Favourite Malaysian and Asian recipes with time-saving hacks
These scallion cheesy scones are the bomb! Recently I read about cheesy drop biscuits (the American name for scones) that taste like sour cream and onion chips …! OMG. The description alone was enough to make me salivate. Now, the original recipe by Sue Li uses chives and an oven. But since I only had…
Because of my loved ones’ health needs, I’ve had to completely rethink how I cook lately. Both what I cook and how I cook it. My new rules are simple: no spicy food, one-pot meals, easy, healthy, and it must, as the Chinese say, “have taste.” That last part is tricky. I love bold flavours,…
If you’re looking for an easy weeknight dinner that doesn’t taste like one, these juicy Middle Eastern–inspired meatballs are the answer. They’re tender, flavour-packed, and—best of all—on the table in under 15 minutes. This recipe started on one of those nights when I opened the fridge and sighed. A pack of minced beef, one sad…
Can you see me drooling as I film my mum – this onion omelette is one of those dishes that look too simple to impress. Just three eggs, two red onions, soy sauce, salt, and oil. But somehow, in her hands, it becomes magic. In Malay, we call that ‘air tangan’, the special touch that…
If you’re looking for a dinner that’s fast, flavourful, and utterly addictive, this sizzling sauce salmon might just become your new favorite. Inspired by the London culinary academy School of Wok (I’ve simplified the recipe further for lazy cooks like myself ahem), this recipe combines lightly fried salmon cubes with a simple yet aromatic sauce…
Like many people, I discovered pajeon, the Korean savoury pancake, through K-dramas. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were stuck in our apartment for weeks. Nowhere to go. Nothing much to do. From Crash Landing on You, I watched another .. and another…and another. Somewhere in between all the plot twists and…
Move over, Chilli’s – meet the best beef quesadilla in town! Before I dive into the recipe, I want to declare that I am officially in my minced beef phase now. It is such a superhero ingredient. You can use it to top baked potatoes. Whip up a moreish sauce for Turkish pasta. Or, my…
What can I do with potatoes that’s more exciting than French fries or mash? This recipe began with that simple question. There they were — a humble bag of baby potatoes leftover from last night’s dinner party, waiting to be transformed. I wanted something that would make my weeknight dinner feel special without requiring a…
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This Chinese New Year, I had the privilege of learning how to make jiu hu char, a beloved Nyonya dish, from my mum. For those unfamiliar, it’s a stir-fry of jicama (or bangkuang) and dried cuttlefish. Typically enjoyed as a side dish with rice or wrapped in crisp lettuce leaves, it embodies the essence of…
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No matter where you are in the world, chances are there’s a version of the curry chicken. From the rich, slow-cooked curries of India to the mildly sweet Japanese kare, every culture has its own spin. Here in Malaysia, curry chicken isn’t just one dish — it’s a reflection of our multicultural society. With Chinese,…
I love me some hummus but tahini is SO expensive in Malaysia – then one day I thought, can I make hummus WITHOUT tahini? Turns out you can! The secret lies in a pantry staple familiar to every Asian kitchen: sesame oil. While it may not replicate the exact taste of tahini, it’s a great…
I’m not much of a baker and measuring ingredients with precision ain’t my style, but I will make an exception for this chocolate banana bread. I have made it over and over again, partly because it’s so forgiving and partly because it’s just that good. The beauty of this recipe is how it doesn’t demand…
