For the longest time, I avoided Hakka Lei Cha (aka Lui Cha in Hakka) because I thought it was something you’d eat if you’d lost a bet, or if you were on a diet – it just looked too healthy and vegan to be enjoyable.

So despite being 100% Hakka, I’d never had Hakka Lei Cha until I had a go at making it myself a couple of weeks ago. In other words, when I finally tested it out, absent any past personal experience to compare it against, I could only rely on Paul’s memory for how it should taste. 

That’s because, unlike this Hakka moi, our South African Paul did in fact eat Hakka Lei Cha when we visited a Hakka settlement in Machap (Melaka) courtesy of Tourism Malaysia a few years back. As a matter of fact, he wasn’t just more game about eating it than me, he even had a go at making it during the Hakka Lei Cha workshop conducted by our hosts.

This video includes footage filmed during the Machap Hakka Village workshop –

By the way, Hakka Lei Cha is also known as Thunder Tea, BUT the common opinion that the term comes from the thunderous sound of the paste being pounded is wrong – the written Chinese character for “Lei/Lui” is the word “to grind”, not “thunder” (both words share the same pronunciation in the three Chinese dialects I know). 

Also, during our Machap Hakka Village visit, our Hakka hosts demonstrated how the tea paste was made, and it involved rolling and grinding (not pounding) the wooden pestle against the ridged walls of the purpose-built bowl in a circular motion. 

This means the correct process of making Lei Cha does not in fact produce thunderous sounds, contrary to the made-up claim of those trying to explain why it’s called “Thunder Tea”. Having said that, the Michelin Guide website says “Thunder Tea” is a fun & accepted nameplay for the dish, so who knows (definitely not this particular Hakka).

So what is Hakka Lei Cha anyway? It’s a rice bowl that comes with different toppings such as peanuts, salted radish, tofu, cooked shredded vegetables eg. snake beans and leafy greens, and it’s served with a bowl of green soup poured over it, which is made from ground Chinese tea, herbs, peanuts and sesame seeds.

While it’s true that it’s predominantly vegan, it can optionally come with non-veg toppings like dried shrimp and ikan bilis (fried dried anchovies).

In my research, I came to realise that no two recipes for Hakka Lei Cha are the same; this fact is widely acknowledged, with the explanation that the dish is one borne from necessity and pragmatism, in line with my Hakka ancestors’ nomadic upbringing in hostile environments – you basically adapt the ingredients to what’s available in your neck of the woods. 

This is great news to diaspora Malaysians & Singaporeans whose biggest complaint when it comes to Malaysian cooking is usually that they can’t find the right ingredients in their part of the world.

I’m going to break down the recipe and its variations, and give my adaptation at the end (based on my own flavour preferences). 

If you were to make everything from scratch, you could expect to spend a couple of hours in the kitchen (even with my ninja skills and help from my kitchen appliances), so this is how I approach it –  

Hakka Lei Cha can essentially be split into three components – 

1. Tea Paste
2. Toppings
3. Rice & Vegetables

The tea paste and the toppings can be prepared in advance; this is what I do – 

1. Freeze the tea paste in silicone moulds, then keep the blocks in the freezer until I need to use them.
2. Cook up the toppings with long shelf lives, and store them in my pantry.
3. Cook the rice and vegetables either just before serving, or keep them in the fridge – they’ll last a few days.

Doing it this way will cut down your Hakka Lei Cha prep time on the day to 20 minutes, give or take.

When I first shared about my Hakka Lei Cha experiments, one of my fellow overseas Malaysian friends, Ivan Choy, mentioned that he treats Part 3 – ie. the rice and veggies – as a weekly fridge clear-out exercise, which is a brilliant idea because I’ve always been loathe to buy too much leafy greens since they don’t keep long in the fridge, but now I can.

If You Can’t Find Everything

Lei Cha’s biggest hurdle for most home cooks is sourcing the herbs. Here’s a breakdown of what’s essential, what’s optional, and what you can swap.

Tea paste herbs

The base herbs are Asian basil, Asian mint and coriander. One of my Malaysian Hawker Pro students in England used Western basil and Western mint as substitutes during our Zoom workshop, though I would suggest to add a touch of fresh ginger and some black peppercorns next time, to give it a bit more punch.

