PBS Hawaiʻi Classics is sponsored by The Olson Trust (instrumental music) Titus Chan: Hi, welcome to the cooking The Chan-ese Way.

Today  we are in Downtown Honolulu in Chinatown.

As you can see, we're in store.

The store is called  a Chong Hua store.

Now this is quite a store, folks, we would like for you to notice this store,  because it sells something like antique as well as very useful things such as chopsticks and planters  and containers things like that.

So now, if you will follow me, I would first like to introduce  to you our status right over here.

This is what we call the Goddess.

She's got a name for it.

We call  it Kuan Yin.

Now, Kuan Yin is one of the goddess in the Chinese religion.

Her major function is  to in charge mercy.

So many times when you see a statue like that, her right-hand side would have a  small bench of whipping willow.

Her left-hand side would have a small vase, just like the vase right  around here, later on, you can see, and when she decides the world deserve any peace, then she  would dip that little willow into the vase and get a little water, and then sprinkle it all over  the world so that the world will get the peace.

She also in charge the sending the babies.

So, in the China, in the old times, when people decide they want the babies, then they  worship her.

One thing is very interesting is, when she decides to travel, she doesn't take  any 747, that sort of thing nowadays, well, it's just too much hijacking.

I think she's mighty  smart, doesn't it?

She doesn't take that kind of thing.

So, all she needs to do would be the ride  on the lily flower.

So, she is known as the lady, the goddess who write on the lily flower.

Then  she can go just anywhere she wanted to go.

And this is one of the very popular goddess  very popular among the Chinese ladies.

Now, as you can see right over here, right in  front of it, we have a little vase to put the incense.

To the outsider, so to speak, if you  are not quite familiar with this kind of Chinese religion, you will know what does it mean.

Now,  they always worship with three pieces of incense.

It could be three pieces, as you can see right  over here, or six or nine.

They always are odd number to represent good luck.

Now, this thing is  constantly going on in the store because that's a part of tradition.

It's so different folks, you  don't see anything like that in the big American store, departmental store, but this is one  of the ways that the Chinese people do, especially among the little older  generation.

It's quite interesting folks.

As you can see, there are three faces  on the picture.

This represents three brothers.

Represent three gods.

Now this picture  shows the brotherly love and the righteous.

This is something quite different, folks.

You  would not see it any American store.

However, the older generation of Chinese would like to  put an altar like that in their store so that they can worship and get the blessing.

As you can  see right by there, you see the candle holders, and you see some incense or vase, what  the incense to do their daily worshiping.

Now, right by me on this side, as you can see,  we will have an old vase.

This is made during the Qing Dynasty.

It's roughly about 200 years  old.

This is the thing that Chinese people love to put it in their living room so that to show  the antique they have.

Now you would take a look at this vase.

You will see the older people.

They are very happy.

They get together.

And then you will see a pine tree.

Now the pine tree  and the older people are always get together, and they are always representing longevity.

You know folks in China, longevity is very important.

May it be in daily life, or may it  be in anything that they do.

That's why always we say a nine-course dinner by the time we are  having food, and this representing the longevity.

Speaking about nine course dinner.

We have some  very interesting chinaware here.

You take a look at this one.

This is what we call the tea cup.

The tea cup means a whole lot in the Chinese life, because every time you eat Chinese dinner,  you got to drink hot tea so that it would wash down the oil make you feel lot better.

Then  the next one you can see would be a small tray in which you put your soy sauce and your mustard.

Sometimes you mix them together that would go for practically any kind of Chinese dishes.

Now  that you take a look at the chopsticks and the chopstick holder.

By the time you eat the Chinese  food, you have a nine-course dinner, whatever.

You lay it down your chopsticks.

This way you keep  your chopsticks clean and your tablecloth clean.

Now, folks, let's go in this studio, and  I will show you how to use the chopsticks.

Now, as you can see, we have different  kind of chopsticks right over here, so we take a look at all this.

You  look at the first one right over here, deep red looking.

Now this kind of red looking,  red color occupy an important part in the Chinese culture.

This kind of red, we call it Chinese  red, and represents the prosperity.

So someday you take a trip to Peking, to Shanghai, places  like that, especially, especially in Peking, you will see a lot of old palaces.

Then  you will not be surprised to see all these red pillar and that red pillar represents  nobility, represents prosperity as well.

Now that this chopsticks is made out of wood.

And one of the most popular way people are making chopsticks with.

So sometimes they  like to put a little bit golden on it, so give a little brighter color.

And this is just  about the things that the kind of chopsticks most popularly used among the Chinese.

Then the next  one you see right over here is black.

We call it a black horse.

Normally for you, you do not use the  kind of black looking chopsticks.

It's also made out of wood.

Now that in comparison, is just about  the least commonly used color among the Chinese chopsticks.

