The women leading China’s winemaking revolution, attracting attention of LVMH...
The morning sun is high in a translucent sky and a gentle breeze sweeps the plains on the outskirts of Yinchuan, capital of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region. As the mist slowly evaporates to reveal...
View ArticleCamilla Parker Bowles’ son on becoming a food writer: ‘I was rubbish at...
What are your childhood memories of food? “I had a very traditional British upbringing. We grew up in the country on a farm. My mother [Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, the second wife of Britain’s...
View ArticleChampagne ‘dosage’: not how much you drink, but the amount of sugar and why...
The addition of dosage or liqueur d’expedition (a blend of reserve wine and cane sugar) is the finishing touch to champagne just before the cork goes in. It helps soften the acidity and adds roundness...
View ArticleThe Japanese Culinary Academy teaches you the fundamentals of food from the...
I hadn’t heard about the Japanese Culinary Academy’s cookbooks when I was browsing online, so instead of putting all four of the series into my basket, I bought only the first two. I’ll be buying the...
View ArticleA sommelier’s favourite wines, and how the perfect pour is all about timing
In my work as a sommelier, I’m often asked to name my favourite wines. Well, I’m forever looking for that elusive sip that hits the spot and is just right for the moment. Bubbles, especially champagne,...
View ArticleChinese comfort food at its finest – how to make yuk beng, or steamed pork patty
Yuk beng doesn’t sound that delicious when translated as “meat cake” but it’s comfort food for many Chinese people. It’s a basic, versatile dish: minced pork (the default meat for Han Chinese, but you...
View ArticleItalian chef Roberto Cerea, of Michelin starred three-star Da Vittorio, on...
What was your childhood like? “Da Vittorio restaurant was opened in 1966 by my father and mother, and I was born six years later, so I was born in the pan – for me it was a big one! My childhood was...
View ArticleHow Japanese pastry chef Hironobu Tsujiguchi found his missing father after...
Describe your childhood. “I was raised as the third generation in a traditional Japanese confectionery business and had only eaten those kinds of desserts growing up. When I was in Grade 3, I went to...
View ArticleBeyond Napa – three light Californian wines the defy that state’s typical tipple
California is the largest wine-producing state in the United States, accounting for about 81 per cent of the national production. And although Napa Valley is probably the state’s best known wine...
View ArticleHow to cook with fish paste – Chinese recipes for congee or stuffed vegetables
Fish paste, which is made by seafood vendors from carp and/or whatever other types of fresh fish are left over from the day before, is a useful, versatile ingredient. I never use it as is; I always...
View ArticleAn inside look into the world of Nobu – recipes from the great chef himself...
This is the oddest cookbook I have ever reviewed. In fact, I don’t even know if it can be called a cookbook because although the recipes list the ingredients and instructions for preparing the dishes,...
View ArticleHotpot lacks ‘cultural significance’? The convivial dish has been bringing...
The famous Singapore-born, Hong Kong-based food critic Chua Lam enraged many earlier this month when he said that hotpot was the dish he’d like to see disappear from the face of the earth during an...
View ArticleGordon Ramsay’s ‘bark is worse than his bite’, says British chef Angela Hartnett
What are your childhood memories of food? “My grandparents on my mother’s side came from Italy, and on my father’s side they were Irish. They all were a product of the [second world] war. My parents...
View ArticleEasy omelette recipes, including a Spanish tortilla made famous by Ferran Adrià
I am sure there are days when you come home hungry, but there’s little in the fridge. If you have eggs, a few pantry staples and seasonings on hand, you can make a meal that will take less time than...
View ArticleCanada produces more than just ice wine – unusual grapes grow from British...
Canada isn’t a country that springs to mind when you think of wines. It is, however, famous for one type – ice wine. Made from grapes that are frozen naturally at minus 8 degrees Celsius or less for a...
View ArticleWhat Chinese cuisine was like in 1970: the cookbook that introduced Americans...
I love old cookbooks because they give us a glimpse of what the cuisine was like in a particular time and place.“An Encyclopedia of Chinese Food and Cooking” was first published in 1970 and is...
View ArticleWhy a German chef was afraid to cook with Asian ingredients, and why...
Was your interest in food developed at home? “I decided quite early to go into food. I was about 14. I grew up with my grandmother cooking for a great big family. I was never the guy interested in...
View ArticleSparkling wines are having a moment – here are some worth trying
The quality of sparkling wines – be they from the French region of Champagne or elsewhere – has never been better. Grapes for sparkling wine are grown on cooler sites to retain acidity, while warmer,...
View ArticleHow to make crispy, crunchy tempura at home: a simple trick makes all the...
At tempura restaurants, the chef fries the ingredients at a steady pace and places each piece in front of you as soon as it’s done so that it is hot and crisp, but that process doesn’t work well at...
View ArticleHong Kong zero-waste store Slowood encourages consumers to change ther...
Barely a year ago, the concept of zero-waste shopping (and we’re not talking about loose vegetables from the wet market) was an unfamiliar one in Hong Kong. Now, there are at least five retailers in...
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