#ChineseFoodiesofIG: Z He of Wun's Tea Room, Bun House + Pleasant Lady Trading

Z He of Wun’s Tea Room, Bun House and Pleasant Lady Trading

This is part of an ongoing series of interviews I’m doing with my favourite Chinese foodies that I follow on Instagram. Come and follow the #ChineseFoodiesofIG hashtag on Instagram and leave a comment showing your support for these talented folk!

Where are you from? Where are you really from?

I happen to call many places home! I was born in Zhongshan, China and spent most of my early childhood there. Then our family moved to Guangzhou and subsequently to Hong Kong. I spent my teenage years in Vancouver, Canada. Then I lived in the US for five years and completed my first degree in Chicago. Came to London in 2012 and obtained my master’s degree and stayed here ever since! I call all of these places home as they all have influenced me greatly in different stages of my life.

What does home taste like?

Chinese lettuce blanched broth. It is the most unusual (but also the ultimate ordinary) thing I LOVE eating. Most Chinese vegetables are eaten cooked in China. Leafy lettuce is usually blanched, drained, and seasoned with sauces like soy or oyster sauce. My grandma would throw in slices of ginger and a dash of salt and serve as a soup at dinner. It’s fresh, grassy, with a hint of sweetness. And it has to be the Chinese lettuce. It’s almost embarrassing how much I love this broth. Alongside with a plate of steamed prawns with minced garlic dip. It is my all time favourite combo that my family prepares for me when I go home to visit.

Share a food memory:

When my family still lived together with our grandparents we would have family hot pot dinners during the cold winter. A massive round table was in the centre of the kitchen - it was so low we were all sitting on stools. There was barely any room to move around. The hot pot is in the centre, a constantly boiling pot of bone soup with bunches of coriander swimming on top. In my hometown, our broths are not spicy like the Sichuan style.

Fresh river fish slices and pork blood cake are always present, with a full basket of green leaves on the side. I remember the adults picking up a slice of raw fish, dipping it in the pot to cook and then in a special sauce of soy sauce with minced garlic and fresh chillies. Because I was too little to reach, freshly cooked slices would get delivered to my bowl. The adults would always blow on it beforehand to cool it down.

After dinner we would get orange slices for dessert. I hated it. Because in winter time your nose is always running, and no adult has the time to wipe off your nose. So you are just constantly wiping your nose with wool sleeves, and after a while your under nose gets irritated and red. When I would suck an orange slice, the acid would burn the skin of my under nose. Until this day, hotpot remains one of my very favourite meals at home - and orange slices are still deplorable.

Rice or noodles?

All depends on what other dishes are on the table! Say if it’s served alongside one of our family classics - thick pork belly slices steamed with fermented black beans - without a doubt I will be going for a bowl of rice. But it is hard to resist a freshly wok-ed plate of fried beef ho fun (gon chauw ngau ho 乾炒牛 河) which is one of my all time favourites as far as noodles goes...

The secret to Chinese cooking is:

The secret not-so-secret to Chinese cooking to me is the control of heat (foh hau 火候) and the breath of wok (wok hey 鑊氣). Especially in Cantonese cooking, I think these two elements are so crucial to its outcome. It takes any chef's patience, experience, passion, and perseverance to achieve the perfect control of these elements.

Most underrated Chinese ingredient:

Fuyu. Fermented bean curd. I think it should be as popular as cheese in the West. Because it’s essentially just Chinese cheese!

Who’s your Chinese food legend?

My Chinese food legend will be anyone in my family. I am reluctant to just name one person because whoever was not named will be very upset if they ever read this interview... haha. They are very good chefs and all of them have their own pride dishes to showcase at our gatherings. I grew up listening to all the parents, grandparents, the aunties and uncles exchanging cooking methods, food stories and ideas at our meals. Their passion about food has no doubt shaped mine to dive into this industry.

Dream dinner party guests:

My family and Anthony Bourdain (if only).

What does Chinese food mean to you?

Chinese food to me means comfort, adventure, nostalgia, texture, tradition, innovation, techniques, simplicity, and diversity. It means a paper bowl of Sichuan flavoured instant noodles in front of the TV playing Chinese soap operas. It means a basket of expertly wrapped xiaolongbao filled with crab roe and pork broth. It means sweet and sour chicken garnished with fresh lemon slices. It means a piping hot bowl of lo sui beef offal. They all mean Chinese food to me without prejudice. They are all food born from a rich Chinese culture that serves the single purpose to nourish people who enjoy its flavour, regardless of its adaptation or geographical location where it's being served. Chinese food is borderless.