0:00:04 > 0:00:08'China, home to one in five of the planet's population.
0:00:08 > 0:00:13'The superpower the world fears, but few really know.'
0:00:14 > 0:00:16'Ken Hom is the Godfather of Chinese food.'
0:00:16 > 0:00:19Heaven on Earth.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22'He introduced the wok to the West more than 30 years ago.'
0:00:22 > 0:00:26This is the way you should be cooking it.
0:00:26 > 0:00:31'Ching-He Huang is leading the next generation of Chinese cooks...'
0:00:31 > 0:00:33I'm just going to chop off the head.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36'..with a modern, inventive approach to the cuisine.'
0:00:36 > 0:00:39- Like ducks playing in springtime. - Lovely.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43'We're taking a once-in-a-lifetime adventure
0:00:43 > 0:00:45'across China through food...'
0:00:45 > 0:00:48- Rabbit head. - Shall we try one?- No!
0:00:48 > 0:00:50'..to delve into its heart and soul.'
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Bang it, pull it.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56Food is the best way to explore Chinese culture,
0:00:56 > 0:00:59because we really live to eat.
0:01:00 > 0:01:06'It's an epic trip, 3,000 miles, from the mega cities of the east,
0:01:06 > 0:01:09'to the forgotten villages of the wild west.'
0:01:09 > 0:01:12It's like we've been back to the time of Genghis Khan.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18Ah! She's just decapitated it!
0:01:18 > 0:01:23'We'll uncover the familiar, the secret, and the surprising...'
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Wow! I've never seen that done before.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29'..cook simple and delicious dishes...'
0:01:29 > 0:01:32That is my Sichuan sausage.
0:01:32 > 0:01:37'..and reveal the secrets of China, old and new.'
0:01:37 > 0:01:40It's like a journey that I've always dreamt about,
0:01:40 > 0:01:42but in a China I've dreamt about.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55We're on the final leg of our journey across China
0:01:55 > 0:01:59and have arrived in the Cantonese province of Guangdong,
0:01:59 > 0:02:02my parents' birthplace and my spiritual home.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07I was last here in 1989, in the summer,
0:02:07 > 0:02:09and for me, it's exciting to be here
0:02:09 > 0:02:11because I can understand what everyone's saying!
0:02:11 > 0:02:14I can't wait, I really can't wait.
0:02:14 > 0:02:19First time in Guangzhou, couldn't have a better translator.
0:02:19 > 0:02:24We're spending four days in the capital, Guangzhou,
0:02:24 > 0:02:27before going our separate ways to our family and ancestral homes.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30This is the climax of our entire journey.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34I'm crossing the South China Sea to Taiwan,
0:02:34 > 0:02:37where my food journey began at my grandmother's knee.
0:02:39 > 0:02:40While here in Guangdong,
0:02:40 > 0:02:44I'm reuniting with family I haven't seen for 23 years.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50You know, we Cantonese are often called the Sicilians of China,
0:02:50 > 0:02:54because we're loud, boisterous,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57our food is, like, the greatest, we think.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03My parents left Guangdong for America in 1948,
0:03:03 > 0:03:06in search of a better life.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10Historically, most overseas Chinese come from here,
0:03:10 > 0:03:13and today, there are over 30 million in more than 100 countries.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16They took their style of cooking with them
0:03:16 > 0:03:19and adapted it for Western tastes.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22Today, this is what the West thinks of as Chinese food,
0:03:22 > 0:03:25but there's so much more to Cantonese cuisine.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29I know you would appreciate very much some of the things
0:03:29 > 0:03:31we have to offer here.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Dim sum, I mean, really good dim sum.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35I can't wait to try dim sum with you here, actually,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38and see, you know, how different it is.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40You know, great seafood here.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42We're famous for... We eat everything!
0:03:50 > 0:03:54Guangzhou is home to South China's largest fish market.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59Everything's in tanks, everything's alive.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01Fresh, live, I mean, we're obsessed with that.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04The variety here's incredible.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08Huangsha market is open 24/7
0:04:08 > 0:04:12and sells 600 tonnes of seafood every day.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14Oh, my gosh, that's giant prawns.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20That's a spiny lobster.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23That's beautiful, look at all the colouring.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27The food is so familiar to me,
0:04:27 > 0:04:31versus other places I've been to in China,
0:04:31 > 0:04:36and coming here to Canton, yeah, this is where my culinary soul is.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Oh, my God! Alligators!
0:04:51 > 0:04:53Baby crocodiles.
0:04:55 > 0:04:56My gosh.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04- They're from Thailand. - From Thailand?
0:05:04 > 0:05:06- I've eaten it. - No, I've never...
0:05:06 > 0:05:08Alligator, I had it in America.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11- I've never cooked or eaten alligator steaks.- Tastes like chicken.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15- Wow!- Wow.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17Has he ever been bitten?
0:05:19 > 0:05:21Yeah, he's been bitten.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28- Oh, my gosh, look!- Turtles. - Turtles!
0:05:28 > 0:05:31- Surely this is not for eating? - Of course, it's for the pot.
0:05:31 > 0:05:32They're not here for pets.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35- I actually think it's quite cruel. - Very Cantonese.
0:05:36 > 0:05:41We don't have the same concept about things as pets,
0:05:41 > 0:05:43I think that's changing now.
0:05:43 > 0:05:44It's changing.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48I mean, shark's fin, for example, is being banned throughout China,
0:05:48 > 0:05:51and I hope turtle soup will be on that same agenda,
0:05:51 > 0:05:53because I think it's cruel.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56There's some things you just don't need to eat.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Well, you have to look at things historically. I mean,
0:05:59 > 0:06:01where people didn't have enough to eat,
0:06:01 > 0:06:03there was a lot of famine,
0:06:03 > 0:06:05so it's hard to judge when you don't have anything to eat.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08I know, but times have changed, things move on,
0:06:08 > 0:06:10like China, and like modernisation,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13I think the food needs to modernise, as well.
0:06:14 > 0:06:19Chinese tradition claims that stewed turtle cures cancer
0:06:19 > 0:06:21and alligator meat relieves asthma.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25Like many of the creatures here, they're an endangered species,
0:06:25 > 0:06:28and though the Chinese government is taking steps
0:06:28 > 0:06:32to monitor their trade, consumer culture won't change overnight.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36Even a major British supermarket chain with stores in China
0:06:36 > 0:06:39sells and slaughters live turtles.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47We're at the market, to shop for more conventional fare -
0:06:47 > 0:06:49like these super-fresh razor clams.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53See, you don't know whether they're alive or not
0:06:53 > 0:06:57because they're open, the meat is oozing out of the shell.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01Normally, with mussels or scallops, the shell's got to be firmly tight.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03The way you can tell it's fresh
0:07:03 > 0:07:07is if you kind of touch them, they squirt water out.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09These are good.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11These will be good eating, right?
