- 1 year ago
The Food Truck NZ - S03E09 - German order
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00:00Chef Michael van der Elzen is taking to the streets of New Zealand for a tiki tour of
00:07taste buds.
00:08His goal?
00:09To transform some of the world's most popular fat-filled dishes into healthy gourmet truck
00:13food.
00:14If that's not enough flavour, then I'm doing something seriously wrong.
00:19This time on The Food Truck...
00:21It's for the Germans.
00:22Michael rubs up against German food...
00:24There we go, skinless bratwurst sausage.
00:27And hunts out the perfect pork.
00:29If I was to take that fat out...
00:31You might as well chew cardboard.
00:33Can Michael create a new and improved German cuisine and still deliver the taste and value
00:38discerning Kiwi's demand?
00:40Find out on The Food Truck.
00:47German food is a lot like German humour.
00:49The Germans love it and nearly everybody else doesn't really get it.
00:53And this, you're talking about sausages, which everybody understands and some people find
00:57humorous.
00:58German food.
00:59German food means sausages.
01:01Actually, that's all I've got.
01:04And some sauerkraut.
01:07But wait a minute.
01:09The Germans are responsible for some of the world's most popular and enduring fast foods.
01:14Hamburgers came from Hamburg, the hot dog concept was invented in Germany, and let's
01:18not forget pretzels.
01:20This should be easy.
01:22Okay, so there's a lot more to German food than just sausages and sauerkraut.
01:28But here in New Zealand, you wouldn't really know that.
01:31In fact, I'm struggling to find any German eateries at all.
01:34It's going to be a long day.
01:37Hopefully, Michael finds something because in less than a week, he's expected at the
01:41Auckland Beer Festival, where he'll be serving up his own healthier take on German food and
01:46he needs ideas from somewhere.
01:48There's got to be some place.
01:51After hours of fruitless searching and a growing gas bill, Michael is willing to try almost
01:56anything, as long as it's German.
01:58So give me the most German thing you've got.
02:00Alrighty, great, so that would be a sausage in a bread roll.
02:02It's very similar to currywurst back in Germany.
02:04Currywurst is the most popular sausage dish in Germany.
02:08Sausage with curry sauce over the top.
02:10It's called a currywurst.
02:12Actually, Michael, the W in German is pronounced as a V.
02:15I think you mean currywurst.
02:16So for the sausage itself, it's called a bratwurst, which is a super German sausage.
02:19Wurst!
02:20Made out of pork.
02:21It's a beautiful sausage, but it's very mellow.
02:23There is a sour note.
02:25It's so German.
02:26I've got to try and replicate it somehow without the salt.
02:29Time for another German classic.
02:31Michael's trying schnitzel.
02:33Emphasis on the trying.
02:35Am I nice having a few issues with this?
02:37Come on, come on, cut through there.
02:40It's so dry and so cooked within an inch of its life.
02:46Are there any birds?
02:47I think even a seagull would have a problem getting through that.
02:50On Ponsonby Road, Michael finds a better class of schnitzel,
02:54and it's all about the meat.
02:56Oh, fantastic.
02:58Let's try some of this schnitzel.
03:01It's unlike the last schnitzel.
03:03This is beautiful because they're using veal,
03:05which is what they're traditionally supposed to use.
03:07And so this just falls apart in your mouth.
03:10I must have used quite a bit of butter, because I taste a lot of butter in this.
03:13But I can't do that in the food truck.
03:15Veal is fantastic, but it's so expensive.
03:18I've got to stick to what Germans love, which is pork,
03:21which is also a lot cheaper.
03:23But I need to find a pork that is good.
03:25Clearly, the secret to a good sausage or a good schnitzel is good meat,
03:29i.e., good pigs.
03:31So Michael has gone in search of the tastiest hog he can find,
03:35and he's convinced its owner is most probably this man.
03:38Morning, Jonathan. Welcome to Soggy Bottom.
03:40Jonathan Walker runs Soggy Bottom Holdings,
03:43an organic and free-range pig farm in Narrowohia.
03:46Look at these little kiddies.
03:48Hello, piggy-piggies.
03:50The thing I love about pigs, it's not just the animals,
03:52but it's the pork. It's the king of meats.
