"No matter how far you go, never forget where you came from." These words were spoken to Martin Yan by his father, long before he ever even imagined he might one day become one of the world's most famous and influential television chefs.
Lucky for us here at Canton Today, despite Yan's phenomenal successes, he has never forgotten his roots or his hometown of Kaiping in Guangdong which is also the birthplace of over 750,000 overseas Chinese.
You might be used to seeing Martin Yan cook up a storm for you in your living room on Yan Can Cook from a pristine, American-style kitchen but today you are in for a special treat, because Martin will prepare a traditional local dish from Kaiping in an authentic, countryside Chinese-style kitchen, exclusively for Canton Today.
On today's menu: Magong goose. Although, in the past, goose wasn't actually the main ingredient, instead, the meat used was of the canine variety. The dish brings back a lot of warm memories for Yan, even though growing up it was considered a special treat that his taste buds weren't often able to savor.
Thankfully, Yan is now a world-renowned chef and Magong goose is readily available on the market so he can cook the dish whenever he pleases. It is now also a common dish available at restaurants in Kaiping. However, only a very select few are ever lucky enough to be able to relish a Magong goose prepared by Martin Yan. But today, that includes you.