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Season 1 Episode 1 | Rick Stein's Australia - hd
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00:00I was 19 years old when I first came to Australia.
00:04I was at a crossroads, running away from family tragedy.
00:09My dad had just died, and I didn't know what I was going to do with my life.
00:15And I found this sort of land of colour, of light, every day seemed like today.
00:21And I can remember saying, this is me, I've escaped, this is my life.
00:26What I found in Australia inspired me, and I've since built a career travelling the world in search of perfect, simple dishes.
00:35Love them to bits.
00:36Today, Australia is so much more than just another travel destination.
00:41My wife is Australian.
00:42This is delicious. No calories.
00:44And this country has become my second home.
00:47This is the life, isn't it?
00:48This is the life.
00:49So after a lifetime of food journeys, I'm finally retracing some of that first trip.
00:57Ow!
00:57I want to discover how Australia and its food is changing.
01:02This goat curry is really special.
01:04Takes me right back.
01:05Fabulous!
01:07I shake your hand, but I've got a compliant sauce all over it.
01:09Now I'm ready to go.
01:11And I'm bringing my inspiration home to create new recipes.
01:14That's looking good now.
01:16I suspect it's going to be another journey of a lifetime.
01:31Like many newcomers, my first view of Australia was Sydney Harbour.
01:39One of the largest natural harbours in the world.
01:44It's also the gateway to Australia's oldest city.
01:49Sydney is where my first Australian adventure began in 1966.
01:55And it's where I'll be spending the first leg of my nearly 5,000km road trip
02:01across the state of New South Wales,
02:04an area three times the size of the United Kingdom.
02:09For me, there's no better way to experience Sydney
02:13than on one of the many ferries that crisscross the harbour.
02:18It was here that Sydney was founded as a British convict settlement
02:22on the lands of the Gadigal people
02:25at a place now known as the Rocks,
02:28between the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.
02:30I remember when I came here, the Opera House was just being finished.
02:37The form was there, so I could see how beautiful it was.
02:41They were just putting the tiles everywhere.
02:43I can remember then the food was simple and familiar, really.
02:51But what I also remember, even then, was the produce was spectacular.
02:57First time I ever had oysters, and they were wonderful.
03:00And also the first time, actually, I'd ever had scallops.
03:07I suppose looking back, I realise how much my love, appreciation
03:12and actually knowledge of food has changed over those years.
03:16And I think it all kicked off with my early visit here.
03:20And I think the same applies to Australia, really.
03:22And I'm really here to find out sort of how it's changed
03:26and also why it's changed.
03:32I'm taking the ferry east past the city
03:34to one of Sydney's many harbourside suburbs, Double Bay.
03:41I'm here to meet someone whom I believe led the charge
03:45in transforming Australian food,
03:48to get his take on what drove this change.
03:52Neil Perry emerged as a superstar of modern Australian cooking
03:57in the 1980s,
03:59championing quality produce and Asian flavours.
04:03A few years ago, Neil opened a new restaurant, Margaret,
04:07which he describes as a cosy neighbourhood bistro.
04:12Pretty humble for a restaurant
04:13that's just been voted one of the best in the world.
04:18Mr Stein, how are you?
04:20Well, more important, how's your fish?
04:22The fish is awesome.
04:23Mate, if we get this inside, I'll pull it out and show you.
04:25It's going to be incredible.
04:27I'm here, ahead of the diners,
04:29to see how Neil's approaching food these days.
04:32Such a nice restaurant.
04:34Thank you, mate.
04:34True family restaurant, named after Mum.
04:39And it seems the menu here is still dedicated
04:42to serving up top-grade produce cooked over an open fire.
04:47Smells good.
04:48Is that charcoal?
04:49Yeah, it's timber burning.
04:51Oh, wood.
04:52Yeah, yeah.
04:52What?
04:53So the iron bark, we burn it right down to the embers
04:55and we cook over the embers every day.
04:57And so that starting fire is just fed for the entire day.
05:01It will run from now right through to this evening.
05:04And it's the heart of the kitchen.
05:07Oh, this is fab.
05:08So here we are.
05:09Here in his prep room,
05:10Neil's chefs process 1,000 kilos
05:13of top-grade seafood every week from across the country.
05:17There you've got the beautiful coral trout.
05:19This is the cousin of pearl perch,
05:21so it's the Western Australian pearl perch.
05:23I mean, that's just the most beautiful fish.
05:26And so there you've got two examples
05:27of something from one side of the country
05:28and one from the other, up north.
05:30And then, you know, we'll get a delivery.
05:32I'm speechless, Neil.
05:33That is a lovely fish.
05:37What do you think is so special
05:39about Australian cuisine, really?
05:41What makes it different?
05:42Well, I think it's our relationship with Asia.
05:44I mean, you know, we're part of Asia, really.
05:46And the Chinese came here first.
05:48Gold Rush days came in in the 1800s.
05:51That was our first real exotic experience
05:54with Asian food.
05:56Neil's cooking has always reflected these influences
05:59from the moment he opened his first restaurant,
06:03the Blue Water Grill.
06:04Because you sort of know Chinese food backwards.
06:07Well, I do, because I started with that one first
06:09when I was very young,
06:10with my dad taking me down to Chinatown.
06:12We had Chinese friends who were restauranteurs,
06:15so I got to eat amazing Chinese food when I was younger.
06:18So I was kind of eating, you know,
06:20chilli mud crab and ginger and shallot lobster
06:22and white cut chicken.
06:25And so that informed the Blue Water Grill.
06:31So I came here in 86.
06:32The Blue Water Grill was open,
06:34and I just thought, this is cutting edge.
06:36This is where it's all happening.
06:37Yeah, yeah.
06:38I suppose that's the thing I really like about you,
06:41is you're just still so enthusiastic about your produce.
06:44Yeah, well, it's the whole basis
06:46upon which my career's been built,
06:48and I don't see any reason to change it.
06:50We just try to take the best things
06:51and get out of the way of it.
06:53Neil has kindly offered to show me
06:55his favourite way of cooking this lovely fish.
06:58Yeah.
06:59Here's one of those beautiful coral trout.
07:01Yes.
07:01And all I'm going to do
07:03is give it a nice dusting of oil.
07:06Yeah.
07:06We don't want it to stick to the grill,
07:08but we don't want to,
07:08by the same time,
07:09we don't want to...
07:10Flares up.
07:12Yeah.
07:12It'll really take as much salt as it needs,
07:14so you can give it a really good seasoning.
07:15I always say the difference
07:16between a professional chef
07:17and a home chef is seasoning.
07:20And then I'm just going to take
07:21this weight.
07:25Ah.
07:25Just gives it a little bit of pressure
07:27to get the skin a little bit crisp.
07:28Yeah.
07:28It's the age-old way
07:31of cooking over fire.
07:32Exactly the way I do it as well.
07:34Yeah, yeah.
07:36But, you know,
07:37one of the nice things
07:37about cooking over fire
07:39with meat or fish
07:41is it's just a very supportive flavour.
07:45Well, it doesn't matter
07:46what you do to that.
07:47Yeah.