03:55If Jonathan was a peter, he'd be a meat lover's.
03:58You've got all the fresh cuts, the chops and the fillets and the ribs and the roasts,
04:03and then you get the cured meats like the bacon and the ham and the prosciutto.
04:08And there's the head meat you can use for brawns and the tongs to pickle.
04:12There's no waste. It's just so versatile.
04:16Yep, pigs are the Dan Carter of the meat world.
04:19But how do you produce a healthy and tasty Dan Carter?
04:22You hear it time and time again. Free-range pigs, they taste better.
04:25They're better for you.
04:27The fact that they do grow slower allows the meat to develop that flavour.
04:30Free-range pigs have been outside with access to sunshine and grass and so on.
04:35It's a case of you get out what you put in.
04:38Today, it's Italian.
04:40We're just gonna feed them a bit of mozzarella here.
04:42They're rather partial to this.
04:44They get cheese, they get a grain-based pellet, pumpkin, apples.
04:49Just keep it as varied as possible.
04:51It's just all those things combined.
04:53And of course, they're very happy.
04:55And a happier pig is a tastier pig.
04:58So these, I'll go to the abattoir in the next couple of weeks.
05:01I take them there myself and they're killed and the carcasses are brought back to my butchery
05:06and then I do the processing.
05:08Yes, even a happy pig's life must meet a sticky end.
05:12But at least these pigs get to live twice as long as their factory-farmed friends
05:15who get just three months.
05:17Damn cute, aren't they, really?
05:19Oh, they're great. They're real characters.
05:21This must be a pretty hard sort of end of your job where you have to say goodbye to them.
05:25Oh, it can be. They know that that's their job.
05:27They're all vying to make the best bacon.
05:29They tell me that.
05:31I want to be best dad. When are we going on the road trip, dad?
05:34And here's some pigs that have reached the end of the road.
05:37Look at this. Most people have a man cave.
05:39You've got your own butchery.
05:41This is definitely my man cave. I spend hours and hours in here.
05:44Jonathan's a man who really knows his pigs inside out.
05:47Pigs are a fattier animal. That's why the meat tastes so good.
05:51That's why it's the king of meats.
05:53They've got more fat, different types of fat.
05:55You've got the dry fat, you've got the hard, oily fat.
05:57All used for different purposes.
05:59What cut would best be suited for a schnitzel?
06:01It's the leg meat because it's leaner and that would make great schnitzel.
06:05I want to make a traditional German brett, like the white boiled sausage.
06:10Shoulder meat's great for sausages.
06:12It's got the fat in that you need.
06:14You cannot make good sausages from lean meat.
06:17The shoulder's got a really good balance of lean to fat.
06:20It will make you a good sausage.
06:22If I was to take that fat out and just go with the lean?
06:25You might as well chew cardboard.
06:27It'd be more satisfying.
06:29The danger of not using enough fat is that your sausage will go dry.
06:33So you'll need to replace the fat with something that will keep the moisture in
06:38and also give it flavour.
06:39Do you have any suggestions for replacing fat?
06:41You can add things like fruit jellies.
06:43What would be a German fruit?
06:44Apple.
06:45Pork and apple?
06:46Apple and cinnamon.
06:47Apple and cinnamon?
06:48Yep, that works well.
06:50Well, get in there.
06:51You can't make things out of lean meat.
06:53Promise me you put cinnamon.
06:54Okay, okay.
06:55It has to be one of the most universal meats.
06:57It does.
06:58All over the world, people love pork.
07:00Almost all over the world.
07:02I think Mike's onto a great thing with pork.
07:04It's such a versatile meat.
07:05You can do so much with it.
07:08You can use it fresh and make chops and steaks.
07:10I know I'm onto a good thing here because I know that Germans love their pork.
07:14It's sliced and stuffed.
07:16And the fact that I can use the whole pig.
07:18You can dice it, you can mince it.
07:20Gotta be a great thing.
07:21Boned and rolled shoulder.
07:23The problem is, I can't use that fat.
07:25The leg can be cut into steaks.
07:27Sausages, I have no idea what I'm going to do with sausages.
07:29I think it'd be great to see what he does.
