Shanghainese spring onion oil noodles launched Emma Chung to TikTok fame four years ago. The 28-year-old Hong Kong-based chef and content creator, who posts under @iam.chungry, says the dish uses just five ingredients and is incredibly simple to make. 'I just casually posted, not even telling anyone,' she recalls.
Chung, who previously worked as a recipe developer and taught at London's School of Wok, draws on her dual heritage: she spent her early years in Hong Kong before moving to Shanghai at age five. Her cooking blends Shanghainese and Cantonese influences, with Shanghainese dishes typically sweeter and heartier, while Cantonese fare is lighter and features more seafood and steaming.
Her debut cookbook, Easy Chinese Food Anyone Can Make, aims to demystify home cooking. Chung insists that just four pantry staples—light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, and oyster or mushroom sauce—are enough to create a wide range of dishes, from ketchup prawns to sweet and sour pork. 'Start with a little bit and you can always add more,' she advises.
For perfect fried rice, Chung emphasises technique over equipment. 'The pan needs to be very hot, and don't mix it too much,' she says, warning that over-stirring breaks the rice grains and leads to a mushy texture. She encourages using leftovers and simple ingredients to transform a basic dish into something special.
