Jun Tanaka - Street Food Food & Drink

There's nothing I'm more passionate about than what, how and why we eat and drink.

In this series, we'll be looking at the trends in modern food and drink

that influence the way we all shop and cook today.

We're eating more fish than ever before.

I adore fish and my recipe for the perfect fish stew

uses one of the most easily available, cheap and delicious shellfish around, mussels.

Chef and working mum Monica Galetti shares her secret to getting children to eat their greens.

Yummy!

I'm joined by Jun Tanaka, chef and street food entrepreneur.

I am determined to impress him with my take on the ultimate burger.

Ah, look at that!

Writer William Sitwell tells us why certain eating habits just don't do it for him.

Do you need a bib? I certainly do.

And drinks expert Kate Goodman

tips us off about a trend that's reviving a drink with a once bad reputation.

-I'm going to give you a sherry.

-Sherry is something my parents used to drink.

You have hit the nail on the head with that, Jun!

Food And Drink is back!

Fish consumption across the world has hit a record high.

It's my food of choice because it's versatile, delicious and it's good for you.

I am going to be making a tasty fish stew from the south of France with mussels.

And these beauties are so fresh.

-They smell of the sea and that's so important.

-Let's smell.

Yep, definitely. They don't have a fishy smell at all.

That's one of the first things that you should check for when you are buying mussels.

And, of course, making sure that they close.

So if you just give them a shake,

then they close which means they're alive, which means they're fresh.

You can tell these are wild because they've got the barnacles on them.

-Barnacles and...

-Beards.

Some of them have the little beards here.

-Farmed mussels are very good as well.

-Yeah

In fact, some are really, really fatty and full.

'Mussels are high in protein and low in fat.

'Simply remove the beards and barnacles before cooking.

'They couldn't be easier to prepare.'

We're going to steam these mussels, just the classic way, traditionally,

sweating down a little bit of onion, a bay leaf and then the mussels are going to go in there.

So, traditionally, this soup would have been made with monkfish,

but monkfish is on the endangered list.

The whole sustainability of fish - it's quite a delicate issue, isn't it?

You have to take into consideration so many different aspects of it.

Where it's fished, how it's fished, what species it is...

It's quite a lot to think about.

'But mussels it seems, for now anyway, are abundant.'

So a good splash of wine, give that a good stir.

Lid on quickly and they will open up and cook.

'Steam the mussels for three or four minutes.

'Any longer and they'll become rubbery and chewy.

'While they're cooking, finely slice the vegetables -

'half an onion, a carrot, a bulb of fennel and a leek.'

So what is it about fish that you really love then, Jun?

Being Japanese, fish was a massive part of my life.

I used to stay with my grandparents and back in those days there would be a fishmonger

with a wheelbarrow cart that would come twice a week.

And that whole kind of buying and seeing the produce in front of me...

I mean, I really grew up appreciating fish.

-This was fish that had just come out of the sea...

-Yeah.

-..and was literally being carted around?

-Yeah, door to door.

Everybody would come out and go, "That's what I want!" Still glistening, still moving.

-Yeah.

-That's fantastic. That is the way it should be.

Here we go, mussels have all opened.

-And it's amazing how much juice you get out of them, isn't it?

-Oh, yes!

I used to go fishing a lot as a youngster.

And I remember, as a 13-, 14-year-old, fishing with my father off the coast of Ireland.

We were feathering for mackerel. We caught the mackerel and the skipper took the first fish

whipped off the fillet, dipped it in a bucket of seawater to rinse it off and clean it,

straight into a pan, in and out like that.

Two slices of bread, washed down with a pint of Guinness on board.

-That was absolutely fantastic.

-Nice.

I was only 13, so I only had a sip, but it was brilliant.

'That's my story and I'm sticking to it!'

Nearly there. Couple more.

Using a good glug of olive oil fry the vegetables to make the base for the stew.

Now I need to add a little bit more white wine to my vegetables.

And now the mussel juice goes into this.

And as you can see there's a little bit of grit there at the bottom.

That's why we pass that through a sieve. Thank you, Jun.

And I'm going to be adding a little bit of water to this as well.

I mean, this is cheap! We're not even making fish stock or anything.

Nothing fancy, but there is one expensive element to this dish and...

-Saffron.

-It's saffron, yeah.

-Can't really make that without saffron, can you?

It is an important part of this dish.

'Saffron has a subtle flavour

'and you only need a couple of pinches of this exotic spice

'for the stew to develop a distinctive golden colour.'

We've got a beautiful broth.