07:31I know I'm onto a good thing when it comes to pork.
07:38Chef Michael van der Elzen
07:40is embracing one of the world's least regarded cuisines.
07:43Sauerkraut is so German.
07:45In just a few days, he's expected at Auckland's Beer Festival
07:48where German-leaning meat eaters
07:50will be presenting their enormous appetites
07:52and expecting the perfect accompaniment to their lagers.
07:57I think of Germans as perfectionists.
07:59So to test my German food, I need to test it on Germans.
08:02Where else in Auckland am I going to find Germans?
08:04They're at the Backpackers.
08:06The Uenuku Lodge is full of young and hungry backpackers
08:09and hopefully more than a few Germans.
08:12So Michael sets about making some tasty reminders of Deutschland
08:15beginning with a sausage.
08:17So today I want to try and make a classic German bratwurst sausage
08:20without any skin.
08:22A skinless sausage.
08:24But that's like a kraut without the sour.
08:26Or eyes without a face.
08:28Michael is using pork shoulder
08:30to which he'll be adding ground spices
08:32including white pepper, coriander, nutmeg,
08:35ginger, mustard, marjoram, and salt.
08:38For a little bit of sweetness, I'm going to add some liquid honey.
08:41Finally, I'm going to add a little bit of fruit.
08:43I'm going to go with dehydrated as opposed to fresh.
08:46Dehydrated fruit is less likely to break up in the cooking.
08:49And we just give this a good little mix in.
08:52In order to roll his skinless sausages,
08:54Michael is using greaseproof paper and clean film.
08:57It's quite a big sausage, but I am going to cut this up.
09:00There's only one way to cook a clean film sausage,
09:03and that's to poach it.
09:05There we go, skinless bratwurst sausage.
09:07Now I've just got to fry these.
09:09Michael's sausage might be going skinless,
09:11but it can't go without a sauce.
09:13So to go with my bratwurst sausage,
09:15I want to make a currywurst sauce.
09:17But I'm going to add some apple and some kiwi fruit into that sauce
09:20just to get more goodness into it.
09:22Oh, for goodness sake.
09:24The fruit goes into the pan with the onions and garlic,
09:27and of course, the all-important curry powder.
09:30This is my curry powder that I made at home.
09:32Oh, it's just so much better.
09:34Lastly, the even more important tomato.
09:36I kind of want to reduce all that tomato right down
09:39so it becomes concentrated.
09:41Into the blender, and a few moments later,
09:44Michael does his customary impression of a thirsty mouse.
09:48And his professional verdict is...
09:51Could do with a little bit more curry powder,
09:53just to give it that curry kick.
09:55Michael's next dish is a German classic
09:57made from the outside in,
09:59with the crust.
10:01For my schnitzel, what I want to try and achieve
10:03is a crust that is not only crunchy,
10:05but nutrient-dense.
10:07Michael's using baked sourdough bread,
10:09along with roasted almonds,
10:11wholemeal crackers, toasted sesame seeds,
10:13chopped parsley,
10:15and something called LSA.
10:17Which is a mixture of sunflower seeds,
10:19linseeds, and almonds.
10:21I think it's going to work really well with pork.
10:23Speaking of pork, after being sliced,
10:25the schnitzel needs to be flattened.
10:27I've figured out a way to make my schnitzel flat.
10:30It's quite ingenious.
10:32Chopping boards, Michael? Hardly ingenious.
10:34I'm just going to wrap this in a little bit of tape.
10:36All right, the gaffer tape's unconventional,
10:38but this is not exactly revolutionary, Michael.
10:40And now the important part is to apply weight.
10:43Lots of weight.
10:45Surely you're not going to...
10:47use the food truck as a giant rolling pin?
10:50Genius!
10:52This could go horribly wrong.
10:54Okay, here we go.
10:57This is for the Germans.
10:59This is not what the designers
11:01of the J1 Bedford had in mind.
11:03Come on, baby.
11:05It's like a giant trouser press for meat.
11:07Michael got this idea
11:09after he ran over a possum on State Highway 5.
11:11I don't know what happened there,
11:13but it didn't sound too good.
11:17My thick pieces of pork are now wafer thin.