My recipe includes Vietnamese mint (daun kesum, also called laksa leaves or polygonum) because I had a lot left over from an event that was begging to be used up, and doing so accidentally helped enhance the flavour, at least according to Paul.

Sawtooth coriander was used in the version made at the Machap Hakka Village – I didn’t realise that until I went back through our photo archives. I’ll add it in my next batch since this is another ingredient that’s readily available in Cabramatta (we have so much to thank Vietnamese immigrants for all these herbs, really).

Mugwort is also widely available at Asian grocery stores in Sydney (I can even get it at my local Tong Li) but otherwise, substitute with rocket, or leave it out altogether.

Nuts and seeds

Roasted peanuts are standard for the paste, but I’m sure some other types of nuts would work. I’m thinking out loud but peanut butter might be a good substitute if you’re big on shortcuts (like me).

Roasted sesame seeds (white or black) are the other base ingredient in the paste. I’m guessing tahini or Chinese sesame paste could be viable replacements, though again, I haven’t tried it myself.

Toppings

The essential toppings are roasted peanuts (skin off) and preserved radish (chai poh, sometimes called salted turnip). For decades, I’ve been using Thai minced preserved radish in lieu of finger-sized salted radish for my business (specifically for my Chai Tow Kueh), but whatever you can find should work – just make sure you check how salty it is and rinse it as much as is necessary to temper the saltiness.

Various types of salted radish pictured below; they will all work but you may have to mince them if they come in big chunks –

Beyond that, you can add any combination of:

Dried anchovies (ikan bilis), dried shrimp, salted fish, crispy fried onions (I add that just because I almost always have some sitting around), crispy fried garlic.

Rice and vegetables

Jasmine rice is the usual base, though at the Hakka Village we visited, they actually served it with puffed rice out of a packet. Most other recipes I’ve seen use either uncooked rice stir-fried with oil and garlic, then transferred into a rice cooker to cook, OR they simply use freshly-cooked white rice. I had some leftover cold rice to use up the first time I made this, so I turned it into a garlic fried rice.

For the leafy greens, almost anything goes, including cabbage; I’ve even used English spinach.

Hard tofu is in the base recipe but can be left out entirely or substituted with tofu puffs.

Seasoning

For all three components, you have the flexibility of using just salt, or if you’re not a hardcore health purist, you can add or replace with some of the following – MSG, chicken powder, mushroom seasoning, oyster sauce, and soya sauce.

Likewise with garlic and sauteing with oil; this is optional but I mean, who doesn’t like garlic? If omitting, you can just poach all the ingredients.

Now that I’ve gotten my longest preamble ever out of the way, this is roughly how I make Hakka Lei Cha – all the amounts are estimates; adjust as you see fit.

Jackie M’s Hakka Lei Cha

(adapted from various sources, including The Hakka Cookbook)

Part 1 – Hakka Tea Paste

2-3 TBSP dried Chinese tea leaves
50g Thai Basil, roots removed, stems intact, roughly chopped
50g Asian Mint, roots removed, roughly chopped
50g Vietnamese Coriander (aka daun kesum aka polygonum), roots removed, stems intact, roughly chopped
50g Coriander, roots removed, stems intact, roughly chopped 

200g Mugwort, cut into 4-inch lengths
⅔ cup peanuts, roasted
2-3 TBSP sesame seeds (black, white, or a mixture), roasted
Enough water to turn it into a smoothie-like consistency (2-3 cups?)

1 TBSP minced garlic
1 TBSP oil

½ tsp pepper
1 TBSP salt +1 tsp MSG (optional)
OR 1 ½ TBSP chicken powder
OR 2 TBSP mushroom seasoning

METHOD:

1. Heat oil in a large wok. Add minced garlic and saute until lightly aromatic.
2. Add all the herbs and mugwort; mix well.
3. Add water and cover wok until vegetables are wilted – about 30 seconds.
4. Transfer into a powerful blender (ThermoCook or Thermomix).
5. Add tea leaves, peanuts, sesame seeds, pepper, and seasoning.
6. Blend into a smooth paste – approximately 2 minutes on high speed if using a ThermoCook.

