Radio Times: Review by:; Jane Rackham

It turns out that Gok Wan is as nifty with a cleaver and a wok as he is with a chain-store dress and a sewing machine. Chopping “the holy trinity of Chinese cooking” — ginger, garlic and spring onion — with impressive deftness, he rustles up several healthy home-style Chinese dishes in minutes… actually about 25 minutes quicker than Jamie Oliver’s last food-in-a-hurry series.

Sometimes he cooks with Poppa Wan (who used to own several Chinese restaurants and takeaways in Leicester when Gok was growing up), bickering endearingly with his dad, and sometimes in what may or may not be his own kitchen. But he always sums up the food in typical Gok-style. “This tofu is better than sex, shoes and handbags,” he sighs. “Ooh, Asia in a shell,” he squeals at a theatrically presented scallop dish.

He’s actually very good at TV cheffery — although his catchphrase “Wok on!” could get irritating.

About this programme

1/6. Gok Wan swaps the catwalk for a wok as he shows off his other great passion in life, Chinese cuisine, preparing healthy home-cooked dishes he has perfected over the years. He begins with a simple egg fried rice, then joins his father, professional chef Poppa Wan, as he whips up char siu pork. Gok also heads into the kitchens of London restaurant Hakkasan to see how the professionals conjure up dishes in a matter of minutes, and goes on to make wok-fried green beans and shrimps, beef and black bean sauce, and spicy king prawns with cashew nuts.