Ching's Kitchen is a British cooking show in which Chinese food guru Ching He-Huang shows how simple it is to recreate the delicate textures, aromas, colours and shapes that are the hallmarks of authentic Chinese cuisine.
The series originally aired in the UK in 2005. There are 15 half-hour episodes in the series.
Ching's Kitchen premiered in South Africa on DStv's BBC Food channel on Tuesday 11 March 2008, at 18h00. Double episodes aired one after the other every Tuesday.
A rebroadcast of the series premiered on BBC Food on Tuesday 12 August 2008, at 18h00. Double episodes air back-to-back each week.
Repeats
(Double episodes)
Wednesdays: 06h00, 12h00
Saturdays: 18h30
Sundays: 06h30, 12h30
Synopsis
Multi-talented business woman and food guru, Ching He-Huang’s passion for healthy, delicious Chinese food and her elegant touch have ensured her a popular following.
Born in Taiwan and brought up in South Africa for much of her childhood, Ching’s parents moved to London when she was 11-years-old. After graduating from college, Ching set up her own business named Fuge, specialising in fusion foods.
In this 15-part series, Ching shows how simple it is to recreate the delicate textures, aromas, colours and shapes that are the hallmarks of authentic Chinese cuisine.
Each episode features a mouth-watering selection of fusion recipes and footage from locations ranging from the bakeries of Chinatown to Ching’s own test kitchen, where delicious fare is prepared for the food halls of Knightsbridge.
Most of Ching’s recipes use store cupboard basics, serving to demystify oriental cooking and take it back to the fundamentals.
She also visits Japanese stores, dim sum restaurants and even her own factory to show where she gets her inspiration from.
Episodes
Episode 1: Dim Sum
Ching reveals the secret to making delicate delicious dim sum the easy way. Steamed Sui Mai; deep fried Wontons with dipping sauce; prawn balls; and beef and coriander lettuce wraps.
Episode 2: Take Out
Ching proves that all the takeout favourites really can be made at home. Peking duck; sesame prawn toast; and chilli chicken chow mein.
Episode 3: Night and Day
This is a tale of two meals. A simple delicious supper beef teriyaki with steamed spinach and soy and oyster sauce served with steaming rice; and a fry up Chinese style - bacon and egg fried rice.
Episode 4: Rice
Rice comes in many forms - short grain, long grain, red, black, glutinous, wine, vinegar even flour. Ching uses rice in all its guises covering both sweet and savoury dishes - special fried rice; sesame balls with chocolate sauce; chicken pad Thai with rice noodles; and Taiwanese pepper steak with fried egg and steamed rice.
Episode 5: Fast Food
Ching makes delicious fast food for special occasions and everyday meals. Hot chilli prawns, stir fried beef with seasonal greens and noodles, steamed cod with salted black beans; and bang bang chicken.
Episode 6: Noodles
Cold, hot, fried, boiled, in soup, in salads, in a stir fry – noodles are one of the key ingredients in Chinese cooking. Ching makes four recipes using four different types of noodles: sesame chicken salad with crunchy peanut sauce; noodle soup with pan fried glazed pork fillet; Singapore noodles; and prawn tempura.
Episode 7: The Wok
Ching demonstrates how diverse the wok is by using it to deep fry, stir fry, steam and slow cook. Chicken and vegetable spring rolls; chicken and cashew nut stir fry; braise pork belly and aubergine in chilli bean sauce; and ginger chilli soy steamed scallops.
Episode 8: Naughty and nice
Some days are virtuous ‘eat like a super model’ days and other days are strictly for bad ‘I’ve been dumped’ meals. Ching makes two meals for her friend. First up there’s healthy miso soup; yakatori salmon; and pickled salad, followed by a naughty but very nice meal of crispy pork belly and trifle.
Episode 9: Make Ahead
Ching has dinner guests and rather than make everything on the day she prepares a menu that can be made in advance so the party is completely stress free. Char sui; tofu and chilli beef stew; and prawn and lemon noodle salad.
Episode 10: Lunch
Ching proves there’s more to lunch than a simple sandwich. In this episode she packs up her bento box with lots of lunchtime favourites – Vietnamese salad with noodles; Taiwanese raw salad rolls; a lychee, mango and pineapple fruit salad in cinnamon syrup; and her take on the humble ham sandwich.
Episode 11: Sweet and Sour
Sweet plays a big role in savoury Chinese cooking. Ching creates some sweet and sour classics and a strictly sweet snack. Chicken sticks with sweet and sour sauce; mango salsa; Thai beef salad; and custard tarts.
Episode 12: Ching SOS
Ching creates a foolproof damsel in distress dinner party menu for a friend in need. This is a come to the rescue completely portable dinner party meal. Thai beef, coriander salad; red salad noodles; and chickpea, lime and coriander salad.
Episode 13: Chilli
Chillies red, green, hot and mild are such a crucial element to Chinese cooking. Ching puts the chilli to good use in four delicious recipes. Chilli spare ribs; green Thai curry; aubergine, tofu and chilli bean sauce; and salmon fish cakes with a sweet chilli sauce.
Episode 14: East Meets West
Ching sets herself a challenge to cook western dishes with an eastern twist. Lemon chicken burgers with sweet potato chips and ginger and vanilla ice cream.
Episode 15: Curry
Sometimes there is no substitute for a decent curry. Ching makes her favourite curry dishes perfect for eating in front of the TV or to impress friends. Green Thai curry sauce; squid balls; and chicken katsu curry.