Part 2 – Toppings

200g ikan bilis (dried anchovies), rinsed and drained
100g dried shrimp, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes, drained
100g salted radish, rinsed & chopped (substitute – sweet Thai minced preserved radish)

⅓ cup oil

½ cup crispy onions (recipe here – https://jackiem.com.au/2016/12/16/how-to-make-crispy-fried-onions/)
½ cup crispy garlic

METHOD:

1. Heat oil in pan; add dried anchovies and fry until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels.
2. Reheat the oil and add dried shrimp; fry for about 30 seconds; remove and place on paper towels.
3. Add salted radish into the pan and fry briefly – about 30 seconds; remove and place on paper towels.
4. Once cooled, transfer ingredients into jars and store until use.

Part 3 – Rice & Vegetables

2 cups leftover rice
100g hard tofu, finely diced
100g snake beans, thinly sliced (I use the slicing function on my food processor)
400g vegetables eg. cabbage and/or different Asian leafy greens, all thinly sliced (I use a food processor)

3 TBSP minced garlic
3 TBSP oil

Seasoning (any, or any combination of, the following):
Salt, pepper, MSG, chicken powder, mushroom seasoning

METHOD:

1. Heat 1 TBSP oil in a wok; add 1 TBSP garlic and saute until aromatic.
2. Add rice and stir-fry, sprinkling with a light amount of seasoning (optional). Remove and set aside.
3. Heat ½ TBSP oil and add 1 tsp garlic and saute until aromatic. Add tofu and fry until heated through. Season lightly; remove and set aside.
4. Heat ½ TBSP oil and add 1 tsp garlic and saute until aromatic. Add snake beans and fry until just done. Season lightly; remove and set aside.
5. Heat 1 TBSP oil and add 1 TBSP garlic; saute until aromatic. Add vegetables and fry until just done. Season lightly; remove and set aside.
6. To serve, add about 1 cup of boiling water to ½ cup tea paste, mix well. By the way, the amount of water is up to you; I prefer my Lei Cha soup rich and creamy but it’s more common for it to be of a thinner consistency.
   Place rice in bowl, top with vegetables; pour tea soup over it.
   Add other toppings and serve.

Quick message to wrap things up –

1. if you want to learn how to cook Malaysian food properly, you know you need more than recipes; you need mentorship from someone who’s been running a Malaysian food business outside Malaysia for over 30 years. Drop me a line if you want to find out more about my online MalaysianHawkerPro.com coaching programme, or my twice-weekly Zoom cook-alongs which I run for my Malaysian Cooking Club on Skool.
2. Right below is the most recent issue of our Masters of Malaysian Cuisine (MOMC) digital magazine, which you can download completely free; it contains more recipes, a dining directory for Ipoh/Perak, and a number of articles. This issue comes with two different covers, though the content are the same –

Click to View or Download Truly Malaysian by MOMC, featuring Ipoh White Coffee Cover – 

Click to View or Download Truly Malaysian by MOMC, featuring Ipoh Kai Si Hor Fun Cover – 

The post How to Make Hakka Lei Cha first appeared on Jackie M..

During my twice-weekly Zoom cooking sessions, my Malaysian Hawker Pro and Skool Malaysian Cooking Club students are always engaging with each other on the latest and greatest kitchen utensils and gadgets – most recently, silicone wok-stirring spatulas.

What triggered the silicone spatula conversation was my experience using a spatula that snapped in half after only a couple of weeks, because it had a wooden handle that was separate to the scoop.

Like this – 

So down the rabbit hole we went, until one of our members came across a Kickstarter project spatula called the Turnula – details here – https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/turnula/turnula-smarter-and-easier-way-to-cook?ref=cmcu5u

I approached the people behind the Kickstarter about doing a review, and they sent me two Turnulas – a right-handed and a left-handed one (Paul is left-handed).

Quick heads-up that I’m not getting paid for this review nor do I get any commission on sales etc. I’m just giving my honest opinion about the Turnula based on my experience of using it for different cooking functions over the last two weeks.

Truthfully, when we first started using the Turnula, I was using it the way I would normally use a traditional wok spatula – sometimes it worked well, other times, I was confused about the point of its side-scoop design.

