#video #The Cook Up with Adam Liaw - Season 9 - Episode 18: Fire & Spice
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00:22Hello, I'm Adam Liao and welcome to The Cook-Up, the show where I can predict your future.
00:26Tonight, the universe is serving up Sichuan beef and black beans, venison skewers with nanjin jiao and satay pork.
00:32Let's meet our guests.
00:33Since taking the MasterChef title in 2024, Nat Taipun's worked in some of the world's best restaurants, including St. John
00:39and Core in London, Evatt in Seoul and currently Vudemonde in Melbourne.
00:43She's also written a cookbook simply called Thai. Welcome, Nat.
00:47Thank you. Thanks for coming. Thanks for having me.
00:49What do you get when you combine outback cooking, country music and journalism?
00:53Tom Forrest, of course. Since we last met, Tom and his grandad have been working on a book of easy
00:58campfire recipes.
00:59Gone bush. Welcome back, Tom.
01:01G'day, Adam. It's nice to see you again.
01:02Good to see you again, too. Tom, congrats on the book. It is stunning. Let's have a look at it.
01:06Gone bush, you and grandad.
01:07Yeah, it's a really fun book. Me and grandad, we made this in the Kimberley. We did this together.
01:13We flew up a friend to help with the set design. It's just really celebrating family and cooking on the
01:18campfire and getting out bush.
01:20And you photographed all the food yourself?
01:21Yeah. There might be a few creases on the photos, you know.
01:26But no, I wanted to use natural light. I wanted to shoot everything at home and I wanted to cook
01:29everything at home.
01:30So we did it in three days. We did 60 recipes and non-stop cooking and we had leftovers for
01:34a long time.
01:35Unbelievable. Is there anything you can't do?
01:37Nat, congrats on your book, Thai, Anywhere and Everywhere.
01:41It's pretty crazy.
01:44First book, so I got the jitters here.
01:46Yeah, I congratulate you. Like, first book is a baby. You know, you spend literally a lifetime thinking about it
01:52and then you finally get to hold it in your hand.
01:54It's a lovely moment. It's a fantastic book. Congratulations.
01:58Thank you. Thank you so much.
01:59It is both the name of my upcoming fantasy novel series and also what we're cooking tonight.
02:02It is Fire and Spice.
02:06My jokes don't always land, so I just want to be very clear.
02:08I am not writing a fantasy novel series.
02:12Nat, Thai food.
02:13Yes.
02:13Very spicy, very hot or not always?
02:16Not always, but it's good when it's got a bit of punch, you know.
02:20How do you, like, when did you start eating chilli as a kid?
02:23Oh, so, so young. I reckon, like, my mum would have been feeding me chilli, like, from the womb.
02:29Wow, okay.
02:29Very, very dramatic, but I reckon she was eating a little chilli when I was in the tummy, yeah.
02:35Tom, how do you go with spicy food?
02:37Me and my grandfather are really good with spice.
02:39We have a chooks dish, which all the scraps go into, and we chuck it into the creek on the
02:43property, and chilli started growing in the creek.
02:46I love that.
02:47Grandad just nips out, grabs the chillies from the creek, comes back in, and, yeah, lots and lots of chilli.
02:54So, yeah, we both love it, and we're both, you know, the best at handling spice in the family.
02:58Amazing.
02:59Give me Fire and Spice, and I'll give you Sichuan beef and black beans.
03:08So, Sichuan beef and black bean, it's a pretty simple kind of stir-fried dish.
03:12I'm using topside beef here.
03:14Mm-hmm.
03:15So, I'm cutting it quite thinly, and I'll marinate that before we get going.
03:19Now, what made you decide to go on MasterChef?
03:21It's a long story.
03:23I'll keep it short.
03:23I was meant to move to Canada, and my friend didn't want me to move, so she applied.
03:31She helped me apply for MasterChef, which is pretty, yeah, it's a lame story.
03:38Honestly, like, whenever I talk to you and I ask you, like, how something happened, you're always like,
03:42well, you know, I was skydiving in New Zealand, and then my friend got hit by a bus.
03:49You've got, like, you're just a person that's got a lot of stories.
03:51I do have a lot of stories, but honestly, I was just doing a snowboard season in Monaco.
03:57You see?
03:57You see?
03:59But, like, I was living there for so long, and then I was like, nah, I need to change the
04:03scenery.
