Favourite Malaysian and Asian recipes with time-saving hacks
For most of my life, I regarded tempeh as a sidekick ingredient: a few slices next to nasi lemak, maybe fried with sambal at economy rice stalls, or tossed into a simple home-style stir-fry. I liked it well enough, but I never craved it. Until this two-texture tempeh sambal changed my mind completely. While researching…
I’m currently obsessed with sambal hijau (ijo)!! This whole journey started when I had a nasi goreng kampung craving. I’ve eaten some really good ones before, but honestly, many commercial versions are just … not great. The rice is too soft. Not enough wok hei. Barely any spice paste. And don’t even get me started…
As a die-hard meat lover, salads were never my first choice—until I met this one. This roasted pumpkin salad with bell peppers and cherry tomatoes has completely won me over. It’s a vibr Henceforth I declare this roasted pumpkin and pomegranate salad The Salad That Converted A Meat Lover. As a lifelong meat lover, salads…
If you’ve never tasted Nam Khao, imagine a salad that crunches, crackles, and bursts with limey, savoury, slightly sweet flavours in every bite. I first learned about this Laotian dish from vegan cook Maya. She made it look soooo appetizing that naturally, I had to try making it at home. Of course, with a little…
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…
Read More “Air-fried Stuffed Potatoes with Savoury Minced Beef” »
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…
Read More “Jiu Hu Char (Stir-Fried Jicama with Dried Cuttlefish)” »
Cili boh, chilli paste, cili giling. When I first dipped my toes into the cooking world, I came across these terms in Malaysian recipes and was thoroughly confused. Alamak, so many types of cili. What’s the difference? Actually, was there even a difference? If you are like me, be confused no more. The terms essentially…
On lazy days, I love eating at warung (outdoor stalls) where one of my all time favourite dishes is ayam goreng kunyit. Ever since I learned how to make this dish, it’s been making regular rotation on our menu. It’s incredible how easy this delicious recipe is. Here’s how I do it, with tweaks that…
The minute I ate Makheua Yao Pad Tao Jiao (Thai stir-fried brinjal with minced meat), I knew I wanted to recreate it at home. But first, I had to identify the secret ingredient that was the key to its unforgettable taste. I first ate it at The Fisher by Krua Thai, a new-ish Thai restaurant…
Read More “Quick Thai Stir-fried Brinjal with Minced Meat” »
Dear God, how much I adore falafel but how difficult they can be to get right! After more attempts that I can count, I finally got them perfectly crunchy, golden brown and mad delicious, WITHOUT deep frying too. It took quite a bit of experimentation (read: failed attempts). The hardest part was getting the balls…
Folks, meet my Chinese-style three-ingredient stir-fried cabbage that delivers loads of umami courtesy of …. miso! I know, miso is not an ingredient commonly used in Chinese kitchens. But the moment I tasted the result, I was like, why didn’t I think of that earlier?? If you make Chinese stir fries regularly, you probably rely…
This delicious gulai labu is the combination of two brains – a friend, and my mum’s! How did that happen? Well, it all started when Madam R gifted us her gulai labu to eat for dinner a few days before Eid. Food gifting has become common during the COVID19 pandemic era, as a way of…
A lot of my friends asked me how I made dengaku nasu in an air fryer after I posted it in my Facebook and Instagram stories. Since I aim to please, I thought I’d roughly write up my experience 🙂 Some of you might be asking – what is dengaku nasu? It’s a traditional Japanese…
In the spirit of eating healthier, I’ve been making more plant-based recipes and last weekend, I attempted something a little more ambitious: vegetarian mushroom burger! (Yes, bean-based vegetarian burgers ones are common but they give me flatulence. Ahem.) Verdict? I loved it! The mushroom texture and flavour tasted amazingly close to meat. I was worried…
Who loves salted egg dishes? Salted egg chicken, salted egg prawns, salted egg crabs … drool! Savoury, sweet and creamy, it lends an instant moreish luxe to anything it’s added to. But I’ve not thought about cooking it with pumpkin until I watched Cooking Ah Pa’s Youtube video. It all started when I had a…