11:20The only problem is,
11:22all the juice and all the moisture
11:24that was inside this pork
11:26is going to come out.
11:28After sensibly using the correct tool for the job,
11:31Michael applies his crusty mix.
11:33I'm going to use Dijon mustard as my paste.
11:35That's going to allow the crumbs to stick to it,
11:37plus also the mustard's going to lift the flavour of the pork.
11:40The meat is finished in the oven
11:42to bake in that crunchy finish,
11:44just in time for our first tasters.
11:46Do you happen to be from Germany?
11:48Yes, we are.
11:50Are you ready? I'm very excited.
11:52I'm actually serving German food.
11:54Dig into that. Let me know what you think.
11:56I like the crumbs.
11:58I think what you can do with the schnitzel
12:00is to crumb it very good,
12:02because this is the best,
12:04and to do it thin and juicy.
12:06This is very hard,
12:08because often I get a schnitzel
12:10that's very thin, very good, but very dry.
12:12Does this still remind you of schnitzel?
12:14It's more tasty than a normal schnitzel.
12:16Tasty is definitely what Michael is aiming for,
12:18but what about that crucial crunch?
12:20Does it taste like schnitzel?
12:22It's not the same, but it tastes really good.
12:24It's not a typical German schnitzel,
12:26but still really good.
12:28Not typical because?
12:30Because it doesn't have the crust
12:32that you normally get.
12:34It's usually very crispy.
12:36Would you normally have schnitzel with pork?
12:38Yes.
12:40That's normal?
12:42Yes, that's normal.
12:44And what would you normally have with that?
12:46Normally I'd have schnitzel with potato mash.
12:48Maybe some mashed potatoes.
12:51No, not with schnitzel.
12:53No?
12:55No.
12:57The consensus is clearly with mashed potatoes,
12:59though some are thinking outside the box
13:01when it comes to the meat.
13:03I think it would be really special
13:05to make it out of possum.
13:07Possum?
13:09Yeah, that would be really special New Zealand.
13:11I don't know what that would taste like though.
13:13There's no possum in Michael's breakfast,
13:15and most people seem to prefer it that way.
13:17It's a nice sausage, no doubt about that.
13:19I'm convinced.
13:21You don't look convinced.
13:23Seriously, I think it's nice.
13:25But what about that curry tomato sauce?
13:27It's spicy, that's good,
13:29but it doesn't taste like tomato.
13:31Okay, so it needs to taste of tomato.
13:33Yeah.
13:35I put apples and kiwi fruit into it.
13:37Is that wrong?
13:39It's kiwi style.
13:41It's not wrong, but it's not German.
13:43Michael has clearly got the kiwi into his German,
13:45but whether he has enough German in there,
13:47only time will tell.
13:49Those Germans, they were straight to the point,
13:51which was perfect.
13:53Overall, I feel pretty damn good actually,
13:55because I fed some Germans,
13:57the Germans are happy, I am happy.
14:04Chef Michael van der Elzen
14:06is taking a bold new approach to German food.
14:08I don't know what happened there,
14:10but it didn't sound too good.
14:12In just a few days, he'll be taking his own brand
14:14of German schnitzel and sausage
14:17to a German food festival.
14:19This could go horribly wrong.
14:21But with only two dishes on his menu,
14:23Michael needs something extra
14:25to compete with the seasoned competition.
14:27So he's returning to the garage kitchen.
14:29Warning, the following contains accents
14:31that some Germans may find offensive.
14:35The Germans said yesterday,
14:37you cannot add sauerkraut and schnitzel together.
14:39You must add potatoes.
14:41So I'm going to make sauerkraut aioli,
14:43which is a potato-based mayonnaise.
14:45Sauerkraut is a lot like cricket.
14:47It can take up to five days to get the end result.
14:49Time Michael doesn't have.
14:51So he's using a cheat's recipe
14:53that starts with onions, garlic,
14:55and caraway seeds.
14:57So now for the most important part of sauerkraut,
14:59the cabbage.
15:01A savoy cabbage and a white cabbage are sauteed.
15:03To that, I want to add
15:05some cider vinegar, apple cider,
15:07and some water.