04:03I want to go to, like, Northern Hemisphere, and one of my really good friends was like,
04:07no, you need to become a chef.
04:09Like...
04:13At some point, it's just unhinged, you know?
04:16The level of stories that come out of your mouth now, it's, like, it's truly fascinating.
04:19Oh, I don't know if it is, but...
04:21But you're only matched by how fascinating the person next to you is, because, Tom, like,
04:26you do it all.
04:27Like, so I'll open up TikTok, and I'll see what you're doing, and it's like, oh, you're
04:31cooking a lemon delicious pudding with your granddad.
04:33Now you're doing, like, you're running a marathon.
04:36I love that.
04:38Do you run marathons?
04:39We should run together.
04:39Absolutely we should.
04:40Yeah.
04:41I feel like my life is a lot of side quests at the moment, which I really enjoy and appreciate.
04:46Sort of like, I've got the opportunity now, looking back in the Kimberley, to kind of,
04:50like, do what I want to do and follow some dreams that I always had as a child.
04:53And so right now, I mean, I didn't even go to university, and right now I'm studying,
04:57because I'm becoming a pilot, you know?
04:59So I'm in Darwin flying.
05:01I actually love that.
05:02I love that so much.
05:03I really want to fly a plane, so I might just do that between, you know, trying to be a
05:08journalist and an outback cook, you know?
05:10But I think it's important.
05:11It's like, if you have the opportunity and you can give it a crack, I think you should,
05:14you know?
05:15100%.
05:16You know, Tom, that is exactly right.
05:18If you have the opportunity to do something, you should.
05:20And I think the world has changed so much.
05:25But it used to be that you decide what you wanted to do, and then you just do that for
05:2950
05:29years, or whatever it is.
05:31And people, like, people don't want to do that anymore.
05:33And I completely understand why they wouldn't, and nobody does.
05:36And so, you know, just collect experiences instead of collecting money, in my opinion.
05:42Like, I think it's, they appreciate like money does, and you have memories that last
05:47you your entire life.
05:48And if you have a memory at 18, you've got that memory for 60 years.
05:52Yeah.
05:52Yeah.
05:53So what I have done is I've marinated my top side a bit of cornstarch,
05:58shah singh wine, soy sauce, a bit of bicarb of soda to tenderise it a little bit.
06:03And now some spring onions.
06:06I'm hungry.
06:07I'm really looking forward to this.
06:08Yeah, yeah.
06:10Give me a stir frying tip, Nat.
06:11Like, what's something that you think people get wrong with stir frying?
06:16100% how hot the wok is.
06:18Yeah.
06:19It's one thing everyone seems to make a mistake on all the time.
06:23So what should it be?
06:24It just, it needs to be like smoking.
06:26Okay.
06:27Yeah.
06:28And also when it's hot.
06:30Like, it needs to be hot before you get started.
06:31So I'm actually going to turn that on now.
06:33It's funny.
06:33I was crashing at my friend's house and in the living room.
06:37Here we go.
06:37Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
06:39No, but it's, it's, I was crashing at my friend's house in the living room and they came back
06:43home to make dinner and they're making a stir fry like I could hear it.
06:46And like, when they put whatever it was into the pan, I was like, damn, that pan is not
06:51hot.
06:51I could hear it.
06:53I was like just falling asleep and like, there was no sound.
06:56And I was like, did they just put meat onto like a cold pan?
06:59Yeah.
07:00So now I can see that it's getting hot.
07:02Kind of smoking.
07:03Smoking.
07:03I'm going to fry my meats first.
07:09Was that the sound you're looking for, Nat?
07:10Exactly.
07:11Okay, good.
07:12One's a sizzle.
07:15And then it's a matter of getting all my ingredients together.
07:17So I've got some spring onions here, some dried chilies, celery, some capsicum, and my
07:23two kind of seasoning, main seasonings here are the black beans, but also doubanjang.
07:29Sichuan, doubanjang is like a chili and broad bean paste.
07:33If you didn't want the heat of that, I'd leave out the dried chilies and also the doubanjang
07:37and just leave the black beans in there.
07:40Another thing that I always do when stir fry, particularly when I'm searing meat and stuff,
07:44is I don't stir it.
07:45I don't move it around until it's, you know, brown.
