- 22 hours ago
The Hairy Bikers tour the birthplaces of favourite Asian cuisines. In Hong Kong, they discover the secrets of wok chi at the city's street food stalls and watch noodle-making rodeo-style.
这是一档烹饪系列节目, 探访深受喜爱的亚洲美食的发源地, 在香港他们于一处街头美食摊档领略了 “镬气” 的奥秘...
这是一档烹饪系列节目, 探访深受喜爱的亚洲美食的发源地, 在香港他们于一处街头美食摊档领略了 “镬气” 的奥秘...
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TVTranscript
00:03We've packed our passports and bought our phrase books.
00:10Because we're off on our biggest, craziest adventure yet.
00:15Delicious, delicious.
00:23We're travelling further than we've ever done before.
00:27To uncover the authentic roots of Britain's favourite takeaway foods.
00:32I've always wanted to know how to make proper sweet and sour sauce.
00:36Going off the beaten track and being welcomed into some of Asia's hidden worlds.
00:41How marvellous is this?
00:45From the high-rises and hot walks of Hong Kong.
00:48The heat on this is really, really intense.
00:51But listen, it's like a jet engine.
00:54I love it.
00:56To the sweltering tropics of Thailand.
00:58We love a tuk-tuk!
01:00Where they say it's impossible to eat badly.
01:03Thai food's arrived in Britain.
01:05But, by crikey, it's only the tip of the iceberg.
01:08And we fulfill a lifelong ambition to explore Japan.
01:13That is perfect.
01:14Wow, look at that.
01:16I've just had a sushi-gasm.
01:18We finish up in South Korea, where the spicy cuisine is sensational.
01:24This will go down and bomb down the local.
01:29So, leather up and take to the road.
01:32For one extremely hairy...
01:34Asian Adventure!
01:37Asian Adventure!
01:56We're in Hong Kong!
01:58This is Asia's world city.
02:01It's famous for finance and fantastic food.
02:04And it has one of the highest concentrations of restaurants per capita at anywhere in the world.
02:13Chinese is now the most popular takeaway in the UK.
02:17So, what better place to come to track down the origins of our favourite dishes than Hong Kong, our gateway
02:24to China.
02:26Hong Kong is a dazzling, busy, crowded, hot, steamy and stunning place where East meets West.
02:33And it's here where our love affair with Chinese cuisine began almost 150 years ago.
02:40Hong Kong became a British colony in 1842.
02:44The merchant ships crewed by Chinese sailors headed for Britain, bringing their cuisine to our shores.
02:51Oh, look at all the ships in the harbour there! That's amazing!
02:55What a city!
02:58Today, Hong Kong is under Chinese rule.
03:01Home to seven million people, and it's the most vertical city on the planet.
03:07Here, Kingie!
03:08It's like Canary Wharf with chopsticks!
03:15And the food here is Cantonese.
03:18A mouth-watering mix of stir-fries, seafood and roast meats.
03:23It's what we have in our Chinese takeaway menus back home.
03:26Dave and I love a Chinese takeaway like anybody else.
03:30What's your favourite takeaway, Kingie?
03:33Beef and black bean sauce with crispy noodles without a doubt. What's yours?
03:36Well, good old predictable sweet and sour pork for me, matey.
03:40Oh, well, you know.
03:42We can't wait to find out how Chinese food here compares to what we know and love back home.
03:47Plus, we want to understand what our beloved Chinese cuisine means to the nation that invented it.
03:55Yeah, we want to find out what Chinese people have for their takeaways, what they eat in their homes, well,
04:01and what they have for Sunday lunch.
04:03What I'm looking forward to is to having a big adventure in Hong Kong to really immerse myself in Chinese
04:08cuisine.
04:09There's got to be more to it than a number 42 with an egg fried rice.
04:13But first, we've got to get our bearings.
04:17Hong Kong is made up of a chunk of mainland China, plus more than 200 islands in the South China
04:24Sea.
04:26The beating heart of it is Hong Kong Island, so that's where we're heading for our first taste of true
04:32Chinese cooking.
04:34Nestled beneath the skyscrapers that are home to some of the world's biggest banks are traditional food stalls that are
04:40knocking out some of the most authentic Cantonese food in the city.
04:46These open-air stalls, called Daipai Dongs, have been here for 60 years or more.
04:53Today, they provide the perfect lunchtime fix for busy office workers.
04:58And we're meeting the two Michelin-starred chef, Alvin Lung.
05:02So, you know, we're going to go to Daipai Dong.
05:05It's my favourite one.
05:07Oh, brilliant.
05:08He's going to give us a lowdown on fast food Cantonese style.
05:13You know, the chefs here are amazing.
05:15You know, they do thousands of these dishes.
05:17Can you imagine?
05:17They're doing this 14 hours a day in this immense heat.
05:21So, I think he's doing the clam for us.
05:22And that's black bean, yeah?
05:23That's black bean.
05:25The dish is cooked in under a minute.
05:28Yeah.
05:28Practically done a minute, OK?
05:30You see them, he's stir-frying or he's, you know, moving things around.
05:34Get everything coated.
05:35The wok's fantastically versatile, isn't it?
05:37I mean, you make soup in it, you're searing it, you're braising it.
05:41You deep fry in it.
05:42You deep fry, yeah.
05:43You can even steam in it.
05:44I mean, look at that.
05:45Wow.
05:46He's done these clams with my favourite, black bean sauce.
05:50Get in.
05:51I love that.
05:51It's like a jet engine, isn't it?
05:53It's so powerful.
05:55Intensive.
05:55It's over 200 degrees.
05:57Let's rub it out and get on with the next dish.
05:59Well, this is the good thing about it.
06:00You have the dishwasher, you have the stove on one place.
06:03Yeah.
06:03Isn't that great?
06:04Oh, sifu, thank you.
06:06And you know you've got a complexity of flavours there.
06:08It's a wonderful dish.
06:10Oh, hey.
06:11You're beautiful.
06:12Oh, man, that is under.
06:13But the flavours are perfectly balanced.
06:19Fabulous.
06:20That's bouncy, thank you.
06:21Wow.
06:23Alvin's challenged us to cook for him and the sifu here on the Dai Pai Dong.
06:28But first, well, we need some ingredients.
06:32This is what we call the wet market.
06:35Fantastic.
06:36Yeah.
06:37And here we are.
06:38Wow.
06:41It's bouncing fresh, isn't it?
06:43We kind of just need packed chai and chai some, don't we?
06:45Yeah, yeah.
06:46That's a good basis.
06:47Perfect.
06:48Job's a good one.
06:49Hey.
06:50Oh, Bobby, how about?
06:51Ah, ha, ha.
06:52Ah, ha.
06:53OK, OK.
06:54No.
06:55No problem.
06:56No problem.
06:57I've got to do it.
06:58I've got a list.
06:59I'm called between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea here.
