Learning with Lau Cooking up a connection with YouTube chef Chung Sun Lau.

Story by Judy Zeng | Design by Valerie Chu | Photos by Yinuo Wang

Standing at the counter with a wide assortment of ingredients, sauces and an electric burner, Chung Sun Lau chops green onions while explaining to the camera to cook the scallions’ green parts separate from its white parts. His hand wields the knife with ease and tenderness, movements revealing his decades of restaurant experience and immense love for food.

Canton-Style Pan-Fried Noodles

Substitute Canton-style noodles with instant ramen noodles for convenience.

His son, Randy Lau, started the Made with Lau YouTube channel over the pandemic as a home cooking project to preserve his father’s recipes and stories. It quickly garnered more than 1.1 million fans for its comfort recipes and wholesomeness — particularly the family meal after the cooking demo that gives the viewer a glimpse into the Laus’ dynamic. is a way I can explore authentic Cantonese and American Chinese recipes, as well as connect with my Chinese heritage.

Like the Laus, my dad is the main chef in my family. He grew up in China’s Jiangxi province, where stir-fry dishes are popular. Out of convenience, he typically threw together some meat and vegetables in the wok, added soy sauce and stir-fried it for dinner. My mom, who is from China’s Liaoning province, grew up with wheat-based dishes like noodles, steamed buns and dumplings. During Lunar New Year, she’s always in charge of making dumplings. Now, I’m thousands of miles from home-cooked food and family. When I had the opportunity to cook, I jumped on it — I asked a friend to borrow her apartment’s kitchen and got another to drive me to H Mart.

Cooking these dishes was three hours of lonely work. In the tight, dim kitchen, I learned how to cook with a gas stove for the first time and how to adjust portion sizes to serve for one or two people, putting my rusty estimation skills to the test.

I realize now that family is an integral part to cooking and eating, and home-cooked food and flavors are the vestiges of childhood memories. Cooking is an opportunity for us college students to build a new relationship with heritage through our meal choices — just as the Laus have done.

Fish Omelet

Can substitute fish for shellfish or meat. Use a light, tender fish like cod.

Hot and Sour Soup

Recipe uses convenient ingredients — tomatoes, bell pepper and carrots — but would recommend bamboo shoots and wood ear mushrooms instead for a more authentic flavor.