Word on the Street by Alan Harrison

IDEAS How to make pork the most exciting dish on your menu and get your customers coming back for more

the

RECIPES From meatballs to kimchi – brand new recipes to inspire your own take on street food and excite your customers

WHA T T H E S T R E E T F OOD R EVOL UTION C OUL D M EAN FOR Y O UR BUSINESS

po*rk

THE

WORD STREET ON

REET F

*I R E D

TIPS Lessons from the maestros about how to bring street food success to your own business

Street food works

why street food is so popular... and so successful Hanna Söderlund on her travels to find the perfect street food that’s vibrant, fresh and exciting.

Arturo Ortega learned to cook at his grandmother’s knee and now regularly picks up praise and awards for his real Mexican food.

A BPEX publication

Mark Gevaux has elevated slow cooked pork ribs to a cult status – with tongue-tingling sauces to match.

>>PORK STREET FOOD

Welcome to the revolution As everyone involved in retail and foodservice businesses will know, the UK food scene doesn’t stand still for long. Fresh ideas, new ingredients, innovative presentations come and, mostly, go. Last year’s ‘next big thing’ stands every chance of becoming next year’s ‘old news’. But the latest phenomenon to explode onto the streets, quite literally, is different and looks set to stay and to grow.

It’s street food. It’s fresh and exciting, brash and bold, enormously popular and, correctly executed, can be very profitable. Our cosmopolitan culture makes this country a great incubator of new food ideas and the UK consumer is a hungry adopter of new tastes and experiences. This publication is designed to explore the street food revolution a little and to inspire you – whatever your role as a food professional – to adopt some of the ideas into your own business. We take a look at some of the finest London street food exponents and see what makes them successful. We’ve created some recipes inspired by the current street food scene and we look at what this all means for mainstream caterers – can the street food revolution teach us anything and can those lessons be incorporated into your business, be it foodservice, retail or manufacturing?

Across the world, pork is probably the most popular street food meat, largely because of its enormous popularity in China, South East Asia, South America and Europe. And of course, pork has a longstanding heritage as the core of countless economical British dishes. Half of the Guardian’s recent top ten London street food vendors are selling pork dishes. So explore the streets, enjoy the flavours and choose pork as an inspiring way to join the revolution.

Tony Goodger BPEX tony.goodger@bpex.ahdb.org.uk @porkforcaterers

03<<

>>The word

on the street...<<

The street food explosion is a social phenomenon and a very sociable way of eating. It’s not like fast food. You don’t just order, collect and go. You’ll have a chat to the cook preparing your lunch, maybe ask about the menu, talk about the weather. Or compare notes with the other hungry diners waiting to be served. In the evening, street food becomes a whole new experience when London street food vendors regularly come together at central locations, where peope can wander from stall to

brightly-lit stall or sit on plastic chairs beneath a makeshift canopy to eat. As purveyors of moveable feasts, street food vendors can be in one location at lunchtime and somewhere else in the evening. They don’t ‘advertise’ – they use social media to tell customers how good they are and where they’ll be and when. It works because social media is on your phone, in your pocket, with you everywhere… just where you need it

The essence of street food is simple: good ingredients, bold flavours, vibrant presentation, great value to be to track down great food on the streets. Twitter followers help to spread the word, raise the expectation, share the images and attract more interest. Some street

food vendors have thousands more followers than many established restaurants.

>>PORK STREET FOOD

>>It’s all happening It’s early evening. A crowd is gathering, expectant and hungry. People are here to eat but not inside. Some browse the little corral of food trucks arranged around the square, studying blackboard menus and watching as customers are served. Others make a beeline for their favourite vendor. Smoke and enticing aromas drift on the air. Soon almost everyone is eating; some munching as they wander, some standing, resting their food on scaffolding planks laid across oil drums, chatting with friends, some sitting on plastic chairs at makeshift trestle tables. Friends, couples, families, even lone diners. This is street food. Not in Bangkok or Delhi or Palermo but in London. The same scene is increasingly being played out in other cities across the UK. It’s vibrant, it’s exciting, it’s good value... and consumers can’t get enough of it.

For second- or third-generation immigrants to this country, street food vending offers the chance to cook dishes from their country of origin in an authentic but contemporary way. Young cooks whose parents might have opened restaurants here see a new way of doing business and sharing their food. In some cases young people have been so inspired by food experiences while travelling that they’ve started street food businesses to share the dishes they’ve discovered. Cuisines that might once have been thought too niche to gain popularity here have been given a voice and a greater following than might have been imagined. But street food is not only about ethnic dishes – it affords the same opportunity to caterers who are passionate about reviving, promoting and innovating British food.

Street food has taken off here because it empowers vendors to sell their food without the need for costly premises or equipment and connects them with their customers in the most direct way possible – face to face, out in the street, across the counter of a truck or cart. It’s immediate: you pay me the cash, I serve you the food, you eat it now and tell me if you like it. And if you do, I’ll probably see you again next time. There’s no better business feedback than that.

Some street food vendors also supply parties and other functions – and a few have restaurants which they site their street food stalls outside. They serve a different menu on the street to inside the restaurant, so they’re not competing with their own business but gaining extra sales and customer trial… clever!

Here. NOW.

05<<

>>Simple and

sophisticated

…all at once

The essence of successful street food is simple: good quality ingredients, bold flavours and freshness. But also sophistication in the form of lesser used ingredients and flavours and inventive presentation. Most street food vendors are proud of the provenance of their ingredients and declare it on their blackboard menus. Many are using ingredients that haven’t yet made it to mainstream menus. Most street food is assembled to order in front of the customer and supplied in a simple carton or tray, usually with a serviette. Mostly it’s hand held or sometimes a disposable spoon or fork helps things along.