07:00You are, haven't you?
07:01Yeah.
07:02OK.
07:02Yes, no, very good.
07:0522, she says.
07:08Beautiful.
07:09Ah, beautiful.
07:12Wow.
07:12Oh, wow.
07:13Hong Kong's surrounded by waters and an island, so here we just love seafood.
07:17It looks like everything is live.
07:20Cantonese food isn't very spicy.
07:22Instead, it relies on really fresh produce.
07:27Everything is swimming, OK?
07:28It's not just fresh.
07:29It's live.
07:30You've got live crab, live shrimps.
07:32These are not the fresh ones, so don't pick these ones.
07:34No.
07:34These are what is on sale.
07:36Ah, right.
07:36Watch out here.
07:37I get those ones, OK?
07:38They're the ones we want, eh?
07:40Bake all.
07:41Oh, yeah, Tefl, look at those.
07:43About a dozen, eh?
07:44Oh, here we go.
07:45OK, here we go.
07:47Some scallops.
07:48Scallops, yeah.
07:51Oh, that's smashing that, look.
07:54We're going to do a stir-fry with seafood and Chinese greens.
07:57I hope you've got what it takes, Kingy.
08:01Hong Kong foodie, quicker than human eye.
08:04What's your...
08:05Hong Kong gonna die Python?
08:07I can't believe it, dude, I can't believe it.
08:09I can't believe it.
08:09Kingy, I'm a bit nervous.
08:11I mean, we're cooking for the seafood who owns this establishment
08:13and also a two-star Michelin chef who's an expert in Cantonese food.
08:18And we are but two humble northern cooks.
08:20But never mind, we're going to give it a go, because we like that.
08:23Yes.
08:23Delicious, if nothing else.
08:25Now, we're going to cook a prawn and scallop stir-fry.
08:27We've kept this simple, respect the fresh ingredients,
08:30everything must be properly prepared.
08:32And the same goes at home.
08:33When I do a Chinese meal, I'll be little pots of everything ready to go.
08:36So we're going to cook the dinner in about three minutes.
08:39This is a culinary sprint, not a marathon.
08:42Are we ready?
08:45Let's go.
08:46Oil.
08:47Heat is so important.
08:49Garlic.
08:49Sliced.
08:51Pump up the volume.
08:52Pump up the volume.
08:53Even put it in.
08:54Ginger.
08:55Brilliant with seafood.
08:57And that's flavouring the oil.
08:59We're using groundnut oil, because groundnut oil,
09:00it's not much tasting at really high temperature.
09:03Are you ready?
09:04Get it in, dude.
09:05Sixteen cores deveined.
09:07Watch these little fellows bounce.
09:13Dahlians and scallops which out season lightly.
09:15We put them on and we want them to catch on one side.
09:19Say when, Kingy.
09:20I'll tell you, mate, I'll tell you.
09:23Right there, catch them.
09:24Right.
09:24Rice wine.
09:25One spoonful off.
09:30Red for the game.
09:31Yeah, mate, yeah.
09:31Right there.
09:33Spring onions go again.
09:35As well as spring onions, garlic and ginger are key for an authentic Cantonese flavour.
09:40Moistu.
09:43Pat choy.
09:45Choy soap.
09:47They're going to wilt like us in this searing heat.
09:50Red chilli.
09:53I'm feeling manly.
09:55No way, we'll need some liquid in there to throw the wilt in.
09:57Right, some light soy sauce.
10:01The heat on this wok is really, really intense.
10:04It's great because you can regulate it.
10:06But listen, it's like a jet engine.
10:09I love it.
10:13Righto, matey.
10:16In Cantonese food, seasoning is minimal.
10:19It's all about preserving the fresh, fragrant taste.
10:22You don't want to kill the scallops, the prawns and the wonderful greens.
10:27And a teeny drizzle of sesame oil.
10:30Toasted sesame oil is for serving after, for dressing.
10:33Don't try cooking with it.
10:34It'll be rank.
10:35Now, very simple, very quick.
10:39That's it, Kingy.
10:39We need to get this out fresh.
10:41We're going to get to taste our stir fry.
10:43Come on, seafood.
10:45After you, mucker.
10:46Sir.
10:48Fingers crossed.
10:49Alvin approves of our British take on Chinese food.
10:52Well, I'm really tempted to taste this.
10:55OK.
10:55See if you guys have really learned the secret of wok chi.
10:59Alvin, what is wok chi?
11:01Well, wok chi is the power from the wok.
11:04And basically, you know, it's from the heat, the intense heat, the hot oil.
11:09And then you put in the herbs.
11:10You've got the ginger, you've got the green onions, you've got the garlic.
11:13Before you put in the vegetables, before you put in the seafood or whatnot.
11:16And it flavours the whole dish.
11:18We put the spring onions in with the veggies.
11:20Would you have put the spring onions first into the oil?
11:23I would have.
11:23Because I think it basically adds, flavours the oil.
11:26But who knows?
11:27You may have discovered something new.
11:29Alvin, could you ask Sifu what he thinks about the look of it initially?
11:33Sifu, let's taste it.
11:36Oh, I'm good.
11:37He says it's not bad.
11:38Not bad now.
11:39The Chinese, not bad, it's good.
11:41We are not very complimentary people, OK?
11:43So when he thinks it's not bad.
11:45All right, guys, let's taste.
11:46Come on.
11:49Nice.
11:50Very nice.
11:53Very well seasoned.
11:54I don't need to add on any salt, I don't need to add on any chilli sauce.
11:58Now, the only criticism I would have is the sauce is a bit watery.
12:01We never thickened it.
12:02You know, it's good to thicken the sauce because the sauce is very important.
12:05It has a lot of flavour.
12:07Yes.
12:07And you want to thicken it so you can coat all the vegetables.
12:10If we'd have put some corn flour through the soy, we would have thickened it as well.
12:14And it would have quartered all of those ingredients.
12:16It would have looked better as well.
12:17Yeah, it would.
12:18It would.
12:18Other than that, guys, excellent.
12:21Good.
12:23He said it's OK.
12:25You know, I think we've learnt more about wok cooking from you and Sifu in three minutes
12:29than we have done in, like, ten years of pottering, you know?
12:33I want to try that recipe again.
12:35Yeah.
12:35Work on the wok chi.
12:37You know, Dave, it's interesting.
12:39We don't tend to think of Chinese food as a healthy option in the UK.
12:42But here, it's convenience food that's good for you too.
12:49Now we've got to grips with Cantonese fast food, I reckon we need to find out what people eat at
12:55home
12:55and how food fits into family life.
13:01Well, you're in luck, cos we're going to gatecrash a local family's weekday dinner.
13:07So it's bye-bye to the big banks of Hong Kong Island and hello to the new territories on the
13:12Chinese mainland,
13:13where three and a half million people live.
