As food prices rise and eating healthier gets harder for Kiwi households, one celebrity chef has taken matters into his own hands.
Ganesh Raj, host of Eat Well for Less has launched the Humble Yum Yum Project - a food education course designed to educate people about good nutrition.
Raj says he aims to teach people how to cook a wide range of affordable dishes to get ahead of the cost of living.
"If you were able to cook five, ten, fifteen dishes, you knew how to swap some things out - then suddenly the supermarkets or anyone else you buy from doesn't have the power over you."
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Now, food is expensive. We know that, don't we and
it's got even more expensive. Last week figures we're released
showing the increase in food prices is thirty five percent
in five years. Chef and Eat Well for Least host
Skinesh Raj has always been passionate about food poverty and
now he's taking matters into his own hands. Ganesh is
(00:33):
launching the Humble Yum Yum Project. It's a food education
cause with a strong focus on good nutrition and Ganesh
Raj is on a crusade and he's here to share
his story.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Good morning, Good morning, Francescas. Thank you so much for
that intro.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
That was cool.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Just how bad is food poverty in New Zealand?
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Well, it depends how you define food poverty.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Right.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
If you're saying people don't have food to eat, that's
one thing. But where I come from is there's this
thing called food education poverty. Which is the thing I'm
trying to say is if you were able to cook five, ten,
fifteen dishes, you knew how to swap some things out,
then suddenly the supermarket, So anyone else that you buy
(01:17):
from doesn't have the power over you, you know what
I mean?
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Absolutely? So is this the Is this what's driving you
to start project?
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (01:25):
Yeah, it's a freedom project. I want people to be
free of the grasp of anything around. So, for example,
the humble Yum yum global food that doesn't doesn't cost
the world, it's twenty bucks for four people. That's kind
of what I started on. And the global food part
is really important.
Speaker 4 (01:42):
I'm trying to.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Open people's minds up so that they can swap things out.
They can buy cheaper ingredients, you can buy something that's
maybe not comfortable with them. But guess what you can
If you can do that, you can you can shop
and eat food from all around the world for like
twenty five bucks for four people. Give me that.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Give me a really simple example of one thing that.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
We if you want it, yeah, okay, done so for me.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
My favorite one to teach people who are kind of
getting into this mindset is old fashioned chicken fried rice.
But let me tell you where my chicken fried rice lives.
Here's where it's said. It starts with the idea that
there is leftover rice in the fridge because rice is
one of those incredible things that everyone should know how
to cook, and I wish I had a way to
give everyone a rice cooker, Francisca. I wish anyone who's
(02:27):
got that ability helped me, because it's like twenty five
bucks for a rice cooker.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
Everyone should have one.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
But back to the point I'm trying to make is
leftover rice, chicken chicken breast is still reasonable enough. You
can get chicken breast between nine dollars fifty and kind
of twelve bucks a kilo, and a kilo of chicken
breast can get you four to six portions. And then
frozen vegetables the type that you can just leave in
the freezer until you're ready to use it. You take
(02:55):
what you need and then you leave the rest. Nothing
ever goes to waste. A little bit of garlic powder,
onion powder. I'm also about speed people that work long
hours and want to cook quickly. Dish with soy and sesameine,
oyster sauce, that kind of basic fried rice with eggs
for me, is like a perfect vehicle for swapping out things.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
If you're like a.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Vegetarian household or yeah, you've got some prawnze left over,
or maybe there was some pork belly left.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
Whatever.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
The point I'm trying to make is cook it home.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
You can do it. You just need to be taught.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
How what are you hearing from the types of people
that you're hoping to attract in terms of where they're
at with putting food on the table. What is getting
in the way.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
Right now?
Speaker 3 (03:39):
They are unable to make So let's go back to
the fried rice. This is great, So let's go with
the class that I did last week. So I do
this weekly class at a place called the Pooki Community
Center in Otara through the South Seast Healthcare people.
Speaker 4 (03:54):
It's amazing and.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
These are people that are Pacifica people primarily, but they
are the exact people that are like, Okay, we've got
a limited budget every week, but we don't have enough
skills to make that limited budget work. So we're under
the pump. So we're buying, you know, takeaways. One of
the old granddads looked at me and said, you know,
(04:17):
the thing that I love so much about this class
is my grandkids love chicken fried rice, but I have
to go and buy it from the takeaway guy. Now
I know how to make it for my grandkids.
Speaker 4 (04:27):
Do you know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (04:28):
That's it's education. Do you think that's the key to change?
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Said, yeah, one hundred percent, because with the education, I'm free.
