Blasta Books #4: Wok by Kwanghi Chan Born in Hong Kong but raised in Buncrana, County Donegal, Kwanghi Chan says that his food isn’t fully authentically Chinese, but neither is he. His book, Wok, is the first Irish-Chinese cookbook to be published. The recipes include some of Kwanghi’s favourite meals that he grew up with that kept him in touch with his Asian heritage and the food that he cooks at home now with his family. You’ll also find some of the fusion flavours that Kwanghi loves as well as dishes influenced by his travels to Asia, from the flavours of the street food vendors to refined three-star Cantonese dishes. Broken down into nine sections – dumplings, street food, rice, beef, pork, chicken, seafood, vegetarian and sweet – with three recipes in each section, Kwanghi is sharing his fusion Asian food with a wider Irish audience. "Kwanghi Chan cooks the best Sichuan-style aubergines you can eat. He also cooks the best soy-braised five-spice chicken you can eat. Recipes for both of those dishes are in his debut book, Wok, and we can’t think of two better reasons as to why you need – need – to have a copy of Wok in your kitchen. Thing is, though, that there is so much more in Wok, and we don’t just mean the stupendous recipes. Wok is a story of profound personal resilience and determination, framed in the context of great food. It’s the story of a child of divorce who remade himself in a strange country, and who has made himself one of those rare talents known today by his mononym: Kwanghi. You will cook the chicken and the aubergines, and everything else in Wok. And Kwanghi’s story will touch your heart." - John and Sally McKenna, McKennas' Guides