07:47You can't make it any better than that.
07:49No.
07:49No, no, no.
07:50Everything else is just embellishing
07:51or gilding the lily.
07:54Exactly.
07:54The freshest piece of fish,
07:59beautiful fresh lemon.
08:01Yeah.
08:02Beautiful mineral salt.
08:05And, of course,
08:06then you don't get anything
08:07more pure than olive oil.
08:08Wow.
08:18Such a good fish as well, isn't it?
08:20Coral trout is like
08:21almost without pier.
08:23You know, you get that
08:23slight crustacean flavour.
08:25Yeah, yeah, yeah.
08:26The density of the flesh.
08:28Perfectly cooked, I have to say.
08:30Oh, thank you.
08:31Oh, that's good.
08:32Neil's enthusiasm
08:39for the importance
08:41of Asian flavours
08:42to Australian food
08:43intrigues me.
08:45So I'm heading back
08:46into the city
08:47to explore Sydney's Chinatown.
08:51It's the largest Chinatown
08:53in the Southern Hemisphere.
08:58When I arrived here
08:59in the 1960s,
09:01one in 500 Australians
09:03had Chinese ancestry.
09:05Today, that figure
09:06is one in 20.
09:08And you can feel it.
09:10This is one of the most
09:11vibrant Chinatowns
09:13I've ever visited.
09:16Writer Jennifer Wong
09:17knows a lot about it.
09:20Jennifer, it's nice to see you.
09:21Hello. Welcome
09:22to Sydney's Chinatown.
09:23I've just been wandering around.
09:24It's enormous.
09:27How long have the Chinese
09:28been here in Sydney?
09:301818, we can kind of
09:31put like a date on it
09:32and then people came
09:34for the gold rush
09:34in the 1850s
09:36and the 1860s.
09:38People are coming by boat.
09:39Three months
09:40from Canton to Hong Kong
09:41to Sydney.
09:42Three months.
09:43Three months.
09:43So where they would land
09:44was of course the rocks.
09:46And there's a saying
09:47that the first Chinatown
09:48goes from the rocks,
09:50the feet of the dragon.
09:51Dixon Street
09:52is the belly of the dragon,
09:54all of this food.
09:56But there are suburbs
09:57that could legitimately
09:58be called their own Chinatowns.
10:00Yeah.
10:00You've got your Eastwood,
10:01your Burwood,
10:02your Chatswood,
10:03your Hearstville.
10:04These are all places
10:05with large Chinese populations.
10:07You could walk down the street
10:08and imagine
10:09that you might be somewhere
10:10in the middle of Asia.
10:12Feeling blue, Rick.
10:15Jennifer's taking me
10:16on a tour
10:17of her favourite places.
10:18So these are all
10:19local Asian Australian artists
10:20and they all have a connection
10:22with Chinatown.
10:23Including one of the oldest
10:24grocery stores in Chinatown.
10:26Ever.
10:26Zhou San.
10:27Zhou San.
10:28Jen, Rick.
10:29Nice to meet you.
10:29Chris.
10:30Chris Lam was a banker
10:32before taking over
10:33the family business.
10:34This is my roots.
10:36My Rick.
10:36I grew up in the shop.
10:38Mum and Dad
10:39have lovingly curated the shop
10:40and run the shop every day
10:42for four decades
10:44and I wanted to honour that.
10:46I'm well impressed
10:47with that, actually.
10:49So how have things changed?
10:52The shop itself
10:53hasn't changed a lot
10:54since the 80s, Rick.
10:54It doesn't look like it,
10:55which I love.
10:56Don't get me wrong.
10:57And I'm trying to preserve it.
10:58I'm trying to keep it that way.
10:59The smell.
11:00The smell.
11:01It's five spice, you know?
11:02Five spice, salted fish,
11:04you know, greens.
11:05We carry a lot
11:06of specialised Asian ingredients.
11:12This is an amaranth green.
11:14It comes in two variations.
11:16You can get this green
11:17or have a red amaranth green.
11:19Oh, yeah, I've seen it, yeah.
11:20And what would that be?
11:22Stir-fried, I guess,
11:23or steam?
11:23Stir-fried with a bit of garlic.
11:24You can steam it.
11:25Put it in soups.
11:30Chrysanthemum,
11:31a product of Korea originally.
11:34Right.
11:34And it's used in hot pots.
11:37Have a taste of that.
11:38I love it.
11:38The first time I would have tasted that,
11:40I'd have thought,
11:41that's poisonous.
11:42Because it's got this
11:43really sort of, like,
11:44taste like a flower.
11:45It's a weed, yeah.
11:46Well, aren't these all weeds?
11:48Yeah, well, I suppose so.
11:50People come from all over,
11:52and we're known for
11:53the quality of our greens.
11:55We source it directly
11:56from the farmers
11:57that have been
11:58growing this
11:59for multiple generations.
12:00Chris's roots here run deep,
12:04something he's clearly
12:06very proud of.
12:08So, Rick,
12:09I wanted to show you
12:10this mural done by
12:11Aboriginal Chinese artist,
12:14Jason Wing,
12:15and Aboriginal artist,
12:17Amanda Gibbs.
12:18The serpent
12:19is symbolic
12:21of the Aboriginal
12:22dream time.
12:23The dragon
12:24symbolises
12:26East Asian
12:27immigration
12:28to Australia.
12:30And to me,
12:30what it says is
12:31that
12:33the Gadigal land
12:34welcomed our people
12:35when we didn't have a home.
12:37And for me,
12:38it reflects
12:39what it means
12:40to be
12:40Chinese Australian
12:41or Asian Australian.
12:44It is a love letter
12:45to Chinatown
12:46from us,
12:47from the artist,
12:48and from the community.
12:49Well, Rick,
12:57it would be
12:58remiss of me
12:59as a Cantonese person
13:00not to take you
13:01to Yum Cha.
13:02Yum Cha?
13:02I love Yum Cha.
13:03You love Yum Cha?
13:04Yeah, yeah.
13:05You know it means
13:05drink tea?
13:06Are you ready
13:06to drink some tea with me?
13:07I'm more than ready, yes.
13:09I prefer it to beer, actually.
13:12Did you really just say that?
13:13Yes, I did.
13:14I did.
13:14I heard it here first.
13:17Yum Cha is a classic
13:19South Chinese brunch
13:20in which an array
13:22of small share plates
13:23are served
13:24along with tea.
13:26Here at the Royal Palace
13:27Seafood Restaurant,
13:29trolleys piled high
13:30with dumplings
13:31and other delicacies
13:32offer their wares
13:34to a packed crowd.
13:37Yum Cha may have started
13:38as a Cantonese tradition,
13:40but it's become
13:41a popular Sydney institution.
13:44A few things you need
13:45to know before we start.
13:46We need a game plan.
13:47Because you look like
13:48the way you do,
13:49they're going to look at you
13:50and think that all you want
13:51to eat is a deep-fried
13:52spring roll.
13:53And they're going to want
13:54to put their steamer baskets
13:56on this table.
13:57Right.
13:58And they want us to say,
13:59yes, we want it.
