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Taste of Asian Food

Posted on August 30, 2020June 16, 2021 By Alexandra Wong 5 Comments on Taste of Asian Food

Becoming rich and famous was not on KP Kwan’s mind when he set up his Youtube channel Taste of Asian food in 2016. He merely wanted to create an archive for recipes that he developed for Bakeroni, a neighbourhood café he runs in Taman Desa, Kuala Lumpur, with his wife Moi Ching.

But fate had other plans. In four years, Taste of Asian Food has become one of Asia’s biggest social media channels, with over half a million views per month on the food blog, and over 160K subscribers on YouTube. Several of his recipes such as butter cake and kapitan chicken have been regularly ranked on top of Google.

What’s remarkable, Kwan achieved these results purely through 100% organic reach – meaning he did not spend a single dollar on advertisements promoting his Youtube channel. In other words, he is the real deal.

What’s so attractive about the Taste of Asian Food channel?

Speaking for myself, I was drawn by the quality of the content. Kwan’s instructions are meticulous, detailed and rich in technical information that really helps improve the outcome of a dish.

In every video, he explains why certain ingredients or specific methods are employed. For example, in this kung po tofu recipe, he tells us why we must pan-fry the tofu before braising it:

“There are two reasons: 1) A thin layer of skin is formed on the surface during frying, which can hold the tofu’s shape and prevent it from breakage during cooking. 2) It also creates texture and additional flavor.”

If you’re serious about learning cooking, particularly Asian cooking, you want to follow Taste of Asian Food.

Let’s find out more from the man himself.

Bakeroni is a popular neighbourhood cafe in Taman Desa

Why did you decide to start a cooking channel on Youtube?
My Youtube channel was a natural extension of my own journey as a F& B operator. About 18 years ago, my wife Moi Ching, who was in the corporate sector, was exploring career options because we wanted to spend more time with our young son. That’s how the idea of a café came up and we started Bakeroni in Taman Desa.

In the early days, we only sold beverages and snacks but as time went by, customers wanted to eat proper meals. Since Moi Ching was helming the front office, I helped out in the kitchen whenever I was not at my pharmaceutical practice.

I had to develop recipes for Bakeroni. Although I knew how to cook since young, I felt I should educate myself and supplement my basic knowledge of cooking. I bought lots of cooking textbooks that are actually used in culinary schools. Youtube was a great resource as well.

I wrote down all these recipes that I developed through trial and error. I wanted to keep an archive of everything I cooked at Bakeroni so that my kitchen staff could replicate the exact dish. That’s when I started documenting my recipes in a blog.

Screenshot of Taste of Asian Food blog

However, as time went on, I felt the food blog itself was not sufficient – not dynamic enough to deliver my message impactfully. That’s what prompted me to go into video creation.

What equipment did you start with and how was the learning curve for you?

Fortunately, the learning curve wasn’t that steep because I have a background in photography. Since young, I have been dabbling in amateur photography and I’ve read a lot of books on the topic. Videography is just an extension of photography.

When I started six years ago, I invested in a camcorder specifically to do Youtube. After that, though, things started to evolve. DSLR can do the same job or even better, so I switched to my camera. In the last two years, phone technology has advanced so much that I now use my handphone to create videos.

Editing screen of Power Director, the software KP Kwan uses for his videos

I’m currently shooting in 4K using a Huawei P30. When you shoot in 4K, the video is very clear because you capture a lot of detailed information. In the event you want to crop a scene, you can zoom in and enlarge a specific section during postproduction. By shooting in 4K, you can do that without losing clarity.

Editing is the most difficult part of videography. I started with the programme Power Director, which I still use. It came with fundamental tutorials but there are also people on Youtube talking about how to use Power Director. So many things can now be self-learned because of the internet.

160K is an impressive achievement. What did you do to build Taste of Asian Food’s subscription to this number?
Initially when I started, I just uploaded whatever I had. When people start commenting and you see the number of viewers grow, you get excited and want to do the next one. Once the number builds up, it is like a snowball.

