high-quality
and rather expensive.
We'll need to clean the abalone.
And we're going to do that
by blanching them.
I see, all right.
I'm going to start blanching them.
Can I put them in now?
Yes, go ahead.
What kind of Chinese food
do you usually eat?
Dim sum.
Steamed buns.
Oh, the popular stuff.
Got it.
Chef, may I ask you something?
How did you become a chef?
Well, I was quite a troublemaker
when I was young.
I kept changing jobs.
Back then, the best place to work
was in a restaurant
because you get three free meals a day.
But working in a Chinese restaurant
you'd get four meals!
The pay was decent
- but the work was relatively hard.
- I see.
I've enjoyed cooking
since I was 14 or 15.
What age did you start working
in a restaurant?
I think I started at around 13 or 14.
Did you work in Thailand or China?
First in Thailand
and then I went to China
Hong Kong and Taiwan.
I was away for about 40 years
where all I did was cook.
Oh, sounds like a long
and colourful career.
- OK.
- You can already eat this as it is.
We call this part the liver
but we won't be using it today.
So let's remove it.
I've heard that the liver
is sometimes used
to make sauce, right?
Yes.
Remove the liver and rinse the abalone.
Rinse the abalone
- We have to wash them.
- Yeah.
We need to scrub these black bits off.
Give them a good bath.
Scrub along this edge.
We need to remove the black bits.
Scrub them all off.
Oh, it's like brushing your teeth.
Is this black thing mud?
Chef, what are the health benefits
of eating abalone?
There's a lot of misinformation
out there
that abalone is high in cholesterol
and that we shouldn't eat them
- but that's not correct.
- Oh, really?
Abalone is rich in amino acids.
Some of these amino acids actually help
to reduce cholesterol levels.
Also, abalone is rich
in collagen and protein.
Sounds like we should eat abalone
after workouts.
I don't think you need to
exercise beforehand.
Just eat 'em, right?
OK, Chef. I have four abalone ready.
I got them squeaky clean.
OK. Let's cook the rice now.
Rice.
Three-quarters of a cup.
3/4 cup of rice
We need to wash the rice.
Babe, can you wash the rice?
Wash the rice
We're going to add conpoy to the rice.
What is "conpoy"?
- Conpoy.
- Conpoy.
It's dried scallop.
Can we eat it as it is?
Yes, but it's very chewy.
Oh, it really is.
It's like eating dried squid.
This is S size conpoy.
Conpoy also come in M, L,
and king sizes.
There are also conpoy
that are smaller than this.
Conpoy of this size are about
7,000 Thai baht per kilogram.
We'll only need three.
It's like eating dried squid.
This is an easy step.
It's delicious.
Done.
After you're done
we'll add some dried shrimp.
Dried shrimp.
As much as we want, right?
Yeah, knock yourself out.
We'll be using this stock
to cook our rice.
What kind of stock is this?
- Chicken.
- Chicken.
I have a handy cooking tip
for you, Mark.
The one-knuckle trick.
- What?
- One knuckle.
- One knuckle.
- Oh, one knuckle!
I see!
Oh, the one-knuckle trick.
Why were you whispering, Chef?
You're so funny, Chef.
Before we started today's recording
Chicken stock
the crew warned
us that you looked fierce
but you actually aren't, are you?
In Chinese kitchens
we use high-powered wok burners
which are very noisy.
So, when someone tries to talk to us
we might not hear them.
That's why people get the idea that
- we're rude and fierce.
- I see.
Well, I don't think you're fierce.
I think you're adorable.
After you've added the chicken stock
we'll need to add some oil.
Vegetable oil.
One tablespoon of vegetable oil
The rice we're cooking today
looks kind of like chicken rice.
I see.
Is this claypot rice?
Yes, authentic claypot rice.
Why don't we just use a rice cooker?
You dropped something, Chef.
Because it's called claypot rice
not rice-cooker rice.
I'm sorry.
I apologise.
Next, add the abalone.
Then, turn on the stove.
Wait for it to start boiling.
Oh, we have to use high heat.
As soon as it boils,
we'll lower the heat
and let it cook slowly.
Next, let's start on the chicken.
OK.
OK.
Slice it in half...
Slice chicken breast in half
Slicing it in half.
See?
Do we only need
one chicken breast, Chef?
I think one is still too much.
We'll just need half.
Oh, half.
OK, I'm going to lower the heat.
Babe, lower the heat.
I feel intimidated.
Slicing them up.
There are many ways to cut chicken
in Chinese cuisine.
We slice, dice or julienne.
It depends on what we're cooking.
Since we'll be having chicken
with the rice
we'll cut the chicken into chunks.
Bite-sized chunks.
So, should I cut it
into strips or dice it?
Cut it into strips first,
then dice the strips.
OK.
Cutting now.