I don't have to worry about you put up you
put up coujettes. By one hundred percent, I will switch
to eggplant. You you try and make onions too much
for me, I'll see how much a leak costs because
I can fry a leak down and it gives me
onion flavored, Do.
Speaker 4 (04:50):
You know what I mean? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (04:52):
So, look, we know about the increased food prices. We
know that's had an impact, But where has the ability
to feed ourselves a nutritionalist nutritional meal been lost? How
we lost that?
Speaker 3 (05:05):
I feel like it has I think this, you know,
personally for me, it's twofold and.
Speaker 4 (05:12):
So well.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
All cutos to the women of the sixties in New
Zealand who decided to go out there and get jobs
because they decided to do something for themselves. But what
that then created was a household of men and other
people that lived there that needed food and convenience. Food
was born, and freezer food was born, and microwave meals
(05:34):
were born because people were working harder and there wasn't
enough time in a house. Nobody was and then over
time a generation or two, there was attrition. You know,
you lose the number of humans in that cohort that
can cook right right then, and then you start to
lose those humans along the way, and then you end
up in a place where, all right now, we are
(05:57):
more reliant on packaged food, maybe even in supermarkets where
they bundle the food together in a way that is
simple for you, like food, you know, bags that come
with food in them, with recipes, you know what I mean. Yes, great,
great entry point for people, but I feel that, you know,
(06:17):
those are not accessible for majority of the population because
it's just it's just too costly.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Yeah, you've been a host on eat Well for least
for four years. Now, what have you learned doing that show?
Speaker 3 (06:28):
I've learned that that is not a food show. That
is a mental health and self esteem show.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Yep, No, you're probably You're probably.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
Right because like the things that people look to. In fact,
that show inspired me to start the Humble Yum Yum
because the people that we met had such personal problems
only that they faced in their own homes. That was
stressing them to no end every day, and that stress
(06:58):
was translating into all sorts of other things in their lives.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
And that's what I learned.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
This whole cooking at home is a big response disability.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
That's why at the classes.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
We always like you have to bring someone from your family.
Speaker 4 (07:11):
With you so you can share the load.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Absolutely. Now, if somebody wants to find you in the
Humble Young Young Protein, where they find.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
You, well, the humble Yumyam currently exists anywhere you want
me to exist. It is on YouTube as sixty recipes
that I've put together over the last four years, and
you can also find me on just Gonessar dot tv.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Brilliant. Thank you so much for your time this morning, Ganiche,
really nice to catch up with you.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudken, listen
live to News Talks it Be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Now, food is expensive. We know that, don't we and
it's got even more expensive. Last week figures we're released
showing the increase in food prices is thirty five percent
in five years. Chef and Eat Well for Least host
Skinesh Raj has always been passionate about food poverty and
now he's taking matters into his own hands. Ganesh is
(00:33):
launching the Humble Yum Yum Project. It's a food education
cause with a strong focus on good nutrition and Ganesh
Raj is on a crusade and he's here to share
his story.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Good morning, Good morning, Francescas. Thank you so much for
that intro.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
That was cool.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Just how bad is food poverty in New Zealand?
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Well, it depends how you define food poverty.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Right.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
If you're saying people don't have food to eat, that's
one thing. But where I come from is there's this
thing called food education poverty. Which is the thing I'm
trying to say is if you were able to cook five, ten,
fifteen dishes, you knew how to swap some things out,
then suddenly the supermarket, So anyone else that you buy
(01:17):
from doesn't have the power over you, you know what
I mean?
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Absolutely? So is this the Is this what's driving you
to start project?
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (01:25):
Yeah, it's a freedom project. I want people to be
free of the grasp of anything around. So, for example,
the humble Yum yum global food that doesn't doesn't cost
the world, it's twenty bucks for four people. That's kind
of what I started on. And the global food part
is really important.
Speaker 4 (01:42):
I'm trying to.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Open people's minds up so that they can swap things out.
They can buy cheaper ingredients, you can buy something that's
maybe not comfortable with them. But guess what you can
If you can do that, you can you can shop
and eat food from all around the world for like
twenty five bucks for four people. Give me that.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Give me a really simple example of one thing that.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
We if you want it, yeah, okay, done so for me.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
My favorite one to teach people who are kind of
getting into this mindset is old fashioned chicken fried rice.
But let me tell you where my chicken fried rice lives.