13:20Speaking of the banks, Kingy, Hong Kong has more billionaires per capita than anywhere else in the world.
13:26Yes, and you need to be loaded to buy your own gaff here.
13:32House prices in Hong Kong have doubled over the past four years,
13:35so nearly half the population lives in council-owned skyscrapers with subsidised rents,
13:41like the one we're going to eat our tea in.
13:46Tinshu Wei is a government housing estate on the Hong Kong-Chinese border
13:51and consists of hundreds of high-rise apartments.
13:54Now, each high-rise consists of 456 flats spread over 38 floors
14:00with approximately 12 flats per floor.
14:03With four to five people living in each apartment,
14:06that makes a total of 2,200 people in each high-rise.
14:12Now, as you know, Dave and I are not averse to a mam knows best.
14:16Now, well, this is Chinese grannies know best.
14:19I wonder what we'll find.
14:25Our destination, floor 35, home to the Fungs,
14:30a typical Hong Kong working family.
14:32Jackie and Lulans.
14:37Hello. Hello, Jackie. I'm Dave. Pleased to meet you.
14:39Jackie, hello, I'm Sai. Very nice to meet you.
14:42OK. How are you?
14:43Very nice to meet you.
14:44Thank you for the visit, Zai.
14:45Hello. Hello.
14:47University student Jackie lives here with his grandma Lulu,
14:51two brothers and dad and mum.
14:54And my mother.
14:55All six of them live in this two-bedroom flat.
14:58Hello.
14:58Here's my bedroom and I will share the bedroom with my younger brother
15:02and also my grandma.
15:05So there's three of you sleeping here?
15:07Yeah.
15:07No.
15:08My younger brother will sleep in here.
15:10Oh, really?
15:11Yeah, and me will sleep in here.
15:13Yes.
15:13And my grandma Lulu will sleep in here.
15:17Oh, she's got a little bed under there.
15:19Yes.
15:22Ah!
15:22Yeah.
15:23Little pull out.
15:24Yeah.
15:26So here's my little kitchen.
15:30You can see ourselves today.
15:33Ah, with a little chef.
15:35Hey!
15:37Like the majority of families here, Jackie's parents both work full-time.
15:41Mum is an accountant's clerk an hour away in Kowloon.
15:45And Dad is one of the half a million Hong Kong residents
15:49who work over the border in China.
15:51So there's two woks and a wok ring and a rice steamer.
15:55So Granny's in charge of feeding the family.
15:58Lulu cooks for six in a kitchen the size of a broom cupboard.
16:02And tonight, we're squeezing in.
16:04First, a bitter melon, pork and black bean stir-fry.
16:07Bitter melon's a bit like courgette.
16:10But bitter.
16:12Palm sugar!
16:13Palm sugar, yeah?
16:14I think this is how it tastes good.
16:15Wow, that's a lot of palm sugar.
16:17Go, go, go.
16:18I'm doing, I'm doing.
16:18This side, this side.
16:19Add some water.
16:21Add some water.
16:22I don't think I've cooked over a very small Chinese grandma before.
16:26Brilliant.
16:27Yeah.
16:29Most place is like having the Gruffalo in the kitchen.
16:33She's fantastic.
16:35Oh, look now.
16:36Jackie, now I know why you live at home.
16:38Yeah.
16:41And there's a chicken dish coming now.
16:42Is there?
16:43Yeah.
16:44Where from?
16:45This 17-year-old doesn't stop for a second.
16:48Every night, she cooks five or six different stir-fries plus rice.
16:53Happy to!
16:57So what dish is this one in?
16:59It's sweet and sour pork, is it?
17:01Yeah, yeah, yeah.
17:02Sweet and sour pork.
17:03Oh, yeah.
17:04Oh, love it.
17:14And the peppers.
17:32Ooh, you can smell.
17:34Lovely.
17:34I like it.
17:35Yeah.
17:36Yeah.
17:36Hey!
17:38Wow, very big.
17:39Whoa!
17:41Whoa!
17:42Whoa!
17:44Crumbs.
17:45That's three quarters of a bottle of tomato ketchup.
17:48I think it's a whole bottle of ketchup, Kingy.
17:51Crumbs.
17:52Dude, that's 700 calories in the tomato sauce alone.
17:55Aye.
17:56Do you know, sweet and sour pork's been on Chinese menus in Britain since 1908.
18:01This is so sweet and savoury and it does, isn't it?
18:06I'm telling you, this one's definitely sweet.
18:09Oh, look at those.
18:10Fantastic, isn't it?
18:12Beautiful.
18:13This family feast has only taken Granny Lulu 45 minutes to rustle up.
18:18Now, I feel as though I've arrived in Hong Kong.
18:21Yes.
18:22It doesn't get more traditional than a family meal.
18:26Nope, nope.
18:26So, let's start.
18:29That's fantastic, that sauce.
18:32So nice and crispy.
18:34You're a good cook, aren't you, Lulu?
18:36I've always been here.
18:38Yeah.
18:41You must love her, man.
18:45And you know, this supergran isn't just a genius cook.
18:49Did Lulu look after you?
18:50When I was young, yeah.
18:55Yeah.
18:58When I'm a baby, yeah.
19:00Yeah, when I'm a baby, I've been living with my grandma for 19 years.
19:05Grandparents living in to help out working parents is a really common set-up in Hong Kong.
19:10I do love the chicken.
19:11And Jackie's dad is a manager at a computer parts factory over the Chinese border.
19:16Do you work during the week in China and you come back to Hong Kong at the weekends?
19:21Yes.
19:22Because Hong Kong is a lot of factory.
19:26Oh, yeah.
19:26But there is no any factory.
19:28That's why many people have to work in the mainland.
19:31So there's really no manufacturing base in Hong Kong at all in China now?
19:36Yeah, in China now, yes.
19:38Food is just so good.
19:40And produced in next to no time, in the smallest, smallest space.
19:45Yeah.
19:46But with bundles and spoonfuls of love and care, Matt was beautiful to see.
19:53Thank you very, very much.
19:55Yeah.
19:55You're welcome.
19:58You're welcome.
19:59You're welcome.
20:02Try again.
20:04You are welcome.
20:06You are welcome.
20:08Yeah.
20:09Yeah.
20:10Yeah.
20:11Come on, your old granny is the coolest granny.
20:13She is the coolest granny.
20:14She is the coolest granny.
20:16Every night, Jackie sits down to that.
20:18Yeah.
20:18I mean, fantastic.
20:19It was a banquet.
20:20It was.
20:21I bet Dad looks forward to coming back from China for the weekend.
20:24I bet he does as well.
20:25But you know, it also, it gives Lulu a place within the family.
20:28Yeah.
20:28Every night, I bet she puts that down with pride.
20:31Oh, yeah.
20:31Absolutely.
20:32It's her role.
20:33It's her worth.
20:34Yeah.
20:35Proper family.