Value is really important – with lower overheads and often high turnover, vendors can keep prices affordable and benefit from repeat business. And it’s about theatre and personality – as in any food business sector, street food is competitive, so the stand-out factor is essential. As in other parts of the world, British street food vendors rely heavily on character and personality to create awareness and popularity, either through their own larger-thanlife personae, what they call their products or the extravagant vehicles from which they sell their food. Street food hawking is not for the shy and retiring!

While this may all point to a certain degree of quirkiness, the most successful street food vendors also know that consistency is allimportant. Make no mistake – these guys are professionals and produce quality products day in day out: they know what their customers want and they are very good at delivering it. Just like any other food business they are selling a product that their customers have ‘voted for’ and will come back to experience again, expecting it to be the same. The street food format may allow them to try new recipes and ideas quickly and easily but they change their successful core offering at their peril!

Needless to say, word of mouth and social media plays an enormous part in the street food scene, both for vendors and diners. As a vendor, you may not have a slick website (although some now do) but you’ll definitely be on twitter. With no fixed place of sale, social media is key to informing customers where you’ll be and when. In an increasingly fluid, transient and competitive world, this emphasis on connecting with and staying in touch with your customers is vital to gaining and retaining business.

Worth remembering… • street food connects traders directly with their customers – there’s nowhere to hide! • it’s a great opportunity to be fast on your feet, try new ideas • vendors have to stand out to attract business • transparency, quality and consistency are key • word of mouth and social media are vital to gaining new customers

>>PORK STREET FOOD

Street food is eaten by 2.5 billion people a day across the world, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN. For most, street food is a necessity – an affordable way of eating good food during a busy day. In developing countries, this is workers’ food; affordable, fresh, employing local ingredients, cooked and served by street and market vendors. Meals and snacks are served throughout the day, from breakfast until late at night and are usually based on the popular, distinctively flavoured dishes of the region.

It’s all

TASTE

about

But necessity doesn’t mean poor quality. On the contrary, this kind of street food is usually knowledgeably and consistently prepared and cooked. And to stay in business, it has to be good. Fierce competition and discerning diners keep standards up and ensure that dishes are packed with flavour to keep customers coming back.

In the UK, of course, street food is a choice rather than a necessity – which means that taste is even more important to consumer selection. The tastiest meatball gets the most customers; the freshest, most flavour-packed wrap draws the longest queues. UK consumers are a pretty switched-on bunch when it comes to food nowadays and they’re increasingly interested in – and knowledgeable about – the quality and provenance of ingredients and the authenticity of flavours. In return, street food vendors are now widely recognised by food reviewers as producing some of the best quality, most exciting and innovative food in the country.

Perfneecrts Part

Across the world, fierce competition drives up street food quality and helps to preserve traditional recipes and cooking methods. A poor quality street vendor won’t last long!

07<<

With the obvious exception of communities who choose not to eat it for religious or cultural reasons, pork is probably the most popular street food meat around the globe and with good reason. The meat of the pig is a wonderful flavour receptor and can readily stand up to powerful ingredients: pork welcomes marinades and rubs with open arms and is as suited to the flavours of South East Asia as it is to, say, Spain or South America, not to mention our home-grown preferences. Pork serves as an ingredient in street food favourites from sausages to pies, burgers to spring rolls. Perhaps most importantly, pork offers a range of great value forequarter cuts that, with the benefit of slow cooking, transform into deliciously tender fillings for rolls, steamed buns, wraps and more. Pork collar, shoulder and ribs all offer fantastic value and meltingly soft meat that consumers find irresistible. Pork produced under quality assurance schemes, for example Red Tractor pork, offers consumers the reassurance of quality and provenance theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for. Remember that over 70%* of diners want to know where their meat comes from. See page 23 for more information about the Red Tractor assurance scheme.

Pork and street food *source YouGov

... D R O W A

ABOUT THE RECIPES The recipes featured in this publication have been inspired by the current street food scene and developed by one of the leading pork chefs, Alan Paton. (They are not the recipes of our featured traders, which rightly remain a closely guarded secret!) The recipe names are quirky and fun â&#x20AC;&#x201C; think about what you might call your own dishes.

Much street food is hand held and several of the dishes can use interchangeable edible containers (wraps, breads, steamed buns, etc) but stay authentic to the cuisine as much as you can.

Enjoy!

Do one good thing. But do it well.

ez Felwick always knew he wanted to do something around food. He just didn’t know what. His search for inspiration took him first to a well-known cookery school in Ireland, where he spent three months learning his craft. Back in London, his first venture into food retailing was selling homemade soup at farmers markets: but he soon realised that making in quantity and selling at a profit was not as easy as it first seemed. A call from a friend in the States about the phenomenon of food trucks that had just hit Los Angeles set Jez thinking: a singular idea… a truck...he could be onto something. Jez quickly identified that the key to street food success is clarity of proposition. Do one good thing. And be the best at it. Jez looked first at one-pot cooking and then chose meatballs. ‘They are just the most wonderful, fun, flexible things and can be so varied – like pies without the lids. We serve beef and chicken meatballs but without doubt our pork and beef ball is the most popular.’ Jez minces his own cuts of meat. At the start it was all about Jez’s mum’s hand mincer clamped to the kitchen table, until growing success demanded a more efficient way of coping with demand. But the careful selection of the meat remains key to Jez’s operation. As well as trading at the main London street food venues, Jez caters for private parties and events. His latest venture is a successful book, with enough imaginative recipes to keep even the most ardent meatball addict happy. Is this a step towards greater commercialisation? ‘Well, possibly’, says Jez, ‘but at the end of the day street food is all about fun, humour and personality and we’ll always have that!’

