One to watch
Chef Ching-He Huang discusses her cooking style and tells us where to celebrate Chinese New Year in the UK
INNOVATIVE CHEF CHING-HE HUANG’S NEW COOKBOOK CHINA MODERN IS SET TO SHOW THAT CHINESE CUISINE GOES MUCH DEEPER THAN AN ALUMINIUM TAKEAWAY TRAY
Was there a defining moment when you wanted to be a chef or was it a gradual process?
It was a gradual process. All the clues were staring me in the face during my childhood, growing up on my grandparents’ farm and watching my grandmother and mother cook.
Was putting together China Modern good fun or hard work?
Both, but well worth it. Writing about my family history was a trip down memory lane.
Which chefs do you look up to?
I would love to meet Gordon Ramsay. I admire Paul Rankin, who has a great sense of humour and a great style. And Gino D’Acampo is so down to earth with his food and doesn’t care if you do something right or wrong.
Has being a woman helped or hindered?
It was a bit intimidating at first. They say some of the best chefs are men but then the best cooks are women, putting their own creative touches to cooking for a family. It’s like yin and yang.
Where would you recommend in London?
I love Hakkasan and Yauatcha, the concepts of Alan Yau, who has done a fantastic job of bringing Chinese food to such a level. Royal China in Queensway is consistently good. It’s a secret but I love karaoke with my friends and like to sing Madonna songs at China City in Chinatown, followed by dim sum. I am a terrible singer.
What legacy would you like to leave in the food world?
That I was the mad Chinese cook who thought she had the best ideas and was an inventor.
Chinese New Year
London Celebrations include lion dancers and music on 18 February in Leicester Square, Charing Cross Road and Trafalgar Square.
Manchester Dancing and music at Faulkner Street and Albert Square on 18 February.
Glasgow The party is on New City Street on 21 February. A dance troupe will also be performing at the Auditorium in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. Tickets are £5. +44 (0)141 341 0026; www.ccdp.org.uk
YUM YUM: CHING-HE’S CV
BORN IN TAIWAN
to Chinese parents, Ching-He’s family moved to South Africa when she was five, where her parents imported and exported anything from handbags to bicycles. Six years later they moved to London and Ching-He became the household cook. After graduating with an economics degree, she set up a company with £500 called Fuge, selling cold noodle salads. This was followed by Tzu, a range of drinks using sorghum vinegar mixed with fruit juices, which was stocked in Harrods, Selfridges and Fresh and Wild. Ching-He, 28, has a cookery programme on the UK Food Channel and has appeared on Saturday Kitchen. China Modern, published by Kyle Cathie (£14.99), is her first cookbook.