Meanwhile, Paul was happily using it for his scrambled eggs and pancakes every morning – I even shared a clip of him doing so on social media – only to have the Turnula people contact me to point out he’s actually not using it the way it’s meant to be used. Either way, Paul remains very happy with his left-handed Turnula, so we’ll leave him at it.

What the company clarified with me was that the Turnula is designed for lateral sweeping; for example, when it comes to sautéing, you’re meant to –

(1) Let the head glide along the surface of the pan so it slides fully underneath the ingredients before lifting.
(2) Sweep the ingredients sideways across the pan, allowing them to roll gently off the side of the Turnula.

Based on this previously overlooked functionality, I tested out the Turnula on a number of dishes/pans. Here are my thoughts on where it stood out, and where it struggled –

Everything clicked once I stopped trying to use the Turnula like a typical wok spatula (ie. scooping it forwards).

I started using a combination of the lateral sweep movement it was designed for (as demonstrated in the first clip), and also just turning it with my wrist (in clips 2-4).

Cooking sambal and rempah (spice pastes) in a wok, which requires a long, patient process of frying spice paste until the oil separates, is perfect with the Turnula.

The wrist-driven motion means the effort is noticeably less than with a traditional wok spatula (anyone who’s cooked a long rempah fry-off knows how much that can take out of your arm and shoulder).

The Turnula, by contrast, is so light and fluid and low-effort it feels therapeutic instead of stressful, and the continuous stirring motion suited the task perfectly.

Same story with congee (I tested it on Bubur Lambuk which is basically Malay-style congee). The Turnula handled the low, gentle, rhythmic stirring of the congee beautifully.

If your cooking life involves a lot of wok work, particularly the kind of low-and-slow paste frying that Malaysian cooking demands, this tool is what you need in your kitchen.

Low-walled frying pans are where the Turnula’s design works somewhat against it – scooping sideways didn’t feel like it gave me enough control to prevent my spice pastes from spilling over the sides, and it didn’t get enough leverage to lift up my crepes cleanly – so I still prefer using a regular spatula for these tasks.

The Verdict –

Ultimately I think you need to see the Turnula as a specialist utensil, rather than something that will replace all your cooking spatulas. Its lateral design fits in perfectly with tasks that require long, patient stirring – apart from rempahs, sambals and porridge/congee, think of tasks like roasting sesame seeds and shelled peanuts.

You’ll find that the effort is noticeably less than if you were using a wok spatula, where a lot of elbow and shoulder exertion is required.

Key Features of the Turnula, as listed in the Kickstarter:

• Innovative lateral-sweep design
  Enables smooth rolling motion for more even, efficient cooking.
• Designed for all users
  Available in both right-handed and left-handed versions.
• Precision-Tapered Edge
  0.03mm tip that slides under food without resistance.
• Flexible stainless steel core
  Firm support with enough flexibility to bend to different pan shapes.
• High-wall design:
  Allows quick, controlled scooping of ingredients and sauces in one quick sweep.
• Special Arch
  Creates a built-in safety clearance between hand and heat source to reduce burn risk.
• One-Piece Design
  The seamless finish prevents trapped grease for easy cleaning, and is dishwasher-safe.

Check out the Turnula page for more details (shortened link so it’s easy to remember): JackieM.com.au/Turnula

The post Review: Turnula for Malaysian Cooking first appeared on Jackie M..

I remember back in the 90s my family (and especially my then-husband Nick) was so enamoured with Hong Kong movie culture that we thought when we finally got the chance to travel there, we would be able to soak in the atmosphere of eating Taufu Fah and Dim Sum in places that looked like they were lifted out of a Chow Yun Fat movie.

Anyway we finally had the opportunity to visit Hong Kong either enroute to the UK or on the way back, I forget now, (yes we moved to the UK for a couple of years; it didn’t take) and oops, were we in for a letdown.

We spent our three nights in Kowloon basically stumbling around like lost kids (to be fair, this was before the days of smartphones, Google Reviews, and Google Translate).

We went on a hunt for Taufu Fah and couldn’t find any. We asked at promising-looking eateries and they turned us away, yet when prompted, they refused to give suggestions on where we could go instead. 