07:48So that I can even see now around the edges that that's starting to brown.
07:51So now I can start to toss that together.
07:57And when that's nearly cooked, I'll get it out of the pan and start to fry my other ingredients.
08:02A bit of sugar to balance everything out here.
08:05And my other really important tip is this is cornstarch or potato starch mixed with a
08:11bit of cold water.
08:12Any juices that come out of whatever we're cooking, the vegetables and meats will all
08:15release juices.
08:16We'll stick that back on, stick the flavour back on with the cornstarch.
08:21And that's looking pretty good.
08:22So I'll pull that out of the wok now.
08:28And you see, there's still a bit of pink in the meat there.
08:30I don't need to cook it all the way through and the wok's looking pretty clean.
08:33So I don't think I need to do anything with that.
08:35A little bit of ginger and garlic.
08:39And I'll put some dried chillies in too.
08:41Yum.
08:42Next, my sauces, the dobanjang.
08:45And frying this is actually really important because it releases kind of the oils and it
08:50improves the flavour.
08:51Tom, you started out making a, well, a show called, what was it called?
08:55My Year 12.
08:56Oh, My Year 12 Life.
08:57My Year 12 Life.
08:58Yeah, where you filmed yourself going through Year 12.
09:02Whoa.
09:03Yeah.
09:03Crazy.
09:04It was kind of like vlogging before vlogging was a thing.
09:07Right, right.
09:07I mean, kind of.
09:08You know, it was, I mean, I only graduated high school in 2016, right?
09:11Yeah.
09:12Which is almost a decade out of high school.
09:13I feel like it's been a while.
09:16But that was really my introduction to storytelling and filmmaking.
09:20It's like, here's a camera, you live in the Kimberley, document your life for a year.
09:24And, and I guess because I love that storytelling and wanted to show off life in the Kimberley
09:28as a, as a young bush kid, I did.
09:30And, and it led to all these other amazing storytelling opportunities.
09:34But yeah, that, that really was my love for, for filming and for sharing other people's
09:38stories as well.
09:39It's kind of amazing that you can get your start doing that.
09:42And then you made another doco about, I guess, the, the Kununara kid.
09:47That's right.
09:47Yeah, right.
09:48Kununara kid, finding my lost indigenous heritage across the country and having an adventure
09:53along the way.
09:54That was also pretty lo-fi as well.
09:55Just me and a cameraman and like a, a backpacker's van traveling across the country.
10:00Yeah.
10:00So I feel like I've been in the industry for a while, like in, in, in the scene for a
10:04minute.
10:04And, um, it's sort of funny, my year 12 life, the Kununara kid, now Outback Tom, that
10:09the, uh, the transformation change.
10:12The thing is like, it's different formats, documentary to TV series to social media, but it's all
10:17storytelling.
10:18Of course.
10:18It's the same thing at the end of the day.
10:19And I think that's what people lose sight of them.
10:21They're trying to get their head around what, what is, what's TikTok, what's social media,
10:25but it's like, it's the same story.
10:26It's just in a different format.
10:27Exactly right.
10:28Exactly right.
10:30So this is now getting a little bit close to the end.
10:33I'm going to add a little soy sauce.
10:35We haven't seasoned it much, to be honest.
10:37A bit of Shaoxing wine here as well.
10:39Yum.
10:39And then one thing about Sichuan type food that people forget is actually the flavor
10:44profile is quite sweet.
10:46So just a touch of sugar in there as well.
10:48Nothing to overpower, but like we put a lot of savory ingredients in.
10:51So you, you need to balance that sweetness a little bit.
10:55And then this last little bit of cornstarch, which I'll just add like this.
11:05Just any juices that have come out of the meat and the vegetables there will.
11:10Just picking up with that heat there.
11:12Hungry heat.
11:12I'm going to give myself a wok.
11:13Yeah.
11:14Do you have a wok?
11:15I don't even, I don't, nothing like that.
11:17It's hard over a campfire, Tom.
11:18It is not easy.
11:20I've cooked over a wok's on campfires and it's, yeah, it's not as easy as it is on a stove.
11:25Absolutely.
11:26And that is Sichuan beef and black bean.
11:31Yum.
11:32That looks very tasty.
11:38Well, the cooking process was fiery.
11:40Let's see how spicy it is.
11:42That's good.
11:44Mm.