cocoa + rosemary meatball skewer \ sweet sour cherry \ feijoada

>>PORK STREET FOOD

MEATBALL SKEWER makes 10 skewers 1920g assured minced pork 6 sprigs rosemary finely diced 6 teaspoons garlic powder 9 cloves garlic finely diced 8 bay leaves finely diced or 6 dried leaves crushed 4 tablespoons good quality cocoa powder 1 Combine all the ingredients and chill for an hour. 2 Roll the mixture into balls of about 30g – you’re looking to make 40 balls. Lay the balls on a tray in rows of 4 and push the skewers through. 3 Chargrill or cook on a hot griddle for best results or cook through the oven. SWEET AND SOUR CHERRY SAUCE 1.5kg pitted cherries fresh or frozen 250g golden caster sugar 200ml white wine vinegar fresh lime juice optional 1 Mix the vinegar and sugar in a pan and bring to the boil. Cook until the syrup begins to thicken slightly. 2 Add the cherries to the pan and cook until soft. Reduce the heat and stew until the mixture has a loose ketchup consistency. Dial up the acidity to taste with fresh lime juice. FEIJOADA – BLACK BEAN STEW makes 25 portions 1 tablespoon groundnut oil 300g chorizo medium diced 300g cooked ham 1 medium onion chopped 2 cloves garlic chopped 2 sweet potatoes peeled and diced 900g tinned chopped tomatoes 1 small hot green chilli 400ml water 2 x 400g tins of black beans rinsed and drained 1 mango peeled and medium diced 50g fresh coriander chopped 1 Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat, add the chorizo and ham and cook for 3 minutes. 2 Add the onion to the pan and cook until tender, add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. 3 Add in the sweet potato, pepper, tomatoes, chilli and water, bring to boil and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. 4 Stir in the beans and cook uncovered until heated through. Finally, stir in the mango and coriander.

******************* ASSEMBLY JOB Dish up a good spoonful of hot feijoada, top with a freshly cooked meatball skewer and a dollop of warm cherry sauce.

******************* meets y k o m s t... and swee HOLA! says

W 째 6 43

2 . 3 ,4

S 째 3 08

09<<

22.9

BALLS BEANS

Feijoada brasileira is what every self-respecting Brazilian eats for lunch on Saturday. Why wait till the weekend?

ginger chilli pork \ kimchi \ choi sum \ nori

>>PORK STREET FOOD

Jämtland native, wannabe Asian, pork addict.

“

The exceptional quality pork available from British farmers and butchers makes it an obvious choice for me and the most popular taco topping for my customers.

rowing up in Sweden with a father obsessed with smoking pork belly and a family constantly munching on palt – northern Swedish pork dumplings – Hanna Söderlund’s love of pork was instilled at an early age. The seeds of her street food passion were sown when she spent a year in California at the time when it was impossible to ignore the Korean taco explosion led by chef Roy Choi. Hanna began thinking about creating a version that was lighter and more complex in flavour. Hanna’s first venture into street food was just last year, when she started a Swedish street food stall but she quickly realised that she yearned for a bigger challenge and set off to South Korea to absorb herself in that country’s food culture. She found herself eating ssamgyeopsal (grilled pork wrapped in lettuce leaves with kimchi and other side dishes) almost every day and started thinking about how she could adapt that dish to fit London’s street food scene. Hanna explains: ‘I decided to pour all my energy into learning more and creating street food which is vibrant, fresh and exciting.’ Today Hanna sells to a growing band of followers at street food markets and pop-up dinners right across London. She puts the fast-growing popularity of street food in the UK largely down to its entrepreneurial exponents: ‘Likely with the rise of handsome young men and women barbecuing ribs and flipping burgers, starting small with a big passion and showing off just how good street food in Britain can be’.

GINGER CHILLI PORK serves 10 2.5kg assured pork shoulder bone-in 240ml cider vinegar 50g dark brown sugar 2 tablespoons chopped ginger 1 tablespoon dried red chillies 1 tablespoon fish sauce freshly ground black pepper 1 /2 tablespoon coarse sea salt 1 Preheat the oven to 220ºC. Score the skin of the pork and rub in some salt. Sit the pork in a tray or earthenware pot in the oven for 10–12 minutes to seal, then reduce the heat to 110ºC. 2 Add the remaining ingredients to a saucepan and heat to simmering point, until the salt and sugar are dissolved. 3 Pour half the sauce over the pork, cover and cook for 6–8 hours, until the meat will shred easily. Remove from the oven, rest for 20 minutes then remove the bones. 4 Shred the meat and mix with all the cooking juices, adding as much of the remaining sauce as required. Season (with salt, pepper, sugar, ginger, chilli) to taste. KIMCHI serves 10 3 heads of choi sum – keep the stems for garnish 1 small daikon peeled, quartered and sliced 1/2 cm thick 3 medium carrots peeled and cut into strips – not too thin 1 bunch radish trimmed and quartered 3 red onions peeled, halved, core removed and cut into thick slices 100g ginger peeled and finely diced 5 cloves garlic chopped 1 tablespoon black onion seed 1 tablespoon shrimp paste 6OOml water 200g caster sugar 125ml fish sauce 100ml rice wine 75ml cider vinegar 1 Put the ginger, onion seed, shrimp paste, water, sugar, fish sauce, rice wine and cider vinegar in a pan over a medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. 2 Put all the vegetables in a round 5 litre plastic container. 3 Allow the liquid to cool for 20–25 minutes then pour over the vegetables and lightly pound with a rolling pin. Compress the mix and refrigerate until needed.

