All language subtitles for Eva.Paus.Asian.Kitchen.S01E06.1080p.web.h264-cbfm

seasoning or drizzling,
flavours that bind by Lee Kum Kee,

proud sponsor
of Eva Pau's Asian Kitchen.

My name is Eva, and I'm very
excited to welcome you

into my Asian Kitchen.

In this series,
I'll share the secrets behind

cooking authentic, fresh,
delicious Asian food at home.

Recipes to breathe a bit of fresh
air into your weekly meal plan.

I could eat this every day.

To me, food and family
are inseparable.

My mum and dad are from China,
but we've lived in Ireland since I

was one month old, so I'm
a true blend of East and West.

I grew up running around
my parents' supermarket,

so my life has always been
about food, food, food.

I'm not a professional chef,
but cooking is my passion.

So when I'm not working,
I'm at home experimenting

with food or thinking about it.

I collect cookbooks and read them
like other people read fiction.

I'm very lucky that I get to travel
to Asia a few times a year.

I visit my granny in Hong Kong,
who is still cooking at 93,

and I keep up
with all the food trends.

So join me as we recreate the
bold and vibrant flavours of Asia.

Today, it's all about
Asian light bites.

Snacky street food specialities that
come in delightful little parcels

that are packed full
of savoury goodness.

We have soft and fluffy bao buns
filled with sticky, sweet

five-spice pork belly.

An absolute winner.

Vegetable and pork-filled wontons
served in a delicious fragrant soup.

But first up, it's gyozas,
Japanese dumplings.

Dumplings of all
types are so popular now,

and you can buy them
pre-frozen and ready-made,

but we're going to
make fresh gyozas today.

But the good news is you can buy
frozen dumpling wrappers,

and these ones are
specifically thin for gyozas.

Defrost them just the
night before in the fridge,

and they turn out perfectly.

First up, our veg.

So we need some white cabbage.

I'm just going to roughly chop
them and add them to a blender.

Some onion, so you don't need
to chop them too finely.

A little bit of ginger.

So just a little piece
of ginger will do.

And then a small carrot.

Big chunks are fine.

And lastly, some scallion.

We're just going to blitz and
pulse it for a few seconds.

You don't want it to be too fine
because you still want a little bit

of texture in your gyozas.

That's the perfect texture I want.

And on to the chicken.

I'm using chicken thigh
meat again here.

I think it's just more succulent and
a little bit more flavoursome.

Again, just blitz it for a few
seconds to retain some bite.

OK, the texture is perfect.

Ready to add into our vegetables.

Now it's time to
marinate our mixture.

So into this, some light soy.

About two tablespoons.

Then a little bit of sesame oil to
give it a little bit of nuttiness.

Mirin is a sweet
Japanese cooking rice wine,

and we're going to
add in a tablespoon.

Mushroom powder.

It adds a little bit of umami
flavour to your mixture.

Bit of complexity.

Then some sugar.

A pinch of salt.

And some cornstarch as well.

So this just helps to bind
the mixture together.

This mixture is a great way to hide
the veggies into your dumplings.

Sometimes I add a little bit of
shiitake mushroom as well.

See how easy this is.

And our filling is done.

It's time to start
wrapping the gyozas.

Into your left hand, you're just
going to grab a gyoza wrapper,

and then we're going to put
a little bit of filling into it.

It's important not to overfill it.

So I'm going to put a
little bit on there.

About a teaspoon.

And then I'm going to rub the edges
of the wrapper with some water.

Secure the top of it, give it
a little pinch at the top.

And then I'm going to use my right
hand to make some nice

little crimps.

And because we're making gyozas
which are

going to be steam pan-fried,

I'm kind of creating
a little base for it.

So it's just simpler to pan-fry them
if you have a little base like this.

I make these with my
kids all the time.

They love getting stuck in,

and everybody kind of
has their own crimping style.

So it's quite fun trying to find
which dumpling was made by who.

I mean, really, you can
make it any way you want

as long as the
filling doesn't come out.

I often make these
ahead of time, freeze them,

and then cook them from frozen.
So quick and easy.

We're ready to steam pan-fry them.

Add a bit of oil into the pan.

I'm going to heat it
up, and in they go.

So I'm just going to pan-fry
it for about 2 minutes.

Basically, you really just want
to see that the base of it has

browned a little.

So I remember visiting Japan when
I was about 16 years old

with my mum
and my auntie.

And we went to this
really nice local restaurant

where they were
making fresh gyozas.

They had this gorgeous, crispy
base, and were just so juicy.

And I remember
mum saying that, yes,

the fresh ones are
just so different.

They are so much tastier and
fresher when they're just handmade.

I'm checking on my base here.

You can see that it's browned now.

So it's time to add in our water.

Now definitely grab a
lid at the same time.

A little bit of water.

To about a third of the
height of the dumpling.

And let that steam work its
magic to cook the dumpling.

Between 4 and 5 minutes
until the filling is cooked.

So I'm just going to
check on the gyozas.

You can see that there's just a
little bit more liquid left.

And that's when you
need to take off the lid

and let the last bit
of water evaporate.

OK, I'm happy with these.

They have a lovely golden,
crispy base on them.

I'm just going to set
them on a plate.

Presentation in Japanese
cooking is very important.

So I'm setting these in a
lovely round shape here.

Now it's time to make a
quick dipping sauce.

Light soy, 2 tablespoons.

A drop of sesame oil.

And now some white wine vinegar.

Just a tablespoon.

You can dip it in soy sauce,
but just add a little vinegar.

It really helps balance
out the gyoza.

Quick taste.

Mmm.

These are so good.

They have a lovely
crispy base, juicy filling.

These little parcels are just
packed full of flavour.

But be careful, you could
end up eating tons of them.

♪♪

Originating in China, the bao bun is
now a staple throughout Asia

and is very popular
here in Ireland too.

My next recipe is a two-for-one deal.

Bao buns and five-spice pork belly.

You're in for a treat.

Now there are two main
types of bao buns.

Both are very soft and fluffy.

The first type is a closed one
and the second is an open one.

And today we're making the open one.

So into our bowl, we're just going
to add some low-gluten wheat flour.

You can use plain flour, but I like
this flour because it is super fine

and it makes a really
nice fluffy bao bun.

And into that, some baking powder.

Instant dried yeast.

Tablespoon of sugar.

Pinch of salt.

Half a teaspoon.

Some cooking oil.

Warm water.

And some warm milk.

Now it really is key to try and
use the warm water and warm milk

because it helps to
combine the dough.

And then when you roll it out,
it'll be much easier to work with.

Give it a quick mix.

So it's best to work
on your counter top.

I'm going to turn my dough out.

It's a lovely springy, sticky dough.

You just want to knead it for two
to three minutes, not too long,

just to get it smooth.

OK, now we're just
going to roll it out.

I'm using a little dumpling
roller here.

That's about 3mm, ready to
cut out our bao buns.

So I have here an 11cm cutter.

Cut out little circles.

We just want to brush the
inside with a little bit of oil

because we don't
want them to stick.

And then we just fold them in half.

They might be looking quite flat now,
but they will double up in size.

This dough makes
approximately eight bao buns.

Of course you can use a smaller
cutter and make mini ones,

which I've also done before, and you
can make double the quantity.

Cover them with a tea towel

and let them prove for
one and a half to two hours.

Quick clean down, and then we're
going to start on our filling.

The braising liquid is
key to tender pork.

So light soy for our saltiness,
dark soy for colour,

some Chinese cooking wine,

so this is probably a new ingredient
that I haven't used yet,

but it's gorgeous.
It's called chu hou paste.

It's used a lot in Chinese
cooking and braising.

It's a five-spice paste.

So a tablespoon, and then some
Chinese rock sugar here.

It's less sweet, but it gives the
braising liquid a really nice sheen.

OK, give that a quick stir
with some water as well.

You need so much liquid because it
will be braising for about

45 to 50 minutes.

And of course the rock sugar
will dissolve completely.

Next, some ginger.

We're going to fry this with the
pork belly so that we can release

the aroma of the ginger.

Now onto our pork belly.

This is perfect for braising.

Chop them into two-inch chunks.

Quick hand wash.

Time to fire up our wok.

So we just want to add
a little drizzle of oil.

You don't need too much because
when you're frying the pork belly,

it will release its own oil.

So first we're going to
add in the ginger.

You want to release the
aroma of the ginger.

Then in goes the pork belly.

The ginger is really releasing its
warm, spicy, musky sweetness.

Such a gorgeous smell.

So all you want here is to brown
both sides of the pork belly

before you add
in the braising liquid.

So at this stage, we're going
to add in the cinnamon sticks

and star anise.
Give it a quick stir.

I just want to release the flavours
of the cinnamon and star anise

before we add in our braising liquid.

Smells amazing already.

Lid on, and you want to simmer
that for 45 to 50 minutes

so that watery liquid is going
to turn into a gorgeous, sticky,

thick, sweet sauce.

So now we have our bao buns proving
and our pork belly braising.

It's definitely time
for a cup of tea.

♪ (relaxed instrumental music)

Whether it's breakfast,
lunch, or a quick snack -

Chiu Chow it with Lee Kum Kee.

Proud sponsor of
Eva Pao's Asian Kitchen.

Lee Kum Kee, proud sponsor of
Eva Pao's Asian Kitchen.

♪ (jazzy piano)

Let's check on our bao buns.

They look perfect.

They've doubled in size.

We definitely don't want
to touch the bao buns

because they've been proving.

So cut the greaseproof paper.

And the steaming makes
all the difference.

It gives us that light,
fluffy bao bun.

Let that steam for eight
minutes and rest for five.

Gives me time to prepare
some garnishes.

First up, some coriander.

Fresh parsley or
Thai basil works too.

