“Even as complete strangers, we were able to bond - eating, cooking, learning - and that’s magic.” Melbourne-based cook and presenter is talking about the joy that unfolds when people cook together.
Chan loves to travel. “Whenever I'm in a different country, I feel the best way to get to know the culture is through food, every country has a dish that they're proud of and more often than not, there's a story attached to the recipe.”
But if you can’t jump on a plane right now, a cooking lesson can be a beautiful way to learn more about another country or culture – and as the host of Lee Chan’s World Food Tour, starting on SBS Food on January 16, Chan had what many of us see as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: one-on-one lessons with Melbourne cooks and chefs representing 13 different countries.
“The restaurants and chefs that made the show possible, they’re the real stars of my food journey. Some of these cooks and chefs have been refining their recipes and craft for decades, keeping traditions and feeding the masses. I was honoured to be the host of a show that showcases some of their work,” Chan tells SBS Food.
“The episode where I learned how to make a popular Singaporean dish that I had eaten as a child was especially memorable. Carol Han at in Collingwood had been cooking that dish since she was a young girl and the restaurant itself is a Melbourne institution. Chai tow kway is white radish and rice flour cake stir-fried with egg and preserved turnip. I’ve had variations of this dish in Hong Kong and Australia, but learning all the different stages it takes to construct this simple dish made me appreciate it more.
Lee Chan learns more about South Korean food from chef Jerry Kim. Source: Lee Chan's World Food Tour
“There are many versions of the radish cake in Asia. I grew up with the Chinese style, either pan-fried or steamed as a dim sum for yum cha. In Singapore, they add dark soy, beansprouts and egg and it's just as delicious,” Chan says.
Han, who is the co-owner of the Melbourne restaurant where Chan did her Singapore episode cooking lesson, shows her how to make both the radish cake stir-fry (get Han's recipe) and Hokkien mee, and talks about how she started learning about food as a very young child in Singapore.
“She was a joy to film with and I have very fond memories of learning from her,” Chan says.
The show features the food of Vietnam, Egypt, France, South Korea, Germany, China, Canada, India, Malaysia, the USA, Singapore, Cambodia and Australia. Sixteen different chefs and cooks feature in the 13 episodes, giving Chan one-on-one lessons in making recipes ranging from Vietnamese bo la lot (beef rolled in betel leaves) to German apple strudel and Canadian poutine (fries with cheese curd and gravy).
Carol Han's chai tow kway (fried radish cake) Source: Lee Chan's World Food Tour
In the show, Chan gets tips on everything from dumpling folding to cooking crab (crack the crab claws before cooking to allow heat and flavour to penetrate the meat slightly, says Katie Marron of , who cooks crab boil and cornbread with Chan in the USA episode). 
“Cooking lessons are a great way to ignite the senses and to really appreciate what differentiates one country’s cuisine from another,” says Chan, who does her own cooking segments in a few of the episodes.
Ready to go: In the Egypt episode, a cooking lesson with chef Abhinav Gupta includes a chicken dukkah salad and lamb tagine Source: Lee Chan's World Food Tour
Chan says the range of countries featured in the show also gave her a chance to learn new techniques.
“A standout was the French episode. I cook a lot of Asian dishes in my repertoire and French cooking can be so precise and technical. Culinary teachings in France could take years to master and being taught a classic like trout en croûte by an amazing French chef was very special. Also, I will never stop being surprised by how much butter goes into making croissants!”
And although Chan is of Chinese heritage, a lesson in dumpling making with respected Melbourne chef David Yap of s was also a great learning experience. Yap shows her how to make, fill and fold prawn and lobster dumplings, and prawn wontons.
“I make more dumplings and wontons these days then when I was a kid,” Chan says. “My mum wasn't a keen cook but there were a few occasions where I'd see her in the kitchen. She taught me how to fold dumplings with the pleats and every family folds them differently depending on the filling.”
Although she is self-taught cook, part of Chan’s love of food – which saw her reach the grand final of My Kitchen Rules in 2011 – did come from her mother. “My mum was a big influence for me when I was growing up. Even though she didn't cook, she had a wide palate and loved to eat out so we did that a lot and I was forced to try everything, at least once. She gave me that, a love for good food.
“The show was a wonderful opportunity because I love food, eating and cooking. The most wonderful thing about filming was meeting all the great characters and seeing how passionate they were about their food cultures. Even as complete strangers, we were able to bond, eating, cooking, learning.”
“Everyone has a cook in them and lessons are a great way to explore that,” Chan says.
Join the cooking lessons in Lee Chan’s World Food Tour, starting 16 January on SBS Food Channel 33. Double episodes screen every Wednesday at 8.30pm and then on.
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