Favourite Malaysian and Asian recipes with time-saving hacks
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…
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…
ANOTHER vegetable salad recipe?? Some of my old friends will think I’ve undergone a lobotomy or something. After all, I used to hate vegetables so much that when my mum wasn’t looking, I’d dump the greens on my plate into the drain! But this potato salad recipe is so good that I just HAD to…
Pears are not something that i eat OR buy on a regular basis, but then my husband brought one home from a business trip (sometimes, the hotel where he stays delivers a plate of fruits to his room). I popped it into the fridge and completely forgot about it until one day, I opened the…
This isn’t the first time I’m making restaurant-style stir fried bittergourd with salted egg yolk, but this is the first time I am 100% satisfied with the results. In the past: Not enough sauce. Sauce too thick and crumbly (not saucy enough). Sauce too liquidy (too saucy). Bittergourd too gloopy. This time, I employed a…
