MasterChef UK finalist, Macau-born Sandy Tang, on pork buns and the terror of cooking on TV
- Tang moved to Britain aged 13, where she was forced to reckon with her identity as she learned a new language
- ‘When I was a kid we used to watch MasterChef together on TVB Pearl. Fast forward 15 years and I’m on the show!’
Looking back on MasterChef UK, what was the most difficult challenge for you? “It was definitely the three-ingredients challenge – the ‘mystery box’ when you don’t know what you’ll cook. When I opened it, my mind was just blank, but then somehow you allow yourself to go on autopilot.
“My adrenaline was shooting sky high but I said, ‘OK, calm down, think about what you see when you open your fridge at home, what would you cook?’ I felt really satisfied afterwards that I was able to cook anything at all!”
Of all the dishes you made during MasterChef, which made you most proud? “The canapés. It was in the initial stages of the competition and I included celeriac, mascarpone cream, char siu pork and pineapple. They are my favourite ingredients but they are all very different.
“That was the first time in the show I successfully combined different cuisines in a flavour profile that worked well together.”
You moved from Macau to Britain when you were 13. What stood out? “When I first moved, everything was exciting and when you’re young you pick up the culture fast. However, the hardest part was that somehow part of your identity was being taken away.
“I suppose it’s aligned with learning a different language, that you have to develop a completely new identity in some ways. That is hard, especially when you’re young, when you face challenges, or when kids say something – it could be racist or it could be just kids being kids. At times I felt like I couldn’t speak out because I lacked the words.”