0:07:11 > 0:07:14These should be really sweet and delicious.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17I think that's enough.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22The Cantonese like everything straight from the sea.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25I've got my eye on some fresh scallops.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28They're beautiful.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31We Cantonese believe in never gilding the lily.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33In other words, when your ingredient is so fresh,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36what you want to do is highlight it.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39The Cantonese prize their palate as one of the finest in China,
0:07:39 > 0:07:43simply because all of our food is unadorned,
0:07:43 > 0:07:46simply because it's so fresh.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50Freshness, to us, is like the Eldorado.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54At this local Guangzhou restaurant,
0:07:54 > 0:07:58diners come straight from the market with their live purchases.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02Today, we're taking over the kitchen to cook our fresh shellfish.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08SPEAKING CANTONESE
0:08:10 > 0:08:14I'm cooking steamed Cantonese scallops with chilli,
0:08:14 > 0:08:16spring onion and garlic.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18It's a quick and easy dish,
0:08:18 > 0:08:21but the skill is in the preparation of the scallops.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25To open them, hold the round side down
0:08:25 > 0:08:28and run a flat blade along the inside.
0:08:29 > 0:08:30You have to really pry them open.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33That's how you know they're fresh.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38Separate the shell and wash to remove the dark membrane,
0:08:38 > 0:08:40leaving only the scallop and the roe.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42They're now ready for the pot.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47Yeah, steaming is the best way to actually cook this kind of food,
0:08:47 > 0:08:51because it's the freshest and the best.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57I'm just preparing the chillies, these are mild chillies.
0:08:57 > 0:09:03Cantonese do not like really strong chillies, like a Sichuan.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06They don't want the freshness of the seafood
0:09:06 > 0:09:08to be crushed
0:09:08 > 0:09:10by strong seasoning.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14And just a lot of spring onions, and that's it.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21Perfect, just a few minutes.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26Next, pour hot oil on the spring onions and chillies,
0:09:26 > 0:09:31then add a good splash of soy sauce to bring out the flavours.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36It's very Cantonese, because it's steamed
0:09:36 > 0:09:39and minimum amount of seasoning.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42Great, good, can I try one?
0:09:43 > 0:09:46I love the way that you put coriander in there.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49I love it, I love the flavour of coriander.
0:09:52 > 0:09:53Mmm!
0:09:53 > 0:09:55- So sweet.- This is delicious.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Out of this world.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05I'm making a quick stir-fry with razor clams,
0:10:05 > 0:10:08using traditional ingredients of chopped spring onion, chilli,
0:10:08 > 0:10:11and some garlic fried in oil.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18It's very rare they see a woman in the kitchen like this.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20Really?
0:10:20 > 0:10:22- Women don't do wok. - Everyone's stopped cooking!
0:10:24 > 0:10:26As in all Cantonese cooking, the main ingredient
0:10:26 > 0:10:29is plunged into hot water to remove the impurities.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36Remove the clams and reintroduce the seasonings to the hot wok.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40Add the shells, with some rice wine and a good pinch of salt.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43They're ready in just a couple of minutes.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50A little bit of soy sauce.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55That's it.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01- That's easy, shall we try?- Yes.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08Perfectly cooked.
0:11:08 > 0:11:09Good?
0:11:09 > 0:11:11You like it?
0:11:11 > 0:11:12Yeah, unbelievable.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15And you did it perfectly Cantonese,
0:11:15 > 0:11:18which meant the seasonings were not overwhelming,
0:11:18 > 0:11:21everything really matches the freshness.
0:11:24 > 0:11:25Thank you, Ken.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33There's one Cantonese food
0:11:33 > 0:11:36that we're all familiar with in the West - dim sum.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40I'm taking Ching to the locals' favourite restaurant
0:11:40 > 0:11:43in the city that gave birth to this worldwide delicacy.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48Eating it here is more a ritual than a dining experience.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52I want to bring you to the best dim sum in Guangzhou.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54I can't wait. Well, this is your town.
0:11:54 > 0:12:00Built in 1935, Guangzhou Restaurant is on three floors,
0:12:00 > 0:12:02serves up to 10,000 people every day,
0:12:02 > 0:12:05and employs chefs who train for decades.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Isn't this beautiful? Wow.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10- I'll sit right next to you. - Thank you.
0:12:10 > 0:12:11This is very nice.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21What kind of things do you like?
0:12:22 > 0:12:26Some restaurants offer customers pre-prepared dishes,
0:12:26 > 0:12:29but here, everything is cooked fresh to order.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37There are hundreds of varieties of dim sum here,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40from steamed dumplings to chicken feet,
0:12:40 > 0:12:42and one of my favourites,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45lotus leaves stuffed with sticky rice.
0:12:46 > 0:12:47Shall we split one first?
0:12:47 > 0:12:49Yeah, let's have this one.
0:12:49 > 0:12:50OK, I love this, let's share.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52That's beautiful.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55And what I love is to see all the beautiful inside
0:12:55 > 0:13:00look at that - mushroom, pork, belly pork,
0:13:00 > 0:13:04and that looks like a little bit of chicken, salted duck egg.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07Look at how much skill has gone into it.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10And just because it's cheap doesn't mean that it shouldn't be up there
0:13:10 > 0:13:12as one of the best cuisines in the world.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15- And it's perfection. - It's perfection.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21The tradition of eating dim sum started centuries ago
0:13:21 > 0:13:24in small tea houses along the Silk Road.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Yum cha, which means "drink tea",
0:13:27 > 0:13:29is a ritual that goes hand in hand with dim sum.
0:13:29 > 0:13:34It's the Cantonese equivalent of having a biscuit with your cuppa.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38Here, where tea is considered the elixir of life,
0:13:38 > 0:13:40granting the drinker eternal youth,
0:13:40 > 0:13:43this part of the tradition is taken very seriously.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48Now she's going to make the tea for us.
0:13:48 > 0:13:53See, it's the ritual, she had rinsed it before.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57'There's also a Cantonese etiquette when taking tea.'
0:13:57 > 0:14:00No, no, it's always the duty of the younger one
0:14:00 > 0:14:02to pour tea for the elder.
