On the first day of Chinese New Year, every year without fail, my relatives will pay a visit to the Buddhist temple. Although neither a believer or a vegetarian, I do enjoy the special plant and soy-based dishes prepared for the festivity. Among my favourites are chicken drumstick made from soy milk (the ‘meat’ is …
Do you know the sour, spicy, and rather pungent soup served in small metal bowl when you have banana leaf rice? It’s called rasam. It wasn’t love at first taste. I didn’t learn to like it until a few years back. The spice can be a little too much to handle. But then, what we …
Easy Malaysian Rasam (Indian Soup) – 10 Ingredients Read More »
“Who eats vegetables for breakfast?” he asked when I help myself with ratatouille during breakfast in a hotel at Paris recently. “The French?” I replied. “Weird” said he. This is another dish I make to include more vegetables into my love one’s diet. How do you convince a boy who loves steaks and ignore vegetables to …
Easy Chinese Chives Pancake – 3 main ingredients Read More »
As my family is of Hakka descent, we love making typical Hakka dishes like Yong Tau Foo and Hakka Stuffed Oyster. I remember we have Yong Tau Foo almost every week! My father would buy huge tenggiri (mackerel) from Pudu market, and my mother will be scrapping the meat with a spoon and bouncing the fish …
Steam Tofu With Fish Paste & Oyster Sauce – 10 min Read More »
Instead of the usual chicken congee, why not make flower crab congee instead? Unlike mud crabs, flower crabs are not sold alive therefore easier to handle. Chuck the crabs, rice and aromatic ingredients into the PHILIPS All-in-one cooker, cook under pressure and have a sea-flavoured congee in no time! This recipe is one that I …
I first tasted sardine paratel at a cafe which offers modern local cuisine. One of their most popular sandwich is toasted bread with sardine paratel fillings. The common canned sardine is made so much more interesting with spices; browned onions, fragrant curry leaves, and hot chillies. This is an incredibly easy dish when you’re in …
If there’s one dish that I am crazy about, it must be asam laksa. This noodle has all combination of flavours: sour, spicy, sweet, salty, and umami. The thick broth made from local spices, tamarind, and fish flakes is divine. My love for asam laksa is beyond normal. When I was a kid, my father used to cook …
If soup is my comfort food, curry is a treat. Soup soothes my soul but curry stirs excitement. What kind of spices is in the curry? Are there potatoes in it? Will it be too spicy? The thing with curries is that you’ll never know until you take a bite. I have long searched for …
People often say: never trust a thin cook. Well, you can trust that a thin cook cooks food that keeps you slim. My palate naturally gravitates to light and healthier food. I’ll choose asam laksa over char koay teow, and kuih bingka over pisang goreng. When I cook, I tend to cook lighter food – even if …
For years I’ve been persuading my busy friends to occasionally make home-cooked food to nourish themselves. I know it’s hard – most of them are young professionals with no time, skills, or interest to cook. But learning to cook for yourself (even if once in a while) is very important. It makes you more aware …
When I eat out, it is mostly to hang out with friends; food is secondary. We’ll try new restaurants (normally hipster-ish) and talk more than we eat. When I do go out for lunch to fill my stomach, I almost always choose Japanese food. The Japanese restaurant in Selangor Club Bukit Kiara is my go-to lunch …
Chawanmushi (Japanese Steamed Egg) – 5 ingredients Read More »
One of my constant battle in eating well is consuming enough leafy vegetables; Malaysian food is severely lacking in greens. In Vietnam, each dish comes with a huge plate of local vegetables and herbs. In Japan and Korea, where presentation of food is very important, meals are mostly accompanied with colourful vegetables. When I came …
Japanese Spinach Salad (Ohitashi) – 4 ingredients + 5 min Read More »