The legendary chef grew up working in his uncle’s restaurant in Chicago and began teaching cookery as a student in California. As Ken marks the 40th anniversary of his BBC TV series Ken Hom’s Chinese Cookery, he recalls opening a bottle with Elizabeth David, reveals his dinner table peeve – and revels in the allure of roast pork
INTERVIEW: KERRY FOWLER. PHOTOGRAPHS: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
KEN’S GARDEN-FRESH FEAST
I believe we should eat seasonally – why do we eat tomatoes in the middle of winter? I love seeing all the vegetables coming to fruition. When I was a student in France one of my favourite early summer dishes is what my Franco-Italian adoptive mother Bruna called a tian. She would take leftover rice, soak it in milk, mix it with sautéed courgette, garlic, parsley, butter and parmesan – and throw it in the oven. It was so good – even better cold the next day – and perfect with a cool glass of pinot grigio.
Home is not one place.
It’s about being close to the people that you love. Home to me is everywhere. I travel a lot – Europe, China, UK – and think of many places as home.
I was so skinny as a child because we were quite poor.
I grew up in Chicago’s Chinatown and worked in restaurants when I was young. In immigrant families, you cling to your heritage – that’s how you form a bond and feel protected. But then you confront the place you’ve been born into, and it’s a good way of learning and developing. I love the way immigrants enrich the culture. I remember when I first came to London in 1971, Chinese restaurants served curry and chips. I’d say, “That’s not Chinese.” They don’t have to do that anymore, and I love that.
I never had a goal in life. In other words, I never was someone who said, “I’m going to do this,” or “I want to do that.” I just sort of go with the flow. I sound like a hippy from the seventies. And I am! I always just flow with whatever is happening.
There’s one thing I really love about being older. It’s that I can now devote time to lots of charities, raising funds to help others. People have been so nice to me, given me so much – you can print this: I’m bloody lucky! To me, it’s all about giving back.
I love roast pig. The Chinese get it super crispy: most of the fat has melted and the meat is so tender you almost don’t need teeth. Every time I have it, I’ve died and gone to heaven.
Listening to music on a transistor radio helped my English a lot. It was when I was young and working, while doing boring
