(Joyful music) (repetitive knife chopping) - [Crowd] (applause) - Hi, welcome to the Yan Can Cook show!

How many here like having spicy food?

That many?

(laughs) Good!

You are in the right place today, because this is the hottest show on television - today!

- [Crowd] (laughter) - I'm gunna show you how to do one of my favorite dish.

Actually, this is a favorite dish for many people.

I call this 'Schezwan spicey boneless chicken'.

Of course in China, they just stir-fry the chicken with bone but here you can buy chicken without bone or you can de-bone it yourself - it doesn't make any difference.

Here, I start with about three chicken breasts.

Some I already cut up and marinated.

And I wanna quickly show you how fast you can cut it up, particularly for those who want to have the skin on.

This is how you cut it with the skin on.

You hold onto it like this and you go "One!"

You see this?

Cut it up, cut it up, like this.

Instead of cutting it up, you actually chop it.

This way, the whole piece will with the chicken skin still intact.

But for most of us here, we don't care about the skin.

So we will remove this, and put it in gift wrap and give it to our neighbors.

- [Crowd] (laughter) - And then, how fast you can cut it?

Stack them all up, you don't do it one by one.

Cut it up one, two, three, four, five six, sit it up, and you transfer like this.

Look at this, one... two three!

See that?

- [Crowd] (laughs) (applauds) - Now, in the meantime, I'm going to heat up my wok.

Heat up my wok, because I wanna get ready.

Marinate the chicken for a little while.

Normally, you should use chopsticks or fork to marinate.

Here, I have about two tablespoons of soy sauce, and about one teaspoon of corn starch.

Okay?

And then, set aside anywhere from half an hour to two hours.

Now if you have time, You can do it ahead of time, or you can do it the night before.

That means you can put it in the fridge.

Okay?

And then, meantime, I also want to .. and I have approximately two teaspoons of oil over here.

Get a pot holder ready, and then in the meantime I'm going to cut up some garlic.

This is how easy it is to remove the skin, see that?

- [Crowd] (laughs) - And then, mince garlic - Hah!

- [Crowd] (laughs) (loud chopping) - [Crowd] (laughs) - Peace of cake!

- [Crowd] (applause) - Also, use a tiny bit of ginger... (chopping) Set it aside, also, use a tiny bit of green onion.

This is how you mince green onion.

You see this?

This is another technique.

- [Member of A.. Everybody should- - [Crowd] (applause) - Set it aside, put all the spicey ingredients.

Wow, hot and spicey.

See this?

Look at this.

Very hot.

And then, put the chicken.

- [Audie.. - Look at this.

(pan sizzling) - Stir... - [Crowd] (applause) - Okay.

Stir this.

Make sure you allow this to cook uniformly.

And then, get ready all the spices and seasoning.

I have one tablespoon of soy sauce, one teaspoon of sesame seed oil, a tiny bit of chili paste, this is hot stuff!

- [Crowd] (Ooh) About one teaspoon.

Two teaspoon of Shaoxing wine, and a tiny tiny bit of... Sesame seed oil.

And you stir.

And you stir.

Wow, look at this.

- [Crowd] (Oohs and ahs) (laughter) - For those who love spicey food, you can put a tiny bit of chili.

This is gunna be so hot.

I promised you - [Crowd] (laughter) - Hot and spicey!

Everybody knows, I think!

The thing is, the degree of hotness depends, on how many of this you put in!

Because, you put too much, what happens is, it's so hot and so spicey, that you cannot really appreciate the spice.

You should just add enough.

When it's almost done, thicken it up with a tiny tiny bit of corn starch solution.

What makes this particular dish exciting is not only that I put a tiny tiny bit of rice vinegar, about a tablespoon.

What makes... You don't want this?

- [Crowd] (laughter) - Anybody want this?

I'm gunna keep it for myself!

- [Crowd] (laughter) - This is what you call... Look at this... Wow!

Look at this... - [Crowd] (Ooh) When this is nice and ready, we are going to get rid of these, and we will surf.

Now, we're gunna put this over here, and I wanna show you how beautiful this dish is.

In Schezwan dishes, what makes Schezwan dishes wonderful hot, is because not only you have the sweetness, not only you have the hotness, also you have the sourness and the spiciness.

Because in Sichuan it's hot and muggy.

So you want to have some dish very very spicey, and very appetizing, to perk up your appetite.

Now, one... - [Crowd] (applause) - One of the most common spices in Chinese cooking, is ginger.

And in the West, you love Fred and Ginger.

- [Crowd] (laughter) - In China, we garlic and ginger.

