For years now , and since Andrew’s visit to the brilliant Albert Adrià in Barcelona in 2017, Andrew and Albert have been talking about collaborating on a menu that meshes the world of dim sum and tapas and upends European industry norms about pastry. Finally on Friday 7th July 2023 - after months of emails and calls - Albert arrived with his team a…

In a new format for XO Soused, we welcome a guest! Susan Jung - arguably the most powerful voice in East and South East Asian food and cookery - sits with Andrew and Mukta to explore; * why apprenticeships are sometimes better than formal culinary education * how a well-timed lunch can help launch a food writing career * what makes Susan angry as a…

Macanese gastronomy is reputedly the oldest fusion cuisine in the world and has been recognised by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage. This tiny territory - smaller than Hong Kong, which it neighbours - also has one of the most dynamic economies in the world where some of the best chefs using the finest ingredients cook for the very rich. Ho…

From being the little princeling in the kitchen during his culinary training to asserting his creative and commercial voice - Andrew’s authority has not always been clearly exercised, reflecting the complexities with succession in family businesses. Considering all these complex succession hangovers, why was Andrew so adamant that his own new ventu…

Episode 2 goes inside Andrew’s family as they battle to carve a space in London’s hospitality sector . As Britain’s Asian restaurant sector transformed in the lead up to the new millennium, so too did the ambitions of many a restaurateur -not least Andrew’s father, who constantly cast about for new ideas and concepts. What kind of pressures, limits…

Introducing a special three-episode mini series of XO Soused. One episode per generation, and one episode each day from Monday to Wednesday this week. Andrew’s family have been involved in the Chinese catering trade in Britain for three generations. Every generation of Andrew’s family had an ambition for their business. During the years that his gr…

How do contemporary cooks interpret historically researched cookbooks? How relatable to contemporary dining are Song era historical recipes, and how far do recipe writers, cooks and chefs have to do this translation work? Andrew talks through a present day book of Song era recipes that he has been reviewing and researching as both he and Mukta expl…

How does a chef cooking Chinese cuisine incorporate bitterness into their dishes? Is bitterness truly necessary as sweetness, sourness, pungency and saltiness in Chinese gastronomy? Or is it trapped in a traditional medicine cul-de-sac? What did key Chinese gastronomic thinkers and writers think about bitter tastes and how did this thinking shift i…

What are braised bear paws doing on a (likely) imperial banqueting menu from the 1700s? What does the appearance of this exotic meat, and other dishes like steamed camel hump, tell us about the changing categories of ‘wildlife’ and ‘livestock’ in global food history, and about how Chinese heartland foods and peripheral cuisines are constructed? Are…

We kick off season 2 of XO Soused with an update from Andrew about the swap he has made to his evening menu - from à la carte dining to a fixed banquet menu - at his restaurant A. Wong. This has meant changing from catering for a variety of guests who bring different appetites: ‘some people eat more, some people eat less, some people…. have five or…

Andrew is taking his restaurant in a new direction in 2022. Gone is his à la carte menu and in its place will be a a dining experience akin to some of the historical Chinese banquets written into court records and novels, and painted on to silk. In this special festive episode Andrew and Mukta discuss why Andrew has taken this direction, what histo…

As we come to the end of the first season of XO Soused, we share a rough cut of a recording by Andrew and Mukta as they look back on almost 8 years of working together —from the very first research Mukta did for Andrew for the launch of his basement bar the Forbidden City to almost ending it all over their presentation at SXSW - a presentation they…

What is Beggar’s Chicken? What are the myths that surround it and why are they important? How has Andrew attempted to bring Beggar’s Chicken - chicken stuffed and wrapped in leaves and clay - into his professional kitchen, and what iterations of the dish is he trying next? Why is the technique such a fundamental part of its origin story and how has…

What are the differences between family cooking and restaurant cooking? How has lockdown and chef-prepared cook-at-home meal kits blurred the boundaries of home and restaurant? Is there a difference in the way Chinese chefs approached this compared to chefs of other cuisines? How did the divide between family food and restaurant food get created in…

Why are there so many ingredients in Chinese cuisine that are dried? What is the cultural and culinary importance of these foods? Weaving their way through key dried items such as abalone, bird’s nest and even controversial ingredients such as shark’s fin, Andrew and Mukta discuss why Chinese chefs have chosen certain seafood, livestock and plant m…

