It would be easy to be cynical about Ken Hom. The stream of books and television series, the numerous endorsements and branded products which carry his name might, perhaps, suggest that here is someone who represents more the commercialisation of Chinese cookery than the complexity of this most attractive food culture.
And so, when another book arrives with another series, this time on the often dubious subject of "fusion" cookery, you think: "Ho hum", as I did when Travels With A Hot Wok (BBC Books, price £17.99 in the UK) turned up.
But by three nights later, I had already cooked: simple grilled fusion fish; braised fusion mushrooms with herbs (twice); stir-fried cauliflower with fresh coriander; Wolfgang Puck's stir-fried chicken with garlic and fresh coriander (served wrapped in lettuce leaves with a vinaigrette: amazing!); firecracker corn; potato and cucumber mash (my wife hated it); chicken escalopes with fried ginger; and ginger-leek puree. Ken Hom may, indeed, be commercially popular, but his popularity is founded on a deep understanding and scholarly appreciation of Chinese cooking.
Travels With A Hot Wok includes ideas from such great chefs as California's Wolfgang Puck and Australia's Neil Perry, and Hom interprets the idea of "fusion" food very broadly. One or two of the ideas seem rather dubious - his Herbal Vegetarian Fried Rice includes sun-dried tomatoes, a mismatched pairing, I think - but on the whole the recipes in this book are beautifully thought through, simple to make and wonderful to eat.
And here is an idea which shows the sort of clever changes Hom makes to the food cultures he explores. I initially thought adding cream to stir-fried mushrooms would give dreadful results, but it works an absolute treat. If you have types of mushrooms other than those given - I have cooked this using oyster and shiitake - it will still be terrific.
Braised Fusion Mushrooms With Herbs
50g (2oz) dried Chinese black mushrooms 50g (2oz) dried morel mushrooms 900g (2lb) button mushrooms 3 tablespooons extra virgin olive oil 4 tablespoons coarsely chopped garlic 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry 4 teaspoons light soy sauce 2 teaspoons sugar 50ml (2 fl oz) double cream To garnish:
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives 2 tablespoons finely chopped spring onions
Soak the dried Chinese and morel mushrooms in two separate bowls of warm water for 20 minutes. Then drain the Chinese mushrooms and squeeze out the excess liquid. Strain this mushroom liquid and reserve. Remove and discard the mushroom stems and cut the caps in half. Rinse the morel mushrooms, to remove any sand. Slice the button mushrooms.
Heat a wok or large frying-pan over a high heat until it is moderately hot. Add the olive oil and immediately add the garlic and stir-fry for 15 seconds. Then add the salt and pepper and all the mushrooms with the mushroom liquid and stir-fry them for two minutes. Add the rice wine or sherry, soy sauce and sugar and continue stir-frying for five minutes or until the mushroom liquid has been re-absorbed by the mushrooms or evaporated. Finally, add the cream and cook for two minutes. Give the mushrooms a few stirs, turn on to a warm platter, sprinkle with chives and spring onions and serve at once.