Maybe we asked the wrong people, or maybe it is a cultural thing among Hong Kongers (ie. if we can’t make money from you, nobody can). 

Either way, it irked us.

So no joy with Taufu Fah. 

But we did find a yum cha place for our Dim Sum fix. 

And that was another disappointment – no trolleys of steaming hot Dim Sum for us to order with our eyes; instead, we had to order off a photo-less menu. When the food arrived, it didn’t taste any different to what you could find in a standard yum cha restaurant in Sydney. I’m pretty sure it was a touch more expensive too.

Maybe we went to the wrong restaurant. In any case, after that experience, we figured there was no point travelling all the way to Hong Kong for Dim Sum that we could get here at home. 

Besides, most of the restaurants in Sydney’s Chinatown back then were run by Hong Kong immigrants (I even worked in one during my high school gap year) so all the Dim Sum chefs were trained in Hong Kong.

Over the decades though, I’ve found yum cha in Sydney to be more and more of a luxury experience so eating Dim Sum for breakfast has turned into a special occasion thing (we’ve been maybe two or three times in the four years that Paul’s been in Sydney).

Our Hong Kong dream has never really died (hope springs eternal) but it’s never been fully realised – I’m guessing with the fast pace of change in the 25+ years since I was there, the nostalgic element of 90s Hong Kong cinema would be even further out of reach today.

But not in Ipoh, Malaysia’s Cantonese cuisine capital founded by Hakka miners. 

Ipoh, somehow, has been largely shielded from all the modern stuff we see in many other cities – character-free chain restaurants, QR code-ordering systems, food served in disposable ecoware and useless utensils (try stabbing your noodles with a wooden spork, where half the food is stuck on the bottom of a leaky cardboard container, or eating your laksa from a corrugated cardboard cup – it’s stupid).  

None of that nonsense. 

By the grace of God, Ipoh is still old-school cool.

Which those of us living outside of Malaysia can appreciate maybe a little bit more sometimes than those who never left. 

Case in point – 

Our latest Truly Malaysian by MOMC digital magazine’s original cover was of a kopitiam coffee cup – (click to download or view the magazine) – 

When I first shared it, waves of nostalgia swept through the overseas Malaysian and Singaporean diaspora.

But to Malaysia-based Ipohites? Well, let’s just say the nostalgia didn’t quite hit the same way (they were presumably wondering – “What nostalgia? These cups are a dime a dozen in Ipoh!”).

So I released the same Truly Malaysian magazine, but with a second cover – (Click to View or Download)

 – and this appeased the Malaysians in Malaysia.

But I digress.

Back to Taufu Fah – what’s so special about Ipoh Taufu Fah anyway? We can get Taufu Fah quite easily here in Sydney, and I can make my own at home (recipe is in our Truly Malaysian Magazine) – but the texture of the Taufu Fah in Ipoh is next-level silky smooth. 

They say it’s because of the limestone in the water – Ipoh is surrounded by limestone hills. 

Actually, that’s the go-to reason for everything from why Ipoh Kai Si Hor Fun noodles and Dim Sum skins and Taufu Fah are so silky smooth, to why their Beansprouts are so chubby, to why Ipoh girls have such beautiful skin. 

Honestly, I don’t know if that’s the reason, or if it’s because of their secret recipes or skill. I just know that the best Taufu Fah I’ve ever eaten is in Ipoh. 

Here are some of the more famous places you can get your Taufu Fah fix from –

• Ding Feng – the Taufu Fah here comes with different sauce variations including ginger syrup and palm sugar (gula melaka) syrup, gingko nuts, and their signature Teochew Taufu Fah with layers of brown sugar. Plus it’s in an airconditioned shop, so you get to enjoy it in comfort after a hot morning/afternoon of exploring.

  Address: 11, Jalan Bijeh Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak
  Hours: 9:30am – 5:30pm (Mon-Sun)

• Funny Mountain – serves their Taufu Fah with just one sauce option – white sugar syrup. You get to enjoy it in its simplest form, sitting on stools on either side of their stall.