Dice the chicken
Pot... claypot...
When it boils
we have to lower the heat.
This is the traditional method
of cooking claypot rice in China.
If you go to Hong Kong, you'll see them
cook this dish by the side
of the road. Fresh.
It takes about 15 minutes.
They call it bo zai.
Bo zai is the claypot
they cook the rice in.
Next, we're going to cut
the char siu.
Char siu.
50g of char siu
Cut it into strips
and then cut the strips into cubes.
Dice the char siu
Dicing...
Shiitake mushrooms.
Remove the mushroom stalk.
We only need about four mushrooms.
Four shiitake mushrooms.
If you were to cook this again
I recommend using dried
shiitake mushrooms.
Why?
It's more aromatic.
More aromatic.
Now, these are not dried mushrooms
so they're much softer.
We can just cut them in half.
Done.
Next, we need to do some prep work.
- Grab some ginger.
- OK.
And garlic as well.
Ginger / Garlic
This is called cao liu in Cantonese.
Cao liu is a mixture of aromatics
which we stir-fry to add
fragrance to a dish.
When you eat at a Chinese restaurant
have you ever wondered why
dishes like stir-fried pork
are so fragrant?
That's because they sauté
these ingredients
first to get the fragrance.
I see.
We'll peel the ginger first.
Slice it thinly
so we can mince it later.
That's right.
After you're done slicing the ginger
stack the slices together
and mince them.
Check the rice.
Babe, check the rice.
Kim, please check the rice first.
It should look like this.
Mine is still watery.
It smells very nice though.
Don't stir it... just let it dry.
Don't stir it.
You can leave the claypot uncovered.
It will dry faster that way.
OK.
We'll use about four cloves of garlic.
- Babe, mince it a little more.
- OK.
Mince the garlic.
Mince the garlic
OK.
Please put it on a plate.
- Next, the kale.
- Kale.
Three stalks of kale.
One, two, three.
Remove the tips.
Remove the tips...
We'll cut it in half.
Here. This is one stalk of kale.
Babe, Chef cut it this way just now.
Chef cut it lengthwise?
Yes.
I said in half... that's lengthwise!
In half.
In half...
Like this, right?
Yes, that's right!
- What?
- He said to cut it in half.
Cut it in half like this.
But that's not half. This is half!
Maybe we should change our head chef.
We have different ideas
of what a half is.
OK, let's put this aside for now.
Now it's time to start
on the other dish.
Let's begin with the fish.
- It's time for the fish!
- Fish.
Get a clean piece of cloth.
Clean cloth.
We're only using one side of the fish.
Babe, don't botch this up.
This fish is really expensive.
Where can we find this fish?
It's a sea fish.
You can find them
in the eastern provinces
such as Chon Buri, Chanthaburi and Trad.
The fish tastes great
unlike those in the Andaman Sea.
And that's because of the difference
in the density of the seawater.
Like this, Chef?
- Wow. Well done!
- Thank you.
- Excellent!
- I gotta take this off.
It keeps getting in the way.
I'm sorry. What do we do next?
Remove the belly part.
I've already done that, Chef.
OK.
Chef, can we turn off the stove now?
Taste it.
Taste it and see if it's dry enough.
It smells heavenly.
It's tasty!
- It's tasty. It's already tasty.
- So tasty.
We don't even need to add anything else.
Chef, the rice at the bottom
is a bit burnt.
That's OK.
A good claypot rice
should be slightly burnt.
OK, then we'll leave it like this.
Have you ever had rice
cooked the traditional Thai way?
Does sticky rice in bamboo count?
Chef is facepalming again.
No?
Back in the day
we didn't have rice cookers.
So we'd boil rice, drain the water
and cook the rice until it's dry.
Eating rice was a big deal back then.
We call it khao tu-khao tang.
We would scrape out the burnt rice
dry them under the sun and fry them.
It smells really good.
We're going to slice the fish now.
We're slicing it?
Mark, try this. It's beautiful.
It's gorgeous.
How's this, Chef?
That's too thinly sliced.
Too thin.
Slice the fish
This is beautiful. I'm proud of myself.
We can make sushi with this, babe.
Yes, but this type of fish
isn't suitable for sushi
because the skin is too thick.
Oh yes, it is.
After we're done cutting the fish
add some salt. Just a pinch will do.
Sprinkle a pinch of salt
Then we're going to bring
some water to boil.
Boil some water.
OK, next we'll cook some vegetables.
- OK. A bitter gourd.
- Bitter gourd.
We want half of a bitter gourd.
Half a bitter gourd
That's right. Cut off the ends first
then cut it in half lengthwise.
Next, use a spoon.
Scrape the seeds out.
Then, we're going to cut it
into pieces like this.
OK.
Do you have ice?
- Yes, we do.