******************* ASSEMBLY JOB Reheat the pork in a pan or on a griddle. Cut the bread and top with pork and kimchi and a drizzle of kimchi liquor. Garnish with sliced radish, choi sum stem and torn nori seaweed. Alternatively, assemble the filling in wraps or pancakes. Either way, it’s delicious.

******************* Mix it up: pork and kimchi is just as good in wraps, Chinese style pancakes and steamed buns

37.5833° N, 127.0000° E

11<<

GINGER CHILLI PORK

‘N’ KIMCHI

Kimchi has been described as one of the world’s healthiest foods, packed with vitamins

>>PORK STREET FOOD

19.1300° N, 99.4000° W

Pico de gallo is a popular snack all over Mexico. It's a moveable feast – add avocado, cucumber, radish, mango… but keep it quite dry, so it works in tacos and fajitas

MUY YUM

the Dial uptaste heat to ing a by add h of splas ro habañee sauc

13<<

Real Mexican food, just made for street eating

MEXICAN PORK

rturo Ortega Rodriguez began to learn his cooking craft at his grandmother’s (Abuela’s) knee. His experience was honed

serves 10

by working in Michelin starred restaurants across the world, before

2.5kg assured pork shoulder bone-in 275ml Mexican-style lager 225ml cider vinegar 50g dark brown sugar 20g cocoa powder 2 tablespoons sweet paprika 1 tablespoon dried red chillies 1 tablespoon ground cumin freshly ground black pepper 1 /2 tablespoon coarse sea salt

he settled in the UK with a mission: to bring traditional Mexican

1 Preheat the oven to 220ºC. Score the skin of the pork and rub in some salt. Sit the pork in a tray or earthenware pot in the lower middle of the oven for about 10–12 minutes to seal, then reduce the heat to 110ºC. 2 Add the remaining ingredients to a saucepan and heat to simmering point, until the salt and sugar are dissolved. 3 Pour half the sauce over the pork, cover and cook for 6–8 hours, until the meat will shred easily. Remove from the oven, rest for 20 minutes then remove the bones. 4 Shred the meat and mix with all the cooking juices, adding as much of the remaining sauce as required. Season to taste (sugar, lime juice). You can also deglaze the tray and reduce for added flavour intensity. PICO DE GALLO

cuisine to the great British public. No, not the heavy, pre-prepared enchiladas of the chain restaurant but the bright, fresh, zingy – and sometimes rather hot – flavours of Mexican street food. You’ll find Arturo serving up dishes like cochinita pibil – pork marinated in orange and achiote (a mainstay of the Mexican kitchen) – or beef stew in a green tomato sauce with chorizo.

“

Our recipes are from the heart of Mexico. We get our traditional flavours using different spices, chillies and some dried products from Mexico, to give the traditional touch like it has been cooked for generations in Mexico.

serves 10

“

taco \ pulled pork \ lettuce \ tomato + jalapeno salsa

PORK + PICO

4 ripe plum tomatoes seeded and finely chopped 1 small white onion finely chopped 50g fresh coriander chopped (or more to taste) 2–3 jalapeno peppers seeded and finely chopped 1 tablespoon lime juice salt

The simplicity of presentation belies Arturo’s unassuming skill with

Combine all the ingredients, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. This tastes best freshly made.

It’s punchy and colourful and begs to be handheld and consumed

******************* ASSEMBLY JOB Reheat the pork to order in a pan or on a griddle. Fill tacos or fajitas with shredded lettuce, then the pork and top with the pico de gallo.

*******************

flavours. He’s regularly picking up praise and awards from some of the most influential reviewers and has been rated in the top 100 dishes in London. This kind of food is just made for street eating. with a cold beer.

>>PORK STREET FOOD

massaman meatballs \ steamed bun \ cucumber pickle

restaurateur with a passion for street food

fter university, Kwok Tang’s career in IT was flying high; but a persistent love affair was destined always to bring him back to his true passion – for food. He and his wife, Lisa Tai, are second generation Cantonese immigrants to the UK and they both grew up immersed in food and its role in the family. Both Kwok’s father and father in law were cooks and both ran their own Chinese restaurants. ‘There is a saying’, Kwok explains, ‘that if we Chinese are not cooking or eating, then we’re thinking about what we’re going to cook and eat. It’s certainly true in my family.’ Kwok and his wife had the opportunity to travel and inevitably their explorations involved food and eating: street food became a particular obsession. At the end of 2011 they took the plunge, threw in their IT jobs and opened their restaurant in East London, serving keenly priced street food style Chinese and Thai dishes to the locals. It was an immediate success. Within six months, Kwok had also opened a street food stall directly outside the restaurant, amongst the bustle of other stalls selling food. For five days a week the stall sells freshly made steamed buns filled to order with roast pork or duck, which is cooked in the restaurant kitchens. Intentionally, this is a simpler, different menu to the restaurant, which has seen no drop in trade as a result of the street food stall. ‘It took us many late nights to get the steamed bun recipe just as we wanted it but now it’s perfect’, says Kwok. The fact that they regularly sell out of their day’s quota is testament to their success.

