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Men in Aprons

Posted on August 14, 2020August 19, 2020 By Alexandra Wong No Comments on Men in Aprons

Four Malaysian men who cook actively share their formative experiences and kitchen tips they’ve picked up along the way. 

Cook for passion?

It didn’t quite start out that way for my friends Vemanna Appannah, Kenny Fong, Rahmat Shazi and Choen Lee.

One was conscripted as “free labour” in his sister’s home science experiments. Another was warned by his mother to learn cooking or else, “starve as a bachelor!”. The others had to cook to survive.

But from that inauspicious start, they went on to discover the wonderful artistry and the technical innovation that goes into a well-prepared meal, and live on to tell the tale of the immeasurable, underrated joy that cooking can bring.

Vemanna Appannah, Deputy GM of MAKNA and actor

 

Wow, Vemanna sure looks at home in the kitchen!

You can thank Vemanna’s elder sister for initiating him into the cooking world: she roped him into helping out in her Sains Rumahtangga’ (Domestic Science) experiments, when he was still in primary school.

His sister delegated the task into small steps so that the little boy could follow. Describing how they made coconut candy, he says, “She would ask me to grate the coconut finely using the manual coconut grater that every kampong household has. While she prepared other ingredients, I cut some banana leaf from our backyard into A4 paper sizes. Then, I would apply a thin layer of butter to the inside of the tray. She made the coconut candy using a wok on a firewood stove. Once the coconut candy was ready to be taken off the cooking wok, I would standby with the buttered tray and banana leaf. After the coconut candy went into the tray, I would even the top using the banana leaf.”

Are you drooling at the description? Because I most definitely am!

Healthy’s the word!

Though initially a reluctant helper, working on those culinary experiments kindled Vemanna’s curiosity about cooking. Upon request, he can whip up a mean chicken varuval and cucur bawang, but these days, he prefers to cook healthy food. “Only steam and grill, no deep frying,” he says firmly.

Helping out around the house at a young age indirectly inspired a passion project during MCO. He made a series of short videos titled “Maid in Bangsar”, featured Vemanna doing housework. Set to country music and shot in a breezy style, the charming videos make sweeping, cleaning, ironing and cooking look like fun!

Catch the Maid in Bangsar in action here:

Sharing how it all started, he says, “I usually have a helper coming 4 days a week to clean my house, do washing and ironing and a gardener to cut grass once a month, prune scrubs and trees too. But with MCO they had to Stay Home.”

Still cleaning, washing, ironing and gardening must go on, so Vemanna took the tasks on himself. “People were busy making Youtube and TikTok videos that became a hit from being home, so I revived my YouTube channel. Since I don’t have a helper, I became the maid, Maid In Bangsar that is Made In Bangsar!”

Kenny Fong, Technical Sales Manager

 

Jangan main-main, this guy can cook up a storm!

“You better learn how to cook or you’ll starve as a bachelor!” Kenny Fong’s mother warned him as a child.

She said that to him at an impressionable age, when he was “more into PC games than girls!” Nevertheless, young Kenny discovered that he enjoyed helping around the kitchen and soon enough, he graduated from official family rice cooker to soup maker.

Other than his mum, Kenny also picked up a lot of culinary tips from the TV show “Yan Can Cook!” (This was before the age of Youtube ok) “The formulaic nature of the recipes from the show made the whole ‘operation’ accessible to me, and helped me gain confidence in my own decent abilities.”

Kenny’s early induction into cooking proved to be an asset during college. As the designated cook in the house, Kenny was responsible for feeding his five finicky housemates. “I made everything from curry laksa to lasagna.”

Looking back, Kenny is glad to have taken up cooking although it was a skill he adopted out of necessity. He says, “Cooking is a creative challenge. Most of the time you must think of alternative ingredients and working with what you have at hand. It’s an essential life skill!”

Homemade laksa by Kenny’s wife
Lion head stewed meatballs … lucky Kenny’s wife is an ace in the kitchen!

These days, his wife Chia Hsin does most of the cooking, but he chips in once in a while. And when he does, he likes to go back to his old favourite: soup. Kenny makes a mean lotus root peanut soup.

Rahmat Shazi, Technology Director, ShazInnovation Solution

 

Rahmat Shazi picked his kitchen skills from his mother, a formidable cook and school teacher. As a working single parent to five children, she made sure Rahmat had the ingredients to make fried fish and sautéed vegetables for lunch before going to school.

He describes his first time at the stove as “nerve-racking.” “Here I was a nine-year-old having to manage the pan, the hot oil, the flames, whilst taking instructions simultaneously.”