15:09Usually, fermentation is what gives sauerkraut its flavor.
15:11Vinegar and the ciders will all reduce down,
15:13and the end result will be
15:15perfectly cooked cabbage
15:17with that sour aftertone.
15:19Now all we need is the mash.
15:21So here's the potato the Germans were talking so much about.
15:23We take the potatoes,
15:25we take the sauerkraut,
15:27and we make the aioli.
15:29The sauerkraut is combined with the mashed potato,
15:31egg yolks, lemon, garlic,
15:33and a dash of honey.
15:35And then finally, some Dijon mustard.
15:37Olive oil goes in while the mix is blending.
15:39Schnitzel fingers, sauerkraut, aioli.
15:41Delicious!
15:43For game day's beer festival,
15:45Michael also wants to offer something
15:47that beer drinkers will appreciate,
15:49other than good head on their lager.
15:51The best thing I can think of is the pretzel.
15:53So I want to make a pretzel
15:55that not only has a better flour,
15:57a better dough,
15:59but something that doesn't need all that salt on the outside.
16:01The thing is, I don't want to add a huge amount of sugar,
16:03so what I'm going to do is use agave nectar,
16:05which is twice as sweet,
16:07so you only need to add half the amount.
16:10Agave nectar goes in with the yeast,
16:12soya milk for more flavour,
16:14water, and lemon juice.
16:16Fresh thyme, wholemeal flour,
16:18and olive oil are combined
16:20with a pinch of salt and some crushed seeds.
16:22The yeast mix is added,
16:24and the resulting dough is kneaded.
16:26Smells lovely.
16:28Now's the exciting part.
16:30We get to form our pretzel shape.
16:32Historians believe pretzels were invented
16:34by an Italian monk to reward children
16:36for saying their prayers.
16:38The pretzels form their characteristic bow shape
16:40before a shiny glaze of egg
16:42and a dusting of seed mix.
16:4420 minutes in the oven
16:46delivers that crusty outside
16:48and chewy inside.
16:50Very chewy inside.
16:52It is quite dry.
16:54You certainly want to be drinking something with this,
16:56but it looks like a pretzel.
16:58I'm stoked.
17:00In baking, as in love,
17:02looks aren't everything.
17:04As Michael makes his way to the Auckland waterfront,
17:06he knows his food will need to taste
17:08at least as good as it looks.
17:10My untrialled thing on the menu today
17:12is pretzels.
17:14They're not quite what you'd expect from a pretzel.
17:16They are quite dry.
17:18Even with a beer, I think they'll be delicious.
17:20Pretzels, beer, sausages, beer,
17:22snitchel beer, it just works.
17:24So I'm feeling quite optimistic.
17:26But Michael's optimism subsides somewhat
17:28when he sees the competition.
17:30You've got pretzels.
17:32I've got pretzels.
17:35Traditional sole pretzel, $3.
17:37How many of these do you have?
17:39Roughly 1,200.
17:411,200.
17:43Michael can't compete on volume,
17:45but he's determined to compete on price.
17:47I'm keeping my prices lower,
17:49hoping that I'm going to sell more.
17:51So I've got my pretzels, $3.
17:53My pork currywurst, $5.
17:55And then my little snitchel fingers, $5.
17:57I think this price is pretty damn good.
18:01To make sure he's at least as German as his food,
18:03Michael makes a quick visit
18:05to the little boy's room.
18:07He's almost certainly the only man
18:09you'll see skipping today,
18:11but he's not the only one dressing up.
18:13To help cope with the expected crowds,
18:15Michael has drafted in his friend Marie
18:17to play the role of Bavarian barmaid.
18:19The way I figure it is,
18:21if you could greet, take money,
18:23and yell orders at me,
18:25I'll cook, cook, cook, give you the food
18:27and you hand it out.
18:29What would you both like?
18:31Hi, how are you?
18:33One schnitzel, $5.
18:35You're after two schnitzels.
18:37Schnitzel, schnitzel.
18:39The schnitzel stakes an early claim
18:41as the dish of the day.
18:43Schnitzel, yeah.
18:45Thank you very much.
18:47Schnitzel, thank you.
18:49Danke, ja.
18:51Is it what you expected?