0:14:02 > 0:14:03You know, we always say thank you,
0:14:03 > 0:14:06especially in Cantonese, like that.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10'Tapping the table is the polite way to say thank you
0:14:10 > 0:14:12'for having your tea cup filled.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16'Bending the fingers symbolises kowtowing
0:14:16 > 0:14:18'or bowing as a sign of respect.'
0:14:18 > 0:14:19- Why is that?- Well, the legend
0:14:19 > 0:14:21comes from the time of Qianlong,
0:14:21 > 0:14:25which is one of the greatest emperors in the last dynasty.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28And he had gone out with his retainers
0:14:28 > 0:14:32- to tour the country incognito. - In disguise?
0:14:32 > 0:14:34Exactly.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38And when he poured tea or gave some food to some of his retainers,
0:14:38 > 0:14:41they couldn't bow without revealing his identity.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44So they did this, that's the legend.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47So, you see people doing that all the time.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49Yes, all the time.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52When I was bad, when I was a child...
0:14:52 > 0:14:54I can't imagine you being a naughty child!
0:14:54 > 0:14:58What I had to do was I had to offer tea, I had to kowtow to my mother,
0:14:58 > 0:15:03on my knees and offer her a cup of tea
0:15:03 > 0:15:06in front of all the Chinese neighbours,
0:15:06 > 0:15:10and when she accepted it, that meant she accepted my apology.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21This restaurant is very popular with locals.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23SPEAKING CANTONESE
0:15:27 > 0:15:29Friends Leu Peilan and Liao Shaoguang
0:15:29 > 0:15:31are its most loyal regulars.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48She says, in 50 years, I can eat through the menu!
0:15:48 > 0:15:50Oh, right, she knows the menu off by heart!
0:15:54 > 0:15:58He said, "Of course it's better than cooking at home!"
0:15:59 > 0:16:02I don't want to deprive the restaurant of its best customers,
0:16:02 > 0:16:04but after 52 years cooking
0:16:04 > 0:16:07for celebrities, presidents and royalty, I'm certain
0:16:07 > 0:16:10I can persuade them to try some authentic home cooking.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14While Ching takes a break, I've offered
0:16:14 > 0:16:16to prepare a meal for them at Mrs Liao's house.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23I thought, OK, that's a good opportunity for me to actually
0:16:23 > 0:16:29make sweet and sour as we Cantonese make it, which is the real thing.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31I've come to the old Bao Hau road
0:16:31 > 0:16:35to buy ingredients for my sweet and sour pork.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40Guangzhou is in China's wealthiest province.
0:16:40 > 0:16:41Thanks to manufacturing,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44people here are among the country's highest earners.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47They demand quality and variety in their food,
0:16:47 > 0:16:51and in this market, you can buy almost anything.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56Live frogs.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59You know what we call live frogs?
0:16:59 > 0:17:00Chicken of the fields.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02There's a famous saying that
0:17:02 > 0:17:05we Cantonese eat everything on four legs except the table,
0:17:05 > 0:17:08anything that flies, except an airplane.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12Well, this would be nice to put in sweet and sour,
0:17:12 > 0:17:14it's very unusual - mangosteen.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20Mangosteens are a South Asian fruit with a sweet, tangy flesh,
0:17:20 > 0:17:23which makes them ideal for this dish.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28I got mangosteen and some pear apples.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31I learnt how to cook sweet and sour pork from my Uncle Paul,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34who had a restaurant in Chicago's China Town.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37He taught me which cuts of meat to look for.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49I'm using the most tender part of the pork,
0:17:49 > 0:17:52not the belly that needs more cooking, but a piece that
0:17:52 > 0:17:56I can stir-fry very quickly and toss in the sweet and sour sauce.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04Mrs Liao is retired and lives in the commercial district of Guangzhou.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09It looks like word of my visit has spread.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13Mrs Liao has invited the entire neighbourhood!
0:18:16 > 0:18:18That's a Chinese Buddha.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20Chinese Buddhas are always fat.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24Mrs Liao could not have displayed religious icons
0:18:24 > 0:18:27during the Cultural Revolution but, since 1978,
0:18:27 > 0:18:32the Chinese constitution has guaranteed freedom of worship.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34This is quite lovely.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37I have the same thing in my home in Thailand.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42It's 23 years since I was last in Guangzhou,
0:18:42 > 0:18:44so before I cook dinner, I'm keen to hear
0:18:44 > 0:18:46how life has changed for its residents.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49SPEAKING CANTONESE
0:19:01 > 0:19:06It's beautiful, they said, "We're so happy because we have
0:19:06 > 0:19:11"stability and peace. We can eat things, we can do what we want,
0:19:11 > 0:19:13"and for people who are retired now,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16"we don't have to worry about instability in society.
0:19:16 > 0:19:23"We can go out and walk, whatever, we are not afraid to be mugged.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23"Food is abundant."
0:19:25 > 0:19:29She said, "It's great, we've never had it so good.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32"The level of happiness is incredibly high."
0:19:33 > 0:19:35Before, even if you had money,
0:19:35 > 0:19:38there's nothing to buy, you have to queue up to buy nothing,
0:19:38 > 0:19:40she said, you couldn't buy anything.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43And she said, "We have such peace and we can buy anything we want,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46"we can eat." She said, "Now we worry about getting fat!"
0:19:46 > 0:19:49Not worried about not having enough to eat, but getting fat.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52You couldn't buy anything, it was like wartime.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56For dinner, I'm making an authentic sweet and sour pork,
0:19:56 > 0:20:00nothing like the sugary, glowing, red version available in the West.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02I'm just going to do
0:20:02 > 0:20:05a sort of typical Chinese marinade,
0:20:05 > 0:20:07which is a little bit of soy sauce.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13And this is an interesting rice wine which I've never seen,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16because rice wine will just add a bit of flavour.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20I thought this might be very nice in the sweet and sour,
0:20:20 > 0:20:24which is very unusual - mangosteen, which is really lovely.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28Mangosteens are hard to get in the West,
0:20:28 > 0:20:31so if you want to make this dish at home, use pineapple,
0:20:31 > 0:20:33or try experimenting with other fruit
0:20:33 > 0:20:36to give the dish its sweet flavour.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38And this is just some pear apple,
0:20:38 > 0:20:40which will give a texture.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44I'm also adding water chestnuts and young garlic,
0:20:44 > 0:20:46which look a lot like spring onions.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52I'm quickly frying the marinated pork with vegetable oil
0:20:52 > 0:20:53to seal in the flavours.
