(joyful music) (cleaver thumping) (cleaver swishing) (audience applauding) (cloth ripping) - [Announcer] And now, Martin Yan, The Chinese Chef.

(audience applauding) (speaking foreign language) - In Cantonese that means, "How are you?"

In Mandarin we call.

(speaking foreign language) Today we're gonna go to the national capital of China, Beijing.

They used to call it Peking.

There's no White House there, but they do have the Imperial Palace.

Today's Peking menu is Peking-style eggplant, twice-fried shredded beef, and fish rolls in wine sauce.

So let's get started, because we have a lot of people here, they told me they're all hungry.

Are you all hungry here?

- [Audience] Yeah!

- Oh, let us get going.

In this particular Peking-style eggplant, all we need is two eggplant.

Okay?

Approximately, half of a cup to 3/4 cup of homemade soup stock, one tablespoon of vinegar, one to two tablespoon of all-purpose soy sauce, some chili oil or chili paste, and also, we have approximately half a pound of lean pork and also two whole green onion.

And also a tiny bit of ginger and a lot of garlic.

First of all, I want to get this ginger and garlic because in Peking, it's very cold, very harsh winter.

So they love to use garlic and ginger because ginger helps digestion and also make you hot.

(cleaver clanging) Garlic press.

Whole thing comes out.

Wonderful!

(audience laughing and applauding) I wanna show you how you can mince thing with a Chinese cleaver, one more time.

When you hold on to things that are slipper and also it rolls, the best thing is to cut it on one side so it doesn't roll.

See, it sit still.

Sit still.

So this way, when you cut, your finger don't move.

If it move, you cannot cook Chinese food anymore.

(audience laughing) Cut, cut, cut.

Put it here and then we will put all these together and mince it.

(cleaver thumping) First, julienne.

(cleaver thumping) Put them all together.

Wow!

Look at this.

And then put them all together.

Yeah, some of you can save the applause for the end of the show, but some of you, if you feel like it, please don't feel intimidated.

Go ahead.

(audience laughing and applauding) Now, there are a lot of technique.

You can do it like this.

(cleaver thumping) Or, for the beginner, you should do it like this.

Okay, put them all together, you go like this.

This way, you cannot get hurt because you never raise your cleaver higher than your knuckle.

Use your knuckle as a guide.

You go like this.

Look, I'm gonna move around so eve.. See?

(audience laughing) You see, so simple.

When this is done, you set it aside.

Now the next thing I wanna do is, I'm gonna cut up the eggplant.

Now, as all of you know, these are oriental eggplant.

These are gigantic eggplant.

Okay?

We'll cut this into juliennne.

First, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

Okay.

Put them all together.

When the chicken laid this eggplant, you can imagine the noise the chicken make.

(audience laughing) (cleaver thumping) (audience applauding) Now, set it aside and put it here.

I understand that Verdeen has a question for us.

- Is Chinese eggplant any different than the American eggplant, or is eggplant, eggplant?

- The only difference is the Chinese eggplant is healthy and slim.

(audience laughing) The American eggplant, gigantic.

That's the only difference.

No, the actual, seriously.

The difference is, this one, the skin is a little bit mor.. For the Chinese eggplant, they are, the skin is less fibrous.

Not as fibrous.

So when you do this kind of eggplant you might want to peel the skin off.

Okay?

But they're both very very good because they are spongy texture.

They would like to absorb all the sauces.

They, you know, if you use soy sauce, they absorb the soy sauce.

If they use chili sauce, they absorb th..

This is a pot of oil.

I would like to show you the first, let me check.

It's hot.

How can you check the oil is hot?

Always feel it because this is how you feel, because the oil, when oil is hot is radiant heat or you can use the chopstick technique.

Again.

Now when this is hot, I'm gonna deep fry this.

Deep fry the eggplant.

While you're deep frying the eggplant, you get another wok ready.

Heat up another wok.

Then you're gonna cut up the rest of the stuff.

Okay?

This is a piece of pork.

Let's cut it up.

Let's do it together.

And you go one, two, three, four, fiv.. seven, eight, nine, 10, 11.

Put them all together, it's all done.

Okay?

Now when this is done, you use appr..

If you cook a lot of dish, a gigantic dish, otherwise you use only one tablespoon.

Okay?

And then you put the garlic and ginger before .. because you want to give that nice aroma.

Garlic and ginger.

Chop garlic and ginger.

Stir it.

Stir in the pork.

Stir.

Stir.

I want to show you how easy it is.

You can stir and you can toss this.

Stir and toss.

Do not overcook.

Oh, look at this.

