Kuih Ketayap - A Wok Around Asia Recipe courtesy of Parkroyal Penang Resort Kuih Ketayap, also known as Kuih Dadar in my part of Malaysia, is a popular teatime snack which consists of pandan-infused crepes rolled with a coconut and palm sugar filling. It's an easy recipe to attempt, and the ingredients should be readily available at any » Read More
How to Make Chicken or Beef Bak Kwa (Barbecued Minced Meat)
March 9, 2018 By
I grew up in the part of Malaysia where this is known as “long yoke” (Cantonese & Hakka), and for a long time after coming to Australia, I had no idea what other people were talking about when they made reference to “bak kwa” (Hokkien) - more evidence of how gloriously splintered Malaysia can be when it comes to food, language and » Read More
How to Cook Penang Char Koay Teow
March 5, 2018 By
Penang Char Koay Teow - A Wok Around Asia Recipe Courtesy of Parkroyal Penang Resort Folks, I'm very proud to present the first how-to video from my Wok Around Asia project, and it's appropriately on Char Koay Teow (or Char Kway Teow), one of the most popular dishes from Malaysia's street food capital of Penang. It's different from my own version » Read More
Ginkgo Bar & Dining – Flavours of Harbin in the Heart of Sydney
February 28, 2018 By
A week ago, I was invited to try the food at Ginkgo Bar & Dining, a new eatery in my old neighbourhood of Darlinghurst. I was told it was a cosy late-night dim sum bar with dishes inspired by the northeastern Chinese city of Harbin. Now, I remember back when Chinatown between 11am-3pm was the only option if I wanted top notch dim sums; it » Read More
How to Cook Malaysian Chicken Curry w/Turmeric Leaf
February 26, 2018 By
I wasn’t intending to blog about this Live Asian Kitchen broadcast, because Malaysian Chicken Curry is something I cook on a regular basis and I’ve already posted the recipe numerous times. However, this particular batch turned out different enough (in a good way) that I thought it worth sharing. There were several points of difference in this » Read More
How to Cook Chicken Bak Kut Teh (Chik Kut Teh)
February 21, 2018 By
I’ve had an aversion to pork since I was a kid, so I have no recollection of ever having eaten Bak Kut Teh (BKT), which is traditionally made using pork spare ribs. The smell of BKT is quite unmistakable however, and hard to avoid if you grew up in Malaysia or Singapore. Since I knew how it’s meant to smell, I felt vaguely confident going into this » Read More
10 Cambodian Foods That Will Make You Fall In Love With Khmer Cooking
February 14, 2018 By
It was my first morning in Siem Reap, on my first ever trip to Cambodia. I knew no-one except a handful of staff I’d met the evening before at the hotel. I couldn’t speak one word of Khmer, and I was still trying to wrap my head around the local currency - I had converted my Aussie dollars into Cambodian riels but was pondering if I should have » Read More
Blue Flower Power And The Case For Cultural Appropriation
February 8, 2018 By
(Originally published on The Huffington Post December 2017) I have a confession to make - I don’t spend a lot of time browsing through pretty pictures on Instagram; it’s just not how I consume content. No surprise then, that I missed the recent trend in blue butterfly (aka blue pea) flower-infused images of food and drink on social media. » Read More
Jom Makan! Wok Around Asia Street Food Masterminds
January 4, 2018 By
Back when I was asked to run some cooking classes at Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa in Penang, a local food blogger, Ken from KenHuntFood.com, showed up with a takeaway pack of Chee Cheong Fun for me to sample. That gesture has stuck with me, not just for the Chee Cheong Fun, which tasted delicious, but because it encapsulated the » Read More
#2166 – One Postcode, Three Food Destinations
January 3, 2018 By
Most people don’t know that my first few years in Australia were spent in Cabramatta and its surrounds. As new migrants in 1984, my parents couldn’t afford to live in the more upscale northwestern suburbs, where most Malaysians seem to congregate, so we ended up in postcode 2166 - Cabramatta, Canley Vale and Canley Heights. The insolent teen in » Read More