“

Our stall allows us to express our passion for street food and is a showcase for our restaurant. People who like the food they try from our stall are more inclined to come and try our restaurant too. Everyone wins!

MASSAMAN PASTE If you don’t have time to make your own Massaman paste, use a good quality proprietary product – there are several to choose from. makes 250g 20 dried red chillies 5 tablespoons vegetable oil 200g banana shallots chopped 12 garlic cloves peeled and sliced 1 teaspoon coriander seeds 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 teaspoon cardamon 1 teaspoon cloves 2 teaspoon black peppercorns 1 tablespoon galangal chopped 2 limes zested 3 teaspoon shrimp paste 3 tablespoon coconut milk or oil 1 tablespoon ginger chopped 2 sticks lemongrass very finely chopped 1 small cinnamon stick 1 Put the vegetable oil in a pan and take to medium hot. Fry the chillies for a few seconds then remove from the heat. 2 In a separate pan take a little oil from the chillies and lightly brown the garlic and shallots. Take off the heat and stir in the lemon grass. 3 Dry cook the cardamom, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, coriander and cumin in a pan for 3–5 minutes, then remove from the heat and grind to a powder. 4 Process the powder, the shallot mix, shrimp paste, galangal, ginger and lime into a paste. 5 Warm the coconut milk or oil in a pan and ‘cook’ the paste for about 7–10 minutes over a medium heat. 6 Cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge. THAI MEATBALLS 7 portions of 5 meatballs each 975g assured minced pork 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3 free range eggs beaten 75g breadcrumbs 4 tablespoons chopped Thai basil 5 cloves garlic 1 Crush the garlic, chop the basil and mix well with the minced pork. 2 Add the egg to the meat with the cinnamon and breadcrumbs. Mix well. Fry off a small patty to check for taste and texture. 3 Roll the meat into balls weighing about 50g each. Store in the fridge until ready to use (for up to 3 days). TO COOK THE MEATBALLS 3 onions sliced 5 cloves garlic crushed 125ml fish sauce 1.5 litres coconut milk 2 lemons juiced 70ml vegetable oil 150g Massaman paste 1 Tray up the meatballs ready to be flashed through the oven. 2 In a medium to large pan heat up the oil and lightly fry the onions for 3 minutes, then add the garlic and paste and cook for 7–10 minutes. Add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Add the fish sauce and lemon juice to the pan. 3 Cook the meatballs in the oven at 200ºC for 8 minutes. Once coloured all over, remove from the oven and, using tongs, add them into the sauce. 4 Cook gently for about 21/2 hours until the meatballs are tender and succulent.

13.75

00° N

, 100

BANGKOK BALLS

15<<

.4833

°E

Steamed buns make the perfect hand-held street food container

STEAMED BUNS Makes approximately 10 Starter Dough 100ml lukewarm water 21/2 tablespoons dried yeast 1 tablespoon sugar 130g strong flour First combine the sugar, water and yeast and mix well. Then stir in the flour to form a sticky dough. Leave it aside for 10 minutes or until it has started to rise. Main Dough 370g strong flour 50g sugar 1 /4 teaspoon salt 150ml water at room temperature 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda 1 /2 teaspoon vinegar 2 tablespoons rendered and chilled pork fat

1 Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl and make a well in centre. 2 Combine the water, baking powder, bicarb and vinegar and mix well. 3 Put the starter dough in the centre of the flour, slowing push in the flour and knead. 4 Gradually add the other ingredients (except the pork fat) to the starter dough and keep kneading until a dough is formed. It will look a little crumby, dry and yellowish but it's fine. 5 Add the pork fat and knead until combined. You won't get a smooth dough yet but a nice non-sticky dough. Mix until the dough comes free of wall of the bowl. 6 Set the dough aside for 1 to 11/2 hours or until it has doubled in size. Cover it with a damp cloth, keep the cloth damp at all times. 7 You’ll notice the dough becomes whiter (not snow white). Knock the dough back to release the air and knead until smooth. 8 Divide into 50g portions and cover with a damp towel to prevent skinning. 9 Roll out each dough to oval shape, pleat the edges with a fork and place the pieces onto parchment paper, sprayed with a little water. 10 Set aside to rest for 15–20mins and then steam for 10-12 mins over a high heat.

CUCUMBER PICKLE 2 cucumbers 400ml cider vinegar 300g caster sugar 5 pimento berries 10 white peppercorns 1 cinnamon stick pinch chilli flakes pinch caraway seeds 2 bay leaves 1 large onion sliced 1 Peel the cucumbers, cut lengthways and scoop out the seeds. With the cucumber on a board, place your knife over one end of the cucumber at a 45 degree angle and cut down. Now go to the opposite 45 angle and cut again. Cut all the cucumber like this. 2 Put all the ingredients apart from the cucumber into a pan and cook over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat. 3 Leave the pickling liquor to cool for 30 minutes. Place the cucumber in a container, pour over the liquor, cover and refrigerate.

************** ASSEMBLY JOB Reheat the buns in a steamer if they’ve been made ahead, and make sure the meatballs are piping hot. Split a bun halfway down, tuck in five meatballs with some sauce, top with some pickled cucumber and sliced green chillies to taste.