Make sure you catch everything here.

(audience applauding) Okay, stir.

And then in the meantime, we're gonna use the sauce.

We're gonna have approximately one tablespoon of rice vinegar, one tablespoon of all-purpose soy sauce, and also for those who would love to have hot and spicy food, one teaspoon or less chili oil.

You can use chili paste.

For those who love hot lip, you use two teaspoon.

For those who do not want to have any lips, use another teaspoon.

(audience laughing) Put it right here.

Wow, look at this.

When this is done, see, this eggplant is done.

When this eggplant is done, take it out.

Take them all out.

Very easy to do.

Let it drain really well and put it over here.

Serve these over rice.

This is wonderful dish.

Stir it.

Delicious.

It's nice and slightly sour.

It's absolutely wonderful.

You want to have a touch of sweet, all you have to do is put a tiny bit of sugar.

Now when this is done, let's shut this off, and put it over here.

You can even, let's see how nice it looks.

Wow, look at this.

- [Audience] Ooh!

- Look at this.

This is absolutely delicious.

You garnish with a tiny bit of pineapple, if you want.

A dish everybody can do it at home.

Look at this beautiful dish!

(audience applauding) We are gonna do the twice-fried shredded beef.

So a lot of people ask me a lot of questions about beef, about Peking-style cooking.

The next dish I wanna show you is this wonderful dish.

All we need is one pound of flank steak or beef top sirloin.

Any beef.

If you have a lot of money you can .. Nobody cares.

And I also have two stalks of celery, one to two small carrot, and also one bell pepper, and also one onion or half an onion, and also I have a braising sauce for my twice-fried beef.

This is two tablespoon of rice vinegar and approximately one tablespoon of all-purpose soy sauce, and also two teaspoon of sesame seed oil, and of course I need a touch of sugar.

But if you don't want, don't bother.

Also I have a touch of chili oil to make it give that nice, hot, spicy touch to it.

Here I would like to show you, let me take this out, because we will get this ready.

A lot of people said, "Do you have to use the wok to cook every single dish?"

A lot of people said, "Is it possible to do some Chinese di..

I think we should ask an expert.

Here is my good friend, the wonderful, exciting Donovan Fandre.

(audience applauding) - Good to see you.

So nice to be here.

- Today, we want to show you something very exciting because Donovan is the host of the show called "Microwave are for Cooking."

Here is the "Wok are for cooking."

We're gonna have a micro-wok challenge.

- A chop off.

(cleavers tapping) (audience laughing) - See.

- You bring a, you give me, yes, a cleaver.

- First of all, the challenge.

(audience laughing and applauding) This challenge is already, see.

- Last time you beat me-- - Challenge number one.

- This time I wanna use it.

- Martin one, Fandre zero.

(cleaver clanging) The reason is because I'm a member of the Chinese musician union and he's not.

That's why he couldn't take it.

- No union card.

- He couldn't do it.

Now, I know that we can do this particular dish in the wok and you can also, you said that you can also do it in the wonderful microwave oven.

- Sure.

- So, I'm gonna give you a piece of beef, and I'm gonna have a piece of beef, and I have to give you this.

I have to give you this and we're gonna have this.

So, we will, this is yours.

- Thank you very much.

- This is called rationing.

- Rationing, okay.

- This is rationing.

- Did you say that's a brash sauce earlier?

- This is a braising sauce.

- Braising sauce.

- Let us get going.

- Okay.

- Now.

- You have to preheat your oil?

- We have to preheat the oil.

- I don't have to preheat my microwave.

- Well that's the reason why you're so good.

Let us cut.

- Which, which, which?

Slice?

Pieces?

(cleavers thumping) - Wow!

Wonderful!

(audience cheering and applauding) Cheater!

(cleavers thumping) (audience appl.. (audience laughing) Wow.

(audience applauding) (audience laughing) Wow, it's still here.

Now I wanna show you, after we cut it up, we're gonna.

(audience laughing) Donovan, you're gonna be in trouble.

Now we're gonna put this up.

Put it here because we are going to put all the vegetable together.

- Vegetables cook so nicely by wok or with microwave.

- Yeah.

I listen to the expert so I believ.. Now also-- - Mine are cut all the way through.

- Mine are cut all the way through too.

Look!

- Okay.

You know the only difference is you don't have to use any oil in there, but I like a little oil 'cause it gives the sheen and the aesthetics of the appearance are so important.

Go on, tell me what to do.

- Sure.

- Oh, a little piece.

(cleavers thumping) - [Martin] Wow.

- [Donovan] Oh, this way.

- This is what you call challenge.