Raw fish and vegetables appear in some regional cuisines in China, with a variety of dipping sauces. Were the Chinese the first to champion raw meats and fish in East Asia? With such a rich culture of preparing raw meats and fish to present to diners in Confucian and Han times and on-and-off up until 14th Century China, what knife and saucing techn…

Why should dessert go at the end? Why have western and westernised restaurants embraced this structure of cooking and eating, while in some Asian cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes are served together? More importantly, why do western professional kitchens barely use sugars in their savoury dishes? Meanwhile chefs cooking some Asian foods use sugar…

Who are the iconic female chefs in Chinese food history? What influence did they have on Chinese cuisine? And why are they not more prominent in the histories? What are the gender dynamics that Andrew encounters in professional kitchens in China and in the UK? And does he think about gender when he recruits or supports his kitchen team? And take a …

How does creativity work for a professional chef cooking Chinese food? What was creative culinary life like in the palace kitchens in China? What was the role of tradition and how did other rules and boundaries either restrict or even elevate innovative thinking? When there’s too much choice - a defining characteristic of working from vast and well…

Chinese restaurants in the UK (and in other places) often offer a hundred or more dishes on their menu. What is the reason for this? Why does Andrew’s restaurant, A. Wong, offer 70 items every day and what has he had to negotiate to get to this number?How is the professional Chinese kitchen and its arrangements of stations, and the construction of …

With so many oil and fat substitutes available to the modern chef, what role does lard still play in professional Chinese kitchens? What classical Chinese - and particularly dim sum - recipes require lard? And how is the fat from the pork put to other uses by Chinese chefs, including and legendary Cantonese chef, William Poon? What techniques using…

What is tofu? What reputation does tofu have among western diners and chefs? What varieties of tofu can you find in supermarkets and how does this effect the way that tofu is used and enjoyed? When was soybean curd first formed and pressed into existence and when did varieties of dried, smoked, fried and fermented tofu become ubiquitous? What are t…

XO Sauce - a combination of dried seafood, ham, chillies and other seasonings in a stock - has grown to be a Hong Kong condiment par excellence. How is this condiment now used in the Chinese kitchens, and what ingredients does it go well with during the cooking process? What does the XO in the name signify, and what are the origin stories surroundi…

For an ingredient that entered into China in the 16th century - the chilli pepper has become a fundamental part of Chinese cooking. How does a chef learn to use this vegetable and it complex palate and texture? What was Chinese cuisine like before the chilli arrived? And how did it change the idea of Chinese ‘pungency' or 辛 [xīn]? How would you use…

Many Chinese dishes use a spiced chicken stock as a building block. This is a meat broth infused with cinnamon, cassia bark, fennel seed, angelica root, liquorice, and star anise. How are these spices used? What use do pre-mixed spice powders have, and why does Andrew prefer 13-spice powder (a classic western Chinese spice mix) over the Cantonese 5…

Cheese, like milk, has always been an important part of the Chinese diet. The remnants of China’s artisanal cheese sector are found in China’s western regions - and made by ethnic communities - Rushan [乳扇, rǔshān], Rubing [乳餅, rǔbǐng], are the better known. But Nguri in Hokkien or Niuru in Hanyu [牛乳, niúrǔ], made in Fujian and Guangdong show that a…

Cooking and presenting a whole fish - from nostril to tailfin - is a classic approach in Chinese gastronomy. Meanwhile, in Western kitchens filleting is the usual practice. What difference does it make to the taste and texture of the fish to cook it on the bone and with the head? How does the collagen from the bone keep the flesh moist? What techni…

A star-player in Chinese nose-to-tail (or beak-to-claw) cooking, chicken feet have been a long-term staple in dim sum restaurants. In what solution do you blanch chicken feet to cleanse them? How does deep-frying improve the falling-off-the-bone quality of the cut and its absorption of steamed aromatics and flavourings? And why does Andrew cook it …

What is the difference between Cantonese crispy pork belly and British roast pork belly with crispy crackling? How does a chef achieve the ‘digestive-biscuit-y’ quality of the Cantonese style finish rather than the toothy crunch of the British dish? Should we serve it with infused soy or mustard sauce? Why is the fat in the cut as crucial to Chines…