Then the next one to it is made out  of bamboo, bamboo.

This is very popular way people made the chopstick, because it's easy to make,  easy to handle.

It's so inexpensive to make.

Now, in some of the bamboo chopsticks, or some other  chopsticks as well, they, at times like to put some writing on it.

That's a good wish to  wish the anybody who using these chopsticks.

Now, it might be hard for you  to see, but the first word, we call it fok and then look so hee hong.

In short, it means wishing you blessing, wishing you noble and longevity and everything  goes away and good health.

And folks, I'm telling you, if you know how to use a chopstick well and  use it often, I guarantee you have good health.

Then another thing we see right over  here would be a short and sharp, pointed chopstick.

Now this is mostly used by the Japanese  people.

Frankly, to me, it's a little difficult to use when you have a sharp, pointed chopsticks.

Of course, a lot depends on, depending how, what kind of chopsticks you are accustomed to, but  this is a little harder to pick up things such as jingle nuts, such as water chestnuts, things like  that.

But they are still in very popular use.

Now, the things that we don't have up over  here would be the kind made out ivory, and this is very expensive, of course.

For  example, everybody used that in the old days, people living in the palaces, or people who are  having a lot of money, who are in high official places, they like to use the ivory chopsticks.

So, by the time they use that and they can test whether the food has any poison in it or not.

So,  by the time they put the chopsticks into the dish, then they take it out.

If the chopsticks turns to  be a little black looking a little blue looking then they know something must be in the food.

Therefore, they would be very careful.

And then nowadays, of course, the plastics are very  common, so a lot of people are using plastic chopsticks.

So, these are the different kinds.

Now  let us take a look.

How do we use the chopsticks?

In China we do not use any fork or things like  that.

That's about as much as we would use.

Now, this one is actually putting right on your finger,  right over here, and then the other one is right above your longest finger.

That means the longest  finger is controlling this one.

And then you would need this thumb to put it down so that it  would not fall.

Otherwise, it's going to fall, no way to control it.

So, this is the way that  you control that.

And then you open and close.

And open and close.

Sometimes you put it down a  little bit so you can do it again.

And this is the way the Chinese using the chopsticks,  which is a very good way.

To us, we don't really need a fork, and things like that.

You  know, folks, when I first come to this country, somebody entertain me, and I sit down and I take  a look.

Oh boy.

You got long forks, short forks, big spoons, small spoon.

I sitting down, I  have a rough time trying to figure it out, what kind of spoon, what kind of fork to  use.

But if we were to using this chopsticks, even nine course dinner, we can use that.

Alright, so much for the chopsticks.

So, we will finish that and study.

How do we  do the fish the dish?

We call it pork hash.

Now this is the ingredients that we are to use.

Of  course, the first thing we need would be our pork.

So, let's say we are taking one pound of ground  of pork.

In China we have so much labor, so we use our hand to chop it up.

When they chop it up  by hand.

It tastes a little better, a little more crunchy effect.

But that isn't the most important  thing.

In this country, we say time is money, boy, isn't it true.

So, we use the grinder.

Ooh, we  really grind it up fast.

But this it would it would work.

Just grinding it up would be good  enough.

Now over here, you can see we have one pound of pork hash, or we call it grounded pork.

Then we got to do little seasoning in it so that it would taste good.

The seasoning sounds a whole  lot, but really, it's very simple.

Now if you will follow me, we will take these following four  things, half a teaspoon each of these few things.

Now we will go slow.

So, everybody watch, this is  MSG, or gourmet powder.

Here in the islands, we call it ajinamoto.

So, we put it in, and then the  next thing, we will take sugar, the same amount, have a teaspoon, either brown or white.

Don't  make much difference.

We then we take the salt the same amount, or we call it salt to taste, then a  little bit sesame seed oil.

Also have a teaspoon, if you have the oil fine.

If not, don't have a  problem.

Don't have a big problem.

It's simply giving you a little more smell, then dash of white  pepper.

Now, other than that, we will put a little more oil.

That oil, we say, one teaspoon the oil  is to keep the meat from drying off too fast, and then from here on, two teaspoons each off.

This  is cooking sherry or brandy, if you like to use.

Then two teaspoon of soy sauce.

Preferably use the  sauce the little light in color, so that you can maintain the natural look of the pork.

And then  two teaspoon of oyster sauce.

If you have it fine, if not, you add a little more salt to take the  place of it.

Then that's all what you need.

Then we will need two teaspoon of cornstarch.

Now this  is up to you, either one or two.

Doesn't make much difference.

Some people want it a little thicker.

Then you would need one egg.

All you need to do, you just crush the egg, put it right in there,  or you whip a little bit beforehand.

Either way this is we are going to mix it up anyway.

Then we would need about a little so called water chestnut.

Now this is the water chestnut  when it's raw.

It look like that way when it's already peeled, then it look white.

