Chicken Stock
My grandmother, Lily Kwok, met my grandfather, Chan under the most remarkable circumstances. Lily was a maid and cook for an English family in Hong Kong and was walking the baby with a friend when saw...
View ArticleChicken and Sweetcorn Soup
My parents married in the 1975 in Bury in a small traditional ceremony followed by a wedding banquet of huge proportions. My mum said practically all the Chinese who were in Britain were invited and...
View ArticleI never knew my grandfather…
My grandfather, was called Kwok Chan. He was born in 1914, four years before my grandmother. Though no one had seen or spoken to him for many years previously, we know that he died in 1961, a year...
View ArticleIt has been said that the Chinese will eat anything that walks on four legs...
It has been said that the Chinese will eat anything that walks on four legs with its back to the sky. In actual fact, Leung joked with Lilly that only the tables and chairs were safe from the voracious...
View ArticleWinter melon and wolfberry soup
When we go for dim sum (also known as yum cha, which literally translated means ‘drink tea’) we bump into lots of family friends and one of those is Mr Dong. He grows his own winter melon, as does...
View ArticleChicken Foo Young!
Foo Yung has been criticised as an anglicised Chinese dish but actually this omelette dish has roots in a Shanghainese dish called Fu Yung Egg Slices. Nonetheless, I believe we should embrace...
View ArticleWaterchestnut and Prawn Dumpling? Buy the dim sum cookbook and learn how to...
This is a really easy recipe but very effective and a party pleaser. Try this recipe at home and see what you think.This book is now available to purchase in Waterstones and online with Amazon. Also...
View ArticleHow did we end up in the UK?
Mrs. Woodman senior’s concern for her amah’s well being was exceptional. Unlike the majority of expatriate families, she genuinely cared about the plight of the local Hong Kong Chinese. With a brutal...
View ArticleWant to try make Pan-fried Pork Dumplings…… Then buy The Dim Sum Cookbook –...
This recipe is one of our family favourites and its so easy to replicate at home. We hope you will enjoy making these with your family. Purchase the DIM SUM Cookbook from all good bookshops and...
View ArticlePork Open-Top Dumplings – Siu Mai – Buy our DIM SUM book today!
This recipe is taken from the DIM SUM book out now in Waterstones and online with Amazon. Also pick up a copy at Sweet Mandarin. We are having a book signing party at Sweet Mandarin on 22nd February...
View ArticleTuesday’s Pork Rib Broth
My twin sister Helen, younger sister Janet, younger brother Jimmy and I grew up in the family food business and lived above the shop. Like our parents and their parents – it was a way of life and we...
View ArticleLettuce Wraps (or San Choy Bau in Chinese)
When I make this dish, I think of my grandfather Chan who grew up well practised in Kung Fu and also immersed in his family’s restaurant business. He’d often amuse himself by throwing lettuces in the...
View ArticleCrispy Won Tons
These are one of my favourite dim sum. They are a great party food and are so easy to make. You can fill the wontons with any filling of your choice. I prefer using prawn as it makes the wontons light...
View ArticleBUY Our DIM SUM Book – Ken Hom Loves Our Book!
This book is now available to purchase in Waterstones and online with Amazon. Also pick up a copy at Sweet Mandarin. We are having a book signing party at Sweet Mandarin on 22nd February 2015 5pm –...
View ArticlePrawn Dumpling Mr Matt Preston? Masterchef Australia’s Next Challenge: Dim Sum…
Our brand new DIM SUM cookbook is out and we are delighted that it has caught the eye of Matt Preston, the formidable judge on Masterchef Australia. The DIM SUM Cookbook is now available to buy in...
View ArticleDrake at the MEN Arena, Visit Sweet Mandarin
Sweet Mandarin is a 10minute walk to the MEN Area. Perfect for a Pre-concert meal. Book here Award-winning rapper and actor Drake will play his first headline Manchester Arena show on Sunday 1 April....
View ArticleJLS & Sweet Mandarin – A Match Made In Heaven
Sweet Mandarin is a 10minute walk to the MEN Area. Perfect for a Pre-concert meal. Book here JLS need no introduction. On 20th April 2012 they grace the MEN Arena. They are self-made legends. They...
View ArticleBlink 182 at the MEN Arena, Visit Sweet Mandarin
Sweet Mandarin is a 10minute walk to the MEN Area. Perfect for a Pre-concert meal. Book here Californian trio Blink 182 return to the Manchester Arena on Friday 15 June for the first time since...
View ArticleRemember Roxette? They’re here!
Sweet Mandarin is a 10minute walk to the MEN Area. Perfect for a Pre-concert meal. Book here Pop duo Roxette will play the Manchester Arena this summer as part of their first live UK shows in more...
View ArticleMichael McIntyre Drops In
Sweet Mandarin is a 10minute walk to the MEN Area. Perfect for a Pre-concert meal. Book here Michael McIntyre will perform a six-night residency at the Manchester Arena as part of a brand new autumn...