0:20:53 > 0:20:58Everywhere you go in Canton, they use this very mild red chilli
0:20:58 > 0:21:02in many of their dishes, so I thought I'd do the same.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06Along with the chillies, young garlic, and water chestnuts,
0:21:06 > 0:21:11I'm adding a splash of rice vinegar, which gives the dish its sourness.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15I'm going to add a little bit of the stock that I made
0:21:15 > 0:21:19with bits of pork and a little bit of chicken stock.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23This is just sugar.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Now we're just going to thicken the sauce
0:21:26 > 0:21:28with a little bit of corn flour and water.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31After a quick taste, add the fruit -
0:21:31 > 0:21:36Asian pears, pineapple and mangosteen,
0:21:36 > 0:21:38followed by the pork.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41She said, "You're a bright boy!"
0:21:41 > 0:21:43Nobody's ever called me a boy for a long time.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55They said, the flavours are really nice.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57A bit of East meets West!
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Whilst Ken is cooking for the locals,
0:22:09 > 0:22:13I'm at Guangdong's medicine market with physician Dr Shu.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18I've been travelling for so long and I'm really tired,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21so what can I take that's going to lift my spirits
0:22:21 > 0:22:23and boost my energy?
0:22:23 > 0:22:26'She's going to help me make an energy-boosting tonic
0:22:26 > 0:22:29'before I travel to Taiwan to see my family.'
0:22:34 > 0:22:36OK.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42That would be wonderful, thank you.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46'Dr Shu's a practising gynaecologist
0:22:46 > 0:22:48'but, like many Chinese doctors,
0:22:48 > 0:22:51'she combines modern and traditional medicine.'
0:22:51 > 0:22:53There's a big history and there's, what,
0:22:53 > 0:22:55over 13,000 different herbs? Is that true?
0:22:55 > 0:22:57Yes, that's right.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59'To go with the chicken,
0:22:59 > 0:23:01'I need some fruit to help boost my immune system.'
0:23:03 > 0:23:07This is goji, everyone in the West knows goji berries.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09I love this just steeped with some tea.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13My mum always says, drink this cos it's good for your eyes.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15Yeah, it's good for eyes.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17And it tastes sweet, you know?
0:23:17 > 0:23:19A little bit sweet.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23So, we're going to get just a small handful of the goji berries.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26This is going to go into this stew
0:23:26 > 0:23:29with black chicken and dang gui.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32'Dang gui is the root of a plant
0:23:32 > 0:23:34'which we know in the West as Angelica.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37'It's supposed to help circulation.'
0:23:37 > 0:23:41Apparently, this is the best herb for women.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44It's going to keep all the organs down there working.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46'With all the key ingredients in the bag,
0:23:46 > 0:23:48'Dr Shu takes me back to her home to make the soup.'
0:23:50 > 0:23:55'As Guangzhou has developed, so has the housing market.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57'Now many young, successful Cantonese
0:23:57 > 0:23:59'live in modern apartments like this.'
0:23:59 > 0:24:01- Did you buy that from the market? - Yeah.
0:24:02 > 0:24:03'The black chicken we're cooking
0:24:03 > 0:24:06'doesn't just get its name from its feathers.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08'It's black on the inside, too,
0:24:08 > 0:24:10'from the skin and meat, right down to the bone.'
0:24:12 > 0:24:15I haven't seen black-skin chicken in the UK,
0:24:15 > 0:24:20but I know that you can buy it from some Chinese supermarkets,
0:24:20 > 0:24:22I think they're frozen.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26'It's been used in Chinese medicine for over 1,000 years,
0:24:26 > 0:24:28'and today, it's considered a superfood
0:24:28 > 0:24:32'because of the bird's high levels of anti-oxidants.'
0:24:33 > 0:24:38'In Chinese medicine, it's believed the body has two energies,
0:24:38 > 0:24:41'yin and yang, which should always be balanced.'
0:24:41 > 0:24:46In its simplest form, yin is very cooling, yang is very fiery.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49- Yeah.- So, if you're tired, you're stressed,
0:24:49 > 0:24:52you're not feeling well, your body's probably...
0:24:52 > 0:24:53When you feel sort of thirsty.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57..if you're feeling thirsty, you're probably very yang, too much yang.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59So you need to eat cooling foods, yin foods...
0:24:59 > 0:25:02- Yes, a little bit of cool. - ..to balance it.
0:25:02 > 0:25:07So this, the chicken, inherently is yin, but the ingredients
0:25:07 > 0:25:10we'll be putting will have different properties, right?
0:25:18 > 0:25:21There's got to be some science in it,
0:25:21 > 0:25:24because when anyone feels ill in any culture,
0:25:24 > 0:25:26they go for the chicken soup.
0:25:26 > 0:25:31OK, so we've got the goji berries, and then this is the dang gui.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36'We also picked up something else at the market,
0:25:36 > 0:25:37'which is full of vitamin C.'
0:25:37 > 0:25:40Dried Chinese dates.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44So just put straight in, into the water, yeah?
0:25:47 > 0:25:50The ingredients go into the pot to boil.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56It's got that dang gui smell!
0:25:56 > 0:26:00I was expecting to eat the chicken, and she's saying no,
0:26:00 > 0:26:06Cantonese-style tonic broths, you don't eat the actual meat.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10After boiling for about an hour, it's ready
0:26:10 > 0:26:13and, in true Cantonese style, we garnish it
0:26:13 > 0:26:16with spring onions and coriander.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20Bon appetit! Thank you for this, this looks very healthy, very clean.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27Mmm! That is really good.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30You just know that it's doing you wonders.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32And it's easy to make!
0:26:32 > 0:26:35Just put it all in a pot, can't get better than that.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46Before I visit my father's family tomorrow,
0:26:46 > 0:26:48I'm taking a walk in the city's
0:26:48 > 0:26:51old colonial area, Shamian Island,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54which is where my parents did some of their courting.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00My father was a GI and he fought in WWII,
0:27:00 > 0:27:03and he got leave after the war.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07And he chose to come here, where he met my mother,
0:27:07 > 0:27:09and they fell in love.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14My parents emigrated to America as newlyweds,
0:27:14 > 0:27:18but my father died when I was just eight months old, aged 33.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22My mother brought me up alone in Chicago's China Town.
0:27:24 > 0:27:25My father never existed for me,
0:27:25 > 0:27:27except in photographs.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29My mother never talked about him
0:27:29 > 0:27:30very much, so...