But in the haze of panic, a light bulb went off in his brain. “Observing the sizzling of the mackerel coated with turmeric and salt and how it became golden brown and aromatic, an epiphany hit me. I wasn’t just cooking; I was transforming raw material into a new form, with new flavours and scent, a masterpiece! Did I say I had illusions of grandeur when I was young?”

Jokes aside, Rahmat makes a good point about cooking being combination of science and art, though unfortunately, it rarely gets the respect it deserves.

As an Innovation Management Practitioner, Rahmat finds “cooking to be the most accessible activity the ordinary person can do that falls under innovation.” “Selecting the ingredients, deciding which ‘process’ they will undergo, actually carrying the process out, checking the quality so that it meets expectations: all these represent the phases of the innovation value chain. And we in Malaysia don’t really manage that pipeline, but that’s a discussion for another day.”

A well-seasoned wok is an Asian cook’s best asset
Rahmat’s signature ayam masak merah

Creating dishes from a variety of cuisines is a skillset Rahmat has honed painstakingly over the years. From his considerable repertoire, he regards ayam masak merah to be his piece de resistance. “Compared to the typical ones, I prefer mine a bit richer in colour and taste. I enrich it by adding in tomato puree. Bon appetit!”

Choen Lee, Photographer

 

When Choen Lee was accepted into an architecture school in London, the first thing he did was to park himself at the tables nearest to the cooking stations at roadside hawker stalls, ‘tai chow’ and mamak shops. His objective was to learn how the food actually gets prepared – so he could replicate them in UK!

It was easier said than done. “When I got to the UK, the Asian Financial Crisis had hit, so I had to improvise with cheap and limited ingredients. I mostly cooked to survive.”

On the plus side, living abroad in a diverse community offered an unrivalled fast track to learning the unique characteristics and quirks of global cuisines. “My first housemates were provincial English dudes, who were mostly eating frozen microwave meals or boiled chicken breast with salt and ketchup. They would complain that the air was too peppery because of what I tried to do in the kitchen. This made me adjust what I cooked.”

“Some time later when I lived with some guys from Mumbai we had some amazing cookouts and bangra parties with an international community of people with Indian ancestry. One of them was a hotel chef doing his masters. I was always astounded by how he mixed the ingredients and spices for his wonderful vegetarian curries!

From his Hong Kong friends, Choen picked up tips on how to make Cantonese soups and quick working class dishes. From the Greeks, he learned how to layer whole ingredients for baking. A Japanese friend taught him to cook rice in a saucepan without getting it too wet or too dry. And from a Korean architect furthering his papers, Choen picked up a handy tip: the rice cooker can be used to roast chicken!

These days, he cooks what he calls “simple stuff” driven by “home economics” for the wife and kids. But look closely and you’ll see how those diverse influences from his student days live on in his imaginative interpretations. “Fried rice” can take the form of smoked salmon, onions, pakchoy and soya sauce fried basmati rice, or turmeric fried basmati rice, served on a piece of ham, and topped with crispy anchovies.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_jkLkLpLeV/

His design background comes out to play during plating. Check out how he arranges vegetarian fried rice in the shape of a fish, cheekily captioned “Don’t be fooled by the way things look.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_9XpD8JiOn/

And did I mention he also makes a mean sourdough too?

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Recipe Rating




Who’s Ipohbunny, lah?

Welcome!

I’m Alexandra Wong, a self-taught Malaysian home cook on a mission to simplify and healthify recipes using affordable quality ingredients. I am a writer by profession, mostly known for my feelgood stories about people, travel and food.

ipohbunny

I love all sorts of cakes, but carrot cake is sacr I love all sorts of cakes, but carrot cake is sacred territory.

My mum used to make it. Her cakes were wondrously crumbly and moist, and filled with so many goodies (We Ipoh people call it "toh liu") that nothing sold outside has ever, ever come close. 

Until @grumpyoldman_bakes

I didn't plan on ordering his cake, honestly. But I'd had to rush back to Ipoh for an emergency, and after some very stressful days, I figured I deserve a cake. Cakes make everything better right?

I'd read him waxing lyrical about his carrot cake and against my better judgement, I decided to order one. Gulp, risky. But what's life without some risk?

He was so sweet and helpful in his interactions, and even tolerated my unnecessary rambling (I express to destress). 

When I popped the box lid open, I gasped at how pretty it was. The whole cake was covered in thick frosting and topped with fresh walnuts. 

And then I cut a slice for mum and was even more shocked. You could see the grated carrot and nuts - it was so generous portioned - but the proof was in the tasting. MUm's tasting, to be exact.

She took a  bite and smiled approvingly. "It's so moist inside!"