  Address: 49, Jalan Theatre, 30300 Ipoh, Perak
  Hours: Opens daily (except Tuesdays) from 10:30am until sold out

• Woong Kee – comes with optional delicious mochi with different fillings – you’ll also be eating it sitting on stools outside their stall.

  Address: 32-38A (Bawah), Jalan Ali Pitchay, off Jalan Yang Kalsom, Taman Jubilee, Ipoh
  Hours: Opens daily (except Wednesdays) from 1pm – 5pm

• Lai Kee Soya Bean – we’ve walked past this place a few times but never managed to try it – it’s highly-regarded for its strong ginger syrup. Definitely on our list for next time.

  Address: 38, Jalan Theatre, Ipoh Town, 30300
  Hours: Opens daily 10am – 7pm

Now on to Dim Sum – truthfully, we avoided the Dim Sum bandwagon on our first few trips to Ipoh – because, we figured, Sydney’s Dim Sum restaurants already employ Hong Kong-trained chefs, so how could anyone top that?

The answer – well, Ipoh can, for the following reasons –

• The magical/mythical Ipoh water (again) – producing delicate Dim Sum wrappers that you won’t find in your pack of frozen Aldi Har Gows. 
• The variety – we all know steamed Cheong Fun (rice noodle rolls filled with prawns/beef/char siew) but I bet most people this side of Ipoh have never had steamed red-coloured Cheong Fun with batter made from fermented red beancurd, filled with exquisitely crispy fried prawn, served with sambal udang kering (I know, right?).
• The price – I mentioned it in a separate write-up at MalaysianChefs.com (read here – 7 Reasons Why You Need At Least 3 Nights in Ipoh) – for what you pay for one person at yum cha in Sydney, you could easily feed a family in Ipoh. It’s not a luxury feast; it’s an affordable breakfast, even among the locals. 

I have to admit I’m a bit of a creature of habit; that plus the fact that we were late converts to Ipoh Dim Sum, means that our go-to place is Zhen Hi Hao – (literally, in Mandarin, “really good”), which we visit every time we’re in Ipoh. 

I like it because of the red Chee Cheong Fun mentioned above, but also for its abundance of non-pork Dim Sums (I don’t eat pork). In fact, they go so far as to label their menu items to point out which ones do contain pork, so I can avoid them rather than get all paranoid and have to second-guess (which is what happens when we go for yum cha in Sydney). This is a small-ish place and the owner is always very friendly and personable, which we like.

Zhen Hi Hao Restaurant
Address: 28, Jalan Veerasamy, Kampung Jawa, 30300 Ipoh, Perak
Hours: 7am to 2:30pm (closed Wednesdays)

If you are looking specifically for halal Dim Sum, you’re in luck – Canning Dim Sum has an extensive range, is halal-certified, and has great reviews.

Canning Dim Sum
Address: 1, Lebuh Cecil Rae, Taman Canning, 31400 Ipoh, Perak
Hours: 7:30am – 3:30pm (closed Wednesdays)

Note: They also have a second, larger venue called Dim Sum Discovery by Canning at 26, Hala Rapat Baru 21, Kawasan Industri Ringan Kinta Jaya, open 8am – 4pm 

Of course, food is a very subjective matter, which is all the more reason why you need at least 3 nights in Ipoh – so you can eat and compare and bookmark your favourites for your next trip.

For more Ipoh and Perak food recommendations, recipes (including for Taufu Fah and Sambal Udang Kering) and articles, don’t forget to get your hands on our free Truly Malaysian by MOMC digital magazine Issue #25 

The post Calling Taufu Fah & Dim Sum Lovers – Why Ipoh Is The Destination You’re Missing first appeared on Jackie M..

So what I’ve done instead, is created something more casual and flexible – essentially an online Malaysian Cooking Club – run on the Skool platform.

You can join us here – JackieM.com.au/skool

Membership gets you access to me along with my Malaysian Hawker Pro students, who are already there sharing their cooking discoveries, results and tips.

The way it works is that twice a week (or more), we hop on a Zoom call and cook along or just tune in to watch and chat with our fellow participants.

The sessions are scheduled such that they cover different timezones, so that wherever you’re based around the world, you should find a slot that suits your schedule. Some people join occasionally, and others make time to do so every week.