0:27:32 > 0:27:35..I grew up with him only as an image.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40My mum never remarried, and I think she was
0:27:40 > 0:27:41of the old traditional
0:27:41 > 0:27:43Chinese school that,
0:27:43 > 0:27:44if you have children,
0:27:44 > 0:27:45then you didn't remarry,
0:27:45 > 0:27:50so that feels kind of sad for her.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57Apart from my father and me,
0:27:57 > 0:28:00my mother had two other great loves in her life.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02The game of mah jong,
0:28:02 > 0:28:03and Cantonese opera.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Before we go our separate ways,
0:28:06 > 0:28:09I want to share this traditional Cantonese art form with Ching.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20Cantonese opera dates back to the 16th century
0:28:20 > 0:28:23and had its heyday in the 1920s.
0:28:23 > 0:28:28Today, a few Guangzhou restaurants put on daily performances.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30It's kind of surreal, cos I feel like
0:28:30 > 0:28:33I've just come to a restaurant, but they're performing.
0:28:33 > 0:28:37It's really beautiful though, I really love the costumes.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39And it's very old fashioned.
0:28:39 > 0:28:43You see, most of these people are of a certain age here,
0:28:43 > 0:28:45they're not working, they're probably retired.
0:28:47 > 0:28:48Before widespread education,
0:28:48 > 0:28:53Cantonese opera taught morals and messages to its audiences.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56Are they all based on, like, old legends?
0:28:56 > 0:29:01- Yes, legends, very famous stories, tales...- Tales, fables.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04It's not only what they say, it's what they're gesturing,
0:29:04 > 0:29:05a lot of gesturing.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07Do you see? It comes from Tai Chi,
0:29:07 > 0:29:10like when they go like that, that's very Chinese.
0:29:11 > 0:29:15Today, these performances are more like variety shows,
0:29:15 > 0:29:17put on for the elderly and tourists.
0:29:19 > 0:29:21This is the aria from my mum's favourite opera,
0:29:21 > 0:29:27and, oh, I mean, God knows how many times I've heard this!
0:29:28 > 0:29:30APPLAUSE
0:29:35 > 0:29:40Our time in Guangdong Province has come to an end.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42Whilst Ken stays on to visit his relatives,
0:29:42 > 0:29:44I'm going home to see my family in Taiwan.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49I miss my family and I really... I'm looking forward to seeing them,
0:29:49 > 0:29:53but I feel like it's going to be quite emotional,
0:29:53 > 0:29:56cos I haven't seen them in a long time.
0:29:57 > 0:30:02This whole journey is about discovery and learning,
0:30:02 > 0:30:05and it's just the last leg of the journey now,
0:30:05 > 0:30:10so it's all culminating in this sort of homecoming.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13I feel I'm proud to be Chinese,
0:30:13 > 0:30:18and I wasn't always proud to be Chinese.
0:30:18 > 0:30:23When I was growing up in the UK, all I wanted was to be English.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27Now, you know, through cooking,
0:30:27 > 0:30:30I've found my Chinese part of myself,
0:30:30 > 0:30:32and the more I've learned, the more I've discovered,
0:30:32 > 0:30:35and the more I've eaten my way around China,
0:30:35 > 0:30:38the more that I'm in love with it.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42And so I feel like I'm kind of coming full circle.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44But the circle's not quite complete yet.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50Taiwan is an island 112 miles off the south-east coast of China
0:30:50 > 0:30:55which separated from Chinese rule 100 years ago.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59Although I was born in Taiwan,
0:30:59 > 0:31:02I left with my parents when I was five
0:31:02 > 0:31:04and eventually settled in London.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09Sometimes, I feel a bit anxious when I come back to Taiwan
0:31:09 > 0:31:12because I don't feel 100% Taiwanese.
0:31:12 > 0:31:16So over the years, when I have visited,
0:31:16 > 0:31:21there's a sense of, oh, you know, my Taiwanese, my language,
0:31:21 > 0:31:25you know, my vocabulary, my etiquette, my manners...
0:31:25 > 0:31:30all of it is not quite, you know, up to scratch.
0:31:32 > 0:31:36My parents moved back to Taiwan in 2009.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42I haven't seen you in a long time! I miss you a lot!
0:31:45 > 0:31:48We're travelling today to the farming area of Baihe village,
0:31:48 > 0:31:50where my food journey began as a little girl
0:31:50 > 0:31:52in my grandmother's kitchen.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57So we're going to see my grandfather,
0:31:57 > 0:32:00to see where my mum and all her family grew up.
0:32:00 > 0:32:04And where I grew up from when I was two to five years old.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07We're going to go and burn some incense for my grandmother,
0:32:07 > 0:32:10and then I'm going to cook for the whole family.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15This will be the first time I've seen my grandfather
0:32:15 > 0:32:18since my grandmother passed away two years ago.
0:32:19 > 0:32:21Here we are!
0:32:22 > 0:32:25SPEAKS TAIWANESE
0:32:39 > 0:32:41This is where I grew up.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45This is our small courtyard, this belongs to my grandfather.
0:32:45 > 0:32:48This is where we used to play, my brother and I, and cousins.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56He's saying this is 84 years old.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59My grandfather's lived here since he was two.
0:33:01 > 0:33:05That's the entrance there, you can come through.
0:33:09 > 0:33:14My grandmother, as well as all these great aunts, always like sisters,
0:33:14 > 0:33:16and they all cooked for everybody.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19'Today, I'm stepping into my grandmother's shoes,
0:33:19 > 0:33:22'cooking some of the dishes she taught me.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24'And I know the family has high expectations.'
0:33:28 > 0:33:31Everyone's waiting for lunch.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34Everyone's saying, "When are you going to cook lunch?"
0:33:43 > 0:33:46Before lunch, my grandfather and I share a quiet moment
0:33:46 > 0:33:48to mark Qingming festival,
0:33:48 > 0:33:52when families remember loved ones who have passed on.
0:33:54 > 0:33:58This is my great-grandfather, my great-grandmother
0:33:58 > 0:34:01and my great-great-grandparents.
0:34:04 > 0:34:08It seems fitting that this is the room where my family
0:34:08 > 0:34:11so often came together to share my grandmother's food,
0:34:11 > 0:34:14and it's where today, we will take time to remember her.
0:34:25 > 0:34:29'I've travelled 87 miles from Guangzhou to the city of Kaiping,
0:34:29 > 0:34:33'to spend a couple of days with cousins on my father's side,
0:34:33 > 0:34:36'who I've not seen for 23 years.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40'I'm struck by how much this place has changed.'
0:34:40 > 0:34:44God, I have never seen so many four-wheel drives.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51I think there has been a recent survey that says,
0:34:51 > 0:34:56for the first time in China, more than 50%, half of the people,
0:34:56 > 0:35:00are living in urban areas now, instead of in the countryside.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03That's a remarkable change, when you think
0:35:03 > 0:35:07that China has always been at least 80% to 90% peasants.