Ah, that's where it is! I've been looking for that.

You know what I say, Kate? If it's not good enough to drink,

-you shouldn't be cooking with it.

-Yeah.

-And that's a good drop.

-That smells good.

-So... Here, you should have a taste.

If you're going to be matching the wines to this, you should have a little taste of the broth.

Oh, wow! That's quite rich, isn't it?

It is. Now there's aioli to go in there -

a garlic mayonnaise, which Jun is just preparing now, loads of garlic.

It's going to really add some weight, isn't it, to the dish?

'It's so important to taste what you're cooking,

'so you can check on your flavours and decide what drinks will work with your food.'

I would think, if I was in the south of France, sat overlooking the sea, lovely sunshine,

I'd think, "What would I want to drink with this? What would be my ideal tipple with this?"

-And what would the locals be drinking?

-Exactly!

Michel's Mediterranean dish is just crying out for some sunshine,

so I've chosen a wine from the south of France that balances delicate red berry fruit flavours

with a savoury, earthy finish.

My second choice is one that's coming back into fashion, sherry.

Trust me! I've chosen an Amontillado sherry,

which is a touch heavier than a Fino and should be served slightly chilled.

The thought of Provence conjures up

images of alfresco dining, lemon trees and blue skies,

so for my soft drink I've chosen a tangy, traditional, cloudy lemonade.

'The base of this intensely flavoured Provencal stew is an aioli,

'a garlic mayonnaise made with two egg yolks, a generous teaspoon of Dijon mustard,

'a pinch of salt and six garlic cloves.'

I'm going to grate the garlic before I put it in.

If I chuck it in whole, like this, you're going to get lumps of garlic inside it.

I like that, Jun, that's great.

In fact, I've never done it before and... Yeah, that's good!

I think another tip that we should say with garlic is,

at certain times of the year there's a green shoot in the garlic here.

It's important to take that out. That green shoot is what repeats on you.

'Add the grated garlic and a squeeze of lemon

'before blitzing and pouring in the oil.'

-Good to go?

-Let's go!

I'd say it's probably about 200ml you need of oil in there,

but a mixture of sunflower oil and olive oil.

And that split is up to me or would you say more olive oil or...?

-Not too much olive oil, cos otherwise it will be too rich and too heavy.

-OK.

Right, let's have a look there, Jun. That looks about right.

That's lovely. Look at that.

-It smells brilliant.

-I'm going to have a quick taste.

Woah, guys! I'm taking a wide berth now I think.

And this aioli goes into the broth.

And once that goes in, it's important not to boil it, isn't it?

Well, you CAN boil it.

Some people say that you should actually puree it up,

but I actually like the fact that you can see the vegetables.

Now we just put the mussels in.

The mussels are already cooked so just need to be reheated.

And it just gets all mixed in there.

'Serve the stew piled on a slice of stale bread.

'This will soak up all the juices and hold its shape.

'I've used mussels instead of the traditional monkfish because they're cheap and cheerful

'and available all over the world.

'This is an adaptable classic that uses strong flavours to great effect.'

That has some serious flavour.

For something that doesn't take very long to cook that packs a punch.

-The bread is like a sponge.

-That is brilliant!

You bite into it and it releases all that lovely mussel flavour,

the saffron, the garlic mayonnaise.

-You just get a little hint of it. It's not too pungent.

-No.

Cos there is quite a lot of depth of flavour,

I have actually gone for neither red nor white.

I've gone for a rose. I love the colour of Provence rose.

The thing is, it's dry, so there's no sweetness in this. It's a savoury style of rose.

Jun, I'm going to give you a sherry.

That's unusual. Sherry is something that my parents used to drink.

Yes, you have hit the nail on the head with that, Jun!

And I think it's such an unfair image that we have of sherry. Sherry is brilliant.

I'm a fan. I love sherry!

-It's so versatile as well.

-Exactly.

-And it's very food friendly.

There's lots of different styles of sherry. It can go from bone dry, salty styles,

right through to really sweet Pedro Jimenez. I'm sure you've used that in recipes.

-I'm going to try that.

-Go for it! I'm going to have more of this.

-How are you liking the sherry, Jun?

-Mm. I was a little bit sceptical when you said sherry,

but it's quite dry sherry and it does work really well, especially with that aioli.

It's got that freshness that's the acidity, so it cuts through you know the richness in the dish,

but it's also got plenty of nutty, figgy sort of characters.

It's heavenly. Absolutely, bang on.

