Chef Jun Yang of Ruby Wu’s, at Radisson Blu Hotel, Doha, shares his inspirations and thoughts on learning from TV.

What or who inspired you to become a chef?

In my early days, at the age of 12, watching as my grandmother cooked made me want to join her. I liked the delicious dishes she created. When I was 13 years old, school was closed for summer vacation and only my younger brother and sister were at home one day. They were very hungry, I tried to cook for them, and they liked my food very much. Since then, they always wanted me cook for them. After graduating from high school, my uncle knew that I like cooking and he encouraged me go to culinary school to learn more. When I started my first kitchen job, I had the opportunity to work with one of Hong Kong’s famous chefs, Cai Ziwei, his passion and skills in cooking enriched my food knowledge and inspired me to begin my kitchen career. So, if I had to name a few people that inspired me, it would be my grandmother, my brother and sister and my uncle, along with Chef Cai Ziwei.

Chinese is the cuisine you’re most known for, but do you cook other dishes when you not working?

At home, I like to try cooking some Italian foods like pizza and pasta and Thai foods such Tom Yum Goong and Pad Thai.

How do you like to spend your free time – is it all about food or do you have hobbies that you enjoy?

My hobby is to watch cooking channels to see chefs from different countries. I really like watching the cooking methods of other chefs. I have learned new skills from those cooking channels, and sometimes it may inspire me to create my own new recipes. And I also spend my free time on reading and sports…

What is your signature dish and why? Please tell us about the development of the dish and what makes it so special, both to you and to your customers.

My signature dish is Stir-fried Prawns and vegetables with XO mushroom sauce. Why? Because XO sauce is a very special component in Cantonese cuisine. The traditional XO sauce ingredients are meat and mixed seafood. XO mushroom sauce is a new recipe created by me. It only uses mixed mushrooms, not mixed with meat and seafood. The signature dish is made of fresh prawns and XO mushroom sauce, the two foods complement each other, and the taste is very delicious. The XO mushroom sauce can be cooked with many foods, and it is also a favourite sauce for vegetarians. ✤