- Yes.
Prepare a bowl of ice water.
Use a bigger bowl.
Chef, do you usually
cook when you're at home?
I order in.
He orders in?
Yes, I order in from restaurants.
I guess you want to taste
other people's cooking.
- Nah, I'm just too lazy to cook.
- OK!
Awesome.
Now, the abalone in our rice.
Take them out.
We're going to cut the abalone.
OK.
The water is boiling.
The water is boiling.
Add half a teaspoon of baking soda
into the water.
Half a teaspoon.
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
The water will bubble up like this.
We're making the water alkaline
to cut the bitterness
of our bitter gourd.
Then, add a little bit of salt.
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Salt. OK.
Next, we can blanch the bitter gourd.
How do we know when it's done?
It's done when it turns translucent.
Yours are done. That looks good.
Scoop them up and dunk
them in the ice water.
We dunk them in ice water
for a nicer colour.
So that it'll retain
its vibrant shade of green.
I see.
Then, let it cool down for a bit.
We have to be careful with this step
because the bitter gourd
will lose its crunch
if we wait too long.
Grab the stock.
Prep your celery.
- Pour the stock into a pot.
- The stock...
- Yes, add the stock.
- A lot more.
The stock...
Oh, the stock?
That's tap water.
I'm sorry.
Chicken stock
That's right.
Actually
celery leaves are not commonly used
in Chinese cuisine.
When we do use celery
we don't eat the leaves. It's bitter.
But today, we want its aroma
and it will also make our soup
look more appetising.
Cut some ginger.
Remove the skin first.
We want thin slices.
Thin slices.
About three to four thin slices.
OK.
Done.
Add some shimeji mushrooms.
I prefer to use white shimeji mushrooms
The brown ones look dirty.
- Take it away. It's dirty.
- Take it away.
Take it away.
Why did you give me brown ones?
And next... ta-da! Do you have this?
- It's plum.
- That's plum?
- It's plum?
- Yes.
Two salted plums
- How is it?
- Very salty.
You're doing the right thing.
We should always taste
our ingredients first.
We'll use two plums for now.
Two plums.
Remove the stone first.
Two plums should be enough.
We don't want our soup to be too salty.
Next, add in some ginger.
The ginger slices.
Ginger
And celery.
Add the celery.
Add more stock.
Chef, do you cook
other types of cuisine?
In this lifetime or the next?
Let's focus on this lifetime.
I cook Chinese cuisine in this life.
I'll try other types of cuisine
in my next life.
You really make me laugh, Chef.
Be careful, you have to taste
your soup first
because it can be very salty.
It's delicious.
- Is it salty?
- Yes, it's salty.
OK.
Add a bit of sugar.
1/2 tablespoon of sugar
And abalone sauce too.
Oh, we have abalone sauce?
- Abalone sauce, really?
- Yes, that one.
Just a bit so it won't be too salty.
This is gonna be delicious.
1/2 tablespoon of abalone sauce
Mark, one thing to note about cooking...
is that timing is really important
especially if you're cooking
for your wife.
It's not good to have your soup
and rice ready
before your stir-fried dishes are.
Because the soup
and rice would've gotten cold
by the time you're done with
the stir-fried dishes.
We'll end up getting yelled at.
Getting yelled at is not that bad.
I've gotten things thrown at me before.
- OK.
- Poor thing.
You know how when your wife yells at you
you start to panic?
You're like, "Oh crap,
where's that pot?"
"Where's this? Where's that?"
So, we have to get everything ready.
Gather everything that we need.
- I see.
- Let's be prepared.
So we're ready to put
this in and put that in.
Do you get yelled at a lot?
I'm not at liberty to say.
What do you usually get yelled at for?
All kinds of things.
Did you get into trouble this morning?
Well, it all depends on her mood.
I even got yelled at
for wearing my belt the wrong way.
I really want to meet your wife.
You're enjoying this, aren't you?
Yes. We're in the same boat.
20 years ago, I didn't have a wife.
Life was so easy.
I wasn't scared of anything.
Are you constantly afraid now?
She's there watching me right now!
OK, do you have a pan?
A pan.
Good, now add a bit of oil.
Vegetable oil. Right, Chef?
Yes, vegetable oil.
Add the minced ginger and
minced garlic that we prepped earlier.
Next, the chicken.
OK.
Chicken takes the longest to cook
so we'll put it in first.
Add chicken into the pan
Here we go.
All right!
OK, now add some stock.
Add stock
You have Chinese cooking wine, right?
Add some cooking wine, quick.
Chinese cooking wine.
Chinese cooking wine
We add the wine
while the pan is still sizzling hot
to cook off the alcohol.
- OK.
- It'll impart a fruity aroma
or the fragrance
of fermented rice to your dish.
You won't taste the alcohol at all.
