Ken Hom

🇨🇳 China · Chinese cuisine · b. 1949

The Tucson-born chef whose BBC series introduced wok cooking to Britain.

Biography

Ken Hom is a Chinese-American chef, author and broadcaster born in Tucson, Arizona, raised in Chicago and now based in France and Thailand. His 1984 BBC series 'Ken Hom's Chinese Cookery' — and the accompanying cookbook of the same name, which sold over 1.5 million copies — is widely credited with introducing wok cooking, soy sauce and the basics of Chinese home cuisine to British audiences.

Trained informally in his uncle's Chicago restaurant from age 11, Hom became a TV chef somewhat by accident when the BBC's food editor saw him teaching at the California Culinary Academy. He has since written more than 30 books, presented dozens of TV series across Britain, France, Spain and Australia, and helped develop the Ken Hom wok line — a major reason woks became a kitchen staple in British and European homes.

In 2009 he was awarded an honorary OBE for services to British culinary education.

Cooking Philosophy

The wok as a teaching tool. Hom's career has been about getting home cooks to master one piece of equipment — the wok — and through it, an entire way of thinking about cooking: high heat, fast prep, fresh ingredients, clear flavours.

Restaurants

Mee
Lisbon (Hyatt Regency)
Hom's Lisbon Chinese restaurant.
Maison Chin
Bangkok
Hom's Bangkok restaurant.

Awards & Recognition

Honorary OBE (2009)
Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France)
Lifetime Achievement Award — World Gourmand Cookbook Awards

Iconic Dishes

Wok cookingCantonese stir-friesApproachable Chinese home cooking

Cookbooks

Ken Hom's Chinese Cookery
Easy Family Dishes: A Memoir with Recipes
Complete Chinese Cookbook

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Signature Recipes Inspired by Ken

Original recipes we created as homages to Ken's cooking style and signature dishes. Not direct reproductions of any copyrighted material — these are our interpretations of the traditionsKen has worked with throughout their career.

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Wok Beef with Black Beans — Ken Hom-Inspired

Stir-fried beef with green peppers in fermented black bean sauce — the Cantonese restaurant classic Ken Hom brought into British kitchens.

20m prep · 10m cook · ⭐ 4.8

Recipes in Ken's Style

These recipes from our database reflect the chinese cooking tradition that Ken works in. They are not direct reproductions of Ken's copyrighted recipes, but traditional dishes inspired by the same culinary heritage.

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Sichuan Dan Dan Noodles – Spicy Sesame Noodles with Pork and Chilli Oil

15 prep · 15 cook · ⭐ 4.8

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Char Siu Pork

20 prep · 40 cook · ⭐ 4.7

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Kung Pao Chicken (宫保鸡丁)

20 prep · 15 cook · ⭐ 4.8

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Easy Egg Fried Rice Recipe — Chinese Takeaway at Home

5 prep · 10 cook · ⭐ 4.7

Frequently Asked Questions about Ken Hom

Why is Ken Hom important to British food?

Hom's 1984 BBC series and cookbook 'Chinese Cookery' is credited with introducing wok cooking and Chinese home cuisine to British audiences at a moment when most British people associated Chinese food with takeaway sweet-and-sour. It made the wok a standard British kitchen tool.

Is Ken Hom Chinese or American?

Hom was born in Tucson, Arizona, in 1949 to Chinese parents who had emigrated to the United States. He grew up in Chicago's Chinese-American community and is a US citizen, though he has lived in France for much of his career.