18:53Looks good.
18:55It's absolutely lovely.
18:57Nice and crisp.
18:59I had it when I was in Germany
19:01and as an aioli, I think it's quite a cool mix.
19:03So far, it's good, nice and creamy.
19:05For $5, I think it's money well spent.
19:07Yeah, definitely.
19:09Very reasonably priced compared to everything else
19:11and it's probably a lot healthier than everything else.
19:13Schnitzel is clearly one German word
19:15most New Zealanders recognise.
19:17Get the crumbs in my moustache, though.
19:19Currywurst, on the other hand,
19:21sounds like an underachieving Indian restaurant
19:23and Michael's sales seem to reflect that.
19:25You don't want a currywurst sausage?
19:28It's all about the schnitzel.
19:30I'm just getting cleaned out of schnitzel
19:32and nobody's going for the currywurst.
19:34I'm thinking maybe people don't understand
19:36what currywurst is.
19:38This is a marketing problem
19:40and Michael's solution could not be simpler.
19:42If you go pork currywurst sausage,
19:44I might sell more,
19:46because there's so many sausage places here.
19:48Never underestimate the power of sausage.
19:50What would you like?
19:52I'm going to go for the sausage.
19:54Currywurst?
19:56I'll have the currywurst.
19:58You're after the currywurst?
20:00Yay!
20:02I'm just thinking I'd better put some on.
20:04It's got a real depth of flavour.
20:06Sensational, actually.
20:08It tastes amazing.
20:10You can't beat five bucks for a big sausage like that.
20:12Quite possibly the best bratwurst I've ever eaten.
20:14Michael's currywurst, or sausage,
20:16is a minor smash,
20:18if not always for the reasons Michael intended.
20:20I know this is a German-type dish,
20:22but the sauce is very similar to a butter chicken sauce.
20:24The sausage is pretty good.
20:26Good flavour, tastes a lot like a butter chicken sauce.
20:28I've never been to Germany,
20:30but it's going to make me want to go.
20:32Unfortunately, Michael's seeded pretzel
20:34has not seeded with the public.
20:36A pretzel shouldn't be this chewy, I think.
20:38I've never really been a big fan of pretzels,
20:40and I know it's not much of an improvement, really.
20:42No, I wouldn't buy another one, particularly.
20:44That's quite dry.
20:46I wouldn't buy another one.
20:48It's pretty hard.
20:50It's like a toasted piece of bread, really.
20:52Pretzels? Anyone want any pretzels?
20:54Pretzels!
20:56To get through his last remaining pretzels,
20:58Michael employs one of the oldest tricks in the book,
21:00the suggestive sell.
21:02What have you got?
21:04Imperial porter.
21:06It'll go really well with pretzels.
21:08It's OK.
21:10It's all right.
21:12Fine, all right.
21:14I'll get a pretzel.
21:16A pretzel? $3, thank you.
21:18Pretzel's small and too dry, I think.
21:22It's good.
21:24The schnitzel's good. Pretzel, not so much.
21:26The pretzels might have turned out
21:28to be a dry horror, but by late afternoon,
21:30Michael has served the last
21:32of his schnitzel and currywurst.
21:34We've sold out of schnitzel, people.
21:36Oh!
21:40I think it went pretty awesome.
21:42What do you reckon? Did you enjoy it?
21:44Yeah, that was good.
21:46I think probably my biggest disappointment today were the pretzels.
21:48They weren't what I was hoping.
21:51They weren't as good as they should have been.
21:53The schnitzel, great.
21:55Sauerkraut, aioli, gold.
21:57And that sausage, that sausage was awesome.
21:59There's only one thing left for me to do now.
22:01I'm at a bear festival.
22:03I've eaten a pretzel.
22:05I am damn thirsty.
22:07I'm going to go out and have a beer.
22:09I'm glad I've got my little ledenhausen on.
22:11I love Thai food.
22:15This is so fast.
22:17They just put three tablespoons
22:19of sugar in a pretzel.
22:23Those are absolutely awesome.
22:27They're a little bit sour.
22:29It's a bit plain.
22:31They're good for a tea.
22:33I love you. Thank you.
22:37I am under the gun.
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