Simply Chinese: Recipes from a Chinese Home Kitchen

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That meant it was something completely new in terms of challenging my brain and I'm really happy with the end result - it has exceeded all my expectations." Suzie first shot to fame after winning BBC national cookery competition, Best Home Cook (Image: BBC ) Her mum worked 14 hour shifts so no wonder she didn’t want to slave over a hot stove for another day but Suzie asked her to show her how to do it.

Having grown up in a Chinese takeaway – the Man Lee in Lisburn, which is still going strong – Lee gets frustrated by the negative reputation takeout can get. Add the Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce and oyster sauce and mix, then add the peas and pineapple and mix well. Taste and season. Heat your barbecue. On white coals, cook the burgers for about four-five minutes on each side. Don’t overcook as you want them to be still juicy. On the last couple of minutes add slices of cheddar on top so it melts with the heat.A cookery book has been in the pipeline for a while but Suzie admits that it all came together in just seven weeks. When her mum passed away, Suzie pretty much took on the role of mother, so she had to properly cook. Now, she has dedicated her first cookbook to Cantonese food, with 70 recipes "broken down in steps, so people won't be scared of Chinese cooking". The book is aimed at the home cook, with the majority of ingredients available from your local shop or supermarket. She discussed her dream of going to Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in London after her GCSEs with her mothe, but her plans drastically changed following the sudden death of Celia – from deep vein thrombosis, during a flight home from Chinese New Year celebrations in Kong Hong. She also wants to showcase the uniqueness of Cantonese cuisine, compared to other regions in China. “Cantonese food is another string to that whole Chinese story. Cantonese, it’s mainly Hong Kong, so it’s right by the seaside. So there’s fish, and it’s all about very fresh food,” she says.

Suzie believes that “food is the glue that holds families together”, and encourages her own children, Zander, aged five, and two-year-old Odelia, to get involved in the kitchen. Cut around the edges, leaving a 1cm (½in) gap between the outer edge and the flesh (make sure you don't slice straight through the skin). Cut down either side of the core and remove it, then carefully score the flesh in a grid pattern so you can extract cubes of the pineapple with a spoon or knife. Then finely dice.Now the mum-of-two from Lisburn, who is also a fully-qualified Chartered Accountant, is preparing for another milestone with the launch next week of her debut cookbook. Suzie is also keen to showcase the uniqueness of Cantonese cuisine, compared to other regions in China. Suzie shares the recipe in her new book, explaining how the addition of condensed milk and evaporated milk gives the tea its characteristic super-creamy taste. While before her success in Best Home Cook Suzie had dreamt of saving for a “retirement plan” which involved opening a little coffee shop or catering company that enabled her to “potter around” with her love of cooking. For Suzie Lee, food and Chinese home cooking has always been personal - in Chinese culture, food and family are intertwined. Suzie strives to capture and recreate those cooking traditions she shared with her late mother, her inspiration.

To win and to have a Michelin-starred chef compliment my pastry and tell me I was a 'really good home cook' was a massive confidence booster.” After her mother died, Lee’s confidence in the kitchen grew – largely because she was forced to take on the cooking role, feeding her 15-year-old brother and seven-year-old cousin. They love being in the kitchen with me cooking, eating and communicating through food," adds Suzie, who continues to juggle her new-found career as a 'celebrity chef', with her own accountancy business. Ever since my mum passed away I do live my life to the full, and with no regrets, because you don't know what might happen tomorrow," Suzie says.She started exploring all kinds of different cuisines (many of which she would go on to showcase on Best Home Cook) but she admits she initially steered clear of Cantonese food. “I found it quite hard to go down that route,” Lee admits. “Because my mum was my idol, in a sense. She was the best [at Cantonese cooking]. And I thought I hadn’t learned enough from her, whereas all the other cuisines I could explore on the internet, buy cookbooks, magazines, whatever, and play around with – but traditional Cantonese cooking, for me, my mum held that up there – and I was like, I can’t replicate that.”

Since winning Best Home Cook in 2020 Suzie has presented two cooking shows on BBC NI (Image: BBC NI) All the recipes can be made by people of all cooking abilities. Cooking should be fun and sharing the results with friends and family makes it all worthwhile," she insists. Detailing a range of simple techniques, short cuts and money saving tips, Suzie takes viewers through a range of family-friendly dishes based on readily available ingredients. She loved food and was so passionate about cooking," says Suzie about her mother, who passed away suddenly when she was just 16.I have to laugh about it because the turkey was huge and there I was in the middle of it. The thing weighed about 30lbs, and I remember thinking to myself, 'I can do this, I can do this'. Suzie is keen to encourage everyone to have a go at cooking and her overriding message is “don’t be afraid”.