20:36And I bet there's loads of people here that do exactly the same as we've been in receipt
20:39of in that flat, man.
20:40Yeah.
20:41It's funny to think that 6,000 miles away in Britain, people are tucking in to sweet and
20:46sour pork, just like Lulu's.
20:49Well, thank you, Hong Kong.
20:51Lulu, we love you.
20:52We do.
21:02Hong Kong is impressive enough by day, but at night, the skyline comes into its own.
21:10We've headed for Temple Street and Kowloon, one of the city's biggest night markets.
21:17You could fill a truck, couldn't you?
21:19Oh, right.
21:19Everything.
21:21You can dance like that, dude.
21:25See?
21:27The people here don't just believe in bargains, though, do they?
21:31They believe in fate, too.
21:34Are you superstitious, Kingy?
21:36I am, mate, a bit.
21:37Yeah, are you?
21:38I am, I am, but not half as much as the Chinese people.
21:40I mean, fortune-telling, astrology, customs, superstition.
21:44Yeah?
21:45Well, apparently, you know, before any big event in their lives, they always go to a fortune-teller.
21:50I'll tell you, you're fortune-telling out.
21:52What?
21:52Look into my eyes.
21:53What?
21:54You are going on a long journey.
21:56Oh, God.
21:57So are you, come to that.
21:58There's a whole load of ways to see into the future here, Si.
22:02Well, which one should we go for?
22:04Should we go for tarot?
22:05Kind of palms?
22:07Yeah.
22:07Haven't we palmed them, I think?
22:09Yeah, but nobody could say, dude, how a lack of lingo puts us off, though, could they?
22:13You know.
22:14Now, pay attention, Kingy, cause this man has a gift that allows him to see deep into the core of
22:20my being.
22:21Huh?
22:23My head?
22:24He's a smart man.
22:25He's a smart man.
22:26And he realises that you're stark raven-bonkers.
22:28This one's a smart man.
22:30It's called a town's house.
22:32It's a smart man.
22:34This is a smart man.
22:35It's a smart man.
22:38It's a smart man.
22:39You know, you're smart man.
22:42You have smart man.
22:43You have smart man.
22:43You have smart man.
22:48What do you say?
22:54It says smashing long life and prosperity.
22:58Everything, yeah, smashing.
22:59Oh, that's good.
23:01Right, now it's my turn.
23:04Simon King, surely you're not entrusting your fate to a budgie.
23:09Well, yeah, but these are specially trained fortune-telling lovebirds, you know.
23:14Go on, mate, pick one out. Pick a good one.
23:19Doesn't want to come out.
23:22That one looks keen, this one's not.
23:24It's way back in again.
23:29It's not going well.
23:31The one in the middle looks like he looks like.
23:36Oh, he's nearly gone.
23:39Is it good? What does it say?
23:47I'm free.
23:51I'm free.
23:52Oh, great.
23:53Smushing.
24:08It seems all right, that, didn't it?
24:10Oh, yeah, the only bird was positive.
24:12It was a very positive movement.
24:17Bye-bye.
24:18Bye-bye.
24:19Bye-bye.
24:20Dave, you know I'm a bit sighted too, you know.
24:23Oh, yeah.
24:25I predict that next we will stumble across Hong Kong's most popular takeaway.
24:30And I predict it won't be something you'll see on our takeaway menus at home.
24:34Curried fish balls.
24:36Curried fish balls.
24:36Yes.
24:37Now, 37 million of these are eaten every single day in Hong Kong.
24:47What did you say?
24:48Do you want them in a pot?
24:52These fish balls, made from ground up white fish, are a cheap filling snack which first
24:58appeared here in the 1950s.
24:59And about the same time, Chinese restaurants in the UK started doing takeaways too.
25:05Chilli oil.
25:06Chilli sauce.
25:10Well, this is it.
25:11Our first fish ball in Hong Kong.
25:13The most popular ball on the planet.
25:18Chilli sauce.
25:19They're nice.
25:22It's like boiled fish paste, put together, glued together into a bowl.
25:29Okay, I've overdone the chilli.
25:31Oh, come on.
25:36They're like fish Maltesers, do you know what I mean?
25:42Curried fish balls.
25:43Now, you don't see those down the golden chopsticks.
25:54Morning, love.
25:56I reckon, you know Dave, our adventure's off to a flying start.
25:59We've tasted real Chinese cooking here in Hong Kong and found that they love our favourite
26:04foods just as much as we do.
26:07And today, we're getting to grips with a cornerstone of Cantonese cuisine.
26:11The delicious dumplings and other bite-sized morsels known as dim sum.
26:17Now, we both love dim sum, but Hong Kong is like the spiritual capital of dim sum, food for the
26:24heart.
26:25There's a restaurant serving these parcels of steamed, boiled or fried perfection in every Chinatown around the world.
26:33Best served between breakfast and lunchtime, some folk reckon dim sum are the original brunch.
26:40These days, going out for dim sum here is a bit like Sunday lunches to us.
26:44A chance to catch up with your family and have a blowout.
26:48We've talked our way into the kitchen of one of Hong Kong's most authentic dim sum houses to see some
26:54masters at work.
26:57Could you ask Mr. Lai how long he's been doing this for, because he looks very, very skilled?
27:07He's become a dim sum master for more than 40 years.
27:1240 years?
27:1340 years!
27:14This is the place to come for dumplings and for good dim sum.
27:18These guys are serious craftsmen.
27:21They have to learn over 300 different dishes and feed over 700 hungry mouths a day.
27:28The biggest sellers are steamed barbecue pork buns called char siu.
27:33And har gow, a clear bonnet shaped dumpling filled with shrimp and bamboo shoots.
27:38That is a beautiful thing.
27:40I mean, if Penelope Cruz was a dumpling, that would be Penelope.
27:45The instant the dim sum are cooked, the baskets are banged onto serving trolleys.
27:51The ladies known as aunties push them around the restaurant, shouting their wares and doling out dumplings to hungry punters,
27:57who tip them the wink.
27:59And today, we get to turn trolley dolly.
28:01Does this make me an auntie?
28:04No.
28:05Wagon dragon's more like, dude.
28:06I'll tie you round the back.
28:08Now listen, are you going to be a miserable auntie or a happy auntie?
28:12I think I'm going to go traditional.
28:14What do you mean?
28:15I'm kind of quite stern, really.
28:18I'll tell you what, dude.
28:19It's going to take more than a stern look to win this challenge, auntie Dave.
28:23Cha siu mo cao pao chai.
28:26Ha gow siu mai?
28:28Yes? Okay, what would you like? Siu mai ha gow?
28:30Cha siu mo cao pao chai.
28:34Ha gow. That was three. There you go. Thank you.
28:37A hat trick. I'm cleaning up with my trolley dolly charm offensive, you know. Take that, my ass. Get in.
28:45Ha gow siu mai.
