I first got a taste of spicy cumin lamb skewers during what was meant to have been a satay feast at my parents' house in Sydney's southwest. In amongst the hundreds of Malaysian satays that were cooked up that day, there were also some Xinjiang-style lamb skewers; apparently it was a dish introduced to them by their new northern Chinese friends » Read More
How To Make Pickled Green Chillies
September 11, 2018 By
Pickled green chillies are a popular condiment back in Malaysia, and most commonly served as an accompaniment to hawker stall dishes like wantan mee (wonton noodles). I make this only very occasionally, since I don't often eat wonton noodles myself, and in all honesty, I don't really measure the ingredients that go into it. Nonetheless, for your » Read More
How to Cook Indonesian Padang-Style Eggplant Balado
September 11, 2018 By
Lately, my local greengrocer has been stocking the variety of eggplant that I grew up eating back in Malaysia (correct me if I’m wrong, but I often see them referred to here as Japanese eggplants), and it prompted me to get some for one of my favourite Indonesian Padang dishes known as Terung (Eggplant) Balado. I air-fried the eggplants in my » Read More
How to Make An Easy Nut-Free Carrot Cake
September 11, 2018 By
I rarely bake because I’m not much of a cake eater, but I have on occasion had to use up some leftover carrots, in which case my go-to option is to bake it into a carrot cake. This recipe was originally sourced from the Thermomix recipe community, but I’ve made so many adjustments that it bears no resemblance to the original. I find Western » Read More
How to Make Crispy Sengkuang (Yam Bean) Fritters
September 11, 2018 By
I’d be lying if I said I’d always wanted to learn how to make crispy yam bean (aka sengkuang aka jicama) fritters; they look vaguely familiar but I’m not even sure if I’ve ever eaten them. It so happened I had some yam bean dying a slow death in my pantry when I came across the recipe in the Nyonya Kuih Passions cookbook by Andrew » Read More
How to Cook Sang Har Yee Meen (Crispy Freshwater Prawn Noodles)
September 4, 2018 By
I remember Sang Har Yee Meen (literally, freshwater prawn crispy noodles) as a popular dish at open-air restaurants in Malaysia, but they're actually pretty easy to make at home. If you're not too fixated about using freshwater prawns, you'll save a few bucks by using a cheaper and more commonly available variety like the banana prawns pictured » Read More
Chillies (30 Days 30 Asian Ingredients Series)
September 2, 2018 By
In this Live broadcast on Chillies, I cover the different types of chillies used in Malaysian and Southeast Asian cooking, and explain their uses and preparation methods. I also reveal a good, cheap substitute that I’ve encountered in my recent trips to my local non-Asian fruit and vegetable shop, and how to “hack” the flavour to achieve the same » Read More
How to Make Sup Kambing (Malaysian Goat Soup)
August 28, 2018 By
Someone recently asked if I knew how to make Sup Kambing, which of course I do; I used to sell it as a frozen meal back in the day at my restaurant and markets, along with over a dozen other Malaysian dishes. I also cooked it at a charity cook-off a few years back (the money went to Down Syndrome NSW) and won first prize for it. So whoever it was » Read More
How to Make Nyonya Soon Kuih aka Chai Kueh
August 27, 2018 By
This is a more recent recipe for Soon Kuih or Chai Kueh that I used during one of my Live Asian Kitchen broadcasts on Twitch. I was much happier with the texture of the skin, which was softer and less rubbery, hence why I'm posting it here. (BTW kuih and kueh are the same word in Malay; they can be used interchangeably, though kuih is a more » Read More
How to Make Yong Tau Foo with Chee Cheong Fun & Tim Cheong
August 21, 2018 By
I used to sell this at my now-defunct restaurant on Majors Bay Road in Concord, Sydney, and I still make and eat it on a semi-regular basis (anyone who watches my Live Asian Kitchen will vouch for that) so much so I assumed I’d posted the recipe on my website long ago. That was until someone on Instagram asked for the recipe and I thought I’d » Read More