14:00But Yum Cha is about
14:01learning to say no.
14:04Oh, yes, I've seen that.
14:05I get what you're saying.
14:06Yeah, right.
14:07Because I'll order everything.
14:08You want to avoid a situation
14:10where you end up with
14:10seven plates of fried food.
14:12Yeah.
14:13Today we want to have
14:14a combination of fried,
14:15hand-fried, deep-fried,
14:17but also steamed.
14:22What are your favourites
14:23when you go to Yum Cha?
14:25Dumplings, really.
14:26Okay, like a steamed
14:27kind of situation.
14:28Steamed, yeah, yeah, yeah.
14:29Oh, these look good, Rick.
14:32Look at that.
14:32They do.
14:34The little crab roe on top.
14:36Is that what you had in mind
14:37when you think of Yum Cha?
14:38Yeah, yeah.
14:38Classic two dishes of Yum Cha.
14:40We literally say them
14:41all together.
14:42Prawn dumpling,
14:43pork dumpling,
14:44Hargau, Silmai.
14:45So already we have,
14:46we have ticked the box
14:47of a very basic
14:48Yum Cha fundamental.
14:50Right.
14:50What about some tea?
14:51We're going to combine
14:52a chrysanthemum and flour tea
14:53with a pu-erh,
14:55which is like a kind of dark tea.
14:59It's a blend I've never tried before.
15:06That's really nice.
15:07You like it?
15:07Yeah.
15:08So, go for it.
15:10Be my guest.
15:11Good.
15:12After talking about
15:13Asian food all morning,
15:15I finally get to eat some
15:17and it's been worth the wait.
15:19How is that?
15:20Good?
15:21Thank you so much.
15:23Oh, that looks really nice.
15:25Another Yum Cha staple,
15:27Chinese greens with oyster sauce
15:29simple and delicious.
15:32Try that on the sides.
15:34This is taro on the outside.
15:36Now, taro is like a root vegetable
15:38that's extremely stodgy,
15:39even more so than a potato.
15:41A taro dumpling
15:42filled with ground pork
15:44and fried.
15:45This is a taro.
15:47This one is one of my favourite dishes.
15:49And inside here is the fried dough stick
15:53that you'd know from having congee, right?
15:55Yeah, yeah.
15:55Try it.
15:56Just try it while it's hot.
15:57It's got the fried dough stick in the middle.
16:00It's so good.
16:05I love that.
16:07Well, and the textures.
16:09I mean, that's the whole point, isn't it?
16:10I know, I know.
16:11But also, I love the fried taste.
16:13Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
16:14That's what I love about Chinese food
16:16is just making something out of the humblest bits.
16:19And what could be more humble than chicken feet?
16:23And then you eat it closer to your mouth, then?
16:25You can bring the bowl up to your mouth as well in Cantonese.
16:28Yeah.
16:29So, this is a really good one to eat while it's piping hot.
16:32It's delicious.
16:33Boiled with a range of spices,
16:35including star anise and fermented black beans.
16:39What's that saying about the only thing we don't eat
16:42are the legs off the table or something?
16:43Yeah, yeah.
16:49One more cup of tea for the road.
16:52What have you thought about today?
16:55I've so enjoyed it, really.
16:57It's always about the sort of theatre of it,
17:00the enjoyment of it, the conviviality of it.
17:03And you've got this really large restaurant
17:05full of all races under the sun, almost,
17:09and everybody's having fun
17:11because the whole service is so enjoyable.
17:19I think just asking myself the question,
17:26is this what makes Australian food so special?
17:28Yes, indeed it is.
17:30Because I just think that the general assimilation
17:33of something like Cantonese cooking and yum cha
17:36into the sort of national identity
17:40is what is so special about Australia.
17:43I'm taking my exploration of Asian food in Sydney
17:49a step further
17:50and heading deeper
17:52into the city's historic streets and alleyways.
17:56I want to know if Australians
17:58are simply embracing Chinese food
18:00or going further and making it their own.
18:04And I'm meeting a chef
18:05who I've heard is daring to do just that.
18:09Dan Hong grew up
18:10in his family's Vietnamese restaurant in Sydney.
18:13He's now taking much-loved Cantonese dishes
18:16and serving them up with his own twist
18:18in his fine dining restaurant, Mr. Wong.
18:25Hey, Rick.
18:26Dan.
18:26Very nice to meet you.
18:27You too.
18:28Welcome to Mr. Wong.
18:29Oh, my gosh.
18:31It's really atmospheric.
18:32We opened 12 years ago
18:35and we wanted to replicate
18:37almost like 1940s or 50s Shanghai.
18:41Rates.
18:42Yeah.
18:42Sort of Empire of the Sun type stuff.
18:44Yeah.
18:45We wanted a great experience
18:47where the service was good.
18:49We had really good wine lists.
18:52We had really good desserts
18:54and we wanted to use the best produce in Australia.
18:56So I've just got to ask you this
19:00because it is a bit pricey.
19:02I mean, you could get
19:03sort of similar Cantonese food
19:05in Chinatown for half the price.
19:07You are right.
19:09But I'm trying to normalise
19:11people paying, you know,
19:13the same amounts for Chinese food
19:15than they do, let's say,
19:16for an Italian restaurant.
19:17Our dim sum team,
19:19these guys dedicate their lives
19:20to making dumplings.
19:22You'd pay the same amount
19:24for three tortellinis
19:26made by an apprentice.
19:28Yeah, yeah.
19:28You are preaching to the converted
19:30because, you know,
19:32I mean, Chinese food is so special.
19:34Why shouldn't you pay the same money
19:36as Italian or French?
19:38And it seems Dan is elevating
19:41the Cantonese classics
19:42from Peking duck to char soup.
19:45Traditionally used for barbecue pork,
19:48Dan's found a new use
19:49for this red barbecue glaze.
19:52So this is my signature
19:54Glacier 51 char soup roasted toothfish.
19:58I came up with this dish
19:59because toothfish is such a rich fish.
20:02It's almost like the Wagyu of the sea.
20:05And expensive.
20:06Very expensive.
20:07Over $100 a kilo.
20:09Really?
20:10Yeah.
20:11This is the traditional char soup marinade.
20:14Yeah.
20:14So there's just six ingredients.
20:16So in goes the fermented tofu.
20:19And with all the juice.
20:23And then the hoisin sauce.
20:27And this ground bean paste as well.
20:30This is somewhat sweet as well.
20:32And then just a little bit
20:34of the red food coloring.
20:36And that's very quite traditional.
20:38Yeah.
20:38And this is the rose wine.
20:41Oh.
20:42It is.
20:43It is heady stuff.
20:44Isn't it?
20:44Lovely.
20:45Yeah.
20:45And then just the sesame oil.
20:48So it's very simple
20:50once you've got the ingredients.
20:51Very simple.
20:52And then slowly whisk in
20:54all the ingredients together.
20:55Smell that rose.
20:59And will that come out
21:00in the final dish that day?
21:01Yeah.
21:01I mean, it all will come out.
21:03This is quite a strong marinade.
21:05Yeah.
21:05That's why after we marinade,
21:07we actually wash the marinade off.