Here's where it's said. It starts with the idea that
there is leftover rice in the fridge because rice is
one of those incredible things that everyone should know how
to cook, and I wish I had a way to
give everyone a rice cooker, Francisca. I wish anyone who's
(02:27):
got that ability helped me, because it's like twenty five
bucks for a rice cooker.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
Everyone should have one.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
But back to the point I'm trying to make is
leftover rice, chicken chicken breast is still reasonable enough. You
can get chicken breast between nine dollars fifty and kind
of twelve bucks a kilo, and a kilo of chicken
breast can get you four to six portions. And then
frozen vegetables the type that you can just leave in
the freezer until you're ready to use it. You take
(02:55):
what you need and then you leave the rest. Nothing
ever goes to waste. A little bit of garlic powder,
onion powder. I'm also about speed people that work long
hours and want to cook quickly. Dish with soy and sesameine,
oyster sauce, that kind of basic fried rice with eggs
for me, is like a perfect vehicle for swapping out things.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
If you're like a.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Vegetarian household or yeah, you've got some prawnze left over,
or maybe there was some pork belly left.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
Whatever.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
The point I'm trying to make is cook it home.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
You can do it. You just need to be taught.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
How what are you hearing from the types of people
that you're hoping to attract in terms of where they're
at with putting food on the table. What is getting
in the way.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
Right now?
Speaker 3 (03:39):
They are unable to make So let's go back to
the fried rice. This is great, So let's go with
the class that I did last week. So I do
this weekly class at a place called the Pooki Community
Center in Otara through the South Seast Healthcare people.
Speaker 4 (03:54):
It's amazing and.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
These are people that are Pacifica people primarily, but they
are the exact people that are like, Okay, we've got
a limited budget every week, but we don't have enough
skills to make that limited budget work. So we're under
the pump. So we're buying, you know, takeaways. One of
the old granddads looked at me and said, you know,
(04:17):
the thing that I love so much about this class
is my grandkids love chicken fried rice, but I have
to go and buy it from the takeaway guy. Now
I know how to make it for my grandkids.
Speaker 4 (04:27):
Do you know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (04:28):
That's it's education. Do you think that's the key to change?
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Said, yeah, one hundred percent, because with the education, I'm free.
I don't have to worry about you put up you
put up coujettes. By one hundred percent, I will switch
to eggplant. You you try and make onions too much
for me, I'll see how much a leak costs because
I can fry a leak down and it gives me
onion flavored, Do.
Speaker 4 (04:50):
You know what I mean? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (04:52):
So, look, we know about the increased food prices. We
know that's had an impact, But where has the ability
to feed ourselves a nutritionalist nutritional meal been lost? How
we lost that?
Speaker 3 (05:05):
I feel like it has I think this, you know,
personally for me, it's twofold and.
Speaker 4 (05:12):
So well.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
All cutos to the women of the sixties in New
Zealand who decided to go out there and get jobs
because they decided to do something for themselves. But what
that then created was a household of men and other
people that lived there that needed food and convenience. Food
was born, and freezer food was born, and microwave meals
(05:34):
were born because people were working harder and there wasn't
enough time in a house. Nobody was and then over
time a generation or two, there was attrition. You know,
you lose the number of humans in that cohort that
can cook right right then, and then you start to
lose those humans along the way, and then you end
up in a place where, all right now, we are
(05:57):
more reliant on packaged food, maybe even in supermarkets where
they bundle the food together in a way that is
simple for you, like food, you know, bags that come
with food in them, with recipes, you know what I mean. Yes, great,
great entry point for people, but I feel that, you know,
(06:17):
those are not accessible for majority of the population because
it's just it's just too costly.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Yeah, you've been a host on eat Well for least
for four years. Now, what have you learned doing that show?
Speaker 3 (06:28):
I've learned that that is not a food show. That
is a mental health and self esteem show.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Yep, No, you're probably You're probably.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
Right because like the things that people look to. In fact,
that show inspired me to start the Humble Yum Yum
because the people that we met had such personal problems
only that they faced in their own homes. That was
stressing them to no end every day, and that stress
(06:58):
was translating into all sorts of other things in their lives.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
And that's what I learned.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
This whole cooking at home is a big response disability.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
That's why at the classes.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
We always like you have to bring someone from your family.
Speaker 4 (07:11):
With you so you can share the load.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Absolutely. Now, if somebody wants to find you in the
Humble Young Young Protein, where they find.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
You, well, the humble Yumyam currently exists anywhere you want
me to exist. It is on YouTube as sixty recipes
that I've put together over the last four years, and
you can also find me on just Gonessar dot tv.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Brilliant. Thank you so much for your time this morning, Ganiche,
really nice to catch up with you.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudken, listen
live to News Talks it Be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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