Shangki Li Modern Chinese flavours, cooked with British soul

Shangki Li

Modern Chinese flavours, cooked with British soul

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Five Boxes, One Microwave: A Working Week of Chinese-Inspired Lunches
Ingredients & Technique

Five Boxes, One Microwave: A Working Week of Chinese-Inspired Lunches

A practical, slightly opinionated guide to five weekday Chinese-inspired lunches that survive the fridge, the commute and the shared office microwave. No 6am wok work, no heroic claims about wok hei — just sturdy vegetables, batch-cooked rice and sauces that genuinely improve by Tuesday.
A Cuisine with a Postcode: In Defence of British-Chinese Food in 2026
Food Culture

A Cuisine with a Postcode: In Defence of British-Chinese Food in 2026

British-Chinese cooking is not a compromise between two traditions; it is a tradition of its own, shaped in dockland kitchens and on the high street. In 2026, it deserves to be ordered, cooked and defended without the apologetic word ‘fusion’.
The Day After the Feast: A Boxing Day Fried Rice Worth Clearing Space For
Festive Menus

The Day After the Feast: A Boxing Day Fried Rice Worth Clearing Space For

On 26 December, the fridge is full and the sandwich is already boring. Here is the case for taking Christmas leftovers to the wok, with cold rice, charred sprouts, crumbled stuffing and a seasoning formula that makes the whole thing taste like a second celebration rather than a rescue mission.
The Sausage That Keeps: Lap Cheong for Ordinary British Weeknights
Ingredients & Technique

The Sausage That Keeps: Lap Cheong for Ordinary British Weeknights

Sweet, cured and quietly dependable, lap cheong is the Chinese sausage that earns its place beside the bacon and the black pudding. Here is how to source it, store it and fold it into three unfussy British weeknight dinners.
Hot Broth, Cold Hills: Rethinking the Winter Walking Flask
Ingredients & Technique

Hot Broth, Cold Hills: Rethinking the Winter Walking Flask

A flask of tea is a fine companion on a British winter walk, but a hot Chinese broth is a better one. Here is the practical, flavour-first case for filling your Thermos with peppery wonton broth or sweet tomato-and-egg soup — plus how to pack it without a leak.
Order Like You Mean It: A Field Guide to the British-Chinese Takeaway Menu
Food Culture

Order Like You Mean It: A Field Guide to the British-Chinese Takeaway Menu

The takeaway menu is not a list of random dishes — it is a map of the kitchen’s habits, strengths and shortcuts. Here is how to read it properly, ask better questions, and come away with a more balanced, more interesting dinner.
Fierce Heat, Tiny Cabbages: Why Brussels Sprouts Belong in the Wok
Ingredients & Technique

Fierce Heat, Tiny Cabbages: Why Brussels Sprouts Belong in the Wok

Brussels sprouts have spent decades as the roast dinner’s most argued-over side. This is the case for halving them, drying them well and throwing them into a screaming-hot wok with salt, pepper, garlic and chilli — a salt-and-pepper treatment that turns a divisive vegetable into the best thing on the table.
Cold Hands, Hot Chilli Oil: The Christmas Market Stall Worth Queueing For in 2026
Food Culture

Cold Hands, Hot Chilli Oil: The Christmas Market Stall Worth Queueing For in 2026

Between the mulled wine and the mince pies, there is room for bamboo steamers, crisp-bottomed dumplings and a slick of chilli oil. Here is why a Chinese food stall belongs at every British Christmas market this winter — and how to order without causing a queue meltdown.
The Warm Paper Bag: Chinese Bakeries Deserve a Place in Your 2026 Routine
Food Culture

The Warm Paper Bag: Chinese Bakeries Deserve a Place in Your 2026 Routine

Custard tarts, pineapple buns and char siu puffs are not just takeaway treats. They are the high-street bakery counter at its best, and in 2026 they deserve the same weekly ritual status as a loaf from the local bakery.
Frozen, Not Forgotten: The Supermarket Dumpling Bags Worth Your Freezer Space
Ingredients & Technique

