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Father’s Day – 21st June – I Love You Dad
I know one day will never make up for all the universal joys and incredible memories of childhood that I’ve shared with my Dad but I wanted to thank you Dad, for being there for me, always,...
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My great grandfather was murdered. He died, aged 37, leaving a wife and six...
My great grandfather was murdered. The man who had tried so hard to escape his past died on that warm August night right back in the village where he was born. Leung was not discovered the following...
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Hawker style Satay Chicken Sticks
Hong Kong was and still is famous for its amazing expanse of culinary offerings. As the Chinese immigrants poured into Hong Kong to escape the Japanese invasion of China in the 1920s, the streets...
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Chicken Stock
My grandmother, Lily Kwok, met my grandfather, Chan under the most remarkable circumstances. Lily was a maid and cook for an English family in Hong Kong and was walking the baby with a friend when saw...
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Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup
My parents married in the 1975 in Bury in a small traditional ceremony followed by a wedding banquet of huge proportions. My mum said practically all the Chinese who were in Britain were invited and...
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It has been said that the Chinese will eat anything that walks on four legs...
It has been said that the Chinese will eat anything that walks on four legs with its back to the sky. In actual fact, Leung joked with Lilly that only the tables and chairs were safe from the voracious...
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Winter melon and wolfberry soup
When we go for dim sum (also known as yum cha, which literally translated means ‘drink tea’) we bump into lots of family friends and one of those is Mr Dong. He grows his own winter melon, as does...
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Miso Soup with Tofu
My grandmother lived through World War Two, which saw Hong Kong endure years of Japanese occupation. By the end of the war in 1945 Hong Kong was a shadow of its former self – the population had...
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Salt and Chilli Squid
I’ll never forget the day in 2009 when we cooked this dish for the title of Best Local Chinese Restaurant Finals. I had just finished service at Sweet Mandarin at midnight. After two 2 hours of...
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Coconut King Prawns
I was working as a corporate lawyer for Clifford Chance in Hong Kong in 2002 and it gave Lisa an excuse to join me for a few weeks. One of the perks was to have access to the company junk (a Chinese...
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A child’s life is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark
Hong Kong 1925 – 1930 “A child’s life is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark” (ancient Chinese proverb) When I lived in Hong Kong in 2002, I found the place as exciting as it was...
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Salt and Pepper Juicy Mushrooms
My grandmother’s first restaurant Lung Fung, which auspiciously means ‘The Dragon and the Phoenix’ opened in 1959 in Middleton, Manchester known locally as ‘Holey City’, a nickname it picked up in the...
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Crispy Mini Rolls with Sweet Mandarin Dips
Growing up in 1980s Britain, my father was keen to impress the value of Chinese culture and language on us, and how traditions and folklore were the stuff of our lives too. He even enrolled us in...
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Steamed Savoury Egg with Chicken, King Prawn and Spring Onion
You’ve had fried eggs, boiled eggs, poached eggs and scrambled eggs. However, there is one more way that the Chinese love to eat eggs and that is steamed. This is perfect for an alternative...
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We are the fourth generation of sauce makers…
When I worked in Hong Kong it struck me how hard working and determined the Hong Kong citizens were. I was expected to work long hours including weekends and did so ungrudgingly. On my family were...
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King Prawn Tomato
When I was a child, I was very insecure. I hated the fact that I was Chinese and had a flat nose. We’d just studied Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women at school and inspired by this book, I put a peg...
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Aromatic Crispy Duck
Aromatic crispy duck is the UK’s answer to Peking Duck, the latter of which originated from the Yuan Dynasty on the imperial court menus for the Emperor of China. My grandmother told me that the...
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Buy Our Book : DIM SUM Small Bites Made Easy – Endorsed by Angela Hartnett!
This is so exciting! Our brand new cookbook – Dim Sum Small Bites Made Easy is now on sale in Waterstones and online with Amazon. Also pick up a copy at Sweet Mandarin. We are having a book signing...
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Healthy Fish Soup
My great-grandmother and great-grandfather were betrothed at the age of four and had an arranged marriage ten years later. Great grandmother was dressed in red – for luck and good fortune – before...
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I love Fridays at Sweet Mandarin
Hurray! We’ve made it to Friday. To celebrate we’re going to make you some amazing cocktails – Tom Cruise inspired – to get you in the mood for the weekend. So first, let’s enjoy the video of the...
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