Winse Chan is a rising chef, a food enthusiast and soon to be author of a cookbook on classic and authentic Chinese recipes, passed down from generations and inherited from the women who have influenced her cooking skills. 

Winse will be working with Nee Hao Magazine on a series of articles to share the love of cooking. 

Born in Scotland, she spent 6 years learning the craft of Cantonese cooking in Hong Kong.

Since graduation from a degree in Immunology and Microbiology , she worked in the science industry then took a long break from work to model, travel, and soak in the cultures from different countries and mostly to sample their foods. She believes that one needs to eat good food in order to cook good food!

In 2012, Winse completed a course on nutrition, so she will also highlight the benefits of certain foods in regards to how it affects the immune system and better ways to combine science and nutrition.

Photography by Christopher Hawker and Katie Leung.

Swiss Roll     瑞 士 卷

In Hong Kong, fresh Swiss rolls are sold daily in bakeries. The Chinese Swiss roll seems almost identical to its Western counterpart, although it is much lighter in texture. There are several popular variations. The basic version which we will make is the standard recipe with a whipped cream filling. Other versions includes chocolate, mango, pandan, strawberry, coffee, tea and orange filling flavour roll.

Make: 8 slices

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Cooling time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

100 grams plain flour
150 grams white sugar
50 ml vegetable oil
8 egg whites
5 egg yolks
3 tablespoons warm water
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons corn flour
½ teaspoon baking powder

Ingredients for filling

½ cup whipping cream

Method

• Preheat oven to 204 degree Celsius, 400 Fahrenheit = gas mark 6.

• Sift the flour, baking powder and corn flour into a bowl, set aside. Prepare two mixing bowls, separate egg yolks into one and egg whites into the other bowl, set aside.

• With an electric whisk, set at medium setting, whisk the egg yolks until blended. Gradually add in 50 g sugar, water, milk and oil. Continue to blend until a batter is smooth and creamy. Gradually add in the sifted flour mixture, continue blending until it forms a slightly stiff batter.

• Whisk egg whites at high whisk settings for a while until bubbles form. Add in 100 grams sugar gradually until stiff peaks form.

• Transfer half the egg white batter into the smooth, creamy egg batter. With a spatula, carefully fold the batter in a slow, round motion into the centre. Repeat 5 times, add the remaining egg whites. Fold again, carefully and slowly.

• Prepare one 35cmx 30cm baking tray or an equivalent flat tray. Line with parchment paper at the bottom as well as all the sides. Pour the batter in the tray and level it with a spatula. Bake for 15 minutes until it turns golden brown on the top. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.

• To ensemble the Swiss roll, place a large sheet of parchment paper on the work surface. Turn the surface of cake onto the paper, carefully peel off the paper which was used to help line the cake while baking.

• To prepare the filling, whip the whipping cream with an electric whisk until creamy and smooth. Spread fillings evenly, roll the cake. For best results, keep roll in fridge for 15 minutes