11:44Oh, she's got a kick.
11:46It's got a kick to it.
11:46It's got a kick to it.
11:47It definitely has some kick to it.
11:49I like it.
11:50After the break, Nat and Tom will play with Fire and Spice.
12:03Welcome back to The Cook-Up, where culinary artist Nat Taipan and Outback wonder Tom Forrest
12:07are cooking with Fire and Spice.
12:09Tom, what are you making?
12:10Adam, I'll be making an Outback satay pork with rice.
12:13Exciting times.
12:14Nat?
12:15I'm going to be making a venison skewer with num dim gel.
12:18That sounds very nice.
12:28All right, Nat, venison skewers.
12:30Yeah.
12:31Okay.
12:32Thai style?
12:34Aussie barbecue?
12:35What are we doing?
12:35So, usually, traditionally, we'd be doing this with pork.
12:39You can use chicken as well.
12:41It's marinated in a bit of condensed milk.
12:43Ooh, okay.
12:44Yeah, yeah, it's a trick.
12:46That's great.
12:46Venison's very lean.
12:47So, in my view, a good long marinade would kind of be quite important for some of those.
12:53Oh, 100%.
12:54I would always recommend, like, two hours minimum.
12:56Yeah, sure.
12:57But if I were to, like, if you had time, I would do it overnight for sure.
13:01100%.
13:01And in here, you've got the roots and stalk of the coriander.
13:06Yes.
13:06And some garlic.
13:07Yes.
13:07Honestly, coriander root, so, so important.
13:10Everyone chucks it out.
13:11I think that people should just chuck it in your freezer.
13:13Yeah.
13:14You have some spare.
13:14That's what I have in my freezer.
13:15So, this is a cool marinade.
13:18Yes.
13:18Because I love the use of the condensed milk in it.
13:21Mm.
13:21So, we've got some white pepper that we've ground, fish sauce, oyster sauce here.
13:27It's almost like, I guess, the Thai version of mirepoix or sofrito or something.
13:33Oh, 100%.
13:33Yeah.
13:35White pepper, garlic, coriander root.
13:37Most important thing.
13:38Cool.
13:38Everything else is kind of like, you know, add fish sauce if you, you know, don't want fish sauce.
13:42Soy sauce, oyster sauce and condensed milk adds that, like, beautiful caramelisation on the barbecue.
13:48Honestly, people think it's weird.
13:50Do not, like, you can't skip it.
13:52So, this marinades for a few hours.
13:54Yes.
13:55And it will look like?
13:57Something like this.
13:58Amazing.
13:59Yeah.
13:59You can tell, like, it does kind of change colour.
14:02It denatures a little bit of the...
14:03100%.
14:03Look at the venison.
14:05It looks like, you know, the condensed milk has kind of worked with it, if that makes sense.
14:09Kind of cures it a little bit, right?
14:10Yeah.
14:11Amazing.
14:11And then we'll cook these on the barbecue.
14:13Yes.
14:14And if you have bamboo skewers, make sure you soak them beforehand.
14:17I'm 100% a metal skewer.
14:19Yeah, 100%.
14:20You know, like, I think you get bamboo skewers in a lot of places because they don't expect you to
14:23come back.
14:24But for home...
14:25Yeah.
14:25Metal skewers, way better.
14:27Reuse them, much more environmentally friendly.
14:30Yes.
14:30And they don't burn on the barbecue.
14:33100%.
14:34All right, Tom.
14:35Adam.
14:37Ah, satay pork.
14:38So we're not making skewers.
14:40It's like the peanut sauce satay.
14:42That's exactly right.
14:43Yeah.
14:43Yeah, this is...
14:44We've got our pork here.
14:45We're going to do some satay sauce with some rice.
14:47Beautiful.
14:47We can make this really easily, right?
14:49Yeah, sure.
14:49I'm going to get some oil straight into this pan, I reckon.
14:51This is actually one, I guess, like, you know, I went to Indonesia a lot growing up.
14:55We're so close...
14:56In the Kimberley, we're so close there, and so we go there all the time.
14:59It's one of my favourite recipes, and Grandad makes this a lot for me, which is great.
15:03Bit of garlic in.
15:04Garlic in.
15:06Love it.
15:07Thank you very much.
15:08I'll just...
15:09I'll be the swirler.
15:10I very much appreciate that.
