German Pool Presents: HOY TV Cooking Show by Charlene Tse
Throughout over 4 decades of innovation, German Pool has strived to launch new products to cater for users' needs in specialized health cookwares and professional kitchen appliances. As HOY TV's title sponsor, German Pool presents to you a 15-episode cooking show by Charlene Tse. The show is scheduled to air on the evening of 30 Oct, and subsequent episodes will be broadcast from Monday to Friday, from 8:30-9:00 PM.
As chef and main host of the show, Charlene (Middle) will share the secrets of preparing mouth-watering food remedies with Chinese medicine, while presenter Gloria Mak (Left) will demonstrate how to infuse easy-to-make yet invigorating Chinese herbal teas. Presenters also include Nam Wong (Right), gourmet taster, and Dr. Kwan Fu Kin, registered Chinese medicine practitioner and medical consultant of the show.
Charlene's Healthy Kitchen introduces 30 wholesome and nourishing dishes to home viewers to promote the oriental concept of Food as Medicine. All of them showcases unconventional and novel combinations of ingredients that offer top nutrition value, indulging experience for tastebuds, and prominent medical benefits. The mingling of Chinese and Western cooking techniques shatters the stereotype that strong-flavoured and often-bitter therapeutic concoctions and herbal teas are the only products of using Chinese medicine in cooking. The cooking show will surely spark a health-conscious culinary trend of preparing TCM-inspired medicinal meals among Hong Kong households.
Walnut and Sharpleaf Galangal Fruit Salad
with Kale and Sous Vide Salmon
Brain Power Boosting Turmeric Fried Rice
On the show's press conference held in German Pool‘s Lifestyle Flagship Store, captivating hosts showed off their cooking skills and made snacks with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) ingredients. Charlene started off with baking Cookies with Yujin and Rose Petals with Mini Multifunctional Steam & Grill Oven SGV-2020. Both Yujin and dried roses are traditional ingredients for stress relief and depression alleviation.
With nimble movements, Gloria Mak skillfully crafted a wholesome treat - Spinach Oatmeal Crepes - using Compact Induction Cooker GIC-KS20T. With minimal oil sprayed on the complimentary grill pan, the batter did not stick and the crepes were flipped perfectly. Gloria then added in yoghurt, chopped walnuts, dried blueberries, and chopped Sharpleaf Galangal Fruit. An appealing, delectable, and healthful delicacy accomplished.
At the same time, Gloria was also making Tusizi “Spiral Jade” (Biluochun) Green Tea with Cordless Temperature Control Health Kettle KTG-120. The tea possesses antioxidant properties, helps combat aging, and promotes liver and kidney health. After adding Biluochun tea leaves and powdered Tusizi to the Kettle, simply wait for a few moments and the tea would be ready in no time just as the Crepes were served, making a satisfying afternoon tea set.
The snacks were just a glimpse of how effortlessly and elegantly TCM-inspired creations were crafted throughout the programme. Each episode of Charlene's Healthy Kitchen is centered around a health theme, addressing commonplace urban health issues such as post-COVID syndrome, depression, dementia, insomnia, hair loss, stomach illness, constipation, gout, hypertension, and diabetes. It provides targeted dietary solutions to alleviate symptoms while enabling patients to savour a wide range of Chinese and Western cuisines, desserts, and tea drinks without complicating their health conditions.
“Acridity, sourness, sweetness, bitterness, and saltiness are the 5 flavours of Chinese medicine. Different ingredients with their distinctive tastes possess different qualities and healing power, so an experienced practitioner combines the 8 therapeutic methods to treat the ingredients in resolving illnesses and restoring the balance of a body," said Dr. Kwan Fu Kin, who expressed delight in forging strong collaboration with Charlene. "Every TCM ingredient I picked according to the seasons was incorporated by Charlene into a customized recipe originating from various cuisines.”
Charlene's enthusiasm goes beyond the 15 episodes. She plans to publish a cookbook with Dr. Kwan that would include even more popular local dishes to promote TCM Cooking.
Charlene has undertaken Chinese Medicine Nutritional Studies for 2 years and throughout the show she shares her insights on using medicinal and healthy ingredients to cook beneficial cuisine for body and mind. "Being able to integrate both of my passion - home cooking and TCM knowledge, I feel deeply fulfilled," said Charlene. "It has been my utmost wish to mingle both elements, so I am so glad HOY TV has realized my dream." She went on to share that every episode was full of surprises, while the biggest hurdles remained pouring time and effort into experimenting on how to remove the strong flavours of Chinese medicine yet ensuring sufficient dosage.
"It is best when the essence of medicine is taken up through diet and a whole family gets nourished without noticing the use of medicinal herbs." Charlene could not emphasize enough that nourishment through Chinese medicine diet is not a leisure or luxury for senior citizens, but rather a habit to develop since youth and childhood.
"Hong Kong people suffer from immense pressure, a tense psyche, and a hectic lifestyle, all of which makes them susceptable to urban lifestyle diseases. If a new habit of comsuming healthy food cannot fit well with the routine or cultural dietary pattern of Hong Kong families, the benefits will not last long; on the contrary, when TCM cooking is well incorporated with home cooking so that therapeutic dishes can be enjoyed frequently, the health benefits can take full effect." Nam revealed that Charlene often stayed up late till 2-3 am to work on recipes to bring about the perfect merge of medicinal ingredients and home-cooked taste.
After leaving news anchoring, Gloria Mak has stayed active in the industry. Although audience no longer see her reporting news, they can still enjoy watching her become a skilled "Chinese herbal drink tea mixologist" on HOY TV. When asked if she would like to continue demonstrating her culinary skills in televised appearances, Gloria commented that Charlene's Healthy Kitchen would mark her debut work following her career move. She expressed excitement about this brand new experience, as it allows her to present a fresh side of herself to the audience, taking a break from acting all formal and serious.
Among the episodes, the most memorable experience for Gloria was to film the show in a Chinese medicine plantation base in Lau Fau Shan. "Fresh herbs can be picked at the gardens, deepening my understanding of TCM ingredients and broadening my horizons."
Although Nam Wong has hosted multiple culinary programmes before, it was her first time to participate in one themed around TCM. As the gourmet taster of the show, Nam was captivated by the unique ways of using Chinese medicine in cooking. Dr. Kwan explained that the most common method used in Charlene's show was boiling - to extract medicinal properties of herbs into a potion that would then be used in cooking. He also added that Charlene had tried other methods too, such as using fingered citron (Buddha's Hand) and Huangqi to smoke and steam fish, adding flavour to the meat while ensuring therapeutic efficacy.
Nam applauded the steamed fish dish and admired that the medicine-infused soy sauce tasted absolutely delicious. She marveled at how well it complemented the rice. Gloria remembered that as well and added that she and Nam relished so many tasty dishes every time they filmed the show. Charlene thanked the two girls for motivating her to keep going.
For Nam, Lotus Seed Iced Drink Served with Yejiaoteng and Spine Date Seed Jelly was her favourite dessert. It tastes fresh, calms the mind, and replenishes qi. Charlene's choice of dessert would be the yin preserving and dryness moistening Snow Pear and Apricot Kernels Rolls, inspired by the traditional sweet soup Double-Boiled Snow Pear with Apricot Kernel Juice.
If you are interested in knowing more about how Charlene creates diverse medicinal gourmet using German Pool’s quality kitchen appliances such as the Professional High-speed Food Processor, Healthy Slow Cooker, Cordless 3-in-1 Hand Blender, and Korean Detachable-Handle Pan & Pot Set, please do not miss out!
