A Wok Around Asia Recipe by MasterChef Malaysia Judge Chef Jo I had the privilege of meeting Chef Johari Edrus during my last trip to Kuala Lumpur, and I was intrigued by the concept of his restaurant, Symphony By Chef Jo, located in Damansara City Mall. The cuisine is "eclectic", meaning it derives ideas, styles, and tastes from a broad » Read More
How to Make Kanom Krok – Thai Coconut Cakes
I had never eaten kanom krok (aka Thai coconut cakes or Thai coconut custard) when I attempted to make it during a recent Live Asian Kitchen broadcast. Without a frame of reference as to how it should taste, I found both the recipe I used and the final outcome somewhat perplexing. First of all, it produced a gooey topping that had no chance of » Read More
How to Cook Crispy Squid or Calamari
My seafood shopping choices are heavily dictated by budget, in the sense that I would pick up something simply because it looks cheap, and figure out how to make it palatable after the fact. This explains why I often use squid instead of the more expensive calamari; contrary to popular opinion, squid can taste pretty tender even when simply » Read More
How to Make Sweet Potato Dumplings with Red Bean Paste Filling
These sweet potato dumplings are pretty easy to make; you can used ready-to-use red bean paste (in cans or packs at your local Asian grocery store), though in this Live Asian Kitchen, I used the homemade red bean paste I’d made a couple of weeks earlier. Other popular filling options include lotus seed paste or mung bean paste. The » Read More
How to Cook Yee Mein Noodles with Garlic Butter Sauce
I recently had some crab yee mein noodles at The Good Kitchen restaurant in Hurstville, and they were so memorable I decided to attempt making the dish during my Live Asian Kitchen broadcast (but with prawns due to budget constraints). The noodles were served up with a butter and garlic sauce, and I was told that the secret was to add a small » Read More
How to Make Durian Fritters (Jemput-Jemput Durian)
I belong to that demographic of Malaysians who turn up our noses at our Singaporean neighbours’ sad attempts to use durian in edgy ways, such as in a pizza, hot pot (ie. steamboat) or chee cheong fun (rice noodle rolls). It seems like a bit of a waste of good durian, which I prefer to eat straight and unencumbered by ingredients that effectively » Read More
How to Make Harm Chim Peng (Savoury Doughnuts) w/Red Bean Filling
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again… Harm Chim Peng (I’ve spelled the dish the way it’s pronounced in Cantonese; I don’t know of a standard spelling for it), is a type of savoury doughnut sold at street stalls back in Malaysia, and it comes in a number of different varieties - plain, spiralled, filled with sticky rice, etc. My favourite » Read More