15:11I'm just going to start adding these ingredients.
15:13I'll let that...
15:13Please, yeah.
15:14Get that brown.
15:14That's already going in.
15:15I'm going to go some coconut cream next.
15:19Thank you very much.
15:23So, you live...
15:24Right in the Kimberley.
15:26One of the most northern parts of Western Australia.
15:28It's actually...
15:28I'll go some curry powder next.
15:30Beautiful.
15:30It's a dead-end town.
15:31You can't get past it.
15:33You feel like you're at the edge of the world, kind of thing.
15:36You could say it more nicely than that.
15:38Like, it's a beautiful, isolated place.
15:41I think it's an absolutely stunning part of the world, the Kimberley, and I'm sure you would agree.
15:46What's it like getting ingredients over there?
15:49Yeah.
15:50You know, they call it a...
15:51This is some soy sauce going in.
15:52They call it a one-horse town, you know?
15:54Yeah.
15:55You're kind of coming on a horse and you've got everything there.
15:57But I'd say, you know, we have a little local supermarket, but the nearest major grocery store is 100 kilometres
16:02away.
16:03Yeah.
16:03So, you kind of have to go with what you've got.
16:07We really make the most minimal ingredients.
16:09We've got some brown sugar in there as well.
16:10Nice.
16:11I'm already liking that colour.
16:12I'll grab that off you.
16:13Thank you, Adam.
16:14Some brown sugar in.
16:15It smells fantastic already.
16:16The curry powder going in is lovely.
16:18It is lovely.
16:18Yeah.
16:19I feel like in the small remote communities up there, curry powder is a bit of a staple, you know?
16:24It can kind of go into everything as well.
16:26Are you a Keynes man or a Clive of India?
16:28Probably a Keynes man, you know?
16:30I think everyone's always used it up there, so it's like kind of a part of it.
16:34Yeah.
16:34I'm going to go final bit of some crunchy peanut butter.
16:38This is going to be really good on some pork and rice, honestly.
16:41It's just something quick to whip up, you know?
16:43Like, I love how good this smells.
16:47You could almost chuck anything with this in and some rice, you know, and you got yourself
16:50something really tasty.
16:52Yeah, it's going to be a hit.
16:54I'm going to see how Nat's doing, and then we'll get back to grilling this pork.
16:57Sounds good.
16:58See you soon, Adam.
16:58See you.
17:02Nat.
17:03Hello, Adam.
17:04Hey, these look good.
17:06Yeah.
17:06What are we looking for?
17:07Looking for, like, rare, medium rare, not too much all the way through?
17:11Honestly, if we're in Thailand, it'd be, like, pretty well done.
17:14Yeah, yeah, yeah.
17:15But I would want to, yeah, rare, medium rare.
17:18I would say more rare, medium.
17:20Sure.
17:21Okay, that's going, but we're making our Nanjim Jiao.
17:23Yeah, let's go.
17:24So this is pretty easy.
17:26So I toasted a chilli, I ground up into fine powder.
17:29Right.
17:29So I'll chuck that.
17:30Oh, God.
17:31So that's just regular dried chillies, and then you just sort of darken them in a pan.
17:34Yes, yes.
17:34Dry roast.
17:35Any chilli you want.
17:36I'm going to chuck in some chunky bits as well.
17:37I love, it's something my parents would do.
17:39Honestly, if you're doing this at home, do not use your fingers, because, you know, it's
17:44going to be spicy.
17:45And then, shallots.
17:47Nanjim Jiao is, like, what's it used for in Thai cuisine?
17:51So in Thai cuisine, you eat it with some sticky rice, and it's always served with grilled
17:55meats.
17:56Okay.
17:56So very common in, like, honestly, all the vendors next to waterfalls in Thailand.
18:01In, like, the national parks.
18:02They love Nanjim Jiao everywhere.
18:04They've got, like, wild boar.
18:06They've got, like, whole chickens.
18:08Yeah, right.
18:09Yeah, you dip it in Nanjim Jiao with some sticky rice, papaya salad.
18:13Okay.
18:14So good.
18:15It is.
18:16Why is it next to waterfalls?
18:18Because, you know, you have that, like, that's the name of the dish, like, the waterfall
18:22beef.
18:22Waterfall salad.
18:23Waterfall salad.
18:24But why is it next to waterfalls?
