Fragrant Heart

Miranda

Emmerson

We buy food we can point to. We stalk the streets until rush hour and wait for the little hatches to open in the sides of restaurants. From the steamy openings cooks in overalls sell jiaozi (dumplings) and bowls of thick sticky white congee an unholy cross between soup and porridge. Baozi steamed white buns are light as air. I buy them filled with water spinach and nettle delicious dipped in sharp black Chinese vinegar.

In 2008 Miranda and her partner set off for one last big adventure before settling down. They chose to travel through South-East Asia. All did not go to plan: Asian flu falling off boats and the general chaos of a life abroad challenged them at every step and yet in the midst of it all they fell in love with the culture and culinary delights of China Vietnam Cambodia Thailand and Malaysia.