**************

CHEEKY

>>PORK STREET FOOD

PORK SAMOSAS 1.3667° N, 103.7500° E

pork cheek \ brown shrimp \ five spice

An underused pork cut, Chinese spicing and an Indian wrapper – that’s one cheeky snack!

makes 15 – 20 samosas PORK CHEEK 2 litres pork stock 10 assured pork cheeks trimmed 1 /2 tablespoon chopped ginger 4 cloves garlic chopped 1 shallot finely diced 1 star anise 1 pinch cumin seed 2 stem lemon grass pounded 1 small green chilli chopped cinnamon powder and black pepper to season

1 Season the cheeks with some cinnamon and pepper. Seal in a hot stainless steel pan with a little sesame oil, then set aside. 2 With a little more oil over a medium heat add the remaining ingredients to the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Return the cheeks to the pan and add the stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 2 hours over a low heat, skimming frequently. 3 Once cooked, allow the cheeks to cool slightly in the stock, then remove and keep warm. 4 Pass the stock and reduce until quite thick. The flavour should be aromatic rather than spicy. Keep warm.

LARDO Lardo is pork back fat specially cured with herbs and spices. Don’t reach for the lard! 150g lardo cut into small dice 1 teaspoon five spice powder 150g brown shrimps 1 Cook the lardo and spice together over a low heat until the fat is rendered but still white. Strain. 2 Add the shrimps and the shredded pork cheek and mix, adding just enough stock to bind.

************** ASSEMBLY JOB Use filo pastry or wonton wrappers to make samosas with the pork / shrimp / lardo filling. Allow to rest in the fridge for an hour or so before frying in hot oil.

**************

barbecue pork ribs \ cajun spice

17<<

10 lip-smacking helpings BARBECUE SAUCE 3 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 large clove garlic minced 11/2 onions chopped 1 each red, yellow and green pepper seeds removed, diced 4 sticks celery chopped 1 /2 teaspoon paprika 2 teaspoons garlic powder 2 teaspoons onion powder 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon tabasco sauce 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 200ml balsamic vinegar 300g dark brown sugar 1 800g tin chopped plum tomatoes 150ml pork or vegetable stock 4 spring onions sliced, mostly green parts 1 heaped tablespoon tomato paste

1 Heat a tablespoon of butter and oil over medium-low heat in a medium saucepan. Add the chopped garlic, onions, peppers and celery and sauté for about 2 minutes, until just tender. 2 Meanwhile, combine the paprika, onion powder and garlic powder, thyme, oregano, basil, Worcestershire sauce, tabasco and ground pepper in a bowl. 3 Stir the tomatoes into the vegetables then add the seasoning mixture. 4 Sauté for another minute. Add the stock and bring to a boil. 5 Stir in the sliced spring onions. Continue boiling, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Most of the liquid will cook away. 6 Stir in the tomato paste, sugar and vinegar and cook until reduced, thick and sticky. 7 Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.

PORK RIBS 1 assured pork belly skinless, bone-in, cut into individual ribs 1 Put the pork in a deep tray and pour over the sauce. place a sheet of non-stick paper on the surface and seal over with foil. 2 Cook at 135ºC for about 5 hours or until there is no resistance in the meat. 3 Once cooked remove the coverings, turn up the heat to 170ºC and baste and glaze the ribs a couple of times.

ASSEMBLY JOB ****************** Serve up 3 to 4 ribs per portion, scattered with sliced spring onions. And lots of serviettes for sticky fingers.

******************

‘Sticky not pretty’

CREOLE-STYLE RIBS • •

There’s no elegant way to eat these. Sticky fingers go with the territory

30.4581° N, 91.1402° W

barbecue pork \ sweetcorn chowder

>>PORK STREET FOOD

CHOW DOWN Chowda 10 generous portions

BARBECUE PORK

CHOWDER

PORK STOCK

500g assured pork belly on the bone, skinless 1 /2 tablespoon onion powder 3 /4 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon allspice crushed 1 heaped tablespoon soft brown sugar 1 heaped tablespoon 5 peppercorn mix crushed pinch ground cardamom

100g butter 300g onion diced 750g potatoes peeled and medium diced – don’t wash 750ml milk 320ml double cream 1 bay leaf crushed if dried, finely diced if fresh 300ml pork stock (recipe above) or vegetable stock 200g tinned sweetcorn – keep the juice 5 carrots small diced fresh parsley chopped 10 saltine crackers crushed

If you don’t have time to make pork stock, substitute good quality vegetable stock. 7kg assured pork bones (rib bones are awesome if you can get them) 2 onions peeled and quartered 4 carrots peeled, topped and tailed and cut into thick pieces 3 sticks celery washed and cut in half width-ways 1 leek quartered and cut in half width-ways bouquet garni of parsley, sage, thyme 1 head of garlic cut in half 1 Roast the bones at 170ºC until well coloured. 2 In a large pan brown the vegetables in a splash of oil. Add the bones to the pan, pour off the fat and set aside. 3 Cover the bones with cold water, place the pan on a medium heat and bring up to a simmer. Skim at regular intervals to make sure the stock doesn’t cloud. 4 Simmer and skim for 6–7 hours. Ladle through muslin cloth, chill and store.

1 Combine all the spices and rub well into the pork. Leave overnight for best results. 2 Place the pork in a tray and cook at 170ºC for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 120ºC and continue cooking until very tender. 3 Remove from the oven. When cool enough to handle, pick the meat from the bones and use as required.

42.3583° N, 71.0603° W

In New England they call it chowda. Whatever you call it, this one’s darned tasty

1 Melt the butter in a pan, add the onions and carrots and cook without colour for 7–10 minutes. 2 Add the sweetcorn juice to the pan, along with any residue from the cooked pork. 3 Add the potatoes, milk, cream and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, add the sweetcorn and simmer gently until the potatoes are cooked.

