Hi! I’m Wei, a self-taught cook from North-west China. Since moving to Europe, over a decade ago, I developed a passion for food and with three culinary fans of my own, I currently live in a red brick house (“Red House”) in England, where every recipe in this blog is enthusiastically developed and mindfully tested.
Why “Spice”? Simply because I can’t survive without spice, neither in food nor in life. Plus, even those who have little interest in food might know “Chinese Five-Spice”. So the word “Spice” may well give you a hint of the kind of cuisine I am sharing here.
I guess your next question could be “Why blogging?”. To be honest, writing a food blog is not an impulsive decision (even though I am rather impulsive when it comes to trying new things). I gave myself three solid reasons before I started this journey.
For the past. As I grow older, I realise more and more that all my inspiration and capacity for cooking comes from the influence of my parents who cooked every single meal from scratch (literally) in a tiny kitchen. They had a limited number of ingredients but this was outweighed by their great passion and imagination. They never intended to teach me how to cook but they always allowed me to play around the stove and to have the first taste of their scrumptious dishes. While living far away from them, I’ve been trying to reproduce those flavours from my childhood. Sharing those influences with you here is a great way to preserve their culinary legacy.
For the present. I love sharing, sharing every bit of joy in my life with family and friends. Eating the food I cook, they praise and then ask: but how to make it? Seeing the photo of a dish I make they praise and then ask: but where is the recipe? Increasingly, I realise that sharing is not just about feeding the people you love or showing them your achievement. SHARE is Show them How to Achieve then Recreate and Enjoy together. A blog provides the ideal platform to share and connect with others who have the same passion in life.
For the future. As I mentioned earlier, I have three culinary fans in the Red House. Fan No.1 praises every single dish I produce (that’s compulsory). It’s a bit trickier with fan No.2 and 3 since sometimes, without warning, they turn themselves into nasty little food critics. A bit annoying, but they do push me to be more imaginary with my ingredients. A few weeks ago, fan No.2 said to me in a serious tone: “I think you should WORK as a professional cook.” What a compliment! At least for now I can WRITE like a professional cook. Also, perhaps when they gain their independency, they might appreciate my blog as a handy recipe book whenever they crave authentic Chinese food.
Another good thing about developing this blog is that I feel like I’m getting my old job back. Before moving abroad, I worked as journalist in Beijing for nearly a decade. Back then I was part of a big team, now I’m on my own with more responsibility, but also with more independence and freedom.
OK! It’s time to make a start. Hope you enjoy walking through the journey with me.
Photo credit: Pei Jun
Ni hao Wei, I work with a group of Chinese women at a spa. They are always cooking in tiny kitchen consisting of an electric frying pan, induction cook top, and a small steamer. The dishes they produce are delicious indeed. Anyway, they have taught me the basics and at times have me to cook for them. As a male of European descent, I am always nervous about cooking for those ladies. However, I found your blog and recipes. Now I can cook good Chinese foods without the worry. You have become my secret weapon. Xiexie ni!
That’s wonderful to hear Todd! I’m honoured to be your “secret weapon” and I wish you a fun time exploring Chinese cuisine!
I love your recipes. I cooked already a lot of them and my family loves them. Actually your blog became my primary resource for Chinese recipes. I started to fall in love with Chinese cuisine when I was a kid and with my parents we went to a Chinese restaurant. Of cause that was quite adjusted to European taste but still the strange flavors caught my attention. Nowadays there are quite a few good Chinese restaurants in my home town Berlin, but I enjoy a kot to cook myself, with your help. I’m Olaf, 53, from Berlin, Germany. Thank you so much!!!
So happy to meet you here Olaf! Glad you find my recipes helpful. Wish you more fun time cooking Chinese food.
Hi, do u have a recipe for 8 treasure chicken/duck
No Maria. I haven’t shared one yet.
Hi Wei!
Gung Hay Fat Choy!
I was looking for a recipe for Char Siu Pork and I came across your site. I browsed through your other recipes and can’t wait to make some dishes. Coming from a Chinese family, no one wrote down recipes so I am trying to recreate some things. Thank you so much!!! And yes, you should put a cookbook together!!!
Welcome to my blog Donna! Hope my recipes will help you to connect with your heritage.
Hi Wei, thanks for the warm welcome to your authentic Chinese cuisine. My family and I love Asian foods. I love to cook some of them at home as well. When I saw the Red House Spice recipes, dishes I would love to eat, I saw subscribing to your blog as an opportunity to enjoy more of the Asian cuisine at home. Thank you for sharing your foods with the world.
It’s my great pleasure to share what I’m passionate about. Hope you’ll enjoy cooking with my recipes!
That’s Cantonese for Happy New Year. Wei comes from Northern China where they speak Mandarin so Happy New Year wishes would be Xin Nian Kuaile
Thank you John! Xin Nian Kuai Le/新年快乐 to you too. I know very little Cantonese but I definitely understand Gung Hay Fat Choy.
Hi Wei, I just wanted to say how much I love your site. I have tried quite a few of your recipes now and they are all great. I lived in Beijing for several years in the 1990s and I am always searching for authentic recipes. I love your NW recipes in particular! Thank you so much and wishing you and your family a HAPPY YEAR OF THE TIGER!
Happy New Year to you too Emma! So happy to hear you find my recipes helpful.