Let's put this here and also let us cut up some onion because onion is so aromatic.

- Excellent.

- Let us cut it up.

- Okay, half?

This way.

(cleavers thumping) - See this is the technique that you never cry because you have no time to cry.

Before you cry, you already finished.

(audience laughing) (cleavers thumping) You see, that's the problem when you talk too much.

When this is done, let's put them all together.

Now, then we're gonna cut the beef.

Wow, same speed.

Donovan and I have been working together.

- You .. an American eggplant alongside of you, you skinny little thing.

(audience laughing and applauding) - Oh, wonderful.

Donovan is wonderful.

- Are you taking off the membrane?

- Let's trim.

See the membrane and the fat is not good for your body and your soul.

So we will get this off and give it to our neighbors.

Then we're gonna cut this, slice it up, and make it, shred it smaller.

Cut it up like this and then go one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12.

- You're using my language.

- Cut, continue to cut.

- You have to do that in Chinese.

- Yeah.

(speaking foreign language) - One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.

- Wonderful.

(audience applauding) Now we're gonna get ready to cook.

This will be the seasoning for us.

Oh, aromatic.

- Mmm!

- Let us get ready.

You can marinate the beef first, if you want.

Let us marinate the beef first.

- Is this an economy show that you don't have bowls big enough to put everything in?

(audience laughing) At least I give you a big pot, right here, a nice big pot.

(audience laughing) - This is a wonderful Peking dish.

The wonderful thing about Peking dish is because you can use any seasoning.

It can be hot.

It can be non-hot.

So, let us get cooking.

You gonna do the microwave.

I'm gonna do the wok.

Micro-wok challenge.

- Micro-wok challenge.

Okay, we wanna put the vegetables a.. because they get more energy and more energy comes in the sides of the dish when you're cooking microwave.

And if you like, you can use a little oil so it looks as shiny as Martin's.

But so simple now, make sure that you cover it when you are doing this sort of thing.

We have this handy cover.

Place this on.

And while Martin goes to that dangerous aspect with all of that hot oil about to spatter on him.

I can enjoy the cool, clean, healthy aspects of pure microwave.

(audience laughing) - See, the reason is, I don't mind to have instant pimples.

(audience laughs).

Donovan always worry about pimple.

That's why he looks so handsome.

Now, this is what you call twice-fried.

You fried it once.

Okay?

You give that nice, crispy texture and then you stir-fried it again.

If we do it more than this, if you do it more than three or four, you're gonna end up having merry fry beef jerky.

- This is twice-steamed microwave.

One time steamed.

Twice steamed.

(audience laughs) - We are going to, let us get this thing moving by of course, heat up this wok.

Now when the wok is hot, we are going to put a tiny bit of oil.

See?

- Calories, calories, calories.

How can you use oil and you're so skinny?

And I don't use any oil and I'm a little bit not so skinny?

- You want me to tel.. the truth?

Because I never eat anything I cook.

(audience laughing) Cook the vegetable.

Wow, look at this.

- I eat what he cooks 'cause it's delicious.

- Stir this, stir this, stir this.

(loud sizzling) Do not overcook.

How you doing over there?

- Oh, I'm doing fine.

- This is the most exciting thing to do.

Yours, you just stand there and you fall asleep.

- This is stir-fry.

- Stir-fry.

(audience laughing and applauding) Let us put this beef back.

This beef is back.

This smell.

See there, can you smell?

- Oh sure.

They have vents on the top so you can smell what you're cooking.

- Yes, hold it up.

Stir, stir.

Look at this.

- [Donovan] Don't burn yourself.

(Donovan laughing) - [Martin] Wow.

Well I can have more fun doing this.

- I'm productive.

I read Chinese cookbooks.

And then you gotta read them over ag.. because you-- - When this is done, we put this here and stir.

Wow.

Both of the dishes done.

- You're supposed to put it in the pan, I see.

- The wonderful thing about Chinese cooking is this is what his idea of stir-fry.

When the dish is done we are going to, let's clean this up.

- Now I know why you invited me on, so I can clean this up.

- Help me to clean up.

- You know, very very important.

Microwave isn't always the fastest way to cook.

See, yours is done before mine.

- This is done.

- But use it for what it does best.

Don't try to make it do everything.

- That's wonderful.

- It's very very important.

- That.. we ask the expert, look at this.

Wow, look at this.

- Ooh, that's nice.

- [Audience] Wow!

- That's mine.

- Donovan, wonderful person, is the author of "Microwave are for Cooking".

For those who want to learn a little bit more about microwave, you can always come and learn these from Donovan and watch his show.