You  would need roughly about half of a cup.

Then all you need to do you simply put it down  half of a cup, or we say about, oh, half a dozen in that order.

Then you crush it a little bit.

Now  the thing is, though, by the time you crush it, it would be better for you to use a towel so  that by the time you crush it, you don't fly it all over.

If you don't cover it up, one shot,  boy, you got to put it down and look around.

Where is my water chestnut?

You spend more time looking  for your water chestnut on the ground instead of on the board.

So, all you need to do you cover it  up a little bit.

Now shut it a little bit.

Little easier to cut it up, that's all.

Now, other  than that, then you simply chop it finely, like that.

Why do we use the water chestnut?

This is to give you a little chewy effect.

The water chestnut is optional, but if you put it  in, it would really help your taste.

So how fine should it be?

Oh, let's say about little bigger  than sesame seed has done.

After you chop it up, then you add it to the pork, and  then you thoroughly mixing it up, so that by the time the pork is steaming it  up, other than taste the pork, you have other, other kind of taste for contrast.

So, it's a  good way to do.

A lot of people like to do that.

Now, once you cut it up, you put it down here,  then we need a little more thing to have the aroma.

So, we say a little bit green onion would  would do the job.

So right over here we have green onion.

Now how much would we need?

Roughly about  half of a cup of green onion.

Then all you need to do, you slice it at random, slowly, slice it so  that it would not be very thick.

That's the idea.

You take the onion white and the green part as  well, cut it up roughly about half of a cup.

Now that would be an approximation, would be good  enough.

By the time you do the onion, please slice it like what I'm doing now, do not chop the onion.

Once you chop the onion, the sauce come out, the juice come out from the onion, your food later on  would taste bitter.

So, you don't want to do that.

Now, you put it all in.

Then that's all what  we need for the ingredients.

We clean up here a little bit.

It's always good to work with a  clean kitchen and clean area.

Now that if you want something a little more fancy, this is  what we call Chung Choi.

It's actually made out of this kind of turnip.

It's dried,  salted turnip.

If you wanted to simply, you buy a package, you breaking it up like that.

Then you cut it up roughly about one teaspoon.

You cut it up finely cut, about one teaspoon like  that.

Now this is not necessary.

If you want it, fine.

You don't want it, not necessary.

To those  people who are living right around the Chinatown, easier to get.

Then you get a little bit this.

It would help the saltiness a little bit.

Now, up to this part, you see, we have all the  ingredients there.

So, all what we need to do, we simply mix it up.

So now let's mix it  up nicely with your hand.

Of course, your hand should be always clean.

Then we take a long  platter, since we are going to do the steaming, folks, it would be better you use a long platter,  because it's a little easier to work with any kind of pot.

Long platter, sometimes it wouldn't work  so good.

Now then you put it right down there.

Then you press it down a little bit roughly,  rough.

We have it about the, oh, a fourth of an inch or a third of an inch high.

Your cooking  time, half an hour would be good enough.

It would be done.

Now it looks like this, very pretty  looking.

Then all your all what you need to do would be to work on your wok.

By the time you're  doing all this, then you put the water in your wok, and then have the higher turn on your fire,  so that a lot less steam would coming out.

Now, in doing this dish, though, it would be lot  better if you have the steam coming out before you put your dishes in.

If you do not, then  it does not taste as good.

I don't know why, but I been doing this kind of work for 16  years now, cooking throughout the mainland and so many different states.

And every  time I test it out, if you see like this, you have a lot of steam already.

Then you put  the dish in, makes a lot of difference in taste.

Now, as we see over here, we open the wok  and you got the water.

There.

You see, how much water would you need?

Then all you need  to do by the time you put your plate in the wok, the water should be roughly an inch from the dish.

Otherwise, the water would really coming in.

Yeah, then somebody is going to making pork hash  soup.

You don't want all the water.

Now, as you can see right over here, I got  a ring over here, then we put the water here.

Let's say, if you don't have a ring,  no problem, you simply use a bowl.

You see, you don't want use the ring.

You put a bowl  in there.

So long you got something put in over there.

Somebody say, well, a paper bowl  would do.

Well, you want to try you may try it.

Now, up to this far, we know that it's boiling.

We know it's got all the smoke coming out, steam coming out.

Then you're putting it right  over here.

Then you turn the fire high so that you got a good steam coming out.

Then you keep  it on medium high, and you cover it up.

Now, in half an hour time, in half an hour time, then  you take it out.

Then that would be all done.

Now half an hour up, let's say, oh, the time pass  fast.

Now we show you just how this would look.

It would be looking like this.

Then all you need  to do you may use chopsticks to picking it up and then serve it to everybody.

This is the kind  of pork.

We call it pork hash.

So easy to do.

You don't need any special ingredients.

And it's  really for family.

Normally, for entertaining.

