Kylie Kwong: Simply Magic, Discovery Home Channel

[hzrt8w]

By chance I saw a program on Discovery Home Channel last night:

Kylie Kwong: Simply Magic. Episode: Shanghai Heart

Has anybody else seen it? What do you think of it?

I think it is pretty interesting. In this episode, Kylie visited Shanghai and tried some street/home cooking food. When she got back to her studio, she presented the recipe to reproduce what she tried in China (or something similar).

There were 3 featured recipes in "Shanghai Heart":

Hot and Sour Cucumbers

Soy Sauce Duck

Deep-Fried Silken Tofu with Sichuan Pepper and Salt

(Recipe details can be found here)

I can't agree with eating Soy Sauce Duck like Peking duck - with pan cakes, green onions, cucumber and hoisin sauce. It tastes very different. The skin from soy sauce duck is very soft, chewy and fatty. Not the kind of skin I like to eat. But I learned a couple of things from her show.

Check out the link above (at the top) for airtime of she shows.

Coincidentally, I found Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" on the Travel Channel last night. He went to Beijing and Chungdu. Quite funny.

Edited October 1, 2006 by hzrt8w (log)

[tug]

I've seen her. I love the way she says "cheeeekin"

Her show also started a debate in tugsworld about shallots vs. scallions

[joesan]

I quite like her recipes. But one series of her shows, not sure if it is this particular one, has the most annoying soundtrack music. It is really intrusive saxophone based stuff. I love music but find it disturbing when producers add it to cooking programmes to make them more "lifestyle".

[canucklehead]

I've seen a number of episodes - and unfortunately alot of repetition sets in. And her 'reinterpretations' can stray very far away from the orignal inspiration. She gets stuck in this scallions (or 'chinese shall-ots' as she calls them), red chili peppers, vinegar, fish sauce rut in everything she cooks.

I agree with Joesan that there is too much emphasis on lifestyle and making Chinese food more exotic and mysterious then it needs to be.

Someone needs to turn hzrt8w's home cooking pictorials into quick TV segments - simple, accessible, and delicous - way more than Kylie achieves in her half hour.

[hzrt8w]

I've seen a number of episodes - and unfortunately alot of repetition sets in.  And her 'reinterpretations' can stray very far away from the orignal inspiration.  She gets stuck in this scallions (or 'chinese shall-ots' as she calls them), red chili peppers, vinegar, fish sauce rut in everything she cooks.

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Thanks for the kind words Lee.

I have only seen that one episode (Shanghai Heart). You are right. I found it odd that she put "fish sauce" in to make the pickled cucumber - supposedly learned from Shanghai home cooking. Since when did Chinese start using fish sauce in everything?

[Seitch]

I enjoy her show. While her recipies may not be traditional, it's interesting to see old recipes with a new spin.

[prasantrin]

I've seen a few of her shows, though I'm not sure if I saw her "Simply Magic" shows or another of her series. I didn't really care for her as a TV personality, and the food in the few shows I caught didn't really float my boat, either. I can't remember why, though. I just remember not wanting to eat any of it.

[XiaoLing]

I have only seen that one episode (Shanghai Heart).  You are right.  I found it odd that she put "fish sauce" in to make the pickled cucumber - supposedly learned from Shanghai home cooking.  Since when did Chinese start using fish sauce in everything?  

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I just saw this episode too. It's interesting but I agree that soy sauce duck is definitely not an equal substitude for peking duck. Texture is completely different.

And I was also equally disturbed when she stated that Shanghainese cooks use sichuan peppercorn in a lot of their cooking as well as fish sauce. Not true at all.

I have watch a few of her shows and I honestly don't care for her tv personality. And the background music sounds like bad elevator or porn music. Oops...did I just say that out loud??

Edited October 2, 2006 by XiaoLing (log)

[sanrensho]

As others have mentioned, I get the impression that her cooking is "reinterpreted" or possibly "dumbed down."

I will watch the segments of her show that take place in China, but that is more travelogue material.

[Adam Balic]

FYI. In Sydney (and the rest of NSW) it is common to hear people call spring onions/scallions "shallots". They also tend to use the word "eschalot" for shallot. Scallion/shallot/eschalot have the same root meaning and as long as you know what the people are refering to, it doesn't really matter.

[JasonZ]

Someone needs to turn hzrt8w's home cooking pictorials into quick TV segments - simple, accessible, and delicous - way more than Kylie achieves in her half hour.