18:25Is it just, like, you go to the waterfall, there's water falling, and so, therefore, you're
18:28going to have some grilled meat?
18:29I don't know.
18:30It's a really...
18:31Like, picnic style or something?
18:32Yeah, it's, like, Thai version of picnics, which, honestly, is so much better than a regular
18:35picnic.
18:36Like, you go out there, you do some trails, and then you...
18:39There's, like, vendors everywhere selling grilled meats and stuff.
18:42It's so good.
18:42I genuinely love, like, when I see the name, like, Waterfall salad or Waterfall beef or
18:47Waterfall duck or whatever, I'm like, oh, I wonder why they call it that?
18:51And now it's like, oh, they just serve it next to waterfalls.
18:53To be fair, the waterfall actually comes from the fact that the meat juices run down.
18:58Oh.
18:59Yeah.
18:59So, like, when you're resting your, like, you know, steak or whatever, you put the juices
19:04back into the sauce.
19:05Okay.
19:06Brilliant.
19:07So, this was the tamarind?
19:09Yes.
19:10So, the tamarind goes in, and then the fish sauce, and then the sugar's about to go in.
19:14You want it quite thick.
19:16Yeah, okay.
19:16And then if it's too intense, you would add some water in there as well.
19:19And then a bit of sugar, and that's it.
19:21Love it.
19:21Yeah.
19:26Tom.
19:28All right, pork belly.
19:30Time for the pork belly.
19:32So, I'm just going to get that in.
19:33We're basically just going to get this on the grill, but I just want to smash it with salt
19:35and pepper first.
19:36Great.
19:37And some oil.
19:37And I'm going to run the hands through that.
19:39Get plenty of oil on there.
19:40A big, there's a lot of pork in there, so we're going to get a big smash.
19:43Yeah, I love that you're doing this, because pork belly gets a bad, people think that it's
19:48a cut that you've got to cook slow, or you've got to do a lot to it, cook it for
19:52a long time.
19:53That's right.
19:53It really isn't.
19:54Like, the striations, the fat you got through there, make it actually really tender.
19:57It's true, right?
19:58Like, you think, oh, you've got to bang it in the oven for hours and hours.
20:01So, it doesn't actually have to be the case.
20:03So, we're just going to grill that, are we?
20:05Just straight on, yeah.
20:06I'm just going to start getting that on now, actually.
20:07So, we'll just get that.
20:08Oh, there we go.
20:09Lovely.
20:10Nice sizzle.
20:11Just be nice and easy, straight on, a couple minutes on each side until it's nice and brown.
20:15And that will cook all the way through.
20:17We'll finish off the satay sauce, bit of rice as well.
20:21Can I tell you 100% honestly, without the satay sauce, this is what I made for me last night.
20:27Exactly the way that you've done it.
20:28Bit of salt and pepper, that was it.
20:29Straight onto the barbecue.
20:31Beautiful.
20:31Yeah, it's the way to go.
20:32I think simple and easy.
20:34When we return, the forecast is scorching because it's tasting time.
20:37And if you've been wondering about various bean sauces, we'll talk you through.
20:51Welcome back to a night of fire and spice on the cook-up.
20:54Two of the country's hottest young food talents, Nat Taipun and Tom Forrest, are putting the finishing touches on their
20:59dishes.
21:00Tom, how are you going?
21:01Really well, Adam.
21:02This is almost done.
21:03Lovely.
21:04And Nat?
21:06Almost done as well.
21:07This is a very fancy chiffonade of coriander.
21:11No.
21:11These smell fantastic, can I say?
21:13Yeah.
21:14Just need to finish it off with some coriander and that's about it, really.
21:17Easy stuff.
21:18You know, you say easy.
21:21Look, I'm not saying it's not, but this is the kind of thing that people look at and go,
21:25wow, that's complicated, but it really isn't.
21:29Like, you've put that together in moments.
21:32Yeah.
21:32It's very, very quick.
21:33This would turn your regular afternoon barbecue of a weekend into a real party.
21:39Literally.
21:40That's honestly, my whole cookbook is about jazzing up a barbecue.
21:43Not making it fancy, but just like adding a lot more flavour to a classic barbecue.
21:48And if you happen to be next to a waterfall, even better.
21:51Yeah, even better.
21:54Tom, look at this, Adam.