Andrew is in New Delhi for work in this double-length episode, and oof, is he working through some stuff! How does a British-born Chinese chef contend with the parameters of Chinese food in India, or of Indo-Chinese food? What is the difference between Chinese food in India and Indo-Chinese food? What are the flavour profiles of this hyphenated cui…

Soy chicken is Andrew’s favourite dish to cook and eat. And as a poached dish it sits apart from all the other roasted meats of the Chinese roasting kitchen. How does residual heat work to cook this chicken perfectly and how is this different from sous vide? How did Chinese chefs cook slowly at low temperatures in the past without technologies such…

Rice flour is the key ingredient that makes hundreds of different types of dim sum possible. Is it still as important in the Chinese kitchen as it was 2,000 years ago? What happened when wheat flour arrived? What does rice flour do that wheat flour doesn’t? What is the difference between glutinous and non-glutinous rice flour? Find out how to use t…

What revolutionises everyday cooking into an effort that is considered gastronomy? How did parts of French cooking and Japanese food culture become elevated into ‘gastronomy’? What factors need to exist for this transformation to happen? This special feature-length episode explores these question by looking at the work that chefs in France, Spain, …

Andrew’s mum always says ‘get the sauce right and the cooking will take care of itself’. What Chinese sauces are available to chefs and home cooks? What are the big differences between Chinese sauces and European sauces? Why are Chinese base stocks different from European versions, and how are they used to lengthen the fermented, umami ingredients …

Learning to make noodles teaches you about touch, the feel of flour, hydration rates, and fermentation. What is the right flour for noodle making? How much gluten should it contain? Why does Chinese culinary culture place an emphasis on the amount of gluten contained in flour (low, medium and high), rather than its use (bread flour, etc). Why are m…

Roast duck is a centrepiece of Chinese gastronomy. Why can it take two decades for specialist roasting chefs to perfecting “Beijing” roast duck? What corners are sometimes cut and what difference does it make? What wood should be used for roasting and what techniques result in a chef being able to take off the crispy skin in one go at the table? Er…

Chinese New Year is here! How do people in the Chinese restaurant sector celebrate Chinese New Year? Just how many red envelopes do you have to give out once you’re married and own a business? What kind of dishes are eaten for the special Chinese New Year eve dinner, and what’s the secret to getting a crispy coating on your sweet sticky rice cake? …

How is dairy used in Chinese cooking? How have minority groups in parts of China turned milk into cheese and what kind? Does ice cream have its origins in China? When did the first few references of iced butter, iced cream and iced yoghurt appear in Chinese history? Has ice cream always been a novelty in China, and what role did missionaries play i…

‘Puff pastry’ in Chinese cooking is a very different beast. But what is unique about the laminated dough that dim sum chefs make to wrap, cocoon or encase dim sum fillings? What ingredients, ratios and techniques create the pastry of the Hong Kong egg tart or the millefeuille effect of baked dim sum savoury puffs? Was this mastery something that ca…

The recent media interest in Andrew - following the award of 2 Michelin stars to his restaurant A. Wong this week - has caused him to reflect on his identity and position as a British chef of Chinese heritage. In this special episode of XO Soused, Andrew and Mukta grapple with today’s thorny questions. Who has the right to cook what? What is cultur…

What is har gau [蝦餃] ? What starches make up its sticky texture and clear skin? What techniques are required to create the unique, juicy ‘bounce’ of its prawn filling? How important is a vigorous steam? How far back in Chinese history did the required flours make their appearance? How far did Cantonese millionaires of 19th century South China push …

What is Char Siu? Directly translated at ‘fork roasted’ what are the origins of this technique in China, and what are the connections to Central Asian roasting techniques? What other ingredients are stuffed with the barbequed neck-end of pork into the fluffy bun? What are the techniques and ingredients to create that texture and finish to the bun i…

What is steaming? Why does steaming food have such a long history in China? Why is it important to control the velocity and vigour of steam? What does this control mean for cooking meat, fish and dough? How does this affect how you design and cook dim sum? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get acc…

Introducing XO Soused - a weekly audio newsletter from Chef Andrew Wong and Dr Mukta Das sent out every Tuesday afternoon. Setting the scene, this intro explains the conversational style and previews upcoming episodes - each one based on a specific technique or ingredient. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subsc…