They always go hand in hand!

Just like Fred and Ginger!

- [Crowd] (laughter) - Let us take a look at how many faces that you expect from ginger... Look at this beautiful, pinkish flower, this is ginger flower.

And a lot of people don't realize this beautiful thing has a very, very ugly beginning.

This is ginger root.

This is something, along with garlic, one of the most popular, most widely used spices in seasoning all over China.

When you buy fresh ginger, make sure, it's very important to look for waxy, shiny skins.

Firm, not soft.

No sign of dehydration.

If you pick a piece of ginger like this, a sign of dehydration, that means this has been in the store for at least two and a half centuries, and you don't want it!

Okay?

Very important.

When you buy this, you can snap off a tiny bit because this is enough to smoke you hair.

All you need is about about a piece like this.

When you use this, you can peel it, slice it up, you can Julian them, you can mix them, you can chop them, you can put them in soup, you can flavor them.

Now, I wanna show you something.

When I was a little kid, my mother always buy me a little snacks like this.

This is salted ginger, as a snack!

Also, you can make ginger into candies.

This is candy ginger.

I want to offer this to you.

Please take it.

You don't want it?

I'm gunna keep it for myself!

Here, we also have pickled ginger, pickled with sugar and vinegar.

Basically a sweet and sour ginger.

Like this usually served with a Chinese (foreign language) or egg.

Today, we're gunna show you how to.. - [Crowd] (Applause) I am gunna show you how to use little this piece of ginger.

Now first of all, I'm gunna chop this up.

Now, in order to have fresh ginger, you should not do it ahead of time.

You see (loud, fast chopping) the ginger is getting very excited.

If you do it too early, the darn thing will get bored.

- [Crowd] (Laughter) So you should do it in the last mi.. - [Crowd] (laughter) (chopping) - Put it right here, and then garlic!

(loud, fast chopping) Remember I told you, Fred and Ginger?

- [Crowd] (laughter) - Garlic and ginger!

Set it aside.

This particular dish, I'm gunna show you is one of my favorite too.

I have all kind of favorite, I don't really know which one is my favorite, I've been telling people, I'm so confus.. Every time I do something, I'm confused.

This particular dish I call Dry Fry Green Beans.

And I explain to you why I call it dry fry - I used one pound of green beans, you see this?

I trim the end off, and I cut it in half, just about this long.

Then, I am going to put this in hot oil first, to let it dry fry to about three hundred fifty degree.

Okay?

Let's do it very very carefully, like this.

The idea of doing this, (sizzles) I am gunna dry it.

Wow!

- [Crowd] (Laughter) - I am lucky to be two and a half miles away!

- [Crowd] (laughter) - Very, very important.

Dried it over medium heat, okay?

The idea of doing this is you are cooking at a slightly lower temperature.

This way, you are drying it and cooking it at the same time!

You are not drying the darn thing in your backyard for three days!

Okay?

- [Crowd] (laughter) - We'll set it aside, let it dry for a little while, how you know to take it out?

When it turn wrinkle!

Slightly brown, wrinkle.

It's mature enough to leave the wok.

Then you take it out!

- [Crowd] (laughter) - Here, I have some ground pork.

I have about a quarter of a pound to three quarter pound of ground pork.

You can chop it up.

You can start with pork, then you use two knives.

(loud chopping) - [Crowd] (applause) - And then, you do it like this, then now it's all ground.

You are once again grounded!

- [Crowd] (laughter) - And then also I have about two tablespoons of dried shrimp.

And all these spices.

I'm gunna set it aside.

Let me take a look at what's happening with my green beans.

Can you see that?

It is absolutely mature enough to leave.

Look at this, isn't it wonderful.

We put aside, and put it right over here.

I don't need this anymore, so I'm going to take this off, very carefully because it's hot oil.

Then, we're gunna show you today, how to make two dishes.

In no time.

Now, this one I'm gunna do green dried beans with ground pork and also I'm going to do a pepper beef.

And I'm gunna show you how to do both of them simultaneously.

It's gunna be fun, watch.

- [Crowd] (laughter) - Here, this beef, I have about three quarter pound of beef, one small bell pepper green, one small red, and some green onion and some chili pepper.

Now first of all, I'm going to marinate my beef first.

Okay?

Soy sauce, and a tiny bit of corn s..

If you want, you can use your hand to do it, particularly when you do it at home.

Okay?

Otherwise, you use a fork to do it.

Now, all these ingredients right here, beef, bell pepper, what makes this dish unique is marinade with soy sauce, corn starch and a tiny bit of white pepper, and also when I do it, I have green pepper, red pepper, chili pepper, black pepper, schezwan pepper, all kinds of pepper!