28:46I guess it just goes to show that when food's this good, it sells itself.
28:54It's easy being an auntie, cos it's so good. People love it.
28:58And I think I've got two of the favourites. Cha siu mo cao pao chai.
29:05These little dumpling numbers are selling like, er, well, hot dumplings.
29:13You gave us the one, yourself.
29:15Ah.
29:15We wanted cha siu pao.
29:17But you gave us cao pao chai.
29:19That's the cao pao chai.
29:20Whoops. Dumpling identification. Fail!
29:23Ah, yes.
29:26That's the last of me baskets gone.
29:28Looks like a win for the kingy.
29:30Oh, in record time, kingy.
29:32Boom.
29:33Host.
29:34Yeah, hostess trolley.
29:36Smashing.
29:36Seems like we're naturals when it comes to selling dim sum.
29:40I just hope making them comes as easy.
29:44First, we need some ingredients.
29:46So we're heading for Hong Kong's back garden.
29:50The fishing village of Saigon in the New Territories.
29:53For a spot of shopping.
29:55It's one of the most popular places for locals to kick back
29:58and indulge their voracious appetite for all things fishy.
30:02There's a whole culture of it here.
30:03What you do is you walk along the prom here,
30:05look at the beautiful scenery.
30:06You pick your fresh fish, you pick your fresh shellfish
30:09and then you nang it.
30:11Yeah, it's the ultimate pick-and-mick seafood platter.
30:15Do you know, we'd like to say,
30:16with the plethora of fishing boats just there,
30:18that it's all locally caught and there's no food miles.
30:21But the truth is, loads of this stuff comes from China.
30:24Because Hong Kong's so built up and it's demanded,
30:27so overpopulated,
30:28it eats its way through a phenomenal amount of fresh fish.
30:32It's not just fish.
30:3495% of all groceries are imported here,
30:37so living ain't cheap.
30:39And we're after some super fresh seafood to make dim sum.
30:43So, I hope you've got your wallet.
30:46What a fantastic way to go out and get your ingredients.
30:48Isn't it? Isn't it?
30:49It'll get much fresher.
30:50But how the hell do we ask for six bouncing,
30:53fresh jumbo-sized prawns in Cantonese?
30:59Those ones. Go up a bit. Not that one.
31:07Yes, yes. Good, thank you.
31:09Primo.
31:12He wants 200.
31:14Only got 100.
31:15Eh?
31:16200, that's 20 quid for six prawns.
31:18That's ridiculous.
31:19I mean, that's like a major department store in London prices.
31:22Well, you know, it's local at the source, isn't it?
31:23Go on, use your Geordie charm.
31:25Right.
31:26Yeah, yeah.
31:27Well, no, we don't want your hat.
31:28We just want the prods.
31:29100 for the prod.
31:31Hello?
31:32100?
31:32Is he telling us what we think he's telling us?
31:34No, there's no need to be rude.
31:36Two.
31:37Five.
31:37Yeah, two.
31:38Yeah.
31:39Oh, come on.
31:40Okay.
31:41Oh, great, great, great.
31:42Oh, you didn't see the other 100.
31:43Smashing.
31:45Ah!
31:47So you don't have to climb down.
31:48Ah, excellent.
31:50Three.
31:51Three.
31:52One.
31:57Look at that.
31:58Three.
31:59Oh, we got change.
32:01Ah!
32:01Ah!
32:05I tell you what, it's an amazing way to buy prawns, but it wasn't cheap.
32:10Cheap or not, dude, I'm sure there'll be belter in our dim sum recipe.
32:15Here we are with the South China Seas behind us.
32:17Yeah, we're doing dim sum Saikun style.
32:20I'll be making a lotus leaf parcel with a mouth-watering meat filling encased in rice.
32:26And I'm going to do scrumptious prawn and crab dumplings.
32:29But first, we need the necessary Cantonese cooking implements.
32:35Everybody was kung fu fighting!
32:39Where do they come from?
32:40These are good for small work.
32:42Good for big work.
32:43They're good for medium sized work.
32:44They're good for mashing.
32:45They're good for prepping.
32:46They're good for shaving yourself when you lose your razor.
32:49Everything can be done with your Chinese chopper.
32:52Indeed.
32:53And first, I'm chopping chicken and pork loin to make the filling for my lotus leaf recipe.
32:58Now, if you've noticed, I haven't been too particular about trimming the fat off this,
33:02because the fat will actually seep into the rice and give it additional flavour.
33:07Fire up the wok and get some garlic in.
33:11If you kind of frizzle the garlic, don't worry if it gets burnt.
33:14Again, that's one of the things you always say is don't burn the garlic.
33:17It's kind of alright with this.
33:1830 seconds.
33:19Just wait until it goes slightly crispy and then cook off the meat.
33:23And that just needs to be coloured through.
33:27Lovely.
33:29This is a lap churn sausage.
33:33They're a sweet sausage full of fat.
33:35Really, really, really nice.
33:38If you can't get to an oriental supermarket, try using sweet cured bacon.
33:44And so it's not too meaty, we're adding some mushrooms to the filling mix.
33:52Also, this wouldn't happen to Rick Stein, would it?
33:54It wouldn't.
33:59I'm making a sauce for the meat, starting with rice wine.
34:02Isn't that a bobby-dazzler?
34:04Drink your wine and then make a lamp.
34:06This is going to help the lotus wrap filling stick together.
34:11Add some soy sauce and corn flour and that's job done.
34:16And watch it go thick.
34:22It sticks together lovely, so that will be perfect for our parcels.
34:26Now what we do, we let that cool for about, it's going to take about half an hour.
34:29But what we are going to do is dress that with just a splash of sesame oil.
34:35Just gives it that little extra bit of doodah.
34:38So that's the inside of size wraps sorted.
34:42Now I need to start on my seafood dim sum.
34:45The filling for the prawn and crab dumplings is an assembly of fine flavours and fruits of the sea.
34:51I have a lovely dressed crab here.
34:54Pop that into a bowl.
34:56These perfect prawns need chopping up.
35:00Then add some garlic, ginger, dried orange peel and water chestnuts, before thickening the mix up with the old corn
35:08flour and water trick.
35:09And the prawns are quite kind of gelatinous.
35:12When that mixes with the corn flour, hopefully this should be quite easy to mould into my little dumpling cases.
35:19Add chopped carrots and spring onions for a bit of colour.
35:22Look at that.
35:23Look at that.
35:24It's like a mosaic.
35:25It's like a terrazzo floor in a Victorian vestibule.
35:28Lovely that dude, lovely.
35:33Let's make dumplings.
35:34And I've got a dumpling dabbler and people use them for packing your dumplings.
35:38I'm making my dumplings with wonton skins, which you buy in packs of 50.
35:43See, I've put a little spoonful of the mixture in the middle and I've painted corn flour and water around
35:50the edge.
