Helen and Lisa Tse are their family’s third generation of restaurateurs, opening Sweet Mandarin in Manchester in 2004. They have successfully survived two notorious TV ordeals having won Best Local Chinese on Gordon Ramsay’s F Word and securing investment from Dragons’ Den for their range of sauces. They have since been invited to Downing Street to cook for David Cameron, released Sweet Mandarin Cookbook and been awarded MBEs in the New Year Honours List for services to the food and drink sector.

Dim Sum, Small bites made easy – Published by Kyle Books 

Dim sum translated literally means ‘to touch your heart’ and the art of making dim sum remains a secret to many who love to cook Chinese food. Now this much-loved delicacy is being brought to your kitchen by award-winning restaurateurs Helen and Lisa Tse. These globally acclaimed twins cook the original recipes that have been handed down through the generations of their family and now offer everyone a chance to experience their Sweet Mandarin Cookery School’s popular dim sum master class at home.

Chinese food is one of the most popular cuisines in Britain, with over 15,000 Chinese restaurants in the UK alone. The beautiful and elaborate techniques that go into producing dim sum dishes may seem too intimidating to produce yourself, but more challenging recipes are accompanied by step-by-step photography, clearly showing you how to give a dumpling its distinct shape and wrap a neat bean curd parcel. The recipes are also punctuated with helpful tips from the sisters to ensure mouth-watering perfection from every dish – of the few titles available on this subject, no other is so accessible and easy to follow, something which Antonia Carluccio can attest to; ‘written with such simple clarity, it will encourage me, and I hope many others, to cook those morsels which I adore’.

Taking you through a rich and flavoursome variety of dim sum, chapters are simply broken down into Meat, Poultry, Fish & Seafood, Vegetables, Sweets and Desserts, Tea and Sauces. Recipes cater to specific dietary requirements with vegetarian-friendly recipes, as well as such mouth-watering delights as Shanghai-style Dumplings with Pork, Ginger & Spring Onion steamed to perfection in a bamboo steamer, Jasmine Tea & Honey Chicken Skewers with their subtle sweet taste and distinctive, smoky flavour. Impress at a dinner party with Prawn, Quinoa and Kidney Bean Dumplings, or help keep hunger pangs at bay with the moreish Sweet Potato, Prawn & Pinto Bean Fritters, and once you’ve mastered the art, try more challenging dishes such as Chrysanthemum Pastries.

This book is an invaluable guide for anyone who wants to learn to make Chinese dim sum and will bring the traditional communal family dining experience to your own home. A must-have, not only for fans of Sweet Mandarin sauces and restaurant or The Sweet Mandarin Cookbook but for all those who love and appreciate good Chinese food.