Mum and son top bestseller list with Chinese recipes

HomeNewsUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessWorld of BusinessTechnology of BusinessNYSE Opening BellTechnologyWatch DocumentariesArtificial IntelligenceIntelligence RevolutionAI v the MindTech NowHealthWatch DocumentariesCultureWatch DocumentariesFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsWatch DocumentariesArts in MotionTravelWatch DocumentariesDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListTo the Ends of the Earth EarthWatch DocumentariesScienceNatural WondersClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcast CategoriesRadioAudio FAQsVideoWatch DocumentariesBBC MaestroDiscover the WorldLiveLive NewsLive SportDocumentariesSite searchHomeNewsSportBusinessTechnologyHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesWeatherNewslettersMum and son top bestseller list with Chinese recipes9 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleSacha BigwoodSomersetElla MillerChin Taylor says: "Mum is brilliant in real life. People love her, so I thought it would be good if we did videos"A mother and son who began posting cooking videos on social media almost a decade ago have reached the top of a bestseller list with their new cookbook.

Choo and Chin Taylor, from Minehead, Somerset, specialise in South East Asian cuisine. They uploaded their first video in 2017 when their takeaway business saw a downturn in trade during the winter months.

Since then, they have amassed three million followers across TikTok and YouTube and caught the eye of a major publishing firm, prompting the release of The Ultimate Chinese Takeaway Bible.

It became an instant Sunday Times bestseller and the pair now dream of having their own TV cooking show and a chain of fast-food outlets.

Choo said: "It's incredible to reach this milestone. It feels really good going from a takeaway to having our own book. I keep using the word 'amazing', that's in my vocabulary now."

Chin describes himself as a fifth-generation Chinese Malaysian chef, whose family has run street food stalls and restaurants for more than 120 years.

He grew up working in his auntie's Chinese takeaway in Watchet, spending most of his time there when he was not at school.

"It was my passion," he said. "Most takeaway kids I know aren't interested. They only help if they have to and then it's only on the counter.

"The work is massively hard with very little reward. It's often 16-hour days."

On working with her son, Choo said: "We've been doing it since he was young and we can talk about anything. We make a very good team."

Chin opened his first restaurant, called Exmoor Cooking Company, with Choo in Porlock Weir in 2011. It later became Ziang's.

It was some years later when he decided to give social media a go.

"It was a sweet and sour sauce video. We put it on YouTube and completely forgot about it," said Chin.

"We were both flabbergasted, it was all an accident."

He said he had had to convince his mum to do the first video, "mainly because she thought it would be a waste of time and no one would watch it".

"When she realised it had done well, she said, 'Let's make something happen'."

After the initial success, the pair started filming regularly so their viewers could learn how to make dishes like chicken chow mein, fried rice, beef curry and crispy chilli beef at home.

Chin said: "We do traditional takeaway dishes, but we also dabble in the street food that Mum grew up making.

"I think we've done so well because people try our recipes and say it's better than their local."

After relocating Ziang's from Porlock Weir to Minehead three years ago, the duo have recently closed their physical shop to concentrate solely on their social media, which goes under the name Ziang's Food Workshop.

It is now one of Britain's biggest Chinese cookery channels.

"Having a takeaway is on hold for a while," said Choo. "I'm in no rush, I'd love to bring back a cookery school one day."

Featuring 150 recipes, their book, published last month, instantly topped the Sunday Times bestseller list in both the food and drink and the non-fiction categories.

Chin said: "We're really, really proud of this book. There's no trickery – what's on the plate is what was actually cooked.

"Our success is all thanks to the viewers. They're very loyal."

Aside from the publishing aspect, Chin and Choo say they still do everything themselves.

"I don't sleep much," said Chin, "but I know it might not last forever."