35:50I pick up my doo-dah.
35:55Little pleaty, like so.
36:01Get it quite firm and dab it down.
36:04And that's number one.
36:08My dim sum are parcels wrapped in a lotus leaf.
36:12I'm using cold cooked rice.
36:14Into the middle.
36:17We put a lovely mixture.
36:20Little bit more rice on the top there.
36:26Then what we do is we gather it all together.
36:31You can buy lotus leaves at Oriental supermarkets or, alternatively, use greaseproof paper instead.
36:38Little parcel.
36:40I read it gets steaming, Kingy.
36:45Make sure they don't touch or they'll stick together.
36:49And they both take 15 minutes to steam, because the rice is cooked already.
36:53They look amazing.
36:55It's definitely food for the heart.
36:57Well, Kingy, dim sum actually means a drop on the heart, because they were meant to be eaten as a
37:02snack, not a main meal.
37:07Shall we?
37:07I think so.
37:09Oh!
37:10Little bundles of joy, Mr King.
37:13How fabulous.
37:16Wow!
37:18How lovely does that little melange look.
37:22To the side.
37:24Whoa!
37:28They are firm and lovely.
37:30Got some life, haven't they?
37:31Yeah.
37:31Yeah.
37:33Boom!
37:33Boom!
37:34Yeah, nice.
37:34The carrots are there.
37:35He's got some crunch, the water chestnuts.
37:38Oh, that's lovely.
37:39You could have the most wonderful dim sum party.
37:42All sorts of different types of dumplings, and you can do all the work before your guests are there.
37:47But when your guests arrive, in the steamers, Bob's your uncle, 15 minutes later, serve it.
37:51Right.
37:52Oh, look at that, it's chewy.
37:56They are good.
37:57They are good.
37:58They are good.
38:13Joe Sun.
38:15That's Cantonese for good morning, that is.
38:20And what a morning, dude.
38:22Back in the thick of it.
38:23Monday a rush hour on Hong Kong Island.
38:25It's mayhem in this mega city.
38:29Hundreds of thousands of people are hurrying into the Central District for work in the skyscrapers.
38:35But we're here to find out what Hong Kongers eat in the morning.
38:41I like the look of this for breakfast side.
38:43Oh, it's fabulous, isn't it?
38:44Yeah.
38:45Oh, it smells of Asia.
38:47Fish.
38:48I can smell fish.
38:49Can you believe it?
38:50A quarter of locals here have their morning meal out at least five times a week.
38:55And dearer than I have heard, the locals are rather partial to a good old-fashioned fry-up.
39:00There's Susie.
39:01There she is.
39:02Hey, Susie.
39:03You see, I've been waiting for over two hours.
39:05You cannot be.
39:06You haven't got to watch on.
39:07So, if you want to eat, let's go inside.
39:10All you two need a fishing rod, isn't it?
39:13You have to help me down.
39:14Oh, I love you.
39:16LAUGHTER
39:20Hong Kong celebrity Susie Wong is going to show us how she likes to start the day.
39:26Whoa!
39:27You see?
39:28This is how this man make tea.
39:31Oh, yeah.
39:31So, we have a stocking.
39:33Yes.
39:33Silk stocking.
39:34Yes, silk stocking.
39:35Back in the good old days of the Jolly Empire, the English love of a brew filtered through to the
39:40local population.
39:42Now, they reckon that straining the tea eight times through what looks like me old granny's nylons makes the tea
39:48taste silkier.
39:51This place is called a cha cha teng.
39:53A load of them opened up in colonial times, and they're still popular today.
39:58It's as close to a greasy spoon as you'll get here, serving mixed-up comfort foods to locals who want
40:03a taste of western grub on the cheap.
40:07I guess, to them, it's a bit like chop suing chips to us.
40:10A bit of what you know, and a bit of what you don't.
40:14Now, there's a spam noodle.
40:16Spam noodles in there.
40:17Yeah.
40:18Spam noodles in there.
40:19Spam beautiful.
40:20Spam beautiful.
40:21Spam beautiful.
40:21Spam beautiful.
40:21This is brilliant.
40:23Now, this is a French toast.
40:25I tell you, the tea, you know, the eight times passing, certainly draws the mouth.
40:33Wow.
40:34Egg sandwich?
40:35Egg sandwich.
40:36Egg butties.
40:37Corned beef.
40:37Corned beef.
40:38It's white bread, sliced with a crust off.
40:40I mean, fundamentally, that's a corned beef savoury sandwich.
40:44This is a pot noodle with spam and a fried egg.
40:47Yeah.
40:48It's very westernized.
40:49Are you going to have a try?
40:50Mmm.
40:52I'll give some to you.
40:55Have a bite.
40:56Oh, look at this thingy.
40:58It's a Hong Kong breakfast club sandwich.
41:01Corned beef, egg, four slices, white processed.
41:04Double-decker, dude.
41:05Class.
41:09It's not bad.
41:10No, isn't it?
41:11No.
41:12It's interesting.
41:13It's not full of expats in here.
41:15No.
41:15I thought it would be full of crusty old kernels that have been left behind having their bully
41:18beef and egg butties.
41:20It's fascinating, isn't it, that you have these kind of echoes of the cuisine of the past
41:25from a hundred years ago.
41:26You can see how important to a lot of nations Hong Kong was.
41:31And from that you get these multi-layers of food from different places around the world,
41:36different influences brought in and kind of mishmatched together in this mad city cuisine.
41:41It's a lot.
41:42Come on.
41:43Let's have a go.
41:43Yeah.
41:46It is.
41:47How do you like it?
41:49I think it's strange because, I mean, the luncheon meat is quite kind of economy luncheon meat
41:54and the noodles do seem to be quite kind of instant.
41:58Yeah.
41:59It is instant noodles.
42:00How come you're not touching your French sauce?
42:03Icky.
42:04They're not worried about the calories, are they?
42:06It's all a bit, um, it's all...
42:12There's something inside it.
42:14What's something inside?
42:15Yeah.
42:15Peanut butter.
42:17Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.
42:20There's a fried white bread, peanut butter, eggy, syrupy, sweet, buttery, extra butter sandwich.
42:29Exactly.
42:30This is the sort of food that killed Elvis.
42:33A minute on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.
42:35Oh!
42:37Trust me, British, to leave a legacy of corned beef and egg sandwiches, spam and egg noodles
42:43and eggy bread.
42:44God bless them.
42:46It's interesting that in the same way we Brits have westernised Chinese cooking,
42:51the people here have adapted our food for their tastes.
42:55Well, that's not what you call an Asian treat, is it?
42:58No.
42:58I mean, it's interesting.
42:59It's a legacy that we Brits left behind, but I did feel it's come back to haunt me.
43:04It's still coming back to haunt me.
43:06I tell you, that's wrong.
43:07I want an Asian adventure, not an egg sandwich.