Pepper pepper beef!

- [Crowd] (laughter) - Now, when this is hot enough, we are going to show you something exciting.

We're gunna cook two dishes, I hope I can do it.

- [Crowd] (laughter) - Two teaspoon, to be exact!

[Crowd] (laughter) - And two teaspoon to be exact!

Wow!

And we set this aside.

Get your spatula ready on one side, get your spatula ready on this side, - [Crowd] (laughter) - (Claps) Are you ready!

- [Crowd] (Applause) - Okay.

In this particular wok, I have ginger and garlic, dried shrimp, for those hot and spicy people- chili pepper.

Look at this - what makes it hot is the seeds.

We want it to be extra hot.

Keep the seeds, okay?

And then, ground pork.

Let it cook for a little while.

I have a pot holder here.

(sizzles) Hold onto this, and then over here I am gunna cook the beef.

First, I have a tiny bit of ginger and pepper.

Wow, look at this.

- [Crowd] (ooh) - Beef.

And then you cook like this.

(pan sizzles) Wow look at this.

And then you come back here - [Crowd] (laughter) - And then you once again!

- [Crowd] (laughter) - You don't want to burn the darn thing, and then you come back!

- [Crowd] (laughter) - And then, when this is ready, you put the dried green beans back here, and then you add all the seasoning.

I have about one tablespoon of soy sauce, about one tablespoon of chili oil, and then you come back!

- [Crowd] (laughter) - And then you come back.

See both dishes, cook simultaneously!

Then, how easy - I'm gunna put, leisurely, I'm gunna put some green bell pepper, red bell pepper, right in here.

Look at this, this is gunna be a very colorful dish.

Look at this, how colorful.

- [Crowd] (Ooh) - Add all the pepper.

Black pepper, schezwan peppercorn, a tiny bit of salt and sugar.

Okay?

Thicken this up, a little bit.

Wow, look at this.

Stir, look at this!

Let's put this over here.

Final touch, a tiny bit of sesame seed oil, a tiny bit of sesame seed oil, and then you stir, (sizzle) Wow!

- [Crowd] (Ooh) - Wow!

- [Crowd] (Ooh) - When this is all done, we shut it all off, and then, I wanna show you how wonderful it is.

Here, for the green beans, we put it over here, look at how beautiful this is.

- [Crowd] (Ooh) - Beautiful dish.

And for the beef... Look at this.

We put it served over rice.

Isn't it beautiful!

- [Crowd] (Ooh) (Applause) - Hot and spicy dish!

- [Crowd] (Applause) - So what is all this hot stuff?

What makes it hot?

What makes it hotter?

What makes a dish hottest?

Let us take a look at some of these sizzling spices used in Chinese Cuisine.

Of course, we started out with the most popular - ginger.

Fresh ginger, just in case you can't find it you can always use ground ginger powder but most Chinese prefer fresh ginger.

Next to it is of course, garlic.

Fresh green onion, fresh chili pepper, fresh cilantro/ coriander, and then here, we come to some dry spices.

Chinese five spices, fennel which is part of the ingredients in Chinese five spices...

Crushed chili pepper, schezwan peppercorn, star anise, cute star anise.

See this?

Dried whole chili, also cinnamon bark.

All of these are not only used in Chinese Cuisine, but in many other cuisines as well.

Now, when I was growing up, in Guangdong China, my mom always fixed dishes with exotic ingredients.

My grandma would always teach me something.

Growing up in China is a very exciting experience because I never have any toys - food is my toy!

I learn a lot from my grandmother.

Now would like to meet someone, also learn a lot from her grandmother.

Let us give a warm welcome to the renowned expert in Louisiana cuisine, chef owner of the Gingerbread House restaurant in Oakland California, my good friend Anne Longlow's cousin - chef TJ Robinson!

- [Crowd] (Applause) - Thank you for joining us!

See TJ is very charming, very sweet, and she loves to smile like me!

See the resemblance?

- [Crowd] (laughter) - Now it's very important that when you do any dish to understand cooking is a creative art.

And, TJ, I know that you're very creative, and you love to cook.

What are you going to show us today?

- [TJ] Jambalaya.

- Jambalaya, I love it!

In this Jambalaya, what I know I understand, we're gunna use a lot of ingredients.

So why don't you move over here, and then I'm going to give you a hand, whatever you need, starting with Jumbalaya, and let's go from the basic ingredients in Jumbalaya.