************** ASSEMBLY JOB Gently reheat the chowder. Sauté the reserved chopped pork, add to the chowder and lightly stir in. Pour into cups and scatter with parsley and crushed crackers. You could add a sprinkle of the barbecue spices to season.

**************

19<<

Cara means face and pulcra means clean - a witty dig at the mess you’re likely to get into when tucking in...?

serves 4 generously 50g unsalted peanuts 900g assured pork shoulder trimmed and diced 400g floury potatoes peeled and roughly chopped 1 medium onion diced 4 garlic cloves chopped 400ml pork or vegetable stock 11/2 teaspoons paprika 11/2 teaspoons cumin bunch of fresh parsley thickly chopped olive oil salt and pepper pitted black olives to garnish boiled rice to serve 1 Brown the pork in batches in a hot pan with the oil. Set aside. 2 Add the onion and garlic to the pan and lightly brown, then add in the peanuts, paprika and cumin and cook for 5 minutes over moderate heat. 3 Return the pork to the pan and mix in. Add the stock and bring up to the

12.0433° S, 77.0283° W

pork shoulder \ potatoes \ peanuts

CARAPULCRA boil then reduce to light simmer. 4 After an hour add the potatoes and continue cooking till pork is cooked through and succulent.

************** ASSEMBLY JOB Serve up the stew over boiled rice, garnished with chopped black olives, parsley and crushed peanuts.

************** OKY SM RICH

IN WARM

Carapulcra is traditionally thickened with papaseca (dried potatoes). You can achieve the same effect by choosing a floury variety of potato and cooking it for long enough that it begins to break up into the stew.

pulled pork \ piccalilli

>>PORK STREET FOOD

from butcher to street food trader: man with a mission

here’s not a lot that Mark Gevaux doesn’t know about meat. He started butchering at the age of twelve, qualified by fifteen and recalls the times in his earlier career when he was regularly the fastest butcher on the piecework production line. Those butchery skills still stand him in good stead but his street trader status now sees him face to face with the happy customers that beat a path to his stall to sample his now legendary pork rib rolls. Mark uses babyback ribs from pigs that are outdoor reared on Norfolk and Suffolk farms. His preparation method is, rightly, a secret but the result is the most tender, full-flavoured pork rib meat that you’re ever likely to tuck your teeth into. He sells them as full and half racks and rib meat rolls and wraps. Make no mistake, this is not a hog roast – it’s a different league. Like all the best street food, the proposition is simple and high quality: excellent pork, beautifully cooked, generously served and accompanied by Mark’s own range of hot sauces, which range from tongue-tingling to blow-your-head-off.

Taking part at events across London, Mark’s ribs are regularly the first to sell out and it’s not unusual for him to sell 1,000 pork rolls in a session. That’s a lot of ribs. And a lot of happy customers.

PULLED PORK 2.5kg assured pork shoulder bone in coarse sea salt for the sauce 240ml cider vinegar 50gm dark brown sugar 1 tablespoon dried red chillies 1 tablespoon fish sauce freshly ground black pepper 1 /2 tablespoon coarse sea salt 1 Preheat the oven to 220ºC. Score the skin of the pork and rub in some salt. Put the pork in a tray or earthenware pot into the oven for about 10-12 minutes to seal. Reduce the heat to 110ºC. 2 Add the sauce ingredients to a saucepan and heat until simmering and the salt and sugar have dissolved. 3 Pour half the sauce over the pork. Cover and cook for 6–8 hours until the meat will give and shred easily. Remove from the oven, rest for 20 minutes and remove the bone. 4 Shred the meat and mix with the cooking juices, adding the remainder of the sauce as required. Adjust seasoning to taste and reserve. PICCALILLI makes 2 litres 1 large cauliflower cut into small florets 3 large onions medium diced 8 banana shallots diced 25g salt 1 cucumber deseeded and diced 600ml white wine vinegar 300ml malt vinegar 1 /4 teaspoon dried red chilli flakes 350g caster sugar 50g English mustard powder 25g ground turmeric 3 tablespoon cornflour 1 Put the cauliflower, onion and shallots in a stainless steel colander, sprinkle with 20g of the salt and leave for 24 hours. Wash in cold water and dry. 2 Sprinkle the remaining salt over the cucumber and leave for 15 minutes. Wash in cold water and add to the cauliflower. 3 Boil the vinegars together with the chilli, leave to cool for 30 minutes then strain. 4 Mix together the remaining ingredients, adding a little vinegar to form a paste. 5 Bring the vinegar back to the boil, add the paste and cook for 5 minutes. Pour over the cauliflower and cucumber, mix well, season and cool.

*********** ASSEMBLY JOB Mix the pulled pork with the piccalilli and use to stuff bread rolls. Or spread onto puff pastry, fold, seal, egg wash and bake.