0:35:13 > 0:35:18Up until the 1990s, my cousins were full-time farmers,
0:35:18 > 0:35:21but as China began to accept private enterprise,
0:35:21 > 0:35:24they moved to the city and set up a successful restaurant.
0:35:27 > 0:35:31I'm kind of curious to meet them and actually to learn more
0:35:31 > 0:35:36about parts of my family's past which I don't know.
0:35:36 > 0:35:41This is my last visit, when I took my mother and, actually, her sister.
0:35:41 > 0:35:45I know quite a bit about my mum's family.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48My dad's family was sort of a mystery.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51This is a great opportunity for me to reconnect.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53Hopefully, over food.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57I think it will be about coming to terms
0:35:57 > 0:36:01about who I am and, sort of, where my place is.
0:36:16 > 0:36:17Hello!
0:36:17 > 0:36:19SPEAKING CANTONESE
0:37:05 > 0:37:07'I've brought the young ones
0:37:07 > 0:37:09'silver dollars.
0:37:09 > 0:37:10'In China, it's traditional
0:37:10 > 0:37:12'to give coins in an envelope
0:37:12 > 0:37:14'as tokens of good luck.'
0:37:25 > 0:37:27Well, they loved my mum a lot.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29It's, uh...
0:37:29 > 0:37:30It's evident.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32And they said they...
0:37:32 > 0:37:36When they heard she had passed on, they did a lot of offerings to her,
0:37:36 > 0:37:38so that was very nice.
0:37:39 > 0:37:43This morning, my cousins are taking me to our ancestral village
0:37:43 > 0:37:45in the Foshan region of Guangdong.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49It's an area dominated by paddy fields,
0:37:49 > 0:37:52where my father's family were rice farmers
0:37:52 > 0:37:55going back several generations.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57I said, "Is it hard work?"
0:37:57 > 0:38:01She said, "Well, when you're young, I mean, you don't think about it,
0:38:01 > 0:38:07"how backbreaking it really is to plant each stalk of rice."
0:38:07 > 0:38:11She has to get down there, bend down to do that,
0:38:11 > 0:38:14and they say when people actually eat,
0:38:14 > 0:38:17they have no idea where it comes from and how it's harvested.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35My family are gathering at my grandparents' grave
0:38:35 > 0:38:39to mark Qingming, an annual ceremony of grave sweeping,
0:38:39 > 0:38:44when relatives meet to tidy the burial sites of their loved ones.
0:38:53 > 0:38:56Traditionally, it's believed that the spirits of the dead
0:38:56 > 0:39:01will look after their living family if they're offered gifts of food
0:39:01 > 0:39:04and fake money to keep them happy in the afterlife.
0:39:07 > 0:39:11Despite the occasion, it can be quite a lively event.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21It's very different, our attitude.
0:39:21 > 0:39:26If you think of something like this in the West, it's very sombre.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28I mean, nobody would think of...
0:39:28 > 0:39:31This is almost like a picnic here.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44Before we eat, we must fulfil one last Chinese custom.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02Wow!
0:40:02 > 0:40:04Well, no evil spirits will come here now!
0:40:10 > 0:40:12This is my grandmother's kitchen.
0:40:14 > 0:40:19This is the big wok, this is how much to feed a whole big family.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23I would sit around watching, all here,
0:40:23 > 0:40:26all this I remember, at that height.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31The kitchen's just as my grandmother left it,
0:40:31 > 0:40:35and today, I'm cooking some of her favourite dishes for the family.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41The idea is to make a lunch
0:40:41 > 0:40:45in honour of my grandmother.
0:40:46 > 0:40:51So, she used to make delicious hama, clams.
0:40:53 > 0:40:58And prawns, she used to make drunken prawns - prawns drunk with wine.
0:40:58 > 0:41:03And then my favourite is zongzi, which is bamboo sticky rice,
0:41:03 > 0:41:06which my grandmother used to make for me,
0:41:06 > 0:41:07she was really good at making it.
0:41:11 > 0:41:15When you're cooking for so many, timing is crucial,
0:41:15 > 0:41:17so I've enlisted my mother as sous chef.
0:41:17 > 0:41:22We're starting with the most complicated dish - bamboo parcels.
0:41:25 > 0:41:26Mushrooms.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32These are dried Chinese mushrooms,
0:41:32 > 0:41:35they've already been stir-fried in a little bit of oil.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39But, of course, first, I pre-soaked just to soften them a little bit.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47So that's dried shrimp and some shallots, and it's all been
0:41:47 > 0:41:49already sort of stir-fried
0:41:49 > 0:41:50with a little bit of soy sauce.
0:41:50 > 0:41:55And then this is the rice, so stir-frying raw rice, basically,
0:41:55 > 0:41:59just to get that fragrant, get lots of the flavours going.
0:42:04 > 0:42:05Next, shape the bamboo leaf
0:42:05 > 0:42:07into a cup, fill it with some rice,
0:42:07 > 0:42:10a few pieces of braised pork belly,
0:42:10 > 0:42:11and another layer of rice.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18Then secure the parcels with string before you boil them.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23Now, the trick is to try and make them all the same size.
0:42:23 > 0:42:27They're all going to cook in the same time.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31I don't think my grandmother would approve, but one big, one small.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34Just 50 more to go!
0:42:47 > 0:42:49That looks good.
0:42:49 > 0:42:53And then what we do, we cook it.
0:42:53 > 0:42:55I'm going to boil it.
0:42:58 > 0:43:00Once it's cooked, you can use that knot to take it all out.
0:43:08 > 0:43:10I think I'm going to start with the prawns first.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15Next, I'm making one of my grandmother's signature dishes -
0:43:15 > 0:43:17drunken prawns.
0:43:17 > 0:43:19Get the wok nice and hot,
0:43:19 > 0:43:21add the prawns, a little ginger,
0:43:21 > 0:43:24and a good splash of rice wine to get the shellfish nice and tipsy.
0:43:28 > 0:43:31My grandmother used to make drunken prawns for us
0:43:31 > 0:43:33when we were growing up,
0:43:33 > 0:43:34really tasty.
0:43:34 > 0:43:36So, like, the bitter sweetness
0:43:36 > 0:43:37of the Shaoxing rice wine
0:43:37 > 0:43:40enhances the sweetness of the prawns,
0:43:40 > 0:43:43and these are local river prawns.
0:43:43 > 0:43:45Really good.