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I haven't seen this particular program, but I couldn't agree more that An Leung's simple recipes, beautifully photographed and described, make up some of the best instruction in Chinese cuisine that I've seen or received ... and that brings up an interesting idea ...

The Italian section of eGullet has a "The Cuisine of ..." series that covers a different region of Italy each month. This month (just beginning) it is Umbria. Last month it was Campania, and the month before Sicily. Each month begins with a list of recognized classical cookbooks for the region (or websites), followed by descriptions and photos of food cooked from the region. There is active participation from eGulleteers who live in the region, so you may get local variations, a sense of the markets, the geography ... a wonderful, intense exposure to the country and the cuisine. Italy has been doing this for almost 2 years. ... would anyone be interested in doing this for Chinese cuisine? I'm sure we could learn and teach each other a great deal ... and, as with Italy, as we progress, more people will join and more knowledge will flow ...

What are your thoughts?

[hzrt8w]

... would anyone be interested in doing this for Chinese cuisine? I'm sure we could learn and teach each other a great deal ... and, as with Italy, as we progress, more people will join and more knowledge will flow ...

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I would! I would!!!

Oh... I need to live in the region... I only live in a cow town now. I feel that I am in exile.

[XiaoLing]

OOOOOO...I would too!!!

Maybe I will start a thread on my native region Wuhan, Hubei. I have tons of pics and food descriptions.

[Pan]

OOOOOO...I would too!!! 

Maybe I will start a thread on my native region Wuhan, Hubei.  I have tons of pics and food descriptions. 

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Now that's a cuisine that doesn't seem to have traveled outside of China. I'd love to know more about Hubei cuisine!

[XiaoLing]

It's actually very similar to sichuan cooking but we do not use peppercorns. Wuhan is actually very famous for their street side delights and "breakfast" foods as well as their famous WuChang fish.

I will definitely gather up all my pics and start a new thread on Wuhan cuisine.

[Dejah]

It's actually very similar to sichuan cooking but we do not use peppercorns.  Wuhan is actually very famous for their street side delights and "breakfast" foods as well as their famous WuChang fish. 

I will definitely gather up all my pics and start a new thread on Wuhan cuisine.

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That's wonderful! I'll look forward to this thread as I don't know anything about Wuhan cuisine.

Please include recipes.

[canucklehead]

Someone needs to turn hzrt8w's home cooking pictorials into quick TV segments - simple, accessible, and delicous - way more than Kylie achieves in her half hour.

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I haven't seen this particular program, but I couldn't agree more that An Leung's simple recipes, beautifully photographed and described, make up some of the best instruction in Chinese cuisine that I've seen or received ... and that brings up an interesting idea ...

The Italian section of eGullet has a "The Cuisine of ..." series that covers a different region of Italy each month. This month (just beginning) it is Umbria. Last month it was Campania, and the month before Sicily. Each month begins with a list of recognized classical cookbooks for the region (or websites), followed by descriptions and photos of food cooked from the region. There is active participation from eGulleteers who live in the region, so you may get local variations, a sense of the markets, the geography ... a wonderful, intense exposure to the country and the cuisine. Italy has been doing this for almost 2 years. ... would anyone be interested in doing this for Chinese cuisine? I'm sure we could learn and teach each other a great deal ... and, as with Italy, as we progress, more people will join and more knowledge will flow ...

What are your thoughts?

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JasonZ

That is a brilliant idea - the regional variations in Chinese food are amazing - but like Italian food - the cuisine on the whole is grounded in a supreme respect for the ingredient and freshness.

Wuhan cuisine as the first stop!? Excellent. I can't wait.

And Hzrt8's pictorials highlight the Chinese cuisine that I grew up with - homestyle Cantonese using westcoast ingredients. Certainly a viable variation in its own right.

[hzrt8w]

I think I need to make some video clips to host my own show and post them on YouTube. But I need a cameraman! It's hard to chop a chicken with one hand holding the camcorder!

[Tepee]

Use a tripod or your other half.

Edited October 6, 2006 by Tepee (log)

[hzrt8w]

Today I saw my second episode of Kylie Kwong's program on Discovery Home:

Kylie Kwong: Simply Magic. Episode: New Shanghai

The show did a little bit of her food adventure in Shanghai, and then zoom in to her recipe demos in the studio. I wish they would air more of the former. The 3 featured recipes:

Crispy Prawn Wontons with Sweet Chilli Sauce

Chinese Iceberg Lettuce Salad

Sweet and Sour Pork

(The complete recipes here)

They showed her eating jian bao (round potstickers) in Shanghai. How that inspired her to make Deep-fried wonton with shrimp filling (no pork). I don't know.