21:11Okay.
21:11So here's the toothfish.
21:13Fabulous.
21:14Can I have a look at the skin side?
21:16Just see what it is?
21:16What an absolutely beautiful fish,
21:23sustainably caught 4,000 kilometers
21:26off the coast of Australia,
21:27deep in Antarctic waters.
21:30All I'm doing is just cutting it
21:32into, I'd say,
21:34about 200 gram strips,
21:36like so.
21:38And then I'll just take the skin off.
21:40Well, the skin is actually
21:41really delicious and gelatinous,
21:43but the marinade has
21:45such a high sugar content.
21:46It tends to burn.
21:48Once we marinate this,
21:50it needs to sit for 48 hours
21:53to really let that marinade
21:56penetrate in.
21:58So what we have here,
21:59this is the finished
22:01after two days,
22:02and you can feel it's a lot firmer.
22:05So it looks very lovely.
22:07And then we just skewer it,
22:08and then we cook it over
22:09on the charcoal grill.
22:12Put it on, like so.
22:15And we just want to get
22:16some color on both sides.
22:17Yeah, yeah.
22:18Before we finish it off
22:19in the oven.
22:20Oh, look at that.
22:22Oh, brilliant.
22:23And then we're just going to
22:24finish it in the oven
22:25for about two minutes.
22:26Of course.
22:31So basically,
22:31I'm just going to drizzle
22:33some honey over it.
22:34Just honey, though.
22:35Just honey.
22:36This is straight honey.
22:37And that's just like
22:41char siu pour.
22:46All right.
22:47My char siu toothfish,
22:49let me serve you.
22:49Oh, thank you very much.
22:51Done.
22:54Fabulous.
22:55It's firm but soft
22:57at the same time.
22:58Yeah, yeah.
23:06It's exquisite.
23:09There's a perfect balance
23:10of flavor and texture.
23:12The clean succulents
23:13of the fish,
23:14offset by the sticky sweet
23:16char of the glaze.
23:18That is just, you know.
23:19I mean, Australia
23:20is very lucky.
23:22Yeah, I think you could
23:24only do this in Australia
23:25because it just happens
23:27to be from Australia.
23:29Great.
23:30You know, while I was
23:31watching you,
23:31I was thinking,
23:32how can I get this
23:33to England?
23:34Because, you know,
23:35how can I get this fish?
23:36But it wouldn't be the same
23:37as Australian.
23:42So, what inspires you?
23:44I mean, this obviously
23:45inspires you.
23:45I mean...
23:46I'm inspired by everything
23:47that I eat.
23:48From the finest
23:49Michelin star Chinese
23:50restaurants,
23:51to, you know,
23:52humble street food.
23:53And then even just
23:55in Australia,
23:56especially in Sydney,
23:57just these new waves
23:59of migrants coming in.
24:01It's not just Cantonese.
24:02It's Sichuan.
24:03It's Hunan.
24:04It's Yunnan.
24:05And that's what really
24:06inspires me
24:06and really excites me
24:07about Sydney.
24:09Fabulous.
24:10That's enough talking.
24:12Let's get back to this
24:13because it's sensational.
24:15I could spend days exploring
24:22the city and its many
24:23restaurants.
24:24But I must admit,
24:26what first drew me to Sydney
24:27wasn't its food,
24:29but its beaches.
24:30On the edge
24:31of the Pacific Ocean,
24:33Sydney boasts
24:34some of the most famous
24:35surf beaches
24:36in the world.
24:38And I couldn't wait
24:39to experience them
24:40for myself.
24:46Even then,
24:47in the 60s,
24:48Sydney's ocean beaches
24:49were crowded
24:50with sun lovers,
24:51surfers,
24:52and swimmers.
24:53I loved it.
24:54But as I've discovered,
25:02there are also hundreds
25:04of more secluded beaches
25:05dotted all over the city's
25:0855-square-kilometre harbourfront,
25:11each with their own unique charm.
25:15And I'm heading to one
25:16of these beaches right now
25:17on what's known as Middle Harbour
25:20to visit an old friend
25:21who's painted Sydney's coastal life
25:24to international acclaim.
25:26He's actually
25:27one of Australia's
25:28most famous artists,
25:30Ken Doan.
25:32I started getting
25:34a real appreciation
25:35of Ken Doan's work
25:36in the 80s
25:37when he was doing
25:37all those iconic paintings
25:39of the harbour bridge
25:40and the beaches
25:41and the sun
25:42and the colour.
25:44It just said everything
25:45to me about Sydney
25:46and Australia.
25:49Ken's lived and painted
25:50here for more than 50 years.
25:54Good morning.
26:08Hi, mate.
26:09Nice to see you again.
26:10Very nice to see you.
26:11I've never been here before.
26:12It's fabulous.
26:14It's a unique part
26:15of Sydney Harbour.
26:17It's called the cabin
26:19and it's the source
26:22of a lot of the early paintings
26:23came from the feeling
26:25of being here
26:26or the feeling
26:27of looking at the sea
26:28and looking at the yachts
26:30in all kinds of weather.
26:32So you've lived here
26:34for 60 years.
26:35Have you seen lots of changes
26:36in Sydney generally
26:37over that time?
26:39The buildings are taller
26:40and the city's more compact.
26:44I'm feeling older
26:45but it's still
26:47a great place to live.
26:48Well, I couldn't agree more.
26:50I mean, for me,
26:51I mean, I came here
26:52in the late 60s
26:54and compared with sort of grey England,
26:58this was just, well,
26:59it was just like how you paint.
27:02I just love going
27:08into artist's studios.
27:09It's just so interesting
27:11and that's what
27:13you're working on now.
27:14That's the painting
27:15I work on at the moment.
27:16It's another reef painting.
27:18Not so much
27:19what it literally looks like
27:21but what it feels like
27:23and, you know,
27:23it's an opportunity
27:24to just show beautiful colours.
27:29Like, I'm not as good
27:31as a five-year-old.
27:32Five-year-olds are unbeatable.
27:33Do you know what?
27:34I'll just tell you this.
27:35I was filming with a guy
27:37in Cornwall, an artist
27:38and I said to him,
27:40you know, people might say
27:41a five-year-old could do that
27:43and he said, exactly.
27:44That's what I'm trying
27:45to get back to.
27:46It's true.
27:47I'm better than most
27:48eight-year-olds
27:49but five-year-olds
27:51are unbeatable.
27:55In the 80s,
27:56you were so big time
27:58because you had all those,
27:59you know, iconic
28:00Sydney Harbour Bridge
28:01beach pictures
28:02but then they were
28:03giving you a hard time
28:04for being too commercial.
28:06Yeah.
28:07Well, I think unless
28:08you have an independent income
28:10as an artist,
28:12you need to make money.
28:14I've made 12 T-shirts
28:16with a drawing
28:16of Sydney Harbour on them.
28:18People liked them very much.
28:20Vogue liked them very much.
28:22That led to other things
28:23but I didn't ever see them
28:25as selling out
28:26always sort of selling in.
28:29I promised Ken
28:30I'd make him lunch
28:31while I'm here
28:32with a dish inspired
28:33by another colourful
28:35coastal location.