21:56What do you reckon?
21:57I could smell it from over there and I reckon it's amazing.
22:01I just like, yeah, it's a quick and easy meal.
22:03Like, it tastes delicious.
22:04It kind of reminds me of my family trips to Asia as well.
22:07Heck yeah.
22:07This is a very thick sauce.
22:09Yeah.
22:10You know, if you want it thinner, add in a bit of water and bring it down.
22:13But I like a real thick satay sauce.
22:15This is going to be so full of flavour.
22:17I'm all about it.
22:19Venison skewers with Namjim Jiao and satay pork.
22:30I can already tell, Tom, that this is going to be a real crowd pleaser.
22:34Mmm.
22:35Oh yeah.
22:36Super good.
22:37Oh yum.
22:38It's so good.
22:39My mum and I have competition.
22:41Honestly.
22:42Really?
22:43It's just like...
22:44It's so good.
22:45You can go up into your cupboard in your kitchen and there's probably a pretty good chance you're
22:51going to have the ingredients maker and satay sauce.
22:53Mm-hmm.
22:54The sauce is delicious.
22:55Absolutely delicious.
22:55And so quick to put together.
22:58Mm.
22:58I don't know.
22:59I like it.
23:00I like that a lot.
23:01Thank yous very much.
23:01Yeah, eat all of it.
23:02Nat.
23:03Venison skewers.
23:04It's Thai.
23:04Mine's mine.
23:06I hope it's not too hot, eh?
23:08The balance of the namjum jowl is fantastic.
23:11It's got a kick to it.
23:12It's got a kick to it, that's for sure.
23:13Yeah.
23:14But a beautiful sweetness as well.
23:15And the texture that the ground glutinous rice gives, delicious.
23:20That's beautiful, Nat.
23:22Yeah, that's a really nice mix of flavours that tastes delicious.
23:24I want more.
23:25I think I could just keep eating these.
23:27No.
23:28I'm going to eat more of yours.
23:29While you guys keep eating, I'm going to discuss or take you through fermented bean paste
23:36because they're so important in a lot of different cuisines around Asia specifically.
23:42This is your doubanjang.
23:43This is what I used in my recipe at the beginning.
23:47Doubanjang is a fermented broad bean and chilli.
23:51So mixed together, fermented for ages.
23:53This is a staple of Sichuanese cuisine.
23:57Then you've got your black beans.
23:59These are fermented black beans.
24:00Well, actually, I'll show you these ones because these are probably more how people usually buy them.
24:05And they are...
24:07Have you ever seen these before?
24:08Yeah.
24:08Yeah.
24:09So it's on the...
24:10They're just...
24:10Basically, they're kind of soft, almost like, I don't know, not a chewing gum texture,
24:15but a blue tack kind of texture.
24:18And they're just black soybeans that have been salted and fermented.
24:22And usually to prepare them, you might rinse them a few times in water,
24:25then maybe mash them up a little bit and then throw it into any dish that you want.
24:28So I kind of save time by buying them in this form, which is already kind of rinsed and washed.
24:35So I can just add that by the spoon straight in.
24:38And then we've got yellow soybeans.
24:40And Nat, you would be very familiar with this sauce, I'm guessing.
24:44What do you use that for?
24:45Do you know that Morning Glory stir fry?
24:47Yeah.
24:48Yeah.
24:49I love using it in that.
24:50Absolutely.
24:51Yeah.
24:51It's so delicious.
24:52This one's very popular in Thai cuisine, but I use it in anything.
24:55Like, I would do that in Chinese dishes, I would switch these ones for that one,
24:59or add this and this together.
25:01Like, I love the different combinations on them because they're all that umami taste
25:04and they give you a really different flavour profile, whichever one you use.
25:08Whole world to explore.
25:09Yeah.
25:09So good.
25:11Nat, Tom, thank you so much for joining me.
25:13This has been fiery and definitely spicy.
25:15My mouth is still on fire.
25:16Thanks for having us, man.
25:17I appreciate it.
25:18Allow me to be concise with my closing advice.
25:21Food made with fire and spice is always going to be nice.
25:24If you want more of The Cook-Up and more delicious food ideas,
25:26head to SBS On Demand.
25:28I'm Adam Lear.
25:28Thanks for watching The Cook-Up.
25:30Thank you so much for joining us.
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