Mm! The beauty of this dish is that it takes no time to make

so in my mind, no matter how busy we get,

there's no excuse for not eating well.

Chef and mum Monica Galetti believes that this is even more crucial when it comes to feeding our children.

There aren't many jobs that have longer hours than a chef.

Normally working six or seven days a week,

I spend most of my time preparing delicious food for other people.

I'm very serious about my career but just as important to me is providing a very healthy diet for my child.

'But here's the statistic that really frightens me.

'World Health Organisation figures tell us that 42 million under-fives across the world are overweight.'

That's a crime.

'Global obesity levels have doubled in the last 30 years

'and scientists believe that if things carry on the way they are,

'parents are going to start outliving their children.

'But it doesn't have to be this way.'

The trick to get your child eating healthily

is to get them involved in the cooking processes at home.

Get them involved in making their meals, so it's fun and they want to eat what they are cooking.

'Bad eating habits are learned young and new research tells us

'that the best thing we can do for our kids is to lead by example.

'Do what we do, not just what we say.'

Definitely, some of this spinach, please.

And just for good measure, can I please have two of the kohlrabi you've got there?

'We're all busy and I appreciate that finding the time to cook with our children can be difficult,

'but I'm convinced that doing this at least once a week

'has made a huge difference to my daughter's relationship with food.'

-Thanks, darling. Come again, yeah?

-Oh, yes!

-Keep the market alive.

'I've noticed how she's taking much more of an interest in food and flavours

and is curious about a broader range of ingredients now.'

-Shall I get both?

-Yeah, take both of them.

-There you go. Want to use your bowl?

-Yes.

You can use your bowl.

'My secret is to get my daughter to choose to eat healthy foods.

'The basic rules haven't changed, eat less of the bad stuff and more fruit, veg and unprocessed food,

'and keep the portions small.'

Now this is Anais's pie.

I call it Anais's pie because we had an issue to get Anais to eat spinach.

One day I said to her, "Oh, shall we make this pie?" and she said, "Yes."

And I laid out all the ingredients on the table and she got to choose what went into the dish.

But the deal was she had to use the spinach.

'For me, it's about nutrition.

'For Anais, it's just good fun.'

It's quality time. She could be sitting in front of the television.

Instead, this is what we want to do together when we get home.

'Anais's pie couldn't be easier to make.

'In any order you like, layer 200g of cream cheese,

'two handfuls of torn spinach, four eggs and 200g of sliced ham

'into an ovenproof dish and top with a sheet of egg-washed,

'ready-rolled puff pastry.'

-All done?

-All done!

-All done. Can I put it in the oven now?

-Yeah!

Five minutes to get that ready,

another 25 minutes in the oven at 190 and dinner is ready.

I think that's faster than getting a pizza delivered.

Great!

Obesity is one of the greatest health issues of the 21st century,

but the future is in our hands.

It's our job to give our children a healthy start in life.

Yummy!

Monica's a chef and there's no way her child will not learn how to cook,

but our children are getting fat, so who's to blame?

Well, I've just started out on this journey, cos I've got a young daughter

and I was absolutely horrified to learn

that children of parents who are both out at full-time work

are six times more likely to be overweight.

That makes sense. When both parents are out at work you can't supervise what they eat.

I think you need that to make sure they have some kind of understanding

of what they should be eating and what they shouldn't.

My husband and I, we're both out at work.

What I try and do to balance it is we have at least one meal a day where we're all together.

I think it's vital, whatever it is you're eating,

to actually sit down as a family or as friends

and to respect what you're eating and respect that moment.

It's part of teaching your children about food and about what to eat,

and it's so much fun for kids.

As a kid growing up, literally, the highlight of my day

was one meal a day at home with all the family.

My mum was a great cook and I think it is about exposing kids

to great cooked food.

It doesn't have to be elaborate. I'm sure your mum didn't cook banquets and elaborate food,

but it was freshly cooked and well prepared.

And then, of course, feeding your children the same food that you would eat.

And it doesn't help that restaurants have kids' menus

because you're giving them another option and it's like an easy option.

-It's always got chips on it or fish fingers...

-Yeah!

-Or a chicken breast.

-Chicken croquettes, yeah!

It seems that we can't get enough of this sort of food.

More than half the meals eaten outside the home in Britain

are from fast-food restaurants and, globally,

this market is worth over 252 billion.

We know it's not good for us, but it's estimated that we eat through

an average of 2,500 takeaways in a lifetime.

So what is it about the likes of high street burgers, pizzas and deep fried chicken

that keeps us going back for more?