28:36I've got the recipe
28:37from the Yucatan in Mexico
28:39with two fishermen
28:40just doing it
28:40on board their little
28:41fishing boat
28:42and it's a ceviche
28:43of kingfish
28:44and cooked prawns.
28:50So, first of all,
28:51the kingfish,
28:51just going to cut it
28:52into chunks,
28:54I suppose is the right word,
28:55chunks,
28:56like that.
28:57If you can't get kingfish,
28:58you can use tuna
29:00or salmon.
29:01So, there's my kingfish
29:04all ready to go
29:05and now I've got some prawns.
29:07Actually, in the original recipe,
29:09they didn't do the prawns
29:11but I'm putting prawns in as well
29:12just to make it
29:13a bit more interesting.
29:15Just a bit of seasoning on there
29:16and that's the all-important lime juice
29:21and this is what actually
29:22cooks the fish.
29:23It's amazing the way
29:25the lime,
29:26the citrus does actually
29:28turn the fish
29:31translucent
29:32with the cooking process
29:34and now for the other ingredients.
29:36First, an echelot
29:38which in the UK
29:39we call a shallot.
29:40I think just half an echelot
29:42will be perfectly satisfactory.
29:45Put that on top like that
29:47and now chilies
29:49and originally the recipe
29:51was for habanero chilies
29:52but they are quite hot
29:55even if you take the seeds out
29:57they're still pretty hot.
29:58So, this is a jalapeno chili
30:00I would say they're sort of medium heat
30:05on what they call
30:06the Scoville scale
30:07which is the way you measure
30:09the hotness of chilies
30:11and habaneros are number 10
30:13jalapenos be about 6.
30:15and now some nice tomatoes
30:21again just chopped.
30:22I mean, what I like about this dish
30:23it's very sort of impromptu.
30:26It's almost like sort of
30:27preparing for a picnic really.
30:30I just think the whole joy of this dish
30:32is the sort of ruggedness of it really.
30:37Now avocado
30:38and again, this wasn't in the original recipe
30:41but I just thought it would make
30:42make for a lovely addition.
30:46So, chop those up into
30:47into chunks.
30:50The last ingredient is coriander.
30:53I can chop it
30:53but I'm just going to tear it up.
30:55So, that looks pretty nice.
30:58I mean, you'll note that
30:59the fish still looks a bit raw
31:01but seriously, that's how I like it.
31:03when you taste it
31:04it doesn't taste raw
31:06but if you leave it too long
31:08it'll go overcooked
31:10and it's much better like this.
31:17Yeah, it looks fabulous.
31:19I hope so.
31:21Wow, such a nice fresh taste, isn't it?
31:24It is.
31:24This fish is fabulous.
31:33I have to say
31:35this is the life, isn't it?
31:37This can't be bad, isn't it?
31:39That's right.
31:48Sydney is a city defined by its waterways
31:51and I'm making my way
31:52over another part of the harbour
31:54across the Anzac Bridge.
31:56I'm heading to Sydney's western suburbs
31:59for the Sydney Markets
32:01in Homebush West.
32:02It's just 15km
32:04from the centre of the city
32:06and I would call it
32:07the stomach of Sydney.
32:12This is the largest
32:14fruit and vegetable market
32:15in the country.
32:17On Fridays and weekends
32:18its retail arm
32:19is open to the public
32:21and I can't think
32:22of a better place
32:23to see how Australian food
32:25is changing.
32:26I can see there's lots more
32:27variety of vegetables here
32:29than you'd probably get
32:30in a normal supermarket.
32:32There's about 1,500 stalls here
32:35selling almost every kind
32:37of fresh produce
32:38you can imagine
32:39including some
32:41I've never seen before.
32:42Excuse me.
32:43What are these?
32:44Longans.
32:46It turns out
32:46longans are similar
32:47to lychees
32:48just one of the many
32:50tropical fruit
32:51on this stall.
32:52Collinis.
32:53I haven't seen
32:55Collinis before
32:56but they look like
32:57a bit of a riff
32:59on cauliflowers.
33:00Fabulous.
33:01Fabulous.
33:02And it's not just
33:03the variety.
33:04Everything here
33:05looks bigger
33:06and brighter.
33:07I mean look at those
33:08peppers there.
33:09Doesn't that make you
33:10want to eat them?
33:11You just don't get
33:12passion fruit like that
33:13back home.
33:14Look at those chestnuts
33:15there.
33:16I mean you know
33:16I've never seen
33:17chestnuts as big
33:18as that in Europe.
33:19Somebody's immediately
33:20going to say
33:21well you haven't been
33:22to northern Spain
33:23then have you?
33:25This market
33:26has been influencing
33:27Australian taste
33:28for generations
33:29and in the time
33:31I've been visiting
33:32Australia
33:32it's grown enormously.
33:36Already in the 60s
33:38and 70s
33:38the market
33:39and its produce
33:40was being shaped
33:41by people
33:42from different
33:43culinary backgrounds
33:44from Chinese
33:46market gardeners
33:47to post-war
33:49migrants
33:49from Italy
33:50and Greece.
33:52Their enthusiasm
33:54for their favourite
33:55staples
33:56was transforming
33:57the Australian
33:58palate.
33:59Today these families
34:00with a long history
34:01here are still
34:03well represented.
34:04Hi good morning
34:05how are you?
34:06Very very well
34:06very nice to meet you.
34:08How long have you
34:08been selling
34:09in this lovely market?
34:11Well my father-in-law
34:12started the business
34:13in 1940.
34:141940?
34:151940.
34:17So we've been
34:18you've been
34:19a long long time.
34:21Eileen Yip
34:22is the fourth generation
34:24of a family
34:25of Cantonese
34:26Australian market
34:27traders
34:27who specialise
34:28in onions
34:29garlic
34:30and potatoes.
34:32Born in Sydney
34:32she's been running
34:33the family business
34:34for over 20 years.
34:36What changes
34:37have you seen
34:37in the market then?
34:39The face
34:39of the Australian
34:40person
34:40has now changed.
34:42So you see
34:43a variety
34:43of fruit
34:44and interesting
34:46vegetables
34:47that you wouldn't
34:47have seen before.
34:48I've noticed
34:49yeah absolutely.
34:50We have about
34:51oh it could be
34:52about 36 varieties
34:53of potatoes.
34:55Eileen tells me
34:56her potatoes
34:56cater for Sydney
34:57siders
34:58from all different
34:59backgrounds.
35:00I mean I'm
35:01very interested
35:02in this one.
35:03Well this is
35:04a great Peruvian one.
35:05Yeah.
35:06See the two tone
35:07of the colours?
35:08Yeah.
35:08It's a great hit
35:09with people from Peru.
35:11They can't get
35:11enough of it.
35:12At the moment
35:13this is all
35:14that we have left.
35:15Sometimes they will
35:16buy cartons of it.
35:17It's not cheap
35:18seven dollars a kilo.
35:20So where would
35:20they be grown
35:21these days?
35:22Tasmania.
35:23What is that?
