Celebrity chef Ken Hom: Eating healthy Chinese

The most celebrated Chinese chef around talks obesity and stirfries, and reveals how he came to fame. By Jo Carlowe.

Top Celebrity Chef Ken Hom, 60, is a household name in Britain. His BBC TV shows and books have inspired millions of us to get out a wok and cook up Chinese culinary delights.

 

Irrepressible and relentlessly positive, Ken is a happy man, and yet today he is troubled by the growing obesity problem among the UK's children. He believes Chinese cuisine to be one of the world's healthiest and is a spokesman for the UK's Health Education Authority promoting healthy Chinese recipes. Here he talks about his life and influences and suggests it's never too late to change your eating habits...

 

Q You studied history of art at university and photographed medieval monuments throughout Europe. That's a far-cry from your later career as a chef. What influenced those choices?

 

A I started cooking at the age of 11. I was working in my uncle's Chinese restaurant in Chicago after school and at weekends. I would start at 6.30am peeling 50lbs of garlic, while all my friends were out having fun. My father passed away when I was only 8 months old, so my uncle invited me into the kitchen to help my mother as I was getting into trouble. He was a mentor father-figure to me. At the time though, I thought I didn't want to spend the whole of my life in a kitchen. When I went off to study I was trying to escape.

 

 

Q You wanted to escape from the kitchen, so how did you end up back in it?

 

A I went to university and didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I thought I might explore going into academia. I went to study in France. When I came back I was desperate for money, and so started to run adult cookery classes from my own home. It meant I could mix cooking while teaching about my culture. I had found my calling. The success of the classes led to chefs coming to take lessons and I was recommended to the Culinary Academy where I taught about 30 students at a time. Then I put my ideas into a book and the BBC approached me when they were looking for a chef to produce a new series.

 

 

Q Do you think it's a good idea to introduce children to the kitchen from a young age?

 

A Children should be introduced at a very young age. You have to use common sense and it's okay to explain that the knives are very sharp but there are plenty of things they can do such as plucking the ends off beans. Children don't respect food because they do not understand it - they are detached from it. We should teach children about things such as sustainable farming. I hate the way these big companies dictate to parents what children should eat. It is almost criminal to feed children all that sugar. Sugar is more addictive than heroine. We form our eating habits from a very young age. I am 60 and my weight has not changed in 40 years because I eat sensibly. I don't deny myself but there are things that I don't consume such as cola. I grew up on healthy food and I love vegetables.

 

 

Q But it's hard for parents to persuade their children to eat healthily. Do you have any tips for this? Do you have children yourself?

 

A No but I have a step-daughter but she is grown-up. Children in this country hate vegetables because they are boiled to death and are dreadful looking, so you can't blame them. It has to smell good - everything is about desire. If you stir-fry vegetables they become crunchy and sweet and they look colourful. Mothers often thank me for showing them how to cook vegetables in a way that their children will eat. You get colourful cereals to make them appealing, so why not do the same to veg?

 

 

Q What tip do you have for people who cook family meals day in and day out - how can they keep things interesting?

 

A People think that it is a labour to cook but you can cook things quickly that are also nutritious. Stir fries takes minutes to put together and you can even buy the vegetables pre-cut. It is good fast food and you can add things like noodles or rice cooked up with egg and chopped spring onions. You can also add leftovers which is good when families are squeezed by money and time.

 

 

Q How hard has it been introducing Chinese cooking to the British?

 

A According to a recent survey, Chinese food is the most popular cuisine in this country. Around six million of my woks have been sold here - what I don't know is how often they get used. Twenty-five years ago you couldn't get the ingredients you needed, so I used to have to suggest substitutes for some of my recipes, but these days you can get everything you need.

 

 

Q You describe Chinese food as being among the healthiest cuisine and yet it's often associated with being full of oil and sugar. So what makes you say it is healthy?

 

A British people often order all fried things - this comes from that fish and chip culture. Chinese people, however would never eat sweet and sour pork. Instead they order dishes such as steamed fish and stir-fried veggies.

 

 

Q So does that mean that the food in our Chinese restaurants is not always authentic? Is there an equivalent of, say, Chicken Tikka Masala, which is an English twist on Indian cuisine?

 

A Well prawn toast is an English invention, and fried crispy duck is nothing like the way it is done in China. But you do get authentic Chinese particularly in cosmopolitan areas.

 

 

Q It sounds as if the problem is to do with what we order. Is there any message about what we can do to be healthier?

 

A I'm very happy that chefs like Jamie Oliver are raising awareness about healthy eating. It pains me to see so much childhood obesity. Britain has the worst health in Europe as far as obesity goes and it can be prevented by good eating habits. The advice is to start early and not to wait until it is too late.

 

 

Q Do you cook at home or do you take a break and let your partner take over?

 

A I like to choose what I eat and how I like to cook it, I am selfish in that way. I have a place in the South West of France with a table that seats 14 people and it is a great pleasure for me to cook and then eat and drink with all my friends.

 

Ken Hom has just introduced the NutriWok available in two sizes, 31cm (RRP £35) or 35cm (£40); included is a recipe book and DVD featuring healthy recipes. Click here to buy

 

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