That is the HIGHEST compliment, in my opinion, one can ever pay a carrot cake. So many out there guilty of dry, pebbly abominations. 

I took a bite and immediately noticed how fresh it tasted. And, I realised, tears springing to my eyes, how close it was to Mum's version, which I last ate more than 20 years ago. 

Thank you Chris for awakening these wonderful memories. 

#carrotcake #grumpyoldmanbakes #ipohbaker #homebaker #ipohhomebaker
I made my own #salmon #gravlax!!! #achievementunlo I made my own #salmon #gravlax!!! #achievementunlocked

It was not bad, just too salty but I have an idea where I went wrong

1. I initially soaked the slab of fish in a mixture of salt, sugar, star anise, peppercorn - and pickle juice because one of the chef recipes indicated so. 

2. However, when I read some other recipes, I realised none of them recommended soaking the fish in any liquid. In fact the salt is supposed to draw the liquid out of the salmon. True enough, when I checked the salmon after 18 hours, I found the flesh was still soft and raw. I suspected the culprit was the brine, so I poured it away. 

3. Then I packed on some more salt and wrapped it tightly in cling film and poked holes to let the liquid drain. I did it this way because I feel nervous about putting a heavy slab on top of the fish - scared the weight will break the fridge shelves!

4. Anyway, I think my method worked because after 36 hours, the flesh had firmed up visibly so I knew curing had taken place. Yay!

5. I could slice it quite easily, even though I didn't have a sharp knife. However, it was definitely too salty. More Googling. Turns out that I should use coarse kosher salt, instead of regular table salt otherwise the salmon would be too salty. Ah.

All in all, a pretty decent effort for a first timer. One more notch on my culinary belt :)

Edit: Just had an idea. I can always make salmon pate. By mixing the salmon with other ingredients, I redistribute the saltiness, so the salt is less concentrated. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPUfeKMpdGB/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

#salmongravlax #homemadegravlax #homecooking #Malaysianhomecook #cookwithipohbunny #ipohbunnyrecipes #fish #easyrecipe
OK, @higherground.my is an unapologetic Instagram OK, @higherground.my is an unapologetic Instagram bait - and I'm an unapologetic Gen Xer with the heart of a #cafehopping Gen Z-er 😀

I wanted to come since spotting it on @penangfoodie So did half the Penang Gen Z population too. Though I think my hubby and I probably increased the median age by at least 20 years when we stepped in, haha! 

Flat white (RM14) and hot chocolate (RM16) were watery. Cakes looked generic, so didn't feel like trying. Hope the food will improve, cos the place is damn gorgeous.

Nice for people watching. 

#penangcafes #penangfoodie #cafehoppg #coffee #coffeegram #malaysiancafes #cafegram #cafespotting
@oowhitecoffee So did this super popular upmarket @oowhitecoffee

So did this super popular upmarket kopitiam live up to the hype?

One sentence: Come for the coffee. Which is really what made this place famous. Mum kept raving about how good her "kopi oh ping" was and my Kopi ais was excellent too. You can take away the coffee in convenient bottles too, which I found out is quite common in Penang outlets with a strong coffee brand like Stall 76 Batu Lanchang, SBK Concept etc. 

Other pros: clean, comfortable, elderly-friendly environment. When asked how his chicken hor fun was, Dad commented, "Tastier than the Ipoh version." He downed the whole bowl of soup! Both their HK and Portuguese egg tarts were well made. 

The cons: Mum was not impressed with the hokkien mee. In fact, I have yet to find one in Penang that meets her sky-high standards. As for my nasi lemak I believe I can cook better sambal and rice lah 😅 (thank you @che_nom) though the tasty fried chicken made up for it. Hubs' tan chi (softboiled egg over buttered toast) was nothing to shout about but he did say the bread was good, as it was soft and had body, like brioche. 

Be forewarned. If you arrive after 8am on a weekend, good luck to you circling around the area looking for parking. I dragged my parents out at 7.20am. We came before twice at 9+am and lunchtime, both unsuccessful because there was just no parking in the vicinity. Oh and expect higher than average Penang prices, though I think KL folks won't feel much pain paying RM10+ for a bowl of noodles 😂

#oowhitecoffee #foodblogger #Malaysianfoodblogger #kopitiam #penangfood #Penangkopitiam #Malaysianfoodie #penangcafe
After trying out so many famous #Nyonyarestaurant After trying out so many famous  #Nyonyarestaurants, Bibik's Kitchen remains my undisputed No 1 choice. Yes, it's not so well known nor does it appear on that many "best of" lists, but that's because the food here is cooked home-style. Nor are they active on socmed. 

Meaning the taste is not so commercial because there is no msg, no excessive amounts of salt or chilli - the dishes are made using generations-old family recipes.

