ST201903

LIVING (^) | EATING WELL
Larkin Cen, chef
and owner of Woky Ko restaurants
in Bristol was working as a solicitor
when he reached the Masterchef
final in 2013, leading him to give up
his job and concentrate on his
passion for cooking fresh and
healthy Asian food.
“I grew up eating ramen and it’s still
my go-to meal. It’s the ultimate Asian
comfort food and brings about strong
feelings of nostalgia.
My parents emigrated to the UK
from China in the 1980s and my
brother and I were born here and
grew up in Cardiff. We ran a Chinese
takeaway and I was exposed to
cooking from a young age. My
mum is a great cook and so was
my granddad and I used to enjoy
watching them prepare food.
My favourite meals as a child were
Chinese roast pork and crackling
or on special occasions we’d have
lobster with ginger and spring
onion which was just delicious. I think
I was quite a spoilt child when it
came to food!
I studied at Cardiff university and
worked as a solicitor but decided to
become a chef because this is what
I’m passionate about. I want to show
people the breadth and diversity of
Asian food and serve fresh, healthy
dishes, made to order. I’m about to
open my third restaurant in Bristol –
it’s a great city to be in because
people are open to new ideas and
there’s a hunger for authentic food
from around the world.
Cooking ramen takes a little time,
but it’s simple, and the slow cooking
process is all part of it. The most
important thing is that you have a
good bone broth (which needs to
cook for a minimum of five hours) but
you can make a big batch and freeze
some. I’ve been working on this recipe
recently for my restaurants – it feels
good to be able to bring a taste of
home to the people of Bristol.”»
¾ tsp salt
200g chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato purée
160g young spinach leaves, roughly
chopped
Kalpna says: Soaking the chana daal
will soften the lentils so they’ll cook
quicker. Don’t get Chana daal mixed
up with split-pea lentils – they are two
different types of lentils. You can use
any lentil for this recipe but adjust
cooking time to suit the lentils
being cooked. If you want to make
the sauce more quickly, you can leave
out the onions.
1 Rinse the daal so the water runs
clear. Soak in cold water for at least
2 hours or overnight.
2 Bring 2 litres of cold water to a boil
in a large saucepan. When it starts to
boil add the soaked daal and 1 tsp
turmeric powder. Partially cover the
pan and cook on a medium to high
heat for 30 mins. The water may need
skimming if a skin forms over the top.
3 After 30 mins, raise the heat and
cook on high for a further 10–15 mins
until the daal is soft and the water
incorporated (no longer separate).
The daal should retain its shape
but be soft.
4 In a deep frying pan, heat the oil and
when hot add the cumin seeds. As
they sizzle, add the garlic and ginger.
Mix for 1 min and then put in the
chopped onion, coriander stems
and fresh green chilli. Cook for
4–5 mins until the onion is soft and
almost brown.
5 Next add the spices – turmeric,
ground coriander, red chilli powder
and the salt. Stir for 1–2 mins and then
pour in the tinned tomatoes and their
juice and the tomato purée. Add
4–5 tbsp warm water and leave to
simmer for around 8–10 mins on
a low-medium heat until the
tomatoes are mashed down and
the sauce is thick.
6 Next, add the spinach leaves and
cook for 1–2 mins so they wilt.
7 When the daal is soft and mixed,
spoon the sauce into the daal
and simmer for 5–10 mins. The daal
will thicken.
8 Mix in the coriander leaves. Serve
with basmati rice or wholemeal
pitta bread.
“It feels good to
be able to bring a
taste of home to the
people of Bristol”
Even chefs
need a little
comfort food
now and again