View ArticleThe Who come to Manchester – Dine at Sweet Mandarin
Sweet Mandarin is a 10minute walk to the MEN Area. Perfect for a Pre-concert meal. Book here The Who, one of rock’s most legendary and defining bands, return to Manchester Arena this weekend to...
View ArticleWho’s going to see Kings of Leon? If so, come by for Beer+Ribs before the...
How exciting, today, Tuesday 25 June the Kings of Leon are here! Their favourite dishes are the salt and pepper ribs ! To celebrate the return of Kings of Leon, we’ve got a show special. Ribs + Beer...
View ArticleMay the Fourth Be With You – Sweet Mandarin – Independence Day Bonanza –...
Happy Independence Day. Today on the 4th July 1776 America celebrated its independence from Great Britain. The funny fact I learnt was that the legal separation of the countries actually occured on...
View ArticleRhianna’s here! Are you joining us at Sweet Mandarin?
Did you know that Sweet Mandarin is a short 10 minute walk from the MEN Arena where Rhianna is playing. She’s left her Umbrella with us after a sumptuous feast of hot and sour soup and sizzing...
View ArticlePeter Pan and Stacy Solomon as Tinkerbell spreads some magic in Manchester...
If you are going to see Peter Pan make your visit even more magical with a treat at Sweet Mandarin (which is a 10 minute walk away from the MEN Arena). Stacey Solomon joins the cast of this...
View ArticleThank you to the generations of clients who have supported us. You’re the best.
We held a Thank You Dinner for our longest standing clients – those who through generations have frequented my Grandma’s restaurant, my Mum’s takeaway and now us at Sweet Mandarin. As I was serving...
View ArticleLook Inside our DIM SUM Cookbook – and Buy Buy Buy! Thanks Antonio Carluccio...
This DIM SUM Cookbook is a culmination of generations of dim sum recipes and even has a chapter on Superfood dim sum. This book is now available to purchase in Waterstones and online with Amazon....
View ArticleHot and Sour Soup
Helen, Janet and I gave up our day jobs as a lawyer, engineer and financier to open Sweet Mandarin in 2004 to the horror of our parents who protested that restaurants were hard graft and...
View ArticleMerry Christmas – We’re having Peking Duckenail for our Christmas Roast...
Peking duck is Beijing’s most famous dish and was served to numerous Emperors. However, the true Peking duck recipe takes over 24 hours to make and requires a pump to blow air between the skin and the...
View ArticleMy Mum’s Chicken’s Feet Soup (For Beautiful Skin)
When my mum was pregnant with us, her knees were pained by the weight of the bump and Lily made this soup for my mum to boost her cartilage. There was a surprise in the pregnancy – only I had shown up...
View ArticleWon Ton mean ‘swallowing a cloud’
Literally translated, wonton means ‘swallowing a cloud’. The wonton floating in the soup is supposed to resemble the clouds. Every province in China boasts their own version of wontons with a variety...
View ArticleWomen in China
When I travelled to Guangzhou in 2002, I found China to be a country that was careering head first towards the 21st Century. My base was a hotel housed in a skyscraper which was circled by endless...
View ArticleBeijing Dumplings – For Chinese New Year and all celebrations from our brand...
To celebrate and bestow prosperity for the Chinese New Year these dumplings are cooked because they symbolise golden ingots used during the Ming Dynasty. Similar to the Christmas pudding where a lucky...
View ArticleAdam and Eve Oyster Omlette
A dear customer who asked to remain anonymous came to Sweet Mandarin one night with her husband to eat. I will call them Adam and Eve. During their meal, an argument ensued and Adam walked out to cool...
View ArticleSesame Prawn Toast
The old Chinese fable goes that this dish was created by a Beijing chef whose specialty was mantou bread and a Guangzhou chef whose specialty was seafood. The Beijing chef travelled to Guangzhou to...
View ArticleValentine’s Day – Buy our DIM SUM book for a sweet valentine’s gift
On 14th February its Valentine’s Day - a day that evokes such an amazing energy at Sweet Mandarin because the room is filled with love. The banquet this year comprises of amazing dishes including...
View ArticleThe Story behind Sweet Mandarin
“To the ruler, the people are Heaven; to the people, food is Heaven”. (An ancient Chinese proverb) My grandmother, Lilly Kwok, was born in 1918 small village in Southern China. As an unborn child, she...
View ArticleChicken Stock
Chicken stock is one of the key ingredients in Chinese cooking and is used as a base for many of the recipes in this book. This really simple Chinese recipe is for a light, delicious and naturally...
View ArticleI love Fridays at Sweet Mandarin
Hurray! We’ve made it to Friday. To celebrate we’re going to make you some amazing cocktails – Tom Cruise inspired – to get you in the mood for the weekend. So first, let’s enjoy the video of the...
View ArticleHealthy Fish Soup
My great-grandmother and great-grandfather were betrothed at the age of four and had an arranged marriage ten years later. Great grandmother was dressed in red – for luck and good fortune – before...
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