0:43:51 > 0:43:53My grandmother's speciality was seafood,
0:43:53 > 0:43:56so I'm making another of her favourite dishes -
0:43:56 > 0:43:59fresh clams with Chinese basil, soy sauce and rice wine.
0:44:01 > 0:44:04Just keep cooking until a lot of the shells have opened up.
0:44:09 > 0:44:13Once the food's ready, it's time to seat the guest of honour -
0:44:13 > 0:44:15my grandfather.
0:45:03 > 0:45:05My uncle said, "This is the best."
0:45:05 > 0:45:10It's got the best flavour, it's got the flavour of a Taiwanese basil.
0:45:14 > 0:45:16They all think that this food is really similar
0:45:16 > 0:45:18to what my grandmother used to cook.
0:45:18 > 0:45:20These are all her flavours.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23CONVERSATION FADES OUT
0:45:32 > 0:45:35I'm really happy because my grandfather just said,
0:45:35 > 0:45:36"Did you really make this?"
0:45:36 > 0:45:39and, "It's got Grandmother's flavour."
0:45:39 > 0:45:41It tastes like Grandmother's.
0:45:45 > 0:45:47'My grandfather's really vulnerable,'
0:45:47 > 0:45:48and I've never seen him emotional.
0:45:48 > 0:45:51He must really miss her a lot.
0:45:53 > 0:45:56My grandmother was an amazing woman,
0:45:56 > 0:46:00but she really groomed me to be a cook, at such a young age,
0:46:00 > 0:46:05and I didn't really think it would leave such an impression on me.
0:46:05 > 0:46:08They all give their hats off to my grandmother.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11You know, she was the cook, she was Exec Chef.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14She was the best one out of all of them.
0:46:15 > 0:46:19Now I really understand a bit of her more,
0:46:19 > 0:46:21through cooking and this kitchen.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24This was her life...you know.
0:46:25 > 0:46:27My food memory started here
0:46:27 > 0:46:30and I didn't think I'd grow up to be a cook.
0:46:30 > 0:46:33I didn't think it would shape me so much.
0:46:33 > 0:46:36I think I have come full circle.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14This farm has been in the Hom family for five generations.
0:47:14 > 0:47:17It's where my father grew up.
0:47:19 > 0:47:21Today, my cousins grow vegetables
0:47:21 > 0:47:23and raise poultry here for their restaurant in town.
0:47:23 > 0:47:25HE TALKS IN LOCAL DIALECT
0:47:25 > 0:47:27I said, "They look very tasty."
0:47:27 > 0:47:28They're beautiful.
0:47:30 > 0:47:31DOG BARKS
0:47:33 > 0:47:37I remember this, this is the old family kitchen.
0:47:44 > 0:47:45THEY TALK IN LOCAL DIALECT
0:47:59 > 0:48:02It's a revelation.
0:48:02 > 0:48:07She said that when my mum laid eyes on my dad,
0:48:07 > 0:48:08it was love at first sight.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11Nobody else, she would even be interested in.
0:48:11 > 0:48:13That's a revelation.
0:48:35 > 0:48:38After grave-sweeping, there's always a feast
0:48:38 > 0:48:42and, on this occasion, we're cooking together to celebrate my homecoming.
0:48:45 > 0:48:47This is what we call a family affair.
0:48:47 > 0:48:51Everybody pitches in, do their thing and help,
0:48:51 > 0:48:54because if we don't do that, we're not going to be eating!
0:48:54 > 0:48:55Everybody wants to eat.
0:48:55 > 0:48:58My cousin is going to make his, er,
0:48:58 > 0:49:02signature dish, which I never had, which is sweet and sour goose.
0:49:03 > 0:49:05The goose is fresh from the farm.
0:49:05 > 0:49:09Once it's coated in soy sauce to give it colour and flavour,
0:49:09 > 0:49:10my cousin deep fries it.
0:49:14 > 0:49:17What that does is, it seals the skin
0:49:17 > 0:49:18so that when he cooks it,
0:49:18 > 0:49:20the whole thing doesn't fall apart.
0:49:22 > 0:49:26He's braising it in a thick sauce made of rice vinegar,
0:49:26 > 0:49:29Chinese tomato ketchup, cane sugar,
0:49:29 > 0:49:32and salted, preserved plums,
0:49:32 > 0:49:35to give it the sweet and sour taste.
0:49:37 > 0:49:43Then he covers it and slowly simmers it until it's done.
0:49:44 > 0:49:46In one hour.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50While it cooks, I'm making
0:49:50 > 0:49:53bitter melon with black bean sauce.
0:49:53 > 0:49:56This is the great thing about cooking like this.
0:49:56 > 0:49:59The family all chips in
0:49:59 > 0:50:02and helps you do the prep, which is great.
0:50:02 > 0:50:04- I love it. - HE LAUGHS
0:50:05 > 0:50:08This is bitter melon, it's quite delicious,
0:50:08 > 0:50:12and you can actually get this fresh everywhere now,
0:50:12 > 0:50:16in Chinese supermarkets, and you need to take out the inside.
0:50:16 > 0:50:20It has a bitter flavour.
0:50:23 > 0:50:25She likes it.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28But I'm cooking this because my mum used to make it often.
0:50:28 > 0:50:34I used to walk into the door and I would hear the wok sizzle
0:50:34 > 0:50:37and I would hear all the food going into the wok,
0:50:37 > 0:50:40and so by the time I washed my hands and everything,
0:50:40 > 0:50:42the food would be on the table.
0:50:42 > 0:50:46In a few hours, we're going to have a feast here.
0:50:46 > 0:50:49I'm making a full-flavoured black bean sauce,
0:50:49 > 0:50:52which will go perfectly with the melon.
0:50:53 > 0:50:58This is classic. Garlic, ginger and black beans.
0:50:58 > 0:51:02I think this is the flavour that people who are outside of China
0:51:02 > 0:51:05probably are the most familiar with.
0:51:05 > 0:51:07These are the famous black beans
0:51:07 > 0:51:09that the world loves.
0:51:14 > 0:51:18We take vegetables and we blanch them,
0:51:18 > 0:51:21and it helps to give them a cleaner flavour.
0:51:21 > 0:51:24Now I'm draining it.
0:51:28 > 0:51:31Garlic, ginger and the black beans.
0:51:36 > 0:51:37Then add spring onions,
0:51:37 > 0:51:39mild red chillies...
0:51:40 > 0:51:41..and rice wine.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50Next, add the bitter melon pieces
0:51:50 > 0:51:53and a splash of water to tenderise them.
