Thais for sighs

"The British have really changed over the years," he says. "They like the taste of all sorts of exotic foods they encounter on their travels now."

That, he points out, is reflected in the range of foodstuffs found in the local supermarket. When his first TV series came out nearly 20 years ago - Ken Hom's Chinese Cookery, which was screened on the BBC in 1984 - it was pretty hard to find the ingredients you needed in the UK to prepare authentic Chinese dishes.

"When I made my first series, I remember all the trouble we had, saying if we can't find this ingredient, can we substitute that?" he says. "These days, it has completely changed. You can do a very authentic meal by just shopping at a supermarket."

It's true - go to any decent supermarket and you'll find shelves full of vegetables such as Chinese leaf and pak choi, rows of oriental sauces and spices, tofu and other soya products galore.

To make best use of them, of course, you have got to know how to cook them - which is where Ken comes in. His various books and TV series - such as Ken Hom's Hot Wok, Ken Hom's Travels with a Wok and Foolproof Chinese Cookery - have become veritable bibles for those wishing to enjoy the delights of Chinese food. So popular is he that up to one in ten of all UK homes are thought to own a Ken Hom book.

At 53 he remains genuinely passionate about food and what it can teach us about each-other. Food, he says, is part of who we are - and it is a way of sharing your culture with others from different backgrounds.

"The way to everybody's heart is through their stomach," he says. "If you talk about just culture, most people would not be interested. But if you talk about food, you know you'll get someone's attention."

Born to Chinese parents in Chicago, he grew up in that great mid-west city's Chinatown. Chinese cuisine comes in many regional varieties, of which Cantonese is most popular here. That is the cuisine Ken learned as an apprentice in his uncle's restaurant in Chicago - that, and a smattering of hot, spicy Szechuan cooking.

The great thing about Chinese cuisine, he says, is that as well as being delicious, it is healthy - much more so than a traditional Western diet. It's low on fat, with none of the dairy products so common in Western diets. There are lots of vegetables - and they're not overcooked, the way the British traditionally like to eat them, he points out, so they retain more of their goodness - and only small quantities of sliced or shredded meat.

The style of Chinese cooking most British people are familiar with is the stir fry. But really authentic Chinese cuisine, Ken points out, involves a lot of steaming as well - which is healthy, delicious and highly nutritious, since the goodness of the food isn't boiled away.

Now Ken is on a new crusade. The chef, who divides his time between London, his home in a converted 12th century tower in South West France, and travels all over the world, will be at Sainsbury's in Monks Cross, York on Thursday to demonstrate recipes from his newest book.

But they're not Chinese recipes - they are Thai.

He first travelled to Thailand, he says, in 1983 - and fell in love with the place. "I just love everything about it," he says. "It extends to more than the food - it's the people, the culture, they way they talk to each-other, their slant on Buddhism which is quite fabulous."

He's been back to the country many times since - and says he'd even like to retire there.

And just as the country is unique, he says, so is its cuisine. He describes it as the 'ultimate fusion' cooking. It developed, he says, from a combination of Indian, Chinese and other Far Eastern cuisines, and has a distinctive character all its own.

The Thais combine spices and fresh herbs with sweet flavours such as fruit and coconut and the sourness of lemon grass.

A good Thai curry, he says, is like nothing else. "It is so different from an Indian curry, and very different from Chinese food. It is very unique, just like the culture."

Ken will be demonstrating three of his favourite Thai recipes from his new book at Sainsbury's on Thursday; crispy fish with mango salad; stir-fried chicken with chillies and basil; and stir-fried broad beans with red curry. "They are all easy," he says. "That's one of the most important things. If a dish is too complicated, people will say why should I bother?"

Ken Hom will be at Sainsbury's, Monks Cross, from 12.30pm to 2.30pm on Thursday to sign copies of his book and demonstrate recipes. Ken Hom's Foolproof Thai Cookery is available at Sainsbury's stores, price £10.99.

RECIPE

Stir-Fried Chicken with Chillies and Basil

Serves 4

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

This traditional dish, called gai phad bai krapao, is very easy to prepare. The unique pungent aroma of Thai basil makes it especially mouth-watering.

450g (1lb) boneless, skinless chicken thighs

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoon finely sliced shallots

3 tablespoons coarsely chopped garlic

3 fresh red or green Thai chillies, seeded and finely shredded

2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla)

2 teaspoons dark soy sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

a large handful of Thai or ordinary basil leaves

Cut the chicken into 2.5cm (1in) chunks. Heat a wok or large frying pan until it is very hot, then add 1 tablespoon of the oil. When it is very hot, add the chicken and stir-fry over a high heat for eight minutes, until browned all over.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a colander.

Reheat the wok and add the remaining oil. Toss in the shallots and garlic and stir-fry for 3 minutes, until they are golden brown.

Return the chicken to the wok and add the chillies, fish sauce, dark soy sauce and sugar.

Stir-fry over a high heat for 8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Stir in the basil leaves and serve at once.

Updated: 09:34 Tuesday, June 25, 2002