35:23Is that a big
35:24royal blue
35:24or that's not a...
35:25No this is
35:26purple bliss.
35:27Purple bliss.
35:28Sometimes it comes
35:28purple Congo.
35:30It's another
35:31in-demand
35:32South American
35:33potato
35:33now grown
35:35in Australia.
35:37It would seem
35:38there's a taste
35:39of home here
35:40for almost everyone.
35:42I'd just like
35:43to try your
35:44best flavoured
35:44apple here.
35:45The best flavoured
35:46apple at the moment
35:46is the Fuji.
35:49This apple's
35:50nice and crunchy
35:51and it doesn't
35:52oxidise.
35:53It won't go brown
35:53after you cut it.
35:55That's Australia
35:56for you.
35:57Developing something
35:58that doesn't oxidise.
36:00Yeah.
36:00I mean that's
36:00delicious.
36:02How long
36:03have you had
36:03this store for?
36:04Well come August
36:05this year it's
36:06going to be 44
36:06years I've done
36:07this.
36:08Where are you
36:08from originally?
36:10I was born in
36:11Sydney but my
36:11background is Italian.
36:12Oh well.
36:13There we go.
36:14And I've had my
36:14grandfather and my
36:15father doing this
36:16business and then
36:17I've taken over
36:18and I just loved
36:20it.
36:20That's so interesting
36:22because I think
36:23really the sort of
36:24immigrant communities
36:25over the years have
36:27made so much
36:27difference to
36:29Australian food.
36:30Oh they have.
36:31They have.
36:31It's sort of brought
36:32ideas and brought
36:33quality as well.
36:35We had the cactus
36:36pear.
36:38Absolutely.
36:39In Calabria you've had
36:40the cactus.
36:40In Calabria you had
36:40it.
36:41It was growing
36:41perfectly everywhere.
36:43Here it was a noxious
36:44weed.
36:44Yeah.
36:45Now it's a delicacy.
36:46Yeah.
36:47Which is unbelievable.
36:51So now almost
36:53obviously I'm keen to
36:54see what the new
36:55communities are cooking
36:57and also can they cook
36:59in the same way as they
37:00cook back at home.
37:01Since I first visited in
37:091966 Sydney has more than
37:12doubled in size
37:13growing from a city of
37:15just over 2 million to
37:17more than 5 million
37:18people and many live here
37:21in western Sydney.
37:23About half the people here
37:25were born overseas and
37:26more than a third speak a
37:28language other than
37:29English at home.
37:31I'm curious to see how
37:32this multiculturalism is
37:34shaping the culinary
37:35landscape.
37:36I've come to the
37:37conclusion after visiting
37:38many cities that if you
37:39really want to know
37:40what's going on with food
37:42in a city you get out
37:44of the centre.
37:45You get out of where
37:45all the sort of glitz and
37:47glamorous restaurants are
37:48and you head for
37:49somewhere like here the
37:50inner west.
37:53I'm meeting a journalist
37:54called Nick Jordan.
37:56He's created a digital
37:57guide to the more than
37:59150 different cuisines
38:02that you can find in
38:03Sydney and he suggested
38:05we meet at a small
38:06Australian Filipino
38:08cafe called Tita.
38:10Nick, hi.
38:11Hi Rick, nice to meet
38:12you.
38:12Very nice to meet you.
38:14I'm curious to get
38:15Nick's take on the city's
38:17next big food trend.
38:19This is my idea of what
38:21the future is because
38:22this is, it looks
38:24Filipino to everyone but
38:25it's also Australian and
38:27it represents a lot of
38:29people's experience in
38:30Australia with Filipino
38:31ancestry.
38:33Cafe owner Ken Rodriguez
38:34moved to Sydney with his
38:36mother nearly 20 years ago.
38:39He's making us his
38:40signature dish using
38:41traditional Filipino
38:43sausage called longanitsa.
38:48So we make our own
38:49longanitsa in-house.
38:51So it's just pork mince,
38:52brown sugar, paprika,
38:53pepper and salt.
38:55It's our version of an
38:57Australian breakfast roll.
38:58Yeah.
39:00Oh beautiful.
39:01This is exactly what I was
39:02talking about.
39:03It's part Australian,
39:05it's part Filipino,
39:06it's a bacon and egg roll
39:07but it's got Filipino
39:08sausage.
39:09And this here, it looks like
39:10ketchup.
39:10You can see here.
39:11Yeah.
39:12This is a, this is like
39:14quite an interesting
39:15Filipino sauce made
39:17with banana.
39:18Banana ketchup was
39:20invented in the
39:21Philippines during World
39:22War II when tomatoes
39:24were scarce and
39:25imported food
39:26expensive but there
39:27were plenty of cheap
39:28bananas.
39:30It's made with
39:31banana puree, sugar,
39:33vinegar and
39:33local spices.
39:39Scrumptious.
39:40It's very Moorish.
39:42It's unique to here.
39:44Like I don't think
39:45anyone is serving this
39:46in the Philippines
39:47in this same style.
39:48I don't think it would
39:49be very common in many
39:50other countries.
39:51I like that this is
39:52a Sydney food.
39:53And it's cafes like
39:54this that Nick is
39:55bringing to people's
39:56attention in his
39:57digital guide.
39:59Everything is divided
40:00by cuisine.
40:01And when I say
40:01cuisine I don't mean
40:02just Thai for instance.
40:03Yeah, yeah.
40:03It's divided into
40:04southern Thai,
40:06northern Thai,
40:07central Thai.
40:07So we have a list of
40:09there's more than
40:10150 different
40:11cuisines on here.
40:12You can see look
40:13this Chinese is like
40:14divided into its many
40:15different regional
40:16specialities.
40:17And if you click on
40:18any of these say
40:19Fujian there's not
40:20many of these
40:21restaurants but it's
40:21one I particularly
40:22like.
40:23And you zoom out
40:24and you can see
40:24there you are.
40:25These are the sort of
40:26Fujianese restaurants
40:27in Sydney that are
40:29really valued by
40:30people from that
40:31region.
40:31I must say it must
40:33be such a fascinating
40:34job.
40:35Why did you suddenly
40:35decide to go into
40:36food in such depth?
40:39It was people and
40:41wanting to hear a lot
40:42of different stories
40:43food is just an easy
40:45way to get into that.
40:46It so is.
40:47This is a very
40:48multicultural society
40:49but people might not
40:50be engaging with it
40:51and I hope food is a
40:53very easy way for
40:54people to experience
40:55another culture and
40:56another cuisine and
40:57meet other people.
40:58I think that's what's
40:59so exciting about
41:00cooking in Sydney
41:01really.
41:02This sort of ease
41:04which people have of
41:05ideas from other
41:07cuisines really.
41:09It's all moving.
41:19Nick's sending me to
41:20a place that he says
41:21has been instrumental in
41:23helping newcomers from
41:24different backgrounds
41:26take their first steps
41:27into the Sydney
41:28food scene.
41:30It's a not for profit
41:31organisation called
41:32Food Lab and it's run
41:35by Jamie Loveday.
41:36Rick.
41:37Very nice to meet you.