I never paid for any ads to promote my Youtube channel – I grew it 100% organically. Organic growth is best if you have good content that will capture the segment you are targetting.

Then when I hit a certain number, I started thinking how to accelerate my growth. I began reading about other Youtubers’ experiences and tried to apply their tips to my Taste of Asian Food videos.

“What are three fundamental tips that Youtubers should know?”

1. Choose your video title carefully.
If you have a cup of cappucino, titling it “Nice cappucino” isn’t going to attract a lot of eyeballs. But if you say “How to make a perfect cappucino”, the effect will be different. Your title should contain words that attract people’s attention and state your intention.

2. Your thumbnail image is important.
When you open up Youtube, what is the first thing you see? You browse through the images. An eyecatching thumbnail of the youtube video is crucial.

3. The video’s description must deliver on the promise

Your description must be related to the content that you deliver because Youtube will browse through the words in your description and target it to the right audience.

These are what the gurus say. But if you look at the bigger picture, they don’t guarantee exponential growth.

What, then, do you think will determine a Youtuber’s success?
Uniqueness, and a little bit of luck.

Have you heard of the toy reviewer Ryan? It’s just a 10-year-old boy unpacking new toys. But if you think about it, he really hit the bullseye because the children like it while the parents want to know. Then there’s Liziqi, China’s no 1 Youtuber. Her video is just about cooking and planting vegetables but she has 12 million subscribers!

Ultimately it boils down to your content. It’s what the Youtuber wants people to see, and whether people like what it. This is also the most difficult (and elusive) part. You can’t learn it.

For the benefit of us noobs, can you share how the whole Youtube monetization process works?
First, use your Google account to open a Youtube channel. After that, you can start to upload videos. When your subscribers hit a certain limit – meaning your channel has reached the entry level for monetization – you will get a notification to activate the monetization process. Now, advertisers can put ads in between, before and after your videos. You can opt for a cheque to be sent to you or request for a direct bank transfer. Every month they will remit the payment to you.

I got my first payment three years ago. I thought to myself, “So this is real!” The first one is always the most exciting. It’s more exciting than when I get my payment now, even though I definitely get more now because my subscribers have grown in number.

How much time do you spend creating videos and what is the frequency of your posting on Taste of Asian Food?
I upload once a week. I spend a few days to produce a video because I have to shoot it, edit it and write a blogpost, as I want both the video and blogpost done at the same time before publishing them.

Have you met other Youtubers?
Not yet. In this community people are working independently without interacting with other people physically. It will be great if somebody can organize something and everybody comes together.

General Tso’s chicken is on his blog and Youtube channel, and also sold at Bakeroni.
Quesadilla is one of the most popular dishes at Bakeroni

At Bakeroni Cafe, we can sample dishes that you also teach viewers to cook. Some of them, such as General Tso’s chicken, Rendang Minang, are not common to other Malaysian cafes. What’s your rationale for featuring dishes that may be unfamiliar to Malaysian palates?
Our concept has always been to create something from scratch and not sell something too identical to other eateries. Customers have no reason to come back to us if we’re selling the same thing as someone else. If I sell a very good char kuay teow, in the minds of people, how good can a char kuay teow at a café be compared to an uncle by the drain? They will go to the uncle by the drain.

So I thought, if I ever want to offer a dish, our version should be different from someone else’s. Or we should create something nobody is selling at least a few km from our shop. For example, Rendang Minang is available at Indonesian stalls but not a Western café. As far as I know, within a five-minute drive, nobody has this dish, so we monopolize it. This concept works, at least for us.

So far, most if not all of the dishes featured in your channel are Asian, living up to the title. Have you ever considered expanding your repertoire to Western food?
No. For example, If I cook Italian or French food, no matter how good I am, I will never be able to compete with a local Italian/French person. It’s like if a foreigner comes to Malaysia and cooks typical Malaysian food, no mattter how good he is, people will first have a question mark. I felt it would be very challenging to overcome this barrier in order for viewers to understand, follow and accept me, so I decided not to go in that direction.

