#ChineseFoodiesofIG: Éliane Cheung of Mingou Mango

Eliane Cheung of Mingou Mango

This is part of an ongoing series of interviews I’m doing with my favourite Chinese foodies that I follow on Instagram. Come and follow the #ChineseFoodiesofIG hashtag on Instagram and leave a comment showing your support for these talented folk!

Where are you from? Where are you really from?

I was born in Paris, France. So, this is where I'm "really" from. My parents come from China. Both my father's and my mother's families are from Yangzhou (Jiangsu), but my mother was born and grew up in Hong Kong. 

What does home taste like?

Rice, chicken broth, lion's head meatballs, mapo tofu, steamed fish, hong shao pork, stir fried eggs with jiu cai (Chinese chives), fried chicken (油淋鶏), congee, jiaozi, homemade baos.

Share a food memory:

I remember as a kid stealing bits of dried tofu from the chopping board whenever my grandfather was cooking pork with tofu and Chinese chives, and eating them straight away. He would always let me do... until I had too much.

The most important Chinese ingredient is:

Maybe soy sauce, but also Shaoxing wine, ginger and scallion.

Know any good Chinese restaurants?

I must admit I don't often go to Chinese restaurants, but I do when I feel like eating things that my father doesn't cook himself: fresh noodles, xiao long bao, dim sum. I would love having a Din Tai Fung in Paris. Fun fact: my sister takes the Eurostar to London whenever she craves Hong Kong food (and so would I).

Who's your Chinese food legend?

My father, obviously (he's quite the hero of the cookbook I wrote a few years ago). He grew up starving in the Chinese countryside (during the Great Leap Forward), was sent to Hong Kong as a young teenager to learn cooking and came to Paris in 1966 in search of a better life. He opened two restaurants here and though he's retired now, he still keeps cooking for his family. The father in Ang Lee's film Eat Drink Man Woman 飲食男女 reminded me of him.

I also have a great admiration for Fuchsia Dunlop, who has such a deep knowledge of Chinese cuisines. I have 100% trust in her recipes.

Dream dinner party guests:

My whole family, especially my grandparents and a beloved cousin who passed away.

MSG: yay or nay?

Yay for sure. Umami from Glutamate is an elemental flavour. To deny MSG is to deny parmesan or mushroom. However, I found myself not drawn to synthetic MSG powder since living outside of China. I add umami from making my own chicken or pork bone stock, and my excessive use of parmesan cheese.

What does Chinese food mean to you?

It means family, comfort and memory. It means all the love my parents cannot express with words. It means connection with a part of my identity. It means togetherness.