***********

lilli a -

paco

•••

lill

stuff it in a wrap it in roll… pastry… whicheve r way, it's bloom in' tasty

alillo p i c k

a li

•••

pic

calilli por c i k p

21<<

PICCA-PORK-ALILLI

pickyli lly lly

51.5171° N 0.1062° W

>>PORK STREET FOOD

>>Catching the wave<< The huge explosion in popularity of pop-up restaurants and street food suggests that something fundamental is happening to consumer demand in the UK and that street food in particular has a success on its hands. Consumers clearly like it and want what it offers – great taste, variety, a sense of theatre, real personality and value. There’s an element too of being different – not quite antiestablishment but on the edge, that has attracted initially younger, early adopters – though that’s now spreading rapidly to a wider audience, as word spreads and street food becomes more ‘accessible’. Street food is an urban phenomenon. By its nature it relies on the footfall and gatherings that larger towns

and cities can generate during the day and into the evening, so urban is where it’s likely to stay. London is the hub, of course, and probably will always be but other cities across the country are quickly developing their own unique street food scenes, reflecting the diversity of ethnic populations and local ingredients and tastes. But the fact is that for millions of consumers street food remains inaccessible on a regular basis, creating an opportunity for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice businesses to offer a version of their own, inspired by what’s happening on the streets.

23<<

START WITH PORK! Pork is a great place to start putting street food inspired dishes on your menu, for all the reasons discussed on page 7. It’s economical, versatile and suits almost every cuisine. Forequarter cuts can be slow-cooked ahead and used as an ‘ingredient’ in street food style dishes, making prep easy and portion control straightforward. Pork is also really popular with consumers and by using Quality Assured pork (for example Red Tractor) you’re offering the reassurance of quality and provenance.

REMEMBER THE THEATRE Here’s your chance to release that hidden street hawker in you! We’ve seen that street food is much about the larger than life characters behind the trucks and stalls, so take the opportunity to dress your venue in the spirit of things and bring the food and service, even the cooking as much as you can, front of house. Much street food is assembled to order, even if the main ingredients have been pre-cooked, so customers know they’re getting something that’s been freshly prepared for them. Summer is the perfect opportunity to set up outdoors of course but it’s a year-round opportunity – the street food vendors don’t hibernate in winter!

MAKE IT AUTHENTIC Street food offers some of the most authentic ethnic flavours around, often because it’s based on traditional recipes from second generation ethnic cooks’ family cooking and served as it would be in their native countries. Part of the excitement of street food is the chance to taste food from around the world but as diners are more knowledgeable and discerning than ever, you need to make it as authentic as possible.

KEEP IT SIMPLE Street food isn’t about fine dining, so keep it simple. Usually hand held, all-in-one, grab and go, most street food is designed for eating on the move. If yours is a seated operation, consider how to adapt the concept but don’t overcomplicate. Here’s a chance to put away the crockery and cutlery and get out the paper wraps, cartons, serviettes… and have some fun.

BE DIFFERENT Don’t simply incorporate street food inspired dishes into your regular menu, where they could get lost. Why not have a separate ‘street food specials’ or an ‘inspired by street food’ section. Think about a weekly street food day (contract caterers) or special street food promotion nights (pubs) – a great way of bringing in customers at quieter business times.

WISE WORDS

First things first: this isn’t about simply replicating the street food scene in a retail or foodservice environment, but interpreting elements of what makes street food so attractive into your business. Take away the buzz of the street, the smoke and the smells, the shouts and the banter and you’re left with a different experience. But it can still be a great one for your customers, with great food; and a profitable one for you.

Our top tips to translate street food into business and profit... PACK IT WITH FLAVOUR Street food is robust and bold and consumers expect it to be full of distinctive flavour. Use the recipe examples in this publication as an inspiration and remember you can let diners add their own taste shots but don’t be shy in packing in the flavour - pork can take it!

INTERACT WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS This is a great opportunity to get face to face with your customers and hear what they have to say. There are lessons to be learned too from the way street fooders use social media to build a following – there’s no reason why it shouldn’t work for your business in the same way.

KEEP IT GOOD VALUE Remember that street food is a value-based proposition, so price your menu to sell – and bring customers back. Round-pound pricing is simplest and most attractive for customers.

OFFER VARIETY One of the characteristics of urban street food is that usually a few vendors get together in one place, so there’s always a choice of food on offer. Exploration and variety are part of the fun, so make sure you have a selection of dishes available or if you’re running weekly street food nights, consider changing the cuisine on a weekly basis. Don’t forget to use social media such as twitter and Facebook to inform customers ‘what’s cooking on the street’ and maybe post pictures of customers enjoying the buzz and your street food on sites such as Pinterest and Tumblr.

...OR HIT THE STREETS! What better way to draw attention to your business, make some sales and have some fun? Consider taking your own street food concept outside your pub or restaurant as a promotional device or even into town! Perhaps you could attend local festivals or food events. Equipment hire is readily available or simply take your own. Get it right and it will be fun, as well as good for business.

Remember that street food is about value as well as flavour – build your menus around great value price points.

GIVE A FORK

ABOUT YOUR PORK The Red Tractor* Scheme stands for: ASSURANCE Rigorous standards are observed throughout the supply chain.

PEACE OF MIND Red Tractor pig farms are inspected at least four times a year.

TRACEABILITY All Red Tractor pork can be traced back to Red Tractor farms.

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN The flag in the Red Tractor pork logo guarantees its country of origin. *Red Tractor is one of a number of assurance schemes available to inform consumer choice.

traders t food e e r t s e o all th ous help and k you t n er a n h e t g such A big their r o f sharing d r e r o f u t d a n fe ation a inform rful food. wonde

of the division a is lture X E BP Horticu d n a e r u Agricult ard: ment Bo p lo e v De k ex.org.u www.bp tion visit rg.uk informa e r o pex.o m r Fo terers.b a c r fo k r www.po g.uk .ahdb.or x Email: e p b @ dger tony.goo s Follow u aterers rc fo @pork

A BPEX publication