You’ve just achieved your 4th anniversary .. congratulations! What motivates you to keep going?
There are multiple reasons, but the most important motivation is when we upload the video, somebody comments that it is useful and says, “I can cook now!” Even if you make a great video but everyone scolds you and says you are doing it wrong, you will stop. When somebody recognizes what you have done, and you find it beneficial for somebody else, that is the most important motivation factor – that is the power of positive feedback.

For more stories about inspiring Malaysians, check out this Japan-based, Sabah-born food artist!

Post Views: 2,305
Stories Tags:Asian cooking, Youtuber

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Comments (5) on “Taste of Asian Food”

  1. Yammie says:
    September 20, 2020 at 6:08 pm

    Thanks for sharing Alex! I checked his YouTube videos (and subscribed)! Very nice and easy to follow 😍

    Reply
    1. Alexandra Wong says:
      September 29, 2020 at 3:59 pm

      Yay! Thank you for letting me know, glad you found it useful as I did 🙂

      Reply
  2. Connie Lee says:
    January 24, 2021 at 12:16 pm

    I chance upon this site, it’s very exciting with many articles and so close to heart, Malaysian

    Reply
  3. Connie Lee says:
    January 24, 2021 at 12:17 pm

    I chance upon this site, it’s very exciting with many articles and so close to heart, featuring our home grown Malaysian

    Reply
    1. Alexandra Wong says:
      February 7, 2021 at 7:31 am

      Thanks for dropping by Connie! Yes, we have many homegrown heroes that deserve the spotlight!

      Reply

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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

My first Ig live, Omg! My first Ig live, Omg!
When I met Paige at @hinmarket, her booth stopped When I met Paige at @hinmarket, her booth stopped me in my tracks immediately.Who knew cement could be turned into such beautiful and functional art pieces? If you're still there, PLEASE do yourself a favour and mosey over to her booth (near the entrance) and get a piece of her instant classics.

The market closes at 5pm, so hurry up!!
Alternatively, you can get in touch with her after the event @wanjiarts
...

I am so excited about this first live interview video I did, thanks to encouragement by the inspiring @lohjiyuan 

I had to really level up to make this video. I only found out after I left that I was too close to the phone and as a result, her voice was too soft. I had to figure out how to increase her volume, which was really hard because we were both talking fast. Then I figured, hey, why not I slowwwww down the speed and then I can split the clips and increase her section ...you will know if you use video editing tools. I was racing against time too because I wanted this to be up before the bazaar closes. 

There were a bunch of other things I had to learn, and I'm glad I did. Here's a toast to more upskilling!

I'll be posting this also on my other account @heroesofmalaysia So if you'd like to see other awesome people doing awesome things in Malaysia, do follow me there too :)

#hinmarket #wanjiarts #concreteart #handmadegifts #giftideas #cement #diycrafts #hinbusdepot #popup #popupstore #popupshop
So. The Star article is finally out, that big thin So. The Star article is finally out, that big thing that I was both excited and nervous about and honestly was worried would cause me sleepless nights but I slept like a baby last night - rather snored like a train, according to my husband. Hearing that makes me happy these days haha!

I'd like to highlight some lines from the article: 

“It’s real and it’s not something that you call tell yourself to snap out of, so never say this to someone who is going through it." THIS. PLEASE DO NOT EVER SAY THIS.

“I did a test at a clinic for the stress hormone cortisol and discovered that my levels were over the roof! I was diagnosed and put on a bunch of medications ..." Clarification: high cortisol levels do not indicate that you have mental health conditions.  It did tell me under I was under a lot of stress and motivated me to finally seek psychiatric help.

"I still talk to my therapist because he is my safe space." Getting a therapist was one of the best decisions I made and he is, indeed, my lifesaver, especially when I face a potentially stressful situation. Thank you JC, who first sparked the idea of talking to a therapist because it helped him a lot. Hugs J!