0:51:58 > 0:51:59Mmm...
0:52:02 > 0:52:04They need a bit more cooking.
0:52:07 > 0:52:11Just a little bit of sesame oil.
0:52:14 > 0:52:17Give it a nice sheen to that.
0:52:20 > 0:52:22My cousin is serving the goose
0:52:22 > 0:52:24in the traditional way, chopped.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28Tell me if that's not beautiful.
0:52:35 > 0:52:37They're all having a little booze!
0:52:43 > 0:52:44I think the most touching moment
0:52:44 > 0:52:46is not only seeing my family,
0:52:46 > 0:52:50but how we're actually united
0:52:50 > 0:52:54by our culinary passion,
0:52:54 > 0:52:56and the fact that I was able to cook and share food with them
0:52:56 > 0:53:00I thought was the best part.
0:53:08 > 0:53:10This is absolutely beautiful.
0:53:15 > 0:53:17What I've learned in Kaiping
0:53:17 > 0:53:19is a bit more of my family puzzle.
0:53:21 > 0:53:25I learnt more about my mum and dad meeting
0:53:25 > 0:53:29and how it was love at first sight. I thought that was quite touching.
0:53:29 > 0:53:32In many ways, I felt she'd more or less
0:53:32 > 0:53:34sacrificed her life for mine,
0:53:34 > 0:53:37but still hearing that
0:53:37 > 0:53:40she did have some moments of happiness.
0:53:52 > 0:53:57What actually makes me happiest coming here
0:53:57 > 0:53:59is to see in reality
0:53:59 > 0:54:04how the changes in China is reflected in my family.
0:54:04 > 0:54:07Their welfare has gone up, they're optimistic,
0:54:07 > 0:54:10they are looking with hope to the future.
0:54:11 > 0:54:13That's pretty fantastic.
0:54:15 > 0:54:16Bye-bye.
0:54:44 > 0:54:47After five weeks and more than
0:54:47 > 0:54:4913,000 miles crossing China,
0:54:49 > 0:54:53Ken and I reunite for our final dinner in Hong Kong.
0:54:59 > 0:55:01It feels fitting to end our journey
0:55:01 > 0:55:03in the city where East meets West.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09This view, I think has to be one of the most beautiful views
0:55:09 > 0:55:10in all of Asia.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13It's one of the best views in the world.
0:55:13 > 0:55:15I mean, Hong Kong. Look at that.
0:55:21 > 0:55:24I have learnt a lot on this trip.
0:55:24 > 0:55:25Actually, before coming,
0:55:25 > 0:55:28I actually wanted to experience most of the cities,
0:55:28 > 0:55:32because I am a city girl at heart. But going back to the roots,
0:55:32 > 0:55:35the basic roots, and going back to the countryside
0:55:35 > 0:55:38and learning from these farmers... You know, life is tough,
0:55:38 > 0:55:43it's not easy, and the way they live with such dignity really touched me.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46They put their food on the plate and it represents them.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49They cook for us and they share with us
0:55:49 > 0:55:52and they're giving a bit of themselves to us.
0:55:52 > 0:55:54What is amazing
0:55:54 > 0:55:55is how China has changed
0:55:55 > 0:55:57in such a short period of time.
0:55:57 > 0:56:00I mean, growing up, I saw China as being very poor,
0:56:00 > 0:56:03and not enough to eat and that sort of thing.
0:56:03 > 0:56:08It's transformed to the second economic power in the world.
0:56:08 > 0:56:10And its food is like that too,
0:56:10 > 0:56:13because 25 years ago, when I went throughout China,
0:56:13 > 0:56:15I was disappointed in Chinese food.
0:56:15 > 0:56:18Nobody cared about it, there was no passion.
0:56:18 > 0:56:22Now every place we've been to has been a more than pleasant surprise.
0:56:23 > 0:56:26Through food, we've been able to
0:56:26 > 0:56:28get beneath the skin of China.
0:56:31 > 0:56:34Unrecognisable. It's like the new frontier.
0:56:34 > 0:56:35We discovered a country
0:56:35 > 0:56:39that has emerged from the trauma of the Cultural Revolution.
0:56:39 > 0:56:40It's like a human epic.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43He's gone through all this hardship to arrive here
0:56:43 > 0:56:47and I think he embodies very much what China is about,
0:56:47 > 0:56:49- looking forward.- Yeah.
0:56:49 > 0:56:52The food culture that was in danger of being lost
0:56:52 > 0:56:54has been reinvigorated.
0:56:54 > 0:56:58Hands down, she is dumpling master of Beijing.
0:57:00 > 0:57:03China is revelling in its new-found freedom.
0:57:03 > 0:57:05You have these very small families
0:57:05 > 0:57:08that are starting businesses like this
0:57:08 > 0:57:10and who knows? Maybe in the next 30 years,
0:57:10 > 0:57:14there'll be a gigantic corporation, based on this family recipe.
0:57:14 > 0:57:18Even in the face of sweeping modernisation...
0:57:18 > 0:57:20I actually didn't expect this.
0:57:20 > 0:57:22A mass construction site.
0:57:22 > 0:57:25..ethnic minorities are preserving
0:57:25 > 0:57:27their traditional cultures and cuisines.
0:57:27 > 0:57:29Who eats the head?
0:57:29 > 0:57:32- The eldest here.- No, no, thank you!
0:57:32 > 0:57:34There's some Chinese traditions I don't like.
0:57:34 > 0:57:36THEY LAUGH
0:57:36 > 0:57:40Across China, home cooking is alive and well.
0:57:40 > 0:57:42I've never done it like that before.
0:57:42 > 0:57:45It's just, it's beautiful. I'm learning so much.
0:57:45 > 0:57:50While in the mega-cities, Chinese cuisine is reaching new heights.
0:57:50 > 0:57:54This is not like sweet and sour you've ever seen anywhere.
0:57:54 > 0:57:56It looks like a work of art.
0:57:56 > 0:58:00It's been a deeply personal journey that has helped us
0:58:00 > 0:58:03to understand more about our relationship with our homeland.
0:58:03 > 0:58:08It's all about our food. We're united by how we eat,
0:58:08 > 0:58:12and how our passion to eat is so important,
0:58:12 > 0:58:18and that's a recurring theme, I felt, throughout wherever we went.
0:58:18 > 0:58:21It's the essence of who we are.
0:58:21 > 0:58:24To China, its people,
0:58:24 > 0:58:27its cuisine, to its hope and to its future.
0:58:27 > 0:58:29Cheers.
0:58:47 > 0:58:51Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd