Lessons From a Chinatown Childhood

If you had a room like Ken Hom’s light-filled Berkeley kitchen, you might never leave the house.

Copper pots and iron skillets hang overhead; ladles and spoons frame the professional stove. A second stove is devoted solely to wok cookery. Wide nail polish-red counters provide plenty of work room; cookbooks are abundant; and jars and bottles of spices, condiments and herbs lie within easy reach. It’s enough to make you want to roll up your sleeves and get cooking.

But on this winter afternoon, a few short minutes after he bicycled home from lunch at Chez Panisse, Hom is packing his bags. He won’t see his magnificent kitchen for months (though a lucky housesitter will).

Indeed, Hom estimates that he is on the road 60% of the year. Don’t feel too sorry for him, though: A good portion of that time is spent in his house in a French village, and pictures of that kitchen reveal that this guy must rarely just make do when he cooks a home meal.

Americans know Hom for his numerous Chinese cookbooks and his classes at the California Culinary Academy and other spots around the country. He is a respected, modestly well-known food personality; his lavishly illustrated “Chinese Technique” is considered a classic. In Great Britain, however, Hom is a full-on phenomenon, as well known there as the Frugal Gourmet is here.

His two BBC cooking series--1984’s “Ken Hom’s Chinese Cookery” and 1996’s “Ken Hom’s Hot Wok”--aired in prime time and took Britain by storm. The BBC companion cookbook to his “Chinese Cookery” series sold a blockbuster 500,000 copies.

In his “Hot Wok” series, filmed partly in his Berkeley kitchen, Hom took his portable burner and well-seasoned wok on the road and into the homes and workplaces of an eccentric collection of personalities. For Terry Waite, who described to Hom his favorite meal during his five years of captivity in Lebanon (a simple baked potato), he made Burmese-style chicken curry. For the Newcastle Warriors ice hockey team he made chicken wings with black bean sauce--while standing on the ice. For John Cleese on the set of “Fierce Creatures” he made vegetarian beggar’s purses and for a couple of Hawaiian-shirt-clad San Francisco taxi drivers he made stir-fried halibut and spinach with garlic. The unspoken message of the series: a wok in every kitchen, no matter who you are.

For his newest series, scheduled to debut next month in Britain and possibly this spring on PBS, Hom traveled to six countries in search of Asian food in all its permutations.

Certainly it can be said that Hom leads a glamorous life. His childhood, in contrast, was quite humble. Born in Tucson, Ariz., Hom moved with his mother to Chicago’s Chinatown after his father died in 1950, leaving the two with very little money.

Hom’s world, separated at the time from the rest of the city by segregation, became an eight-block neighborhood where he spoke only Cantonese until he went to public school and where he lived in a tiny apartment across the hall from a bookie who cured his own Chinese sausages. At age 11, Hom went to work after school and on weekends in his uncle’s Cantonese restaurant, where there were two distinct menus, one for Chinese customers and one for Americans.

This world is the subject of his latest book, “Easy Family Recipes From a Chinese-American Childhood” (Knopf, 1997; $27.50). In it, Hom writes that he rarely felt deprived as a child. There was wonderful food, for one thing.

“My mother’s skill in the kitchen,” Hom writes, “provided more than physical sustenance. It gave me a sense of security, and it has left me with a stockpile of memories more enduring than any material possessions.”

In the quiet of his kitchen, his bags packed for Europe and waiting in the front hall, Hom talked about his memories and the life he has made for himself since leaving Chinatown.

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Question: In your newest book, you talk quite openly about the widespread practice of Chinese restaurants having two menus, one with chop suey and chow mein and the other with wonderful fresh fish and seasonal vegetables. Today, most non-Chinese eaters are eager to try everything on both sides of the menu. How did you view the differences between Chinese and non-Chinese diners during your childhood?

Answer: When I was growing up, there was such a huge cultural gap between the Americans and the Chinese. Chinese were seen as heathens, as Communists. Our status was very low. Chinatown was, of course, viewed as this mysterious place of dark alleys and Charlie Chan. It was an American entree into the exotic. You went to a Chinese restaurant for something that you couldn’t get at home. But at the same time, the food couldn’t be too different. Everything had to be fried. No one ever asked what was on the untranslated side of the menu in those days.

Q: How do you decide what to eat in a Chinese restaurant?

A: I never order from the menu at a Chinese restaurant. I ask, “What’s fresh? What’s going on?” I think there’s still a cultural barrier where an American walks through the door of a Chinese restaurant and what’s beaming on top of his head is: sweet-and-sour pork, fried rice, spring rolls. It’s a cultural stereotyping on our part too.

Q: You left Chicago’s Chinatown when you were 20 to go to college at Berkeley. Since then, your life has changed dramatically. What compelled you to leave?

A: Chinatown, even today, is a very closed world. People stay because they feel safe there. What propelled me out was my interest in a bigger world. At the same time, I still feel my roots are there in the Chinese community. When I went back to Chicago recently, my mother made me bitter melon soup, which I love. Foods like that provide an anchor for my life.

I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing if it weren’t for what she gave me, which is how to appreciate things. She taught me to eat and to enjoy my life. I think that’s terribly important.

And as I came of age in Berkeley and went through every conceivable political movement searching for my identity as an Asian American, I never did anything that I thought would bring shame upon my family and my mother.

I remember going to a store in downtown Chicago when I was a kid and seeing these wonderful objects on the counter. We were very poor, so I took some things. They didn’t prosecute me because I was very young and didn’t take anything of real value. But my mother was so ashamed.

It’s interesting that instead of hitting me or shouting at me, she came home every day at 5 o’clock, made the meal and then wouldn’t eat it. Instead, she’d sit in the corner and cry the whole night. She did that for one week. And after that I said I will never ever steal again. Talk about guilt.

Q: You first went to Hong Kong in 1975. Tell me how that trip changed your view of yourself and your culture.

A: I was euphoric. It’s very hard to describe in words what I felt the minute I stepped off the plane. I’d never been in a place where I was in the majority. It was so wonderful to see everybody look like me, speaking a language I understood. Here I was in this sophisticated city, as cosmopolitan as Paris or London, where everyone was extremely well-educated. It was mind-blowing, really.

Coming back, I realized we have many things to contribute to the American experience. One of the things I think I’ve finally come to terms with is being a hyphenated American. I feel richer because of it--I’ve had my foot in two cultures. And I think Chinese American is one of the world’s great fusion cuisine.

Q: One of the benefits of living in two cultures is getting to celebrate two sets of holidays. In your new book you include a Chinese-style Thanksgiving turkey stuffed with sticky rice, which, incidentally was voted one of the Top Ten recipes of 1997 by our Food staff.

A: Thanksgiving was a funny kind of occasion because, No. 1, you had to deal with such a big bird, like something radioactive. It barely fit in our oven. We felt odd eating it because it’s so un-us, so un-Chinese. We didn’t equate ourselves with pilgrims. But that turkey was my Thanksgiving. And, you know, I couldn’t believe how many Chinese American friends had the same Thanksgiving that I did. Amy Tan’s mother used to make that turkey. It’s almost scary that we’ve all shared the same sorts of experiences. A lot of Chinese Americans have come up to me and said, “My God, this is like the food we ate. This is what we went through. This is what we thought about things.”

Christmas was always a strange holiday too. We had a little tree sitting on top of the Admiral refrigerator and that was the extent of our Christmas.

Our main event was Chinese New Year. That we really celebrated. It was like Christmas for me. You’d get packages of money and we’d always have one feast after another with foods we’d never see during other times of the year. For us, Chinese New Year was the occasion.

Q: You chose Los Angeles as one of the locations for your upcoming BBC series. Why?

A: We’re becoming a multicultural, multiethnic nation. And I see that as the hope of America. Not this right-wing sort of culture that is so intolerant of everything. I see America as a positive, thriving, open society. The positive thing about L.A.--which is what we filmed about--is how diversified it is. A lot of people look at L.A. and say, “Oh, it’s superficial, artificial.” But beneath it there are all these cultures percolating, and they make L.A. so rich. Why is Wolfgang Puck, who grew up in Austria, using Asian spices? It’s because he was in L.A. It could not happen anywhere else in the world.

Q: It’s becoming very clear that for you, food goes beyond simple sustenance.

A: I think through food, you can say a lot of things about life. There are some things I’m very aware of as a Chinese American--how different it is to be a minority in this country and how difficult it was to grow up. Now, am I going to be angry and look at it from a negative point of view or am I going to try to be positive about it through books? I mean, you can’t hate someone if you’ve eaten their food. I think that’s really really important.

So when people ask me what I’m really trying to do with my latest book, I think, if I can get people to use different ingredients and provide a glimpse into the way I grew up, perhaps it will lead to some understanding. Let’s all prosper and eat together. Let’s have one big meal.

ROAST PORK BELLY

Some dishes make us sigh with happiness. This is one. Its crisp layer of pork skin, like great chicharronnes, is wonderful, decadent eating and the tender meat underneath the skin is almost impossible to stop nibbling on. The recipe calls for the pork belly to be hung overnight on a meat hook, something we don’t have handy in The Times Test Kitchen. We improvised by using a clothes hanger. Don’t be intimidated by the overnight preparation time; the pork is extremely easy to cook and makes a terrific inexpensive party dish.

3 pounds boneless pork belly, with rind

1/4 cup kosher salt

2 tablespoons ground roasted Sichuan peppercorns

1 1/2 tablespoons five-spice powder

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon sugar

Pierce rind side of pork with sharp fork or knife tip until skin is covered with fine holes.

Insert meat hook (or clothes hanger) into pork to secure it. Bring 6 quarts water to boil. Hold pork over hot water with meat hook and ladle hot water over rind side of pork 5 to 6 times. Set pork belly aside.

Heat wok or skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Toss in salt, peppercorns, five-spice powder, black pepper and sugar and stir-fry until hot and well-mixed, 3 minutes. Cool slightly. When mixture is cool enough to handle, rub 2 to 3 tablespoons on flesh side of pork. Save remaining spice mixture for another use.

Hang meat to dry at least 8 hours or overnight in cool place or in front of fan.

Place pork, rind side up, on rack in roasting pan. Add 1 cup water to pan. Roast at 450 degrees 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 250 degrees and roast 1 hour. Increase heat to 350 degrees and cook 1 more hour. Increase heat to 450 degrees and cook 15 minutes. Remove pork from oven and let cool. Carve into bite-size pieces, arrange on platter and serve.

4 to 6 servings. Each of 6 servings:

279 calories; 1,289 mg sodium; 102 mg cholesterol; 13 grams fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 36 grams protein; 0.26 gram fiber.

CHOW MEIN: TRADITIONAL CHINESE STIR-FRIED NOODLES

Some of the most interesting recipes in Hom’s latest book are the ones that contrast the Americanized versions of Chinese dishes like egg foo young and chop suey with the original dishes they were trying to imitate. Here, Hom gives a traditional version of chow mein, which means “stir-fried noodles.” Hom says the dish is most popular in South China where it’s served in street food stalls, cafes and noodle shops. Notice that stir-frying is completely bypassed in the Chinese American version of chow mein.

1/2 cup Chinese dried black mushrooms

3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin shreds

1 egg white

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 cup peanut oil

1 pound fresh thin Chinese egg noodles

3 green onions, finely shredded on diagonal

1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

Soak mushrooms in warm water to cover 20 minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess liquid. Remove and discard stems. Slice caps into thin strips.

Mix chicken with egg white, 1/2 teaspoon salt, white pepper and cornstarch in small bowl and refrigerate at least 20 minutes.

Heat wok until very hot, then swirl in oil. When oil is very hot, remove wok from heat and immediately add chicken pieces, stirring vigorously to prevent sticking. When chicken pieces turn white, about 2 minutes, quickly drain chicken and oil in stainless-steel colander set in bowl. Discard all but 2 tablespoons oil.

Blanch noodles in large pot of salted boiling water 3 minutes. Drain noodles well and set aside.

Reheat wok and reserved 2 tablespoons oil. Toss in noodles, mushrooms and green onions and stir-fry 3 minutes. Add chicken, rice wine, light and dark soy sauces, remaining 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper and continue to stir-fry 2 more minutes. Pour in oyster sauce and stir-fry 2 more minutes. Place noodles on platter and serve at once.

4 servings. Each serving:

610 calories; 2,452 mg sodium; 37 mg cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 113 grams carbohydrates; 19 grams protein; 1.74 grams fiber.

CHOW MEIN: THE CHINESE AMERICAN VERSION

The noodles are deep-fried in advance, allowed to dry, then ladled with simmering sauce and whatever meats and vegetables are on hand. Hom says this technique came about because “the first Chinese restaurateurs quickly learned that most Americans don’t like to wait for their food.”

1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into shreds lengthwise

1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon light soy sauce

3 teaspoons Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 1/2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 cup Chinese dried black mushrooms

3/4 pound fresh thin Chinese egg noodles

2 cups peanut oil

1 tablespoon water

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/4 pound fresh water chestnuts, peeled and sliced, or 4 canned water chestnuts, sliced

1/4 pound snow peas, trimmed

2 green onions, cut diagonally into 2-inch pieces

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup homemade chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth

3 tablespoons oyster sauce

Marinate chicken in 1 teaspoon light soy sauce, 1 teaspoon rice wine, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil and 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch at least 20 minutes at room temperature.

Soak mushrooms in warm water 20 minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess liquid. Remove and discard stems. Slice caps into thin strips.

Blanch noodles in pot of salted boiling water. Drain well and separate noodles on tray to cool.

Heat wok or large skillet over high heat until hot and swirl in peanut oil. When oil is very hot and slightly smoking, deep-fry noodles until brown and crispy, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and drain well on paper towels. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons oil. Transfer fried noodles to large platter.

Mix remaining 2 teaspoons cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water. Set aside.

Reheat wok and oil. When hot, add garlic and stir-fry 10 seconds. Add chicken and stir-fry 2 more minutes. Toss in celery, mushrooms, water chestnuts, snow peas and green onions and stir-fry 1 minute. Add remaining 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, remaining 2 teaspoons rice wine, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, sugar, chicken broth and oyster sauce. Bring mixture to simmer and cook 1 minute. Add cornstarch mixture in slow drizzle, stirring constantly. When sauce has slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes, stir in remaining 2 teaspoons sesame oil. Pour over noodles and serve at once.

4 servings. Each serving:

577 calories; 1,948 mg sodium; 115 mg cholesterol; 16 grams fat; 84 grams carbohydrates; 22 grams protein; 2.32 grams fiber.

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Books by Ken Hom

Ken Hom’s latest cookbook is “Easy Family Recipes From a Chinese-American Childhood” (Knopf, 1997; $27.50). Also by Hom: “Chinese Technique,” “Ken Hom’s Chinese Cookery,” “Ken Hom’s Illustrated Chinese Cookery,” “Ken Hom’s East Meets West Cuisine,” “Asian Vegetarian Feast,” “Fragrant Harbor Taste: The New Chinese Cooking of Hong Kong,” “Ken Hom’s Quick and Easy Chinese Cooking,” “The Taste of China,” “Cooking of China,” “Ken Hom’s Chinese Kitchen,” “Ken Hom Cooks Chinese,” “Ken Hom’s Asian Ingredients,” “Ken Hom’s Hot Wok.”