Here, I notice we have some andouille sausage.

- [TJ] Yes - And in order to make a little bit.. even though you don't normally use it, I add a tiny bit of Chinese sausage, Lap Cheong.

- [TJ] Wonderful.

- Some dried shrimp, and also bell pepper, and also some onion, oh and this is wonderful - [TJ] Yes - You brought with you.

And also we have some shrimp, now, first of all, we gotta have a nice hot thing here, why don't you go ahead and I give you a hand.

- [TJ] Wonderful.

- Okay how much oil should you?

- [TJ] About two tablespoons.

- About two tablespoons of hot oil.

- [TJ] Yeah, more or less.

- [Crowd] (laughter) - More or less, she said fine.

I am just apprentice.

- [TJ] You're gunna give me this.

- You can put it in.

- [TJ] About two.

More or less, right?

- More or less!

- [Crowd] (laughter) - See, I love TJ!

- [TJ] See, I'm a more or less cook!

(laughs) - See?

I'm a more or less cook too!

See how much in common!

You cook it- what are you doing here?

- [TJ] We're just stirring it, we're making a roux.

- Okay, good.

- [TJ] Okay and we're gunna stir it- - And then the next ingredient you us.. - [TJ] Let's put some of the onions in there.

- Onions... - [TJ] Yes, and then we'll put the sa.. - After that, with sausage.

While waiting for the onion to brown, can I help you to - - [TJ] Please, I was just going to ask you to cut that for me.

- Let's go this.

Why don't you, now I understand, that you were born and raised in Louisiana.

Can you tell me a little bit about what makes Luisiana cuisine unique?

- [TJ] Well, I think it's just the flavors and the spices.

Just the whole magical feeling, I think - of course, I'm from Luisiana - but I think that it's just a magical feeling that you get with the flavors, that you get all the spices, you grow them, you dry them... - I understand that you do a lot of your own secret spices too... - [TJ] Oh yes.

We have in here over there.

- Ya I wanna show you... - [TJ] Now this is fine, let's put the onion and the bell pepper in here.

- I am kitchen helper - [TJ] Oh that's wonderful - This is audition!

- [TJ] Great Can I take you to Gingerbread House with me?

- Any time, I'm looking for job!

- [TJ] Oh, wonderful... - [Crowd] (laughter) - I need a job!

- [TJ] Okay, that's wonderful.

Let's add.. - Garlic!

- [TJ] Yes, garlic.

- Garlic gives the magical touch.

- [TJ] Wonderful!

- This is magic!

- [TJ] It's good for you.

- Okay let's turn this higher.

- [TJ] A little bit higher, yeah.

- Oh, perfect.

Let me see how hot- very high, good!

- [TJ] That's wonderful.

Now- - And then the next step?

- [TJ] Let's put the- - Ham!

- [TJ] Yes... - You brought this with you.

- [TJ] Yes!

- What kind of ham is this?

- [TJ] Well that's just a good smoked ham.

- Smoked ham.

- [TJ] Uhuh.

- Smelling and already smoked your hair.

- [TJ] I smoked it, I think it's wonderful.

- Oh you smoked the ham yourself?

- [TJ] Yeah, yes.

- How do you do it?

Give us an idea.

- [TJ] Well I have a special little..

I get the fresh ham.

- And then you can smoke all kinds of things?

- [TJ] Of course... - The next step, sausage.

Now this.. - [TJ] Yes that's a nice smoked sausage, also.

- What other sausage can you use?

- [TJ] And then this is a Chinese sausage.

- Chinese sausage, and dried shrimp.

See?

About a quarter of a cup.

Already look, wonderful!

- [TJ] Okay, we'll let this cook just for a little while.

- Stir, and cook... - [TJ] Yeah... - [TJ] And then we're going to, after we let it cook for just a second we're going to put the rice in there.

- Okay... - [TJ] Yeah... Use long grain rice?

- [TJ] Yes.

- Sprinkle this?

- [TJ] About a half cup.

A little more, yeah.

- A little bit more - the whole thing?

- [TJ] Why not?

- [Crowd] (laughter) - [TJ] You're gunna be in trouble.

But that's okay.

That's fine.

- I am fired!

- [TJ] I don't know if I wanna take..

Gingerbread House tonight.

I think I will though.

I'll forgive you.

- Another thing is... - [TJ] Now, we're gunna do this an.. - What is the difference between, I heard about Cajun and Creole?

What is the difference between Caju.. - [TJ] Well, I think that Cajun is more earthy, and I think Creole is more sophisticated.

- (yelling) I totally agree with TJ!