"The most important pillar in her mental health journey was her husband whose unflagging support was crucial. “One day, I giggled at a joke he cracked and he almost cried tears of joy because I had gone so long without smiling." I love you so much, darling, and I'm glad we're growing together through this journey. And a huge thanks too to my in laws who offered me a safe haven during that critical first week when I was like a zombie. 

Lastly, I'd like to thank all of you who have been with me on this journey since I opened up a month ago. There are ups and downs and it's all part of progress and growth, and it will just make us stronger.

Lastly, thank you @Ming_Teoh for doing such a beautiful job with this sensitively and compassionately written article. I hope it helps as many people as possible.

#mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #mentalwellbeing #wellbeing @thestaronline #mentalhealthadvocate
You don't have to be an expert in mental health to You don't have to be an expert in mental health to support friends struggling with theirs. Compassion and empathy can go a long way. 

Yesterday, the @thestaronline published an article about mental health based on an interview I did with @Ming_Teoh a few weeks ago. 

One of the stories is about a beautiful relationship that was destroyed because one of the friends lacked empathy. Happily, the other friendship was brought to a new level because one of them demonstrated empathy, kindness and compassion. Love you, Von (even though you don't have IG).

It all started when Ming saw my mental toolkit a few weeks ago and asked me if I'd be willing to talk about my experiences. 

I said yes without hesitation. I'd just come out of hell and I was going to do whatever it takes to spare other people from the pain, even if it means talking openly about my personal struggles. 

Ming and I spoke so long and so much that she told me she would be writing TWO not one articles from it! OMG!

A few days later, I started getting cold feet. I started wondering ... could I be anonymous? How would she write it? What would people think of me?

I wanted to call her but before I could take action, Ming texted me. "Your articles will be out next week."

So soon?!

I immediately rang her up.  Ming was very kind, telling me that she had done her best to leave out the parts that were sensitive, and from what she described to me in detail, without showing me the actual text of course, I felt reassured that she would do a good job.

The first of the two articles were published yesterday, "How mental health and friends affect each other". It was well written with compassion and clear intention to spread awareness without sensationalising. 

This article is only available online (link in bio), so I decided to get creative. We're living in the age of new media, so why not convert it into an IG carousel using @canva? 

The main article will be published today and focusses on my mental health toolkit. It will be in the print version as well. Can't wait to get a copy!!!

#mentalhealth @thestaronline #mentalhealthawareness #friendship #kindness #empathy #mentalhealthadvocate
Not often does one get to meet the original person Not often does one get to meet the original person who inspired them to pursue their passion but  today I did.... I met @andrewmatthews.author in the flesh!!! 

For some reason I cannot fathom and which I can only thank the divine powers for, Andrew is in Penang to launch his new book, Bouncing Back. And it was held just minutes away from my home, so come hail or high water, I made sure I was there.

He blew my expectations out of the water. His "speech" involved him giving a life affirming motivational talk WHILE drawing his iconic cartoons on the fly on the easel to illustrate his points. Holy moly. Everybody's jaw was on the floor.

The crowd was rapturous, as was I, except maybe I had one extra reason to be over the moon.

You see, years ago, I read Folllow Your Heart and was utterly charmed by his storytelling style. They had humour, so much heart and they were real stories of real people who overcame adversity and great obstacles to bounce back. Healing stories.

Looking back, I can see now that those are the same qualities that I unconsciously weave into my stories esp for my Star column. 

So - despite feeling damn thick skinned, I just had to give him a copy of my own book, Made in Malaysa: Hometown Heroes and Hidden Gems - the book he inspired. 

Thank you Andrew for making time to be here and a huge round of appreciation to @psdcpenang for organising this event. You have no wonder how much this event meant to me!

#andrewmatthews #bouncingback #meetandgreet #psdcpenang
Aaargh, again breaking my rule of not reviewing a Aaargh, again breaking my rule of not reviewing a place after just one visit because...