I think it's only fair that we taste...

What is this?

-..all kinds of food.

-Oh, my word!

-There we go.

-All right!

-After you.

-Ah, thanks! What a gent. Thank you.

Well, the patty is severely overcooked.

There's an overriding taste of sweet pickle.

The bread's not the best either. It's dry. It's...

-I don't like it.

-I just think you're thinking about it too much!

I remember last time I actually ate this fried chicken.

-It was in 1975.

-Oh, what? I don't believe you! What a load of rubbish!

-Were they around in 1975?

-Yes! It was the first one that had opened

and it was in south London, in Clapham, and it's still there.

-As for the burger, that was in 1996 and I was...

-You remember?

-Exactly!

-That was the last one.

-Exactly!

-I was so, so hungry, I was shaking.

There was a drive-through in north London and I just... Up to the little window.

The lady said, "What do you want?" I said, "Whatever you've got. Just give it to me. I need to eat."

-But did you enjoy it when you ate it, that's the thing?

-Yes, because I was starving.

And did I enjoy the fried chicken at the time? Yes.

Because it was exciting, it was new and I was with a load of mates.

So I suppose it does depend on the time and place.

This style of food is very much fast food and the way we are living at the moment.

-But the most exciting thing I think that's happening now is street food.

-Definitely.

Street food is fast food,

but something that I would stop and eat.

Street food has been around the world for centuries.

-I mean, probably for thousands of years some of the best food is out on the streets.

-Mm.

If you want a true sense of a place, of a culture,

you have to eat on the street and this is something we've started to see in the last five years.

I think it's absolutely brilliant.

You're absolutely right. The street food is the heart and soul of the country.

-Yeah.

-I am a firm believer of that.

So what are the advantages of being a street vendor?

The start-up costs are really low in comparison to a restaurant.

You know, very few chefs would be able to afford an entire restaurant.

This is a way of starting up a business that you can own outright.

The overheads are low, which means that you can sell it to the customer

for a low, low price as well.

And, more importantly, what the success of street food tells us

is that fast food doesn't have to be junk food.

However, there's one man who fears he's missing out on this food phenomenon.

William Sitwell doesn't have an issue with the quality of the food.

It's just the street bit that he has a problem with.

Is this your idea of lunch? Maybe you think a baguette tastes better when you walk.

Maybe you like to dine on transport.

Does the wind and the rain actually add to the dining experience?

Perhaps you think jostling with busy commuters adds to the flavour.

Sadly, I don't.

The smells entice me.

The variety astounds me.

And I can see that the street food revolution means good food for everyone.

But it's still wrapped in tin foil. It's still going to drip down your arm.

How are you supposed to do it? Do you need a bib? I certainly do.

I can only despair.

Everywhere I look, I see people enjoying themselves.

I must be missing something.

-Should I sit down and eat it or does it taste better if I walk around?

-Walking around, warming the hands.

OK, I'll try and walk around. Thanks.

I blame the Romans for this. What have they ever done for us?

They introduced street food to their ancient markets,

as did the Chinese, the Ancient Greeks...

But, you know, even the Romans made mistakes.

Just recently, Rome actually banned the consumption of food and drink from its historical centre,

its Storico Centro.

It's only taken them 1,000 years to discover the error of their ways.

But I don't want to move to Italy to fit in.

I fear I may just have to miss out.

Call me old-fashioned, but what use is a trend if someone doesn't try and buck it?

Ah, this is nice.

Comfy seat, clean table.

A knife and a fork.

A waiter.

-Are you ready to order, sir?

-Yeah, could I have the cactus and courgette burritos?

But as I sit alone in my restaurant, I can't help but feel envious

of those of you who rejoice in the freedom of alfresco.

Low overheads really do mean that gourmet food can be enjoyed by everyone.

Single-item menus offer culinary expertise, creativity and outstanding value for money.

If only the world had a roof, then I, too, could salivate

over the success of a salsa wrap, fantasise over a falafel,

or relish in the gourmatisation of the burger.

My take on the classic burger is special.

'Jun has won awards for his burgers so I'm keen to impress him with mine.'

For me, the most important thing about making the patty for a burger

is the fat that you put in it.

'Burgers need some fat to keep them moist

'and making your own means you can control how much you put into them.

'I'm using a surprisingly lean meat, duck,

'and with it the traditional accompaniment of chunky chips.'

So what makes the perfect chipping potato then, Jun?

For me, to make perfect chips it has to be a floury potato,

because you want it crispy on the outside but really light and fluffy on the inside.

