The Dumpling Sisters go full steam ahead with new book at Sharjah Book Fair

Amy, left and Julie Zhang. Photo by Paul Winch-Furness

The Dumpling Sisters Amy and Julie Zhang are at Sharjah International Book Fair this weekend to share their tips and tricks on everything from potstickers to pancakes.

Sign up for one of their demos and you will go home with more than just a recipe, because the internet sensations are natural entertainers. They effortlessly captivate their 48,000 YouTube subscribers with their playful camaraderie and easy-to-digest cooking advice. Watch one of their demos online and it’s impossible not to log out without inspiration for that night’s dinner.

The Zhangs, based in London, say they were born with a love for cooking, considering that they were surrounded by homemade food at their family table. Their parents immigrated to New Zealand from Guangzhou, China, and raised their daughters on Cantonese cuisine.

“We’re just a very food-centric family,” says Amy, the older of the two. “We always ate the evening meal together. We had lots of shared dishes and we talked about our day and the food we were eating.”

Many of those family recipes now fill the pages of their cookbook The Dumpling Sisters Cookbook, which launched in June. In both their YouTube videos and the book, the sisters make Chinese cooking easy even for beginners. The seven chapters carry more than 100 recipes from a beginner level to more advanced dishes for those who have mastered the ­basic skills.

“Most recipes are traditional Cantonese,” says Amy. “They are simple, home-cooked meals. They’re our childhood favourites, really. They’re a mixture of family recipes and ones we’ve developed on our own.”

The book has been a success so far – it was launched in Dutch in Netherlands last weekend – but it is on YouTube where the sisters get to shine in the spotlight. Their videos are light-hearted and ­playful, and the sisterly bond is apparent.

But Amy says that wasn’t always the case. “We didn’t really get along very well growing up,” she says. “We’re best friends now. It’s quite good working with Julie. She’s a really good companion. I wouldn’t want to do this with ­anyone else.”

Even with all of their success, the two are not The Dumpling Sisters full time.

Each has a career that fulfils their other interests: Amy has a doctorate in chemistry from Cambridge University and works in health care advertising, while Julie has a master’s ­degree in criminology from Oxford ­University and has just completed an internship in public policy.

“We’re kind of geeks,” says Amy. “We need the creative outlet. The science is work and the food is pleasure. In an ideal world, we’ll be able to do both.”

So far, they have been able to handle both with ease, but they recognise one may have to give way to the other. Until then, their culinary career appears to be taking the lead. Amy says they’re already thinking about their second cookbook with cookery classes in London currently being planned. There is no sign of slowing down on producing their winning YouTube videos and Amy says: “We’d love to open some sort of restaurant one day.”

• Catch The Dumpling Sisters in action in the cookery corner on Saturday from 4.55pm to 5.40pm; Sunday from 7.30pm to 8.15pm; and Monday from 7:30pm to 8.15pm. Their book will also be sale at the fair