She ate some salad on the side in Shanghai (I think the total airtime of her food adventure on this was something like 15 seconds), then it inspired her to make Chinese Iceberg Lettuce Salad.

She saw some appentice rolling marinated pork in flour to prepare for sweet and sour pork... then it inspired her to make sweet and sour pork! (That makes sense.)

You guys are right!... she puts sichuan peppercorn in everything... grind that and sprinkle on your "Chinese" salad. And fish sauce... "Sweet Chilli Sauce" for sweet and sour pork.

I want to watch all 8 episodes! So I can find something to write about...

Edited October 16, 2006 by hzrt8w (log)

[prasantrin]

Did anyone notice that Kylie Kwong's restaurant, Billy Kwong, made it to R. J. Apple's list of "restaurants worth hopping on a plane for"? It's in his last New York Times article here (you may have to register to read it). Given his love of good food, that must speak positively about her cooking (even though what I've seen from her TV show doesn't quite strike my fancy).

[hzrt8w]

Did anyone notice that Kylie Kwong's restaurant, Billy Kwong, made it to R. J. Apple's list of "restaurants worth hopping on a plane for"?  It's in his last New York Times article here (you may have to register to read it). 

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I don't know how many prawn wontons and how many cups of Mau Tai Kylie had fed him to cause him write that.

I don't think those cookings, as shown on her TV show, would get me to hop on a plane for any time soon. Especially that it's a >20 hour flight from North America. Vancourver would be a much better choice for me.

Kylie's recipes seem mostly Chinese "inspired", as she kept reiterating that in her show. I won't be expecting to see an illustration of the traditional Chinese recipes. Most are "her version" of something.

Edited October 23, 2006 by hzrt8w (log)

[hzrt8w]

I watched my third episode of Kylie's show last night:

Simply Magic: Hong Kong Food Craze

(The schedule on Discovery Home channel is on Saturday 6:30 pm and 9:30 pm PDT.)

This episode featured 3 recipes (plus some humorous entertainment towards the end):

Soy Sauce Eggs

White Cooked Chicken

Stir-Fried Noodles

(Recipes can be found here)

I do like what I saw in this episode. Well... 2 out of 3. The Soy Sauce Eggs and White Cooked Chicken are good. Though I would add some star anise and clove to the Soy Sauce Eggs, and star anise to the White Cooked Chicken. Rather than pouring smoking oil on the ginger/green-onion/soy sauce itself, I would lay the ginger/green-onion on top of the chicken, pour the smoking oil on top, then finish it with splashing the light soy sauce. Or if you want the sauce separate, pour the smoking oil onto the ginger/green-onion by themselves first, then pour in the soy sauce (not before).

I don't think much of the Stir-Fried Noodles. She laid sliced chilies and sprinkle sesame on top. It looks more like a Pad Thai than Chinese Stir-Fried rice noodle.

[joesan]

I think the bottom line is that it is more chinese "influenced" than authentic. In that respect it's like a lot of the food I've had in Australia - it's very much their own take on the cuisines of their ancestors - not for the scholars of authenticity but enoyable and served with a generousity of spirit that I like and enjoyed greatly.

[hzrt8w]

I watched another episode of Kylie's show last night:

Simply Magic: Episode 5: Europe in the Far Eat

(The schedule on Discovery Home channel is on Saturday 6:30 pm and 9:30 pm PDT.)

On the web site, this episode was supposedly featuring 3 recipes:

Fried Rice

Stir-fried Cucumber with Black Cloud Fungus

Deep-fried Chicken Wings

(Recipes can be found here)

But what they aired was different from recipes in the website. There was no Fried Rice illustrated. Instead of Deep-Fried Chicken Wings, Kylie illustrated deep-fried snapper with Sichuan Pepper and Salt.

My thoughts:

The Stir-Fried Cucumber with Black Cloud Fungus looked pretty good. But the addition of sliced red chilis (why?) seems to kill the harmony of this dish - which is typically a mellow, vegetable dish. (Why add the chilis?)

The Deep-Fried Snapper came in as a little bit odd. Fresh ginger, green onion and red chili slices were added on top of the fried snapper, while the Sichuan peppercorn and salt mixture (again) is set on the side. The style that I am used to is the addition of smoking hot oil onto the ginger/green-onion/chili mix with a splash of soy sauce (as with steamed fish), or just the "dried" salt-and-pepper mix with the deep-fried fish. Maybe her version would taste better? I haven't tried it. Has anybody?