I've left the skin on. I just want these to be very rustic.

Something, you know... Chunky, rustic chips. Nothing cheffy.

This is a burger after all.

'The secret to making perfect chips is to wash the starch off your potatoes first,

and then double fry.

And what temperature's that?

-160.

-160.

-So we're pre-cooking them until they're just soft.

-Yeah.

A tiny bit of colour just to get a bit of a skin on it,

then we take them out, let them rest, let them cool,

and then just before we need them they go back in at 180 degrees.

-So you're preparing for me some lovely wild mushrooms.

-Yeah.

-These are beautiful girolles.

-Lovely, aren't they?

Lovely, small, wild mushrooms.

Very fragrant. I mean, this is a posh burger.

I reckon these chips are just about right.

Yes, that's it. They are soft. They're tender.

They are cooked but not golden.

So that's the first cooking.

So we take them out and let them cool down.

So I'm just removing the last bit here of excess fat

off the duck supreme, or duck breast,

and then cutting it into manageable pieces.

And you are going to do me the honours, Jun.

-Of mincing it.

-Mince it up, please, yeah.

Here we are.

'You don't have to buy a mincer.

'You could just ask your butcher to mince the meat for you.'

-That's it.

-Is that it? Lovely! Thank you, Jun.

'You could add an egg or breadcrumbs to your meat,

'but I don't want to dilute the flavour of the duck,

'so I'm going to work the mince to make it hold together as a patty.'

In the fridge you'll find a secret ingredient that I'm going to add to my burger.

-And that is...

-A cheese.

-A cheese indeed!

A lovely, beautiful, French,

stinky cheese called Vacherin.

Wow, this is going to be a rich burger!

You could use something like a Camembert or a Brie.

You know, it's equally creamy, not quite as rich,

but equally creamy and it would work.

Grab a spoon and take a nice spoonful and I'm going to put it inside this patty.

And we can use the crust on that.

Yeah, use the crust. Just dig deep and get a nice big spoonful.

Lovely! Look at that. Oh, yum! That's it!

Now I'm going to encase that in my burger.

And, literally, just shape it back up

and form it into a patty.

It doesn't matter if it's not the exact round shape.

'My gourmet burger is going to have a couple of appropriately upmarket accompaniments -

'shallots and girolle mushrooms.'

-Oh, yes! Look at that. Ooh!

-It does look good.

There's something so nice about a burger though, isn't there?

Gosh, yeah! That looks so good.

-It does smell brilliant. I've brought you some vino.

-Oooh!

-I just need some glasses.

-So what have we got, Kate?

We've got a nice juicy Pinot Noir.

Mmm.

And Pinot Noir, obviously, its homeland - Burgundy, France.

I thought I'd mix it up a bit and go for something from the New World!

This is from Chile, some nice Pinot Noir.

I thought with duck... You often match it with things like plums and cranberries and those fruits.

Now what would be the difference, you would say,

of a New World Pinot Noir and an Old World Pinot Noir?

The New World, it's just producing wines with a little bit more fruit flavour.

-More fruit. Fruit led.

-Yeah, exactly! Fruit led.

'The fresh and fruity New World Pinot Noir is the perfect match

'for my rich, luxury duck and Vacherin burger.

'With its gourmet toppings on a brioche bun,

'this is the ultimate fast food.'

They sound really crunchy and crispy. Oh!

My word, this is a feast.

Ah, look at that!

Oh, my word!

Ummmmm!

-All right, here goes.

-Hooray, look at that!

-So good!

Oh, yeah! Um!

I've never experienced that delicate crunch from the mushrooms, but it really adds a little bit of texture.

As soon as you take a bite out of it you get that cheese oozing out,

and, honestly, it's a seriously kind of decadent burger.

-Yeah.

-Crunchy and soft.

-Mm.

Um-mm! I think a lot of New World Pinot Noir can be too fruity

and almost sweet, but this isn't. This has got a good balance.

It's got mouth appeal.

Everyone loves a good burger, especially kids.

Whatever you teach your children to cook, they'll never forget it,

and it'll inspire them to cook and eat well forever.

'Next time - chef and writer Monica Galetti

'helps me make a dish that takes me back to my youth.'

-I close my eyes and that's it, childhood memories.

-Looks and smells divine.

'And food writer, William Sitwell,

'thinks we've all lost the plot when it comes to our obsession with nostalgic food.'

I think the world has gone mad.

We hark back to a golden era

that, at worst, didn't exist and, at best, was never as good as we thought it was.

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