He's a wonderful guy.

Donovan, thank you so much.

- Can I take that home and reheat it in the microwave?

- Sure.

- Excellent.

Thank you, Martin.

Thank you.

(audience applauding) - I hope you're having a good time.

I am.

The next thing I wanna show you is fish rolls in a wine sauce.

All you really need is about one pound of fish fillet.

You can use any white fish.

Sea bass, snappers, rock cod.

Anything like that.

And also I have two whole green onion, top included.

Two to three Chinese black mushroom.

Japanese call shiitake mushroom.

Smithfield ham or Virginia ham.

And also some bamboo shoot.

Okay.

I am gonna cut up some julienne sli..

Okay, one.

The best way of doing this is do them all together.

(cleaver thumping) (audience applauding) All cut up.

And then you also want to cut up some mushroom.

First of all, you gotta soak this.

This a dry mushroom.

You take the stem off after you soak it.

Take the stem off.

You can do this way ahead of time.

You don't have to do it the last minute.

Okay.

Put them all together and then.

(cleaver thumping) Now, the next step I wanna show you is, we're gonna slice the fish into thin slices at an angle.

This cut you call, more or less like, slanted cutting.

Put your cleaver right over here.

You have one.

Put your cleaver over here.

You have two.

And I wanna show you, some of the thin slices are very thin.

Look.

Wow.

(audience applauding) Now, of course, we will need some snow pea to use as garnishing because we're gonna put it on the bottom.

You blanch this ahead of time so you don't have to worry about it.

For sauce, we have some wine.

We have about 3/4 cup of broth.

Homemade broth.

We also have 1/3 of a cup of Chinese rice wine and we also have a tiny bit of sesame seed.

About two teaspoon of sesame seed oil and a tiny bit of ginger and garlic and sugar.

Okay?

And of course, I also use about one ..

While I'm preparing all this, you wanna make sure you have your wok with big pot of boiling water and have a bamboo steamer or steamer ready because we're gonna steam.

This is a healthy way to cook the dish.

Now, when this is done, I am going to put this here and I'm gonna cook the sauce.

Okay?

We're gonna cook the sauce.

You can cook the sauce ahead of time.

That's why, this way you can save time.

Stir this a little bit.

Let us cook the sauce here.

And then in the meantime, I wanna show you how to roll this up.

This is wonderful.

You roll this up like this.

Put one or two pieces of black mushroom, one to two pieces of ham, one to two pieces of bamboo shoot, and one to two pieces of green onion, and you roll it up like this.

Oh, isn't that wonderful?

Of course, you can slightly sprinkle this with tiny bit of salt and pepper along the fish.

And then use one of these toothpick to go through it so they do not fall apart.

Okay?

Go like this.

You do a whole bunch of these toge..

I'll do another one.

While I do another one, I understand that Anette has a question for us.

- Yes.

Do the Chinese people in China eat the same Chinese cuisine here in this country?

- Basically, very close.

The only difference, in China, they serve generally china ma..

In North America, we serve Chinese food on china make in Japan.

(audience laughing and applauding) No.

Be serious, be serious.

I think in the past 10 years there's such awareness of Chinese food and Chinese cooking.

I think people's taste has become more and more sophisticated and people learn to appreciate good, genuine Chinese food.

If you go to Chinatown now, people ordering fish steamed with black bean sauce.

Crab meat with ginger and green onion.

All these exotic things.

Okay?

Now, let me put this in here in a .. Let's put this in a plate and steam the fish.

One, two, three, four.

Put it right here and steam it.

You can stack them up and steam it all together.

In the meantime, make sure to check your sauce.

Okay?

In the meantime, to save time and also prepare something so everybody can, can enjoy in this studio, and also in the studio for our crew.

We have wonderful people working here, so I gotta make enough for everybody.

Now I have steamed something ahead of time.

Okay?

Put it right here.

And also I wanna show you.

You can actually garnish these.

This is blanched, water blanched snow pea.

When this is done, you put this right in here.

Look at how gorgeous.

Of course, when you do it at home, you can use a fork to do it.

You don't have to use your hand but this hand is sterilized, so don't worry.

(audience laughing) When this is done, all you are doing is hold onto this.

The most dangerous thing is to pick up something with, oh, look at how gorgeous.

- [Audience] Wow.

(audience applauding) - We have shown you, today, we have shown you some of Peking man's favorite dish..

It's too bad he couldn't be here today because I understand that the Peking man got lost on his way here.

Just remember, if Yan can cook, so can you!

“Goodbye!” ( ##! )

(audience applauding) (joyful music)