OK, now we're going to add
a spoonful of abalone sauce.
A spoonful of abalone sauce.
A bit of oyster sauce.
1/2 tablespoon of oyster sauce
- Oyster sauce?
- Yes.
A dash of soy sauce.
1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce
Soy sauce.
A little.
A pinch of sugar.
Sugar
Then, grab a small bowl.
Put some cornstarch in it.
Cornstarch.
Add this much cornstarch.
Half a tablespoon.
1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch
Add water.
Just a bit and stir well.
OK.
Next, let's add...
we'll add the abalone.
The abalone.
Char siu and shiitake mushrooms.
This is dark soy sauce.
Just a little.
1/2 teaspoon of dark soy sauce
Around this amount.
Look at the colour.
You can decide how dark
you want the colour of your dish to be.
- Just a little bit.
- Just a little bit.
And then add two tablespoons
of cornstarch.
Two tablespoons of cornstarch
A little bit of sesame oil.
Four drops. About four drops.
Four drops.
Four drops of sesame oil
Now, make some space
in your pan like this.
OK, make some space in the pan.
We want to keep half the pan empty.
OK, keeping half the pan empty.
That's right. Now pour some cooking wine
into the empty space.
One teaspoon of Chinese cooking wine
- Here?
- Yes, pour it in.
So little?
As soon as it boils,
mix it all together.
Very good...
It smells great.
Add some vegetable oil.
OK.
Once it's done,
we'll pour it over the rice.
Pour it over the rice.
Then put the pot on the stove.
It looks great.
Put it on the stove.
How is it? Does it smell good?
It smells wonderful.
To avoid upsetting the wife
we have to serve the dishes
at the same time.
Put it aside.
And this is how we men survive.
Oh, crap.
- What's wrong, Chef?
- What is it?
We haven't stir-fried the kale yet.
Put your pan on the stove.
OK.
Add some oil.
Add some oil.
Cut a lime in half.
Put the kale in when the pan is hot.
Kale
OK.
Then add a spoonful of stock.
The stock is all gone.
Water is fine.
It won't affect the taste.
I'm using stock
just to make it cook faster.
The abalone sauce is what gives
this dish its flavour.
Add abalone sauce.
One tablespoon of abalone sauce
- Done.
- Then, add oyster sauce.
One tablespoon of oyster sauce
Add some Chinese cooking wine.
Oyster sauce...
Chinese cooking wine...
Chinese cooking wine
All done. Put it on the side.
OK.
OK, let's do the fish.
The fish soup is boiling, right?
- Yes.
- OK.
Add the celery.
Adding the celery.
Cook the fish quickly.
How long do we cook it, Chef?
That looks good.
Until it turns white.
- Put it in a serving bowl.
- Yes, sir.
It's boiled fish.
Boiled fish.
Scoop it out.
OK, now add bitter gourd into the pot.
Add bitter gourd and cook through
Scoop the bitter gourd out.
Beautiful.
The colours are beautiful.
Yeah, it looks amazing.
What about these white mushrooms, Chef?
Blanch them too.
All right.
Chef Mark.
OK.
Blanch the white shimeji mushrooms
Almost there...
It's almost time to eat.
Pour the soup over the fish.
Do you have lime?
One slice of lime
Impressive.
Taste it. Let's taste it.
OK.
I'll taste it too.
I don't usually eat a lot.
Are you using that big mixing bowl?
I think you can eat straight
from the pot.
Chef.
I don't eat a lot.
All right, let's taste it.
Babe, we didn't add a lot of seasoning
but this is so good.
I'm getting so many layers of flavour.
First, the dried shrimp
then the dried scallop
and then I bite
into the abalone, it's like...
- So good.
- ...yet another layer
of flavour and fragrance.
Let me try the soup.
Man, the fish is out of this world.
The fish is really good.
Please rate the dishes.
Out of what?
Out of ten, of course, as always.
- Out of ten?
- Yes, ten.
Ten.
- Ten?
- Yes, ten.
Ten? Ten again?
How much do you rate the chef?
Rate my cooking, please.
I'm giving you 100 points.
Mini hearts.
Let's wrap up.
MarkKim + Chef
will donate 30,000 Thai baht
to a charity organisation
of your choice.
Chef, please pick the organisation
you'd like the donation to go to.
I have some experience
with Ramathibodi Hospital Foundation.
My father was hospitalised
at Ramathibodi Hospital previously
and the hospital didn't have
sufficient medical equipment.
It was hard to perform
a heart surgery then.
It's much more developed today.
I want everyone to have access
to those life-saving medical equipment.
So I'd like the money to go to
the Ramathibodi Hospital Foundation.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Thank you for today.
Mini hearts.
Chef Pom is so adorable.
It's unbelievably good.
You like to exaggerate
but this is really very good.