43:10We need to go and find something local.
43:11Something right.
43:13I've got just the thing.
43:15Noodles.
43:17Of course, Hong Kong's the place that brought us Brits this key Cantonese ingredient.
43:24And we've wangled a rare invite into the back room of the Lao Tsung Quy Noodle House in Kowloon
43:31to learn the secrets of making the ultimate heritage noodle.
43:36You know what I'm excited about is, for years, the first Chinese food I ever tasted as a kid
43:42was in my local takeaway, and it was chow mein.
43:45Yeah?
43:46It was noodles.
43:47And it was the way that the noodles were just fried on the bottom of the pan
43:50and they were soft on the top and there was something special.
43:54And to wait, kind of, 40 years to have the real thing, it's so worth it.
44:01This place opened in 1931, and the family business has been handed down from father to son,
44:07ending up today in the hands of noodle artiste Jason.
44:12How many?
44:16About 30 or 35.
44:1830? But duck eggs are going to make it really rich, aren't they?
44:22The power of those yolks and stuff is going to go through the noodle.
44:25It's going to be fabulous.
44:26It's good to see you get cracking, Kingy.
44:28Did you have to?
44:33All that's in these noodles is eggs, flour and water.
44:36Not mixed, but pressed into a dough.
44:39How old were you when you started making noodles?
44:4211 years old.
44:44Do you like making noodles?
44:46I like doing this now, but when I'm a young boy, I don't like this.
44:53So far, so normal.
44:56Having worked the dough to activate the gluten, it's time for Jason's party trick.
45:03Okay.
45:08Hey!
45:09Well, I can honestly say I've never seen the rodeo technique of noodle making before.
45:14Yee-haw! Saddle up, cowboy!
45:17The pressure of kneading with the bamboo and Jason's body weight makes for a denser noodle, with a springy texture.
45:24Apparently.
45:27And he's agreed to see just how dense two hairy bikers can bum-bounce his noodles.
45:33I just pulled me pants up.
45:34So, like, creasing your bum.
45:36No, no, no.
45:37Your bum, your thigh.
45:38No, that's what I'm doing.
45:41I'm a machine, dude, I'm a machine.
45:43You're getting good compression on there, aren't you?
45:45No surprise, there's about 20 stone of Geordie on the end of it.
45:51I never thought I'd see the day when you were pole dancing.
45:55Very flaming funny.
45:56Get on, yee.
45:57Hey, get on.
45:59Don't break this pole.
46:01Right.
46:02That's it, that's it.
46:04Yeah.
46:05Let gravity work.
46:07Steady on, Madam Butterfly.
46:08Have you had dance training?
46:10Funny you should mention it.
46:11It's all about posture, isn't it?
46:13Keep your back straight, eyes forward.
46:19Once the dough's been ridden to within three millimetres of its life,
46:22it's on to Grandad's original cutting machine for noodle formation.
46:27Wow, wow!
46:29It's a really, really strong dough, isn't it, Kingy?
46:32Yes, ma'am.
46:32And that means you can cut it really fine.
46:34Do you know what?
46:35They're a beautiful form of foodstuff, aren't they?
46:39Yeah.
46:39I mean, they look so beautiful.
46:46And long may the bamboo pole method of noodle-making continue.
46:51I'll second that, Kingy.
46:59The Pearl River.
47:01You know, there's so much more to Hong Kong than the city.
47:10We're heading out to the fishing village of Tai O.
47:13For hundreds of years, the tanker people have made a living here salting and drying fish.
47:21Their open-plan stilted houses over the tidal flats are a world away from the high-rises of the city.
47:29Hey, Si, you know how Hong Kong would have been all sleepy fishing villages like this till the Brits arrived?
47:34Back then, it only had a population of just 1,500.
47:39I know, mate, it's mad to think that there would have been English policemen in cocky shorts in that colonial
47:44police station over there.
47:46And that's where we're going to do some cooking.
47:50We're going to do possibly the best egg-fried rice you've ever tasted.
47:54Don't say, oh, no, that's egg-fried rice.
47:56Listen, this is a minter.
47:57It is.
47:58It is.
47:58We're going to do our own crispy belly pork to start the egg-fried rice off.
48:03Where could be better to roast some piggy than here in China, where they produce over half the world's pork?
48:09This piece is super fatty, so it should crisp up like a good'un.
48:15But it needs a marinade.
48:16The dry ingredients are star anise, five-spice powder, and salt.
48:23Just give that a little schmozzle.
48:25I love Sichuan peppercorns.
48:27It's like the culinary equivalent of local anaesthetic.
48:30It is, isn't it?
48:31And my department's the wet ingredients.
48:34Grate two cloves of garlic, some palm sugar, and a thumb-sized piece of ginger.
48:39Why do people say that?
48:41I mean, whose thumb's that?
48:44And we're going to marinate the pork in a plastic bag.
48:50So that's how it dries.
48:51Invisible tennis ball.
48:53Go on then.
48:53Go on, go on.
48:54Throw the invisible ball.
48:58Nice catch, dude.
49:00Then add the wet stuff, plus a spoon each of hoisin sauce and sesame oil.
49:06Just give it a good squidgy up.
49:11You pop that in.
49:14And then we're going to massage the pork.
49:17You know, you want to kind of put Barry White on in your head.
49:21You know?
49:22That kind of...
49:23Hey, baby.
49:25Go on.
49:29Whoa, baby.
49:32Laying on the load.
49:34So look at that.
49:35No washing up.
49:36Then put it in a moderate oven about 160 degrees Celsius for about an hour and a half, an hour
49:41and three quarters, until it's cooked through and maybe a little bit crispy.
49:46Obviously, take it out the bug first.
49:48And there's just time to emulate our colonial forefathers.
49:53We would take a little kind of tea time, gin and tonic, wouldn't we, there?
49:56Yes.
49:56On the terrace, yes.
49:57Oh, yes.
49:58Watch the sun set over the empire.
50:00Yup.
50:00Yup.
50:01And fill ourselves for the quinine cost of malaria.
50:04Yup.
50:04Oh, God.
50:05They're biting again tonight.
50:06Let's shoot something as well.
50:08That's always a good chance.
50:09Yeah, we did a lot of that, didn't we?
50:11Yeah.
50:11Cheers.
50:15Mayor, dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid-day fun.
50:19The Japanese don't care to.
50:21The Chinese wouldn't dare to.
50:23Hindus and Argentines...
50:25Good Lord.
50:26Cheers.
50:27Good Lord.
50:28Fabulous.
50:30In the Philippines, they have lovely screens to protect you from the glare.
50:33Cheers.
50:33It reminds me of broad stairs.
50:35...the haze-like place which the Britishers won't wear.
50:38In Bengal...
50:39Come on, mate.
50:40The pork's got to be done by now.
50:42Oh, really?
50:42But mayor, dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid-day.