You don't serve this dish, but for family, so easy to  work, after you put it in half an hour, you don't have to watch it.

Half an hour you take it out,  will be done.

So, it's a very good dish for that.

Now, this is the way we do the steaming.

You know,  the Chinese have roughly about the 10 different kind of cooking method.

One of them, of course, we  call it the steaming method, as we can see.

Now, this type of steaming is more or less in the  simple type, half an hour, 15 minutes.

You steam a fish 15, 20 minutes, pork dish, half an hour,  that's done.

Now, these are the simple kind, but there are some a little more complicated kind as  well.

So, if you would like to follow me, taking a look at this one.

Now, this is actually a steaming  basket, if you would like to call it.

Now, this is the one of the basket that you can use and putting  it right on top of your water.

This way, you got a lot of steam.

You can get up to about two or three  stacks like that, and then you can steam a lot of things together.

Now this is almost the thing for  all that kind of dim sum and things like that.

Now we take a look at this one, see how it  would work.

Now, if you would take a look at right over here.

This is a dish right over  here we are steaming it.

This type of dish, normally, we steam it about, oh, let's say, two  hour or so.

So, now you see right at the bottom, right the bottom there, we got the hot  water going like this.

You really got a lot of steam coming out.

And then  you put your steam basket in there, and then you cover it up.

Always wait until a lot  of smoke coming out.

Then you put your dish in.

Now, what is this dish?

What is this dish?

A lot  of people might not have seen it because this is a little more rather unusual.

We don't normally  serve it in the restaurants.

This is the dish, what we called a beautiful woman's rolling  butters.

Now this name is has not gotten to the Western world until Mrs.

Nixon, when she was  in Peking, she went down to the Peking Hotel, and she, for the first time, take a look at  the Chinese people work there.

And she was very fascinating with this dish.

And this is how,  actually it's done.

What this dish is is actually a piece of pork.

Roughly, you use the thigh,  then you cut it round with the skin, then you steam it.

And once it's done, about two hours.

Of course, we're not showing you how to do this, just very roughly to let you know.

Then when it  is done.

Now this is actually done, then you make a little bit of sauce, normally a brown sauce,  then you put it right on top.

Put a little brown sauce right on top there, and then you add a  little half wilted, half wilted lettuce.

So, we over here, we have the lettuce already half  wilted, and we put it right around there.

The reason that you are not very familiar with this  dish is because it is a little fat.

You will say, well, why don't you cut the fat off?

It does  not work, because that shows about the Chinese culture as well.

Because in China, the oil, things  like that is not as common.

Now in this country, by the time you eat, you have your dessert and  things like that.

But in China, we don't use so much milk, so much sweet thing.

So, we want  a little bit more oil in our body.

Therefore, we retain the fat, we retain the skin, and  then we use this kind of lettuce to soak in all the juice.

After you steam it for two  hours with all the marination and everything, then you really get a nice taste all the juice  coming down.

And then you use this kind of half wilted lettuce, put it underneath, put it around  there to soak off all this good tasting sauce.

Then, right before you serve, right before  you serve, then you put a few, you put a few Chinese parsley that's for decoration.

Then  you serve it with the with a fork.

By the time, you don't need the knife to cut it, because  by the time it's done, a couple hours, is very tender.

So that makes a very, very  good dish.

In the southern China during the New Year's Eve or the New Year's Day, people  use this kind of thing to represent guan.

Guan means getting together.

In Chinese,  word means people getting together, the family get together.

Friends get together to  enjoy the friendship, things like that.

That's why it is popular at that time.

Now, this is  not commonly served in the in the restaurant, because it takes so long to do it, and then you  have to order, wait another time, and then it's a little oily.

You are not quite familiar with  that.

And that's the dish that Mrs.

Nixon saw.

Other than that, now, we will take a look at the  cooking the pork hash now.

Right now, of course it's not done yet.

As you can see right over here,  it's about half done.

After all, as we say, yeah, for one pound, you need about half an hour.

So,  this is about half done.

Once it's done, then you will see a lot of water right around there.

You  see if there are too much juice, all you need to do before you serve, pour it out a little bit,  or use it on your plain steamed rice.

It would be really tasting good.

Now, if you want a little  shiny effect right before you serve, then you put it you touch a little bit with oil.

Sometimes  you have children at home, and then they are so curious, wanted to take a look and whatever, and  then they touch the hot plate.

So that would be a pretty bad situation.

So, all you need to do, you  use another platter.

You use another platter.

You take this out, put it right on the platter, like  this, then you take it out to the dining room so it would be very safe and very tasty.

This is  very simple dish, and I strongly recommend you try that, because it's very tasty, very easy to  make.

Next time, other than doing this dish, we will show you another very interesting dish.

So be  in tune with us, and until then, we say, joi gin.

(instrumental music)