My teacher, my mentor.

Should I add this?

- [TJ] Once franch - One franch?

- [TJ] Mhmm... - This is a broth... Tell me to stop TJ, because - - [TJ] No, keep going - She said keep going!

- [TJ] Yeah, about a cup and a half more... a little bit more, a little bit more, more... all of it!

That's great!

- That is perfect!

- [TJ] Just right!

Just right, you guessed it - just right, huh?

Yeah.

- When are we gunna add this?

- [TJ] Okay, let's get this on here.. - Okay - [TJ] So now we'll put the tomato.. - Put chopped tomato - one gigantic tomato from Louisiana.

- [Crowd] (laughter) - [TJ] Okay.

- And then, when this all getting .. about the spices.

- [TJ] Yeah, we're gunna put our spices in now.

- Here, you can use all kinds of spices.

TJ just told me, this is very interesting, this is the cayenne pepper, salt, chili pepper, crushed black pepper, this is, uh... - [TJ] Thyme.

- Thyme, this is sage- - [TJ] Right.

- Five spice powder, white pepper, and chili pepper.

Also if you want, you can also add a tiny bit of these Bay leaf.

And of course, you have more spices here, this is about twenty-eight spices.

- [TJ] Yes.

- Aside from all of this, TJ have .. secret spices.

Twenty-eight spices.

Over there - [TJ] Okay - I put it all in?

- [TJ] Yes.

- [TJ] Now, and you put yours in too, - Let's make some magic here, you put yours in too.

- We are creating magic.

- [Crowd] (laughter) - Go for it!

- [TJ] That's it.

- C'mon, now we- [Crowd] (applause) - [TJ] This is supposed to be hot and spicy.

- It's not hot enough!

Come here!

Wait after- - Wow, this is so hot.

- [Crowd] (l.. - This is getting so hot, unbelievable.

- [TJ] Okay wait, this is gunna be fine.

- Okay.

And then after that, we have to cover this up a little bit, right?

- [TJ] Just a little bit, yeah.

And let's slow the fire just a tiny bit.

- Lower this fire, a little bit.

- [TJ] Yeah.

- Tell me a little bit, about when.. how your grandmother teach you, and see whether we have shared the same experience, cause my grandmother teach me how to do deep frying, stir frying, but she never taught me anything about Luisiana cooking because she was born in Italy.

- [Crowd] (laughter) - Tell us a little bit about how when you were growing up, you learned from your grandmother, cause I understand you learned so much from your grandmother.

- [TJ] I did, and thank goodness for grandmas, I must say.

When I was a little girl in Louisiana my grandmother taught me how to sew and cook because I thought she was just really wonderful.

- I think so too!

- [TJ] Yeah.

(giggles) And I used to watch her all the time because she cooked in Louisiana and I told her I wanted to be a cook.

I wanted to be a chef like her, I wanted to make dolls like her, so she was just really special.

- She was really special to me too.

But anyways - [TJ] Thank you, I think so.

- Let's take a quick look and then when it's almost done - [TJ] Oh, it's peaking through- see, as long as the rice is peaking through- - We'll put the shrimp on top - [TJ] For about five minutes.

- And then, you can- And then cook for another five to ten minutes, over low heat.

- [TJ] Yes.

You can line them all up, like this, and then in the very last, you can always put a tiny tiny bit, when it's almost done, a bit of cilantro on top, - [TJ] Yes.

- Cilantro on top, because we got s.. so many guests around.

- [TJ] Oh wonderful!

- We are going to serve a lot more!

So today, I know, everybody in the studio like hot stuff, so we'll make it hot!

- [TJ] Wonderful, yay!

Yay!

- [Crowd] (applause) - [TJ] I like that!

- Wow!

- [TJ] Can I, may I?

- Yes!

- [TJ] Okay...

Okay, that's great.

- When it's all done- - [TJ] It's gunna be wonderful.

- -We will show you how gorgeous both of t.. Look at beautiful dish.

Cover up and coat it and - [Crowd] (applause) - Make sure it's nice and hot.

Look at this, sizzling and it's hot!

TJ, - [TJ] Thank you.

- I hope our show today has perked up your app.. - [Crowd] (laughter) - and make you want to add a little..

Thank you TJ, you're marvelous.

Can I kiss you one more time?

- [TJ] Oh yes!

And thank you, you are too.

- [Crowd] (applause) - For sharing her secret, her grandmother's secret with us, if Yan Can Cook- - [TJ] You can too!

- “Goodbye!” (##!)

Thank you very much!

- [Crowd] (Applause) (Joyful music)