Chinese food Australian-born chef and restaurateur Kylie Kwong firmly believes that Chinese food needn't be complicated. We asked Kylie for some advice on cooking Chinese food. Here’s what she had to say.

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About Kylie Cooking Chinese

'Must-have' ingredients Recipes

Kylie Kwong worked in some of Sydney's top kitchens, including Rockpool and Bill Granger's restaurant, bills, before setting up her own restaurant. Called Billy Kwong, the menu here draws inspiration from traditional Chinese eating houses.

Kylie is the author of several cookery books - Recipes and Stories, Heart and Soul and Simple Chinese Cooking - and has featured in a number of television series. In My China, her most recent book and its accompanying series, Kylie travels to China to explore the food and culture of this vast country.

For Kylie, food is a way of life and a link with the past. Cooking was a major part of family life when Kylie was growing up. Kylie says, "My earliest food memories include chopping up whole roast ducks in the back yard when I was about five. My mum taught me how to dissect a duck 'Chinese-style' with a big Chinese cleaver!"

Her dishes combine Mediterranean, Middle Eastern - and, of course, Chinese - influences and ingredients. Her recipes are fresh and vibrant, full of intense flavours and aromas.

There are no tricks to Chinese food

Kylie, realising that cooking Chinese food at home can be a daunting prospect for some people, is determined to spread the word about the refinement and beauty of Chinese cuisine - a sophisticated, yet simple style to learn. "There are no tricks to Chinese food," she says, "You need to use the freshest ingredients and only take on recipes that you feel confident with."

Kylie also has some advice to get you off to a good start: "Follow the recipe instructions carefully and find yourself a wok that suits your stove. If you don't have a gas cooker, I recommend an electric wok. They're rather powerful when it comes to stir-frying and work well with a steamer basket, too. Bear in mind that dishes generally take some time to prepare but little time to cook. So it's important to have all ingredients prepared - washed, trimmed, sliced and diced - before you start cooking, because when you crank up that wok, or put that fish into the boiling steamer, or lower that prawn into the deep-frying oil, it all happens very, very quickly!"

Here's a list of ingredients, compiled by Kylie, that you must have on hand to give your cooking the greatest chance of being a delicious success:

• A good wok
• Bamboo or aluminium steamer
• Good-quality soya sauce
• Chinese black vinegar
• Peanut oil
• Chicken stock (home-made) in the freezer
• Spring onions
• Ginger
• Chillies
• Coriander
• Sesame oil

Once you’ve got your shopping sorted, try Kylie's gorgeous East-meets-West recipes:

• Mrs Jang's eggs
• Steamed lobster stir-fried with black bean and chilli sauce
• Delicious fried rice

You can find more Chinese recipes using the BBC Food Recipe finder database.