50:45Out in the mid-day.
50:46Out in the mid-day.
50:48Out in the mid-day.
50:49Out in the mid-day.
50:50Out in the mid-day.
50:51Out in the mid-day.
50:51Out in the mid-day.
50:51Must be melly pork.
50:52Mmm.
50:54Beautiful.
50:54It's very sticky.
50:56It's icky.
50:56It's just as it should be.
50:59A mistake a lot of people make when they're doing egg fried rice,
51:02is just to pop the eggs into the rice.
51:04And it ends up being kind of soggy.
51:06You don't want that.
51:07Cook the eggs first.
51:08In a kind of rolled-up omelette.
51:11Shred it.
51:11Put it in the eggs at the end.
51:12It's beautiful.
51:14Right.
51:14And put that in there.
51:15Just so we can throw it into the pan.
51:17First off, about two tablespoons of groundnut oil.
51:21Now we've soaked some dried prawns to flavour the dish.
51:25Bung them in.
51:27Now to this, we want the garlic.
51:29One big clove finely sliced.
51:32Put that in.
51:33Tell you what mate, I'm gonna come round this side,
51:36and see if that can be a bit of a shield,
51:38because the wind's in.
51:38Yeah.
51:39Because you want to get heat under a wok, you know.
51:42Now, take the pork.
51:44It's fantastic.
51:45Oh.
51:47Crushed Sichuan peppercorns.
51:50Chinese five spice.
51:53And now the rice.
51:54Never use fresh rice.
51:56You want stone-cold leftover rice,
51:59because you don't want it to go soggy.
52:00So what I often do is,
52:02if I'm having rice the day before, say with a chilli,
52:04I'll do double rice.
52:10And now for the fresh prawns,
52:12which need less cooking time.
52:14If you're me, I dig for the prawns.
52:19Oh, what static, innit?
52:21Oh hey man, it's absolutely beautiful.
52:24And now the spring onions.
52:27And now the omelette.
52:32Look at the colours in that though, it looks fabulous.
52:34Well some people call it rainbow rice, don't they?
52:37Yeah.
52:39And lastly, a dressing of soy sauce.
52:48That looks and smells epic.
52:53And where better to eat our seafood supper
52:56than here on the shore of the South China Sea?
53:00Well, what a perfect end to a perfect date.
53:03Mmm.
53:09Well, unfortunately,
53:10our adventure in Hong Kong is nearly over.
53:13But there's one last thing on our to-do list.
53:17It's nice to head out into the wild blue horizon.
53:20We're hooking up with the Mad Dogs,
53:23the Hong Kong Biking Club.
53:26Hey!
53:28You all right?
53:29I used to have one of them.
53:31All right?
53:31How are you doing?
53:32Oh yeah, you all right?
53:33How are you doing?
53:35How are you doing?
53:39How are you doing?
53:40How are you doing?
53:41How are you doing?
53:42How are you doing?
53:42They regularly get together at the weekend
53:44to bike out of the city and into the surrounding countryside.
53:48It's about an hour's ride to our destination,
53:50the Tai Shu Heart in Hao Temple near the Chinese border.
53:56Ah!
54:00It's a pressure cooker, isn't it?
54:01Isn't it?
54:02Yeah.
54:03Oh-ho!
54:05What's the motorcycling scene like in Hong Kong?
54:07We have the luxury of having some really beautiful mountains,
54:10some really beautiful coast roads.
54:11I mean the way we do get to ride is fantastic. Yeah, you know, it's not all motorway riding to
54:16get to some
54:16We're saying it literally you step outside your door right for five minutes and you're in some beautiful countryside
54:20Sure, you don't kind of run out of roads and places to go pretty much in two hours
54:27Can you just go into China a motorcycle there? We're not allowed to Italy not really fortunately not know
54:34So why what happens perhaps we are too fast for the Chinese police. I don't know
54:39There are 600 temples and shrines here in Hong Kong where the dominant religions are Taoism and buddhism
54:46This temple honors the sea goddess ting how who is worshipped by both faiths
54:53Here the mad dogs are going to send us on our way with a traditional Chinese good-luck ceremony
55:00And this is a bison basically. Yeah, this is our way of blessing journeys and houses and workplace and all
55:07sorts of stuff
55:08Ex-pat biker Jeff is going to guide us through the bison
55:13Thank you. Thank you. So then we approach
55:19So you like your incense stick
55:22This ceremony worships the gods of the land and air and is typically performed for any new venture that might
55:27disturb them a new business
55:29construction project or event for example
55:33Or a couple of hairy baiters traveling through Asia
55:36And this sort of ceremony is really important in Hong Kong
55:39Yeah, no matter whether it's your house or your business everyone will do the ceremony when they first move in
55:44All right to get rid of any evil spirits are maybe around or any bad feeling that's there
55:48Right just to kind of yeah, we exercise it
55:51Yeah, absolutely yeah, but after a while of living here you kind of get drawn into it and the more
55:55you hear people talk about it
55:56The more really becomes I swear
56:00I'm off
56:02To the Chinese three is a lucky number so we've got three incense sticks
56:07Then we have to bow three times and then give the gods a drink of rice wine
56:14And then bow to the sky and then just pour a little bit on the floor
56:21Next an offering of roast pork
56:24The way you cut the pig is very important too isn't it is you had a position of the pig
56:28with the head face in a temple
56:29Right the way that the pig is cut the way so everything has has a meaning also from the neck
56:36So we're using the Chinese cleaver to cut the pig from top to tail in one fluid stroke signifies completion
56:42And sharing the chopper means sharing the look
56:51Oh
56:51Thank you
56:56Wow, it's like the Hong Kong bikers equivalent to the bacon booty. Do you know what I mean?
57:02Thank you
57:03Before we go. There's one last thing to keep the gods on side
57:07The eternal financial flame offer them some paper money. That's the light
57:14Well, what a great day, wasn't it?
57:15Wasn't it? It was good riding. Never expected all those people to turn up
57:18Well, and what was cool though, people were joining us as we were riding through
57:22It was just brilliant, wasn't it?
57:38Yeah, yeah
57:39Hopefully we've guaranteed a bit of safety on the rest of the trip. Thank you
57:42Thank you very much
57:45Our time in Hong Kong has come to an end
57:47You know, it's kind of reassuring that the Chinese dishes we love back home are so important to Hong Kongers
57:54too
57:54Yes, I've also realised Dave, it's easy to take Chinese food for granted
57:59It's so simple
58:01Just fresh ingredients cooked quickly
58:03And you know what mate? That's its beauty
58:09Our journey to discover the roots of Britain's favourite food continues next week
58:13When we hit Thailand
58:15One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster
58:24But will our efforts to cook Thai food impress the locals?
58:28Very good
58:29Good
58:29Good
58:31Champagne
58:31Champagne
58:32What are we standing there?
59:05You