Just look at this place, only open since May, in a quieter section of the Kong Heng neighbourhood.

The wooden charm!

The gorgeous greenery! 

All the French vibes!

And the most exquisite chocolate lava cake hubs and I have eaten in our lives, it's good it makes me want to cry.

The food took a while to arrive and we can understand why.

The pastry was baked to perfection and the lava, utterly decadent and made from very high quality chocolate.

J'adore 😍😍😍

@cestsibonipoh 

#ipohcafe #ipohcafehopping #ipohdessert #chocolatelavacake #ipoholdtown #cestsibon #dessertipoh
This. Makes so feel so tickled and tearful and jo This.

Makes so feel so tickled and tearful and joyful at the same time.

I walked out of the room with my mat to see Dad doing his exercise. A wave of emotion came over me, relief and joy that he continues including movement in his life despite his long struggle with osteoarthritis ( and pls don't give tips here tq as its been a LONGGGG saga).

Then I became aware of more memories.

The tshirt was given by a loved one just before my meltdown in KL in April. He's been a rock for me al these months, from photo bombing me with cute photos of his family outings, to bringing me my favourite (and bloody expensive) brownies all the way to Penang from KL on a work trip.

The Pilates mat is one of three we own. Yes, three. When I realised how important Pilates had become to my wellbeing, I wanted to have a spare in Ipoh house so I can be active here too.

As I followed my coach's @refine.me.nt moves on my little phone, I thought, hey this is a precious moment.

So I paused the video, ran into the room and called  out hubby. "Dear, please come out and video me and my dad. Quick."
Journalling. "Just pour all your emotions and tho Journalling.

"Just pour all your emotions and thoughts into your journal. Don't filter them. Whatever negative thoughts you have, just pour it out and release them on paper."

Although every doctor, therapist and professional online and in real life that I met recommended this, it didn't work for me. 

I tried it for a week or so and realised it wasn't working.

Something to do with the fact that I'm a writer, maybe, and I already tend to overanalyse and overthink? 

In fact, by recapping what happened, I ended up reliving my trauma and felt even worse.

Then, I had an idea. I could still journal - but in a different way.

I recorded lessons from every day and experience. 

.. and it worked!

Every individual is different, so there is no one-solution-fits-all. 

You have to experiment and find out what works for YOU. 

Good luck, and positive vibes to you today. 

#mentalhealth #wellbeing #journalling #mentalwellbeing
Any talk about Nasi Melayu in Penang will surely b Any talk about Nasi Melayu in Penang will surely be incomplete without mentioning this institution in Tmn Tun Sardon called Restaurant Minah.

When I first came here over 20 years ago as a student, it looked very different. Very simple furniture. No air con (ok still no aircon). What I remember most of course was the delicious and huge variety of food, from all kinds of masak lemak dishes (my weakness) to their legendary kerabu.

When we came back here again last year after moving back to Penang, I had to do a double take. Wah! Look at all those plants and greenery! The lacquered hardwood (and expensive) furniture. The decor can rival any hipster cafe in Georgetown, wei!

Most importantly, the food is as good as I remember it. I discovered they do a killer lamb shank (only available on certain days, don't ask me which one just gotta try your luck) and a slew of other delicious items such as a tiny long skinny fried salted fish.

Today, we were served by a young man who happened to be the cicit (great-grandson) of the original founder. Minah Restaurant was set up in 1957, holy moly! I didn't know that it's the grand daddy of all nasi campur and probably one of the original ones still standing tall.

Wish I had a bit more time to talk to the young man but the crowds are ever streaming in.

Keep going strong, Minah. May you prosper into your 5th, 6th, 7th generation and onwards!

#RestoranMinah #MinahRestaurant #Penangfood #foodreels #Penangfood #Penanginstitution #nasimelayu #curries #kerabu #masaklemak #ulam #nasicampur #heritagefood #Penangheritage #eatwithipohbunny #igers #Malaysianfoodbloggers
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