Ask the expert

International Emmy-nominated TV chef and cookery author Ching-He Huang was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and draws on her Chinese culture to create food that is delicious and accessible for home cooks. Here Ching provides some culinary inspiration for giving fe

How did you get into cooking? My paternal grandfather had rice paddies and my maternal grandparents owned an orangery and a bamboo farm – which we still have. You could say its in my DNA…watching my grandmother work her magic in the kitchen at a young age influenced me more than I realise. Tell us about a favourite dish from the your TV series, Amazing Asia? I love my comfort food. At home I cook ‘healthy’ but when I’m out I eat ‘dirty’ – perhaps one of my highlights was discovering a delicious pork and tamago (Japanese egg omlette) onigiri rice burger created by Katsuaki Kiyokawa in Okinawa. It hit the spot. What is your secret tip or trick when travelling in Asia? I love planning my trips on booking.com, which makes shopping for great deals on hotel stays

in Asia so easy. Our entire crew’s hotels were booked via the site – it’s quick and efficient, with fab deals. What do you think will be the next Asian food trend to cross over to the European food market? We have had egg-waffle cones and matcha green-tea ice cream come over since Ching’s Amazing Asia, in 2016. Perhaps the next trend will be pork and egg onigiri ‘open facecd’ rice burger! What is your must-visit Asian destination? No matter what my next onward destination in Asia, the first stop has to be Hong Kong. I can get pretty much every food imaginable in this city, the best Chinese and Western cuisine that is always new and exciting, plus the best shopping – what more could a girl ask for? What was the inspiration for your new book, Stir Crazy? I always wanted a book with a collection of my favourite ‘go to’ stir-fry recipes I cook at home, so it was natural for me to give birth to Stir Crazy. It’s my eighth book on Chinese cookery, so I am going a bit ‘crazy’ with it! chinghehuang.com