A Chinese Food Odyssey: Manchester’s Sweet Mandarin releases lauded cook book

We caught up with the Sweet Mandarin CEO and Executive Chef Lisa Tse to talk about food, awards and her new book

What inspired you to write this book?

I was inspired to write A Chinese street food odyssey after many trips around China and discovering all the street food culture with the vividly evoked smells and sounds of the markets. Walking around all the streets foods I loved the scent of the aromatic spices hanging in the air, barbecuing meats and steaming dumplings, clouds of smoke and noisy bustle all around and the red glowing lanterns.

When I came back to Manchester I missed the taste of all the streets food I had experienced so proceeded to set out to encapsulate that sense of excitement, awe and hunger for all the delicious snacks that I tried amongst all the stalls I visited in China.

Why did you become a chef?

We are from a family of foodies where my grandmother set up one of the first Chinese restaurants in Middleton, Manchester in the 1950s. Her strength and energy has been a huge influence in my passion for food. I have been cooking from the age of 11 years old in the family business and food has always been in my blood.

What’s been the best part of your journey so far?

The best part of the journey is being the CEO and brainchild of Sweet Mandarin, an award winning Chinese restaurant in Manchester, cookery school and gluten free sauce manufacturer, and best-selling author. I set up Sweet Mandarin with my two sisters. Since starting on this journey I have become a respected role model for the Chinese community and female entrepreneurs alike. As Head and now Executive Chef of Sweet Mandarin, I have shared our story with the food and media world by storm, winning Gordon Ramsay's Best Local Chinese Restaurant beating 10,000 restaurants and being awarded the coveted AA Rosette for 2011-2013 (the only Chinese restaurant in the North West to receive this accolade).

 

How have you worked with the Centre for Enterprise?

I have worked with the Centre for Enterprise on giving talks to the students and sharing my journey on how I launched the Sweet Mandarin Sauces range which are gluten free, nut free, dairy free and msg free and suitable for vegans and vegetarians. Appearing on a show called Dragon’s den I shared my experience of winning the backing on Dragon’s Den by Hilary Devey and Duncan Bannatyne.  Also we now export out Chinese sauces manufactured back to China and presenting our presentation to the students to demonstrate how to be a disrupter in your industry.  Our presentation highlighted that our sauces are the only authentic Chinese gluten free sauce on the market without monosodium glutamate and will be available at leading supermarkets and online at www.sweetmandarin.net

Sweet Mandarin has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, The Sunday Times, BBC Newsnight, the front cover of the Shanghai Daily and most recently on BBC Dragons Den.

 

What is your favourite dish from the book? (ie – after  we buy it, what should we cook first?!)

Chinese Burgers on page 32 would be a my favourite recipe.  This is a street food classic which I remember seeing on the corner of a street in Shenzhen China. Chinese burgers are made of freshly made flat breads that are sliced in half and stuffed with mince pork flavoured with chilli and spring onions. The street food recipe was inspired by Mr and Mrs Wang who were a husband and wife team that had the smallest kitchen just producing these amazing burgers. They would knead, roll and cook the flatbreads on their hob before using the same pan to cook the pork filling. The smells of the wonderful savoury filling enticed me to buy one back in China. One bite and you really are in food heaven. Enjoy!

Order the book today at:  bit.ly/SwMandarin 

Find out more about Sweet Mandarin at www.sweetmandarin.com