41:38Nice to meet you.
41:39Welcome to our kitchen.
41:40Well what a kitchen.
41:43I didn't quite expect it
41:45to be so pristine and
41:46so it's nice equipment.
41:48Well we're very proud of
41:49that.
41:49Well I bet you are.
41:50Gosh.
41:51Sort of makes my kitchen
41:53look a bit sort of
41:54second rate really.
41:55We get told we're the
41:56cleanest kitchen in Sydney.
41:57Really?
41:58Very proud of that.
42:01So Food Lab, just tell me
42:03what it's all about.
42:05We're a co-working
42:06commercial kitchen for
42:07refugee, migrant women
42:09and First Nations people.
42:10Wow.
42:11And we also run a
42:11business training program
42:12to help people go from
42:14an informal business to a
42:16formal scalable food
42:18business in Sydney.
42:19So really you're helping
42:21sort of very small time
42:22entrepreneurs to do things
42:24properly I guess.
42:25Yeah.
42:26Teach people the basics of
42:28safety, food regulations,
42:30tax law, finance and all of
42:33that.
42:33But I guess what's
42:34interesting to me is that
42:35you're right at the sort of
42:36cutting edge of what's coming
42:38into this country really in
42:39terms of food.
42:40and the cutting edge of
42:42talent as well.
42:42The entrepreneurs in our
42:44kitchen today are cooking I
42:46believe some of the best food
42:48that you can get in Sydney in
42:50Australia.
42:51I can see a few cooks beavering
42:54away here and I'm keen to
42:56taste what they're making.
42:58Hi, how are you?
42:59Very well.
43:00How are you?
43:00I'm good.
43:01What are you cooking?
43:02Biryani, chicken biryani.
43:04I love a biryani.
43:05Yes, this is for my signature
43:07dish.
43:07This biryani is can teach my
43:09for my grandmother.
43:10Great.
43:12Nadia brought this recipe with
43:14her from Islamabad when she
43:15moved here a few years ago.
43:17Smelling so nice.
43:20Her cooking has been such a
43:21hit with her Pakistani friends
43:23that she's starting her own
43:25catering business and Food
43:27Lab is providing her with the
43:29commercial kitchen she needs.
43:31And this is for my homemade
43:33masala.
43:35Great.
43:37Is that cinnamon?
43:38Yes.
43:39Got a whole chunk.
43:40I put my, this masala is in
43:42layer by layer so it's more
43:44flavoury and the smell is very
43:46good.
43:46Aha.
43:47And now finally is
43:49decoration time.
43:51And put in the stove.
43:53How long for them?
43:55This one is in 15 minutes.
43:5715 minutes?
43:57Yes, 15 in low heat.
43:59Low heat, yeah.
44:00Okay.
44:03Mmm.
44:03Oh, that's lovely.
44:06Gosh, what a lovely aroma.
44:08Can I try some?
44:09Yes, yes, of course.
44:11Perfect.
44:11Thank you very much.
44:18That is so good.
44:20Quite hot.
44:22Yeah.
44:22I mean, chilli hot, but I'm
44:24loving that.
44:25There's cinnamon in there.
44:28The chicken is so succulent.
44:35Perfectly cooked.
44:36Love it.
44:37Love it.
44:37I'm returning to where I started,
44:45the birthplace of the city on the
44:47harbour's edge.
44:48I've been struck by the range of
44:50influences born out of its
44:51history that are finding their
44:53way onto the main stage of
44:55Sydney's food scene.
44:57Well, I must say it's very nice
44:58for me to be back at the opera
45:00house because I cooked here once
45:01on stage.
45:02It was a very special occasion
45:04for me, I can tell you.
45:07I'm here today to meet a First
45:09Nations chef I've heard a lot
45:11about.
45:13Mark Olive has spent more than
45:1420 years bringing native
45:16ingredients into the culinary
45:18spotlight.
45:19Rick, how are you?
45:21Very, very well.
45:24His flagship restaurant, Middon,
45:26now occupies prime position on
45:29the site where Aboriginal people
45:30traditionally gathered to meet
45:32and eat.
45:33Cheers.
45:34Cheers.
45:35Now, over a native plum
45:37margarita, Mark is going to
45:39introduce me to some of his
45:40favourite herbs.
45:43So what have we got here then?
45:44Ice plant, samphire, cacala,
45:47lemon myrtle, salt, bush and
45:50water seed.
45:51Cheers, Payne.
45:52Seed and Payne.
45:54Got the lemon myrtle.
45:55Take a leaf.
45:56Now what I want you to do is
45:57crush it, bruise it, rub it in
45:59your hand, warm that warm hand,
46:02get all of that oil coming out of
46:04that.
46:05Yeah.
46:07Now smell.
46:08Isn't that yummy?
46:09Mmm.
46:10Mark uses its intense citrusy eucalypt
46:13flavour to season many of the meat and
46:16fish dishes he serves.
46:18Now have you heard of an ice plant?
46:20No, I haven't.
46:22Now look, this is really going to blow
46:23your mind.
46:26And when you look at it, it's got
46:28ice on it.
46:29It feels like it's got, looks like
46:30it's got ice.
46:31Yeah.
46:32Now just throw it in your mouth.
46:33Just bung it in.
46:37Isn't that amazing?
46:38So much moisture in it.
46:40It's like, oh, really nice
46:41lemony sort of tart.
46:44In the ocean.
46:46But this is great with seafood.
46:48Even beef.
46:48You know, like a beef fillet.
46:50It's really nice.
46:51You get that nice crunch, but
46:52that saltiness really flavours
46:54that fillet as well.
46:55It's amazing what you can do with
46:57these different flavours and the
46:59different textures.
47:00Before we go any further.
47:03Mark served me a local spanner
47:05crab tart with native herbs.
47:09Delicious.
47:10But he's sourced from all over
47:13Australia.
47:17So how did you learn about all
47:18these ingredients?
47:19I had to do a lot of research,
47:21understanding what foods were
47:22around here, speaking to
47:24welders.
47:24So it was a good ten years.
47:27Out there scratching around and
47:28looking and trying different
47:31things.
47:32Mark's research and determination
47:34has helped him gather traditional
47:36food knowledge and elevate native
47:39ingredients to their rightful place
47:41in the contemporary Australian
47:43pantry.
47:44And his innovation continues with
47:46dessert.
47:48A macadamia semifredo served with
47:51preserved pink lily pillies, or
47:53rye berries, as they're often
47:55called.
47:56I love these rye berries.
47:57They're beautiful.
47:58They've got a nice crunch.
47:59The fresh ones too.
48:01And there's slightly a stringent bit
48:03in the middle.
48:04I presume it's a seed.
48:05It's the seed.
48:07A lot of people are growing this
48:08stuff in their backyard now, which
48:10is, one, exciting, but two, it's
48:13just going to make our food scene
48:15here much more richer.
48:16It's really nice.
48:17I mean, apart from anything, it
48:18looks so pretty.
48:19You know, that's part of the thing
48:20with a sweet, isn't it?
48:22It's got to look great, but that
48:23tastes really lovely.
48:25You know, it was always seen as
48:27bush tucker.
