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Tsang's Cookery School

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Tsang's Cookery School

My name is Giulio and I will be your host / chef for your introduction to Chinese cooking, but more importantly home cooking in a typical Chinese household.

Please get in touch to book a one-day course from beginner to advanced in Ventnor, Isle of Wight

17/02/2026

Kung Hei Fat Choi everyone!

03/11/2025

Just got my delivery of fresh lamb from our local island small holder.
Salt and pepper braised lamb breast in a garlic stir fry.
Deliciously tasty on a bed of tender stem and sesame oil and don’t forget the jasmine rice.

24/09/2025

It’s that time of year when pickling is the order of the day.

Today, I came across some excellent, fresh root ginger and as I’d just run out of last years’ pickled stock, decided to make some more to go with my pei daahn (1000
Year old eggs).

Peel and thinly slice the ginger and blanch in boiling salted water for 3 mins. Drain and rinse, then place into a kilner jar. In a pot bring to the boil Chinese rice vinegar and sugar to taste. When the sugar has dissolved, let it cool and pour the mixture into the kilner covering the ginger.

Your pickled ginger will be ready in 5 days. If by chance you fancy a red hue to your pickle, a bit of beetroot powder will do the trick.

Dinner tonight was simple and tasty for us orientals, pei daahn with pickled ginger, slow boiled chicken wings with shiitake mushrooms in premium light soy and sesame oil.

21/08/2025

Velvets are what swimmer crabs are called in the uk. In the far east and even in the states, they’re known as blue crabs. Although the blues are larger with a smooth shell, but, as with the velvets, they’re swimmers nevertheless and make awesome eating.
I was given a few velvets from the Smoking Lobster’s by catch and decided, fiddly as they are to prepare, the final product is well worth the effort.

Marinade in rice wine and white pepper for 15 mins then dust throughly with corn flour and fry till golden and place aside.

In a clean pan, sauté the chopped ginger and garlic till fragrant. Add garlic black bean sauce (homemade or bought), rice wine, sugar and a bit of water, turn up the heat and throw in a bunch of inch long slices of spring onions and a corn flour slurry, return the crabs and stir fry quickly and serve.
Because the crab has been fried for a few minutes, the shell is edible and crunchy and as we all know by now, texture is everything in Chinese cooking.

14/08/2025

What does one do with left overs? Restaurants around the world have menu boards with chef’s specials, I on the other hand have a simple home favourite to share.
Do you remember the Hong Kong roast chicken crown I did the other day? Well, it was one big, tasty crown if I say so myself, however, there was a lot left over. Fast forward to the next day and hey presto! Tagliatelle kimchi with left over chicken and a few greens in a chicken/kimchi stock.
You might say tagliatelle?? Not very oriental if you ask me!! However, it was China that gave the west the idea of spaghetti and tagliatelle we just called them noodles and ho fun. It’s all in the flour, wheat or rice.

11/08/2025

The other day at the supermarket, I came across a lovely corn fed chicken crown. It looked so good that I thought immediately of Hong Kong roast chicken of my youth.
Fast forward a few years, well, quite a few years and we now have air fryers in the kitchen.
Hey presto, what would have taken 45 minutes now takes 20 and so succulent that it has the texture of poached chicken.
The next step is all important in giving the now sliced chicken it distinctive flavour.
Oyster sauce, light soy, six cloves of minced garlic, sherry, sesame oil, sugar. Sauté gently so as not to burn the garlic, add a bunch of spring onions cut into 1 inch lengths , turn the heat up high and add the corn starch slurry. Stir quickly and pour over the sliced chicken and enjoy it with hot jasmine rice.

02/08/2025

It’s been awhile since I cooked a fish dish for you, so here goes Tsang’s version of the classic Cantonese dish of braised sea bass in garlic and fermented black bean and rice wine vinegar.

Fish is prepared in many ways in the orient with the most popular being, deep fried, pan fried, steamed or braised. Steamed or braised versions are very popular in Cantonese cuisine as they are succulent not to mention super tasty.

My version of braised sea bass allows for anyone at home to reproduce it. Cut you bass or any other fish into cutlets rub a bit of salt on them. On a bed of garlic, ginger,spring onions and a bit of oil, gently brown the cutlets. In a bowl add white pepper, Sherry or rice wine, fermented black beans and rice wine vinegar a bit of sugar and water add to the fish and cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes. Plate up and thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry with a sprinkle of chopped coriander. Great with hot jasmine rice.

05/06/2025

A Chinese home cooked classic came to mind when I happened to see chicken quarters for sale at my local butcher.

Soy sauce chicken is a comfort food in all Chinese households and my version is quick, simple and delicious.

The raw materials are prepped including cinnamon bark,5 spice, star anise, bay leaves, ginger, garlic, white pepper or and spring onions. The liquids are, light soy, dark soy, sherry, rock sugar or brown sugar.

Shallow fry the chicken till the skin is golden - about 5 mins and set aside.

Sauté the raw materials in a bit of oil on low heat to release their flavour then add your liquids (1/4 cup light, 1/8 cup dark, 1/8 cup sherry and 1/4 cup water)
Gently boil for 20 mins spooning the thickening sauce over the chicken continuously.

Remove the chicken and with your, and here I will assume you have after all this time, acquired your own Chinese chopper, chop the chicken into bite size pieces.

It’ll be sticky, tasty and delicious with hot jasmine rice.

As a foot note, this is just one of my versions. Join Tsang’s and learn more on how to get fat, get healthy and always be happy. Maan maan s*k (buon appetito)

12/05/2025

It’s been a while, but the good weather’s got me harvesting wild spinach and garlic to go with my Hakka b***d chicken thighs and Szechuan fermented broad beans.

Just delicious with steaming hot jasmine rice.

13/03/2025

Wednesdays are a midweek scratch your head time kinda day. You’ve polished off the weekend leftovers and are thinking about a possible takeaway.

Even I get sorely tempted for the easy option ……. until I remembered I’d bought some pork ribs which needed transforming.

Hey presto! Tsang’s version of the traditional salt and chilli spare ribs.

25/02/2025

I never tire of a good vegetarian/vegan dish, and Tsang’s Szechuan wild mushroom and tofu stir fry is right up there with the very best.

Easy to prepare, quick to cook as this dish can be prepped even a day beforehand, what’s not to like?

Of course, being me, I added a meat dish just in case, 5 spice roast duck with ping tong (rock sugar)
Chinese quisine #,
Cantonese cooking #,szechuan food #,

13/02/2025

The crock of gold coins is me wishing you a Happy and Lucky New Year of the Snake.

To sign off with the Lantern festival and our auspicious and final dish, was yesterday evening’s steamed, glutinous rice with 5 spice chicken, flower button shiitake mushrooms and guandong style laap cheong.

Good luck came in the form of not burning down my garden with our homemade lantern, so, a good start already 😆

Address

Ventnor
PO381ST

Telephone

+447730269026

Website

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