Next, crush some salted peanuts.

This will add a lovely, salty crunch.

Some red chilli.

This will add a bit of a chilli kick,
but also some nice colour.

Let's check on our pork.

Oh, that smell is amazing.

You get that lovely hit of
that five-spice chu hou paste.

And now you can see that the braising
liquid has really reduced down

to become a thick, glossy,
sweet and sticky sauce.

It's the perfect filling
for our bao buns.

Yes, the bao buns are done.

Time to assemble.

Into the bao bun,
add some pork belly.

Gorgeous, thick piece.

Garnish with a little
bit of coriander.

Some chopped chilli.

And some crushed peanuts.

I'm going to go in for a quick taste.

The bao buns are light and fluffy,
and you get so much flavour from

the five-spice pork belly,
which has become so tender.

Then you get all the lovely
garnishes, the hit of the

fresh coriander,
the crushed peanuts.

It's just amazing.

♪♪

Where do you want to sit?

Where's Mrs. Deer?

Here.

Where's... Here!

(all laugh)

Wontons are an absolute
Hong Kong classic.

These little parcels of yumminess
will fill your heart with warmth,

and never more so than when they're
served in a glorious, clear,

fragrant soup.

OK, we'll start with the soup.

First up, we need to
peel some ginger.

I love this little teaspoon hack.

Now, nice, thin slices.

This will add lovely
warmth to your soup.

Some scallion, roughly
two-inch pieces.

But we'll start by browning
some chicken wings.

These add nutrition and flavour.

Add a litre of water, and then
our scallions and ginger.

Leave that to simmer for 25 minutes.

Let's start on our wonton fillings.

First, we need to chop a few prawns.

I have here some king prawns,

and I usually just like
to use the frozen ones.

These are peeled, deveined.

All the hard work is done for you.

And simple to defrost, just 4
minutes under running water.

Now, prawns and pork are probably a
very unusual combination,

but in Asia,
it's a very classic filling.

If you just use prawn, your filling
won't combine as well as if you

add in the minced pork as well.

I like my wontons
with a bit of a bite,

so I've kept my prawns
quite chunky, not too fine.

Let's get some water
chestnuts in there.

This will add such a nice
crunch to your wontons.

Now it's time to season.

Into this mixture, add a little bit
of light soy for the saltiness,

and also umami flavour.

A drop of sesame oil.

Teaspoon of sugar.

Some cornstarch to bind it together.

Bit of salt, not too much.

And then last but not least, a
little bit of white pepper.

Perfect.
Quick mix.

Okay, our mixture is done,
it's ready to wrap.

Again, frozen wrappers
are the way to go.

All you need to do is stick them
in the fridge the night before

or just keep them out of the
freezer for two or three hours

and they'll defrost pretty quickly.

So into the wonton, we're going
to add a teaspoon of mixture.

So it's really like
wrapping our dumplings,

but just a little bit different.

So the two corners,
fold that together,

and then you just crimp it like that.

So it's the four corners
meeting in the middle.

This is a great one to
get the kids involved

and get a production
line on the go.

Like when you're making ravioli,
you want to make sure that the

air bubbles are just out of the
mixture and then you're

crimping the edges so
that they're nicely stuck

so when you put
them into the water,

none of the water
seeps into your filling.

All done.

I'm just going to add
some water into my wok.

And we're just going to drop our
wontons into the hot water.

You notice that I'm using this little
spatula to just drop them in

and make sure that they're not
sticking to the bottom of the pot.

These will cook for
five to six minutes

and you'll know they're done
when the wontons float to the top.

Now while they're cooking, I'm
going to prep my pak choi.

All you want to do here is take off
the ends and chop it in half

and into our soup base.

Give it a little stir.

Time to season with salt
and some white pepper

because I definitely don't
want flecks of black pepper

in my clear soup.

OK, the wontons are ready.

They're floating at the very top.
It's time to plate up.

Next, our broth and pak choi.

The pak choi is a gorgeous,
bright green colour

and now we're just going
to ladle some soup over.

The smell really takes
me back to Hong Kong.

Garnish with some scallions
and we're ready to taste.

First, a little bit of the broth.

The broth is so warming.

You can really get that
ginger and scallion hit.

Now for the wontons.

Mmm.

There is great texture
from the wontons.

This whole bowl is
just like a warm hug.

♪♪

I really hope that
you've enjoyed this series,

learning to make some
of your favourite Asian dishes

and I hope that you've picked
up some new recipes too.

You can see that you really only need
three or four Asian pantry staples.

And you can make wonderful,
authentic Asian food at home.

But no matter what you cook

and whether it takes
minutes or hours to prepare,

it's really all about who you're
going to sit down and eat it with.

The conversations, the laughter,

the connections that
sharing food provides.

So I wish you many wonderful
meals with family and friends,

and have fun
with your cooking.

Bye for now.

All the recipes from today's episode
and this series are available at

rte.ie/food.

♪♪