And guess what? One of the most critical foodies I know gives it the thumbs-up. My mum :)

I was nervous about bringing her because as a terrific cook herself, her standards are damn high. But she was sold after her first bite of her favourite dish  #otak-otak, which she praised for its super smooth texture, subtle flavours with a strong but not overwhelming fragrance of daun kaduk. "Mum's otak-otak also tastes like this," she commented, referring to herself la. Translation: that's the pinnacle of praise 🤣

Otak2 aside, Bibik's chicken dishes are some of the best. This round, I haven't found Penang any chicken #karikapitan that comes close, and the #inchikabin is superb as well. 

And if you come for lunch, you must try the #Nyonyakuih here, which is actually sold in Kuih by Bibik, run by the Mum Girlie on nearby Lebuh Clarke 

Kuih by Bibik's is THE BEST Penang #nyonyakuih I've eaten - and only a few ppl know because the Nyonya Girlie makes it in very small batches. Unlike the commercially made versions, you can really taste the difference in terms of the quality of ingredients. My mum and I can both make Nyonya kuih (OK I can only make kuih bingka) so we know our stuff lah :p

#penangfood #nyonyacuisine
One of the more delicious discoveries I've made re One of the more delicious discoveries I've made recently in Ipoh, @hyggebakehouseipoh is a cosy #Ipohbakery making their own #shokupan (fluffy and soft while retaining a nice bite) #sourdough and all kinds of cakes, cookies and desserts, including one of the best #brownies I've eaten - very chocolatey and almost as fudgy as @718pizza (which also makes a killer giler-fudgy brownie). Luckily the cafe is quite far from my house, or else very dangerous for my diet haha. Proud too that the quality of bakeries in Ipoh is Comparable to KL. The inside-flowy basque cheesecake at @girliescafe
remains my all time favourite.

Glad I followed your recommendation @milockosong 🤗

#Ipoheats #Ipohcafes
No chicken? Eat duck lor :P Stumbled across @what No chicken? Eat duck lor :P

Stumbled across @whattheducksetia when it was a quirky little cafe on Nagore Road many years ago. Was so impressed by the quality of the food - its fine dining but at such humane prices.

Today, we visited its new incarnation at Setia Spice and the food is as tasty as ever. 

Hubs had the set dinner of duck confit (delectable! I actually crunched the bones!), passion fruit tea, soup and dessert while I had the spicy Indonesian bek bek pasta.

Man, I miss this ❤️

#whattheduck #duckconfit #penangfood #duck
Here's another #cheat #hack you can use if you rea Here's another #cheat #hack you can use if you really feel like eating chicken rice but can't be bothered with the whole song and dance to make proper chicken rice.

Your lifesaver? This super handy, super tasty Bentong ginger paste that I discovered in a market in Pulau Tikus market!!

What else you'll need?
1) Chicken rubbed with salt
2) Chicken stock
3) Rice

That's it!! 

Now, everybody knows that for good chicken rice, the RICE is probably more important than the chicken itself.  It's got to be a flavour bomb, literally. So how do you achieve that?

This is where the magic of the Bentong ginger paste comes in.  Aside from ginger and garlic, it's also seasoned with oyster sauce, salt, etc as well as oil which has been flavoured with all those seasonings. What I did was scoop up a few tsp of the flavoured oil, mix it with the rice and chicken stock, cook it in my rice cooker, and voila, chicken rice! Simple kan?

As for the chicken, just steam it with the ginger paste for 20 minutes and voila, the most delicious chicken rice with just three ingredients!

#3ingredientrecipes #kitchenhack #Chinesecooking #chinesecuisine #homecook #Malaysianhomecook #homechefs #weeknightdinners #easyrecipes
It's been ages since I made #samwongtan or steamed It's been ages since I made #samwongtan or steamed three eggs, the Chinese classic comfort food. I got myself a century egg and salted duck egg from the Batu Lanchang market so decided to make it again.

How do you get flawless steamed 3 eggs?

1. Use an egg: liquid ratio of 1: slightly less than 2. Yes, 2 is the gold standard but I found it just a little on the side of watery so a bit less will do the trick. For the liquid, you can use either water or stock. If you use water, just season more.

2. Whisk the egg mixture until lump free before steaming. 

3. When you are ready to steam, place the egg custard on the steaming tray only when the water is boiling already. Then reduce to medium low and steam for 10 min.

If you have any other good tips, pls leave them in the comments below :) 

#Chinesecooking #homecook #homecooking #eggs #eggdishes #healthyeating #steamedeggs #foodie #Malaysianhomecook #vegetarian #eggrecipes #vegetarianrecipes
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