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Mum鈥檚 recipe secured my place in MasterChef history

When Christine H脿 cooked, she felt closer to her mother, who鈥檇 died when she was 14. Little did she know, a family recipe for braised pork belly would bring her TV fame.

Christine H脿鈥檚 mum was a keen cook, who created much-loved Vietnamese dishes in their Texas home. But as a girl, Christine never learnt how to make them herself. When she was 14, her mum died and it was only when Christine went to university that she realised how much she missed her mum and her food. Just as she was improving in the kitchen her sight began to fail, and she discovered that she had a rare condition affecting her spinal cord and optic nerve. In her early 30s when Christine shot to fame on MasterChef, she could barely see at all. Despite that she went on to become the only blind winner of the series. Since then Christine has written a number of books, including Recipes from My Home Kitchen. She now owns and runs three restaurants with her husband in Houston, Texas.

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Hetal Bapodra

(Photo: Christine Ha in her chef's whites. Credit: Julie Soefer Photography)

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41 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Thu 17 Aug 2023 11:06GMT
  • Thu 17 Aug 2023 17:06GMT
  • Thu 17 Aug 2023 21:06GMT
  • Fri 18 Aug 2023 02:06GMT

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