48:28Yeah.
48:29So you just pull it straight out and
48:31you eat it.
48:32That's what people's perception of
48:33eating kangaroo was like.
48:35It sort of used to be a novelty, and
48:36now you've made it something quite
48:38serious, which is good for you.
48:41I really appreciate that, Rick.
48:43Cheers.
48:43Cheers, Rick, and thanks for being
48:46looking at you.
48:53When I first arrived in Australia, I
48:54was quite a sort of sheltered young
48:57person, teenager, and a bit shy.
49:01Australian life really sort of grew me
49:04up in a way.
49:06It gave me the confidence to try new
49:09things, and I'm feeling that same kind
49:11of energy and excitement now.
49:14So this is a nod to Chinatown, and the
49:17dish I'm making is salt and pepper
49:19crab with a side order of bok choy and
49:23oyster sauce.
49:27So, first of all, three chilies.
49:29And what I'm doing here is just taking
49:31some what I would call finger chilies and
49:34slicing them reasonably thinly.
49:38Right, so there's my chilies.
49:39Next, some spring onions.
49:43This time cut into sort of, I don't
49:45know, two, three centimetre length,
49:47something like that.
49:48This is all for my stir fry.
49:51And now, some shallots, which I'm just
49:55going to slice in this case.
50:01Next, some garlic.
50:04Just slicing.
50:05And lastly, some ginger.
50:11Just a little bit.
50:16So that's all my veg ready.
50:19Now, the other and the most important
50:21flavour element in salt and pepper crab
50:25is salt and pepper.
50:27Just running round here, we've got MSG,
50:29five spice, sugar,
50:33set you on peppercorns,
50:35salt, white peppercorns.
50:37So, I'm just going to tip this into a mini
50:39mortar and pestle.
50:41But if you're using a spice grinder,
50:43just turn it off before everything is
50:46turned into a powder.
50:48So that's nice.
50:49It's got a little bit of texture there.
50:51I could just pour that right over the veg.
50:53So, next phase,
50:56I've got here a couple of blue swimmer crabs.
51:00I'll just show you how to take the back off them.
51:04If you're making the same dish in the UK,
51:08you use brown crabs.
51:10But you don't have to feel that you need to use
51:13just crab to make this dish.
51:15You can make it very easily also
51:18with squid or calamari
51:20or indeed prawns.
51:23OK, now, there we go.
51:24Now, the only sort of bit
51:26that I would need to take out of this
51:27are what we call the gills.
51:29And that's these sort of feathery things
51:31on either side.
51:33What I'm pulling out now is the stomach.
51:35That's just behind the eyes.
51:37You don't want that.
51:39It's full of grit and nastiness.
51:43So, the next thing I'm going to do
51:44is break off the claws.
51:46And that's where there's some lovely meat, by the way,
51:48breaking off the claws.
51:50Like that.
51:52And now I'm also going to just take the mouth out there.
51:56But the rest of it, I'm going to cut up.
51:59So, just cut the crab in half like that.
52:02And then just cut each half in half.
52:06And that's ready to go.
52:07The great thing about blue swimmer crabs
52:09is the shell is quite soft.
52:12So, it's quite easy to extract
52:14the meat from the shell.
52:16And I just really like the whole business
52:18of chewing on a crab leg
52:20while I'm talking to people.
52:23And now for the claws.
52:25And they do need a bit of a crack.
52:26Touched like that.
52:32Because...
52:32..it makes it much easier to get the meat out.
52:36Note I'm just cracking every joint.
52:38So, now we're ready to go and dip
52:43the crab pieces in cornflour
52:45and then deep-fry them.
52:47I'm just checking the temperature
52:49and you do really need some sort of thermometer.
52:51You can use a piece of bread just dropped in
52:54and it comes up to the surface,
52:56frying very quickly.
52:57You know you're up to temperature.
52:58Here with the thermometer I'm on about 180 degrees
53:01which is fine.
53:03It'll cook very quickly.
53:04So, now I'm just dredging the crab
53:06just in cornflour.
53:09Now, I find flour just doesn't really crisp up enough.
53:12Cornflour does.
53:14So, I can start frying the crab now
53:16as I do the rest of it.
53:18So, just dropping it in.
53:20Just note that I haven't got a lot of oil in that.
53:31And the reason for that is that
53:32there's still quite a lot of moisture in this crab.
53:36If I put too much oil in,
53:37it would go over the side
53:39and you'd be in all kinds of trouble.
53:41I don't need to fry this for very long
53:42simply because the crab's already cooked.
53:45So, all I'm really doing
53:46is trying to crisp up the crab.
53:50That's looking good now.
53:56These can come out.
53:57Now for a bit of stir-frying.
54:00First, some oil.
54:01My hot wok.
54:04And then all these,
54:06the salt and pepper mixture.
54:08All in at once.
54:20Stir and fry, stir and fry.
54:26So, that's pretty good.
54:28Driven off some of the moisture,
54:30but I like a bit of crispiness
54:31in the stir-fry as well.
54:33So, in that goes the crab.
54:38Just a bit of stir and frying.
54:40And then we're ready to serve that up.
54:53And now for the bok choy.
54:55Into my boiling water.
54:57Two or three minutes only.
54:59Just to...
55:00It was like a bit of crunchiness
55:02in my bok choy.
55:03That looks very nice.
55:11So, now we've got some oyster sauce
55:13to go just over the top.
55:16Like that.
55:18And some soy sauce.
55:21Not too much.
55:22Teaspoon or so.
55:23And finally,
55:27a bit of roasted sesame oil.
55:29I love this veg.
55:30It goes so well with the crab.
55:32Classic combination, I'd say.
55:37I really like this Chinese dish.
55:40That it's crisp.
55:41And that it's dry.
55:42You can pick it up in your fingers.
55:44And that's a great way
55:45of eating crab like this.
55:46Probably the only way.
55:48Try it with a knife and a fork.
55:49You'll see what I mean.
55:50And you can bite on it.
55:54It's delicious.
55:56You've got lovely sort of back flavours
55:58of the five spice,
56:00the white peppercorns,
56:02the sechuan pepper.
56:03It's a perfect dish for me.
56:05And then, contrast.
56:09Just the sort of...
56:10softness and wetness
56:12of this bok choy.
56:14Great Chinese food
56:20is all about simplicity.
56:22You can't get much simpler than that.
56:24It just brings out the best in the crab.
56:26And then this lovely,
56:27luscious bok choy
56:28to go with it.
56:29I'm in heaven.
56:30Next time,
56:39I'm heading north
56:40to the central coast
56:42to see how the great Australian outdoors
56:45is shaping how it live...
56:46..play...
56:50Now I'm ready to go.
56:52..and eat.
56:52I'm going to just sit here
56:54and cook my kangaroo and bacon.
56:57It's bloody good chicken.
56:58No!
56:58That's great!
57:01Very good with a bear.
57:02Absolutely.
57:02Absolutely.
57:28Alright.
57:29Ready to go.
57:29Don't forget!
57:34Good job!
57:38Alright!
57:39I'm coming to acos Sapp!
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