Jimmy Lee reveals why trips to Asia are full of Eastern promise

JIMMY LEE is one of Scotland’s most highly-rated young chefs.

He runs his own restaurant Lychee Oriental in Glasgow’s city centre and represented Scotland on the BBC’s Great British Menu.

Now the award-winning chef is hosting a new
cooking show, Julie And Jimmy’s Hot Woks, alongside Julie Lin MacLeod on STV on Mondays at 8pm.

Bellshill-born Jimmy, 40, lives in Glasgow.

WHEN I was growing up a lot of my pals were off to sunny places like Spain and Portugal.

Most of my holidays were in the UK, to the likes of London, Liverpool and Manchester.

But I’ve made up for that since – I travel a lot.

The Far East has featured a lot with trips to Malaysia, Thailand and China.

I know food is important to everyone but as a chef it really is huge for me and I always look at the local cuisine and what I might learn and bring back here.

In Malaysia I loved what was going on with the spicy street food.

And the beaches in Malaysia are amazing. The white sands were stunning and when I went snorkelling, the coral was like nothing I’d seen anywhere else.

I like Thailand, too, and have been to several of the islands, but the coral just didn’t match up.

China is obviously massive and there were a couple of amazing contrasts. There’s a National Park called Jiuzhaigou which is an absolute must-see.

It’s getting more and more foreign visitors but it’s also the place that millions of Chinese go to. The transport links have been much improved, making access a lot easier but I don’t think it’ll spoil it.

I hope not, as it’s just one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.

The contrast is Shanghai, which is all hustle and bustle.

It’s been called the Paris of the Far East and I can see why because it has a real cosmopolitan, European feel. It’s so chic and trendy.

Food, naturally, is one of my main memories.

Just as you have to have haggis when you come to Scotland, you have to have the dumplings when you go to Shanghai.

They are like doughy steamed buns, with soup and minced pork inside – so you need to bite, sip and then chew.

Eating them takes a bit of practice, but I did eat a lot!

Malaysia’s fabulous clash of cultures made it a highlight for Scottish author Janice Brown