Frozen, Not Forgotten: The Supermarket Dumpling Bags Worth Your Freezer Space

Frozen dumplings have quietly become the most dependable route into Chinese cooking at home in Britain. Here’s what separates a good bag from a sad one in 2026 — and how to cook them properly, packet instructions be damned.
The Table Becomes the Kitchen: An Electric Hotpot Night for November
Ingredients & Technique

The Table Becomes the Kitchen: An Electric Hotpot Night for November

A plug-in hotpot turns a chilly November evening into a slow, sociable dinner — no restaurant booking, no takeaway queue. Here is how to set up a small-kitchen hotpot night with British supermarket ingredients, two balanced broths and a dipping station that does the heavy lifting.
The Free Bag Tells You Everything: A 2026 Case for Prawn Crackers
Food Culture

The Free Bag Tells You Everything: A 2026 Case for Prawn Crackers

The bag at the bottom of the takeaway order is Britain’s most mocked Chinese starter — and also its most honest one. In 2026, with every penny counted, the humble prawn cracker deserves a proper look, from krupuk origins to supermarket packets and the air-fryer.
The Noon Bell: How Char Siu Became My Favourite British Lunchbox Filling
Ingredients & Technique

The Noon Bell: How Char Siu Became My Favourite British Lunchbox Filling

A packed lunch does not have to mean limp lettuce and a sad slice of ham. With leftover char siu, a jar of pickles and a little chilli oil, the ordinary British lunchbox becomes something worth waiting until noon for.
Fifteen Quid, Four Bowls: The Corner-Shop Chinese Supper That Works
Ingredients & Technique

Fifteen Quid, Four Bowls: The Corner-Shop Chinese Supper That Works

A proper Chinese dinner for four, built entirely from a British corner shop: freezer dumplings, chicken thighs, bagged greens and a smart trio of condiments. Here is the £15 menu, the shopping list, and where to spend versus where to save.
Rain on the Promenade: The Underrated Joy of a Seaside Chinese Takeaway
Food Culture

Rain on the Promenade: The Underrated Joy of a Seaside Chinese Takeaway

When the British seaside weather turns, the chip shop queue keeps going and the Chinese takeaway across the road starts to glow. This is a flavour-first look at the promenade Chinese box — salt-and-pepper prawns, curry sauce, chips and all — and why it belongs in the story of how Britain eats.
Small Kitchen, Big Heat: Air-Fryer Chinese for Ordinary British Weeknights
Ingredients & Technique

Small Kitchen, Big Heat: Air-Fryer Chinese for Ordinary British Weeknights

Most British kitchens give you a worktop and a half, and a wok is a lot to ask on a Tuesday. Here's how the air fryer earns its place on the shelf — blistered aubergine, salt-and-pepper tofu, revived bao and charred greens, without the extractor fan drama.
Rice on the Shelf: Why Congee Beats a Full English the Morning After
Food Culture

Rice on the Shelf: Why Congee Beats a Full English the Morning After

Britain has the pub, the condiments and the late-night regret. What it doesn't reliably have is a bag of rice on the shelf — and that, argues our case for congee, is the only thing standing between you and the best Sunday morning reset going.
The Chutney Drawer: British Preserves with Chinese Intent
Food Culture

The Chutney Drawer: British Preserves with Chinese Intent

The British preserve jar is not a compromise in a Chinese kitchen—it is a shortcut. From Branston in a char siu glaze to mint sauce in a cold noodle salad, here is how to make the Sunday chutney drawer work harder.
The Fifth Taste on the Sunday Table: MSG for British Cooks
Ingredients & Technique

The Fifth Taste on the Sunday Table: MSG for British Cooks

For years, MSG has been the ingredient British eaters mention in a lowered voice—something to avoid, or something to confess. This is a practical case for keeping a small jar beside the salt, especially when roast potatoes, gravy and greens are on the table.
Black Sesame on the Sponge: Five British Puds Worth a Chinese Accent
Ingredients & Technique

Black Sesame on the Sponge: Five British Puds Worth a Chinese Accent

Sticky toffee, rice pudding and treacle tart are already generous puddings. A little black sesame, red bean or preserved citrus can make them sing without turning dessert into a novelty act. Here is what works, what surprises, and how to spot the crossover on UK menus in 2026.