Chinese soup dumplings Photo: IC

 For Chen Guanghong, a Chinese chef based in Ghana for 12 years, using Chinese cuisine to communicate with Ghanaian diners is always more efficient than words.

"Food speaks louder than words," he always jokes.

Chen works in a Chinese restaurant affiliated with China's Gansu International Economic and Technical Cooperation Co, Ltd in downtown Accra, capital of Ghana.

The restaurant is a household name among locals because of its authentic Chinese flavor. It serves tens of thousands of Ghanaian diners yearly, including many Ghanaian officials and celebrities.

Naming the spicy tofu and fish stew, hot and sour soup, fried rice, and many other dishes as their favorites, Chen said some Ghanaian regulars have totally fallen in love with  Chinese food.

"There is a young Ghanaian couple who are obsessed with Chinese steamed stuffed buns so they come to our restaurant every Thursday for them, and they also said they love the taste very much," Chen said.

Aklie Atterh, a Ghanaian diner, told the Xinhua News Agency that he has too many favorite Chinese dishes, from spring rolls to dumplings, and dining with his family here has become a regular habit.

Behind the teeming sight of the dining room, Chen and his Chinese and Ghanaian colleagues have put in a lot of effort.

Few Ghanaian chefs had Chinese culinary skills before they worked here, and had to be trained by their Chinese masters from scratch, from cutting up vegetables and meat to adeptly using Chinese seasonings.

Meanwhile, Chen also imparted  traditional Chinese culinary culture to his Ghanaian apprentices. Now some can carve different animals to decorate cold dishes, while others can write Chinese characters on plates.

"We have trained dozens of Ghanaian chefs in recent years, some of whom choose to stay, while some cook Chinese cuisine in starred hotels and international cruises," said Chen, adding many chefs treat the restaurant as a training school.

Wisdom Kwable, a Ghanaian chef who worked in the restaurant for 10 years, told Xinhua that he picked up cooking Chinese cuisine with the help of Chen and decided to make it a lifelong career.

"I'm good at boiled spicy beef, boiled spicy fish fillet with other sources, and all types of fried rice, including the popular Yangzhou fried rice," said Kwable.

Since local people's craze for Chinese cuisine is on the rise, more and more Chinese restaurants have sprung up in recent years in Ghana's major cities such as Tema.

"As an old Chinese proverb says 'Food is the paramount necessity of the people.' I believe no matter Chinese or Ghanaian, the pursuit of delicious food is the same, and that Chinese cuisine brings us closer," said Chen.