A couple of days after each session, I publish key cooking tips from them, so that those who missed the sessions can go back and check them out.

For the record, we don’t all cook the same dish (though sometimes we do) – and you’re not restricted to cooking only Malaysian food – eg. in our most recent session, one of our members made pikelets using sourdough discards.

The idea is that we organically get feedback and support from each other (some of my Malaysian Hawker Pro students have culinary and nutrition training and bring a wealth of knowledge to the table).

Now’s a great time to join us, because you’ll be locked in to the founders’ membership price.

As a bonus, I’ll also give you access to my Malaysian Hawker Pro Masterclass on Homemade Rice Noodles once you sign up. Just message me after you’ve joined via Skool (I just need your email address to be able to set you up).

We’ve also built up a nice sub-community of Thermomix users, so if you own one, you’ll pick up plenty of tricks for adapting traditional Malaysian recipes for it.

Join Me for Live Malaysian Cooking Online

If you’d like to:

• Learn Malaysian food online in a relaxed, friendly environment,
• Take part in regular Zoom cooking classes, and
• Connect with others who share your passion for Malaysian flavours

then this is for you.

Join my Malaysian Cooking Club here

and start cooking with us online.

The post Join My Malaysian Cooking Club — Learn Malaysian Food Online first appeared on Jackie M..

The Masters’ Table: Jackie M’s Slow Food Pilgrimage to Hidden Malaysia

9 Days / 8 Nights – 11-19 January 2026

What You’ll Experience

• Join me, Jackie M, and selected Masters of Malaysian Cuisine (MOMC) chefs on a one-of-a-kind food journey through Kuala Lumpur, Perak and Melaka.
• Discover the dishes, stories and people that make Malaysian cuisine so distinctive.
• Take part in cooking workshops and community-based exchanges with local chefs.
• Enjoy unhurried travel that leaves time to wander, taste and chat with locals.
• Step behind or in front of the camera – guests are welcome to observe or feature informally in MOMC’s Street Food Journeys: Perak filming days.
  

Tour Overview

This tour (maximum 8 full-time guests) is designed for travellers who value depth over speed, and it brings together the best elements of my previous culinary tour while removing the less compelling parts. 

We’re going with a small, intimate group and fewer tick-the-box tourist attractions so you have time to relax, wander off on your own, or just hang out with us. (Our late night hotel lounge chats and meetups were the highlight of my last culinary tour.)

You’ll experience Malaysia through the eyes of its cooks and gain an in-depth understanding of Malaysia’s layered culinary landscape. You’ll get to participate in cooking workshops with our elite Masters of Malaysian Cuisine chefs, and you’ll get to dine at eateries you won’t find listed in travel guides.

Your stay in Perak coincides with MOMC’s collaboration with Tourism Perak, who are hosting our chefs as we document the region’s food culture for our Street Food Journeys video series and MOMC eMagazine. 

Rather than being a “media shoot,” it’s an open invitation for you to share in the encounters that bring these stories to life – sampling, chatting and learning alongside us.

4 to 5-star accommodation or equivalent, daily breakfast, lunch and dinner, and transfers between locations are included so you can focus on what matters: food, culture and connection.

Itinerary Snapshot

Cost:

Inclusions

• 8 nights’ accommodation at 4 to 5-star or equivalent properties
• Daily breakfast, lunch and dinner
• All intercity and local transfers (depending on group size, this may include travel by train/Grab)
• MOMC-led workshops and cultural activities
• Perak filming participation (optional)
• Local guides

Not Included 

• Airfares
• Travel insurance
• Airport transfers

Why Join This Tour

• Cook & connect: Share kitchens and tables with Jackie M. & selected MOMC chefs.
• See what others miss: From big-head prawns in Tanjung Tualang to chee cheong fun in Teluk Intan, explore true local favourites.
• Travel slowly: Each leg of the journey reveals another layer of Malaysia’s food story.
• Make a difference: Your presence helps showcase Perak’s & Malaysia’s culinary treasures for Visit Malaysia 2026.
  

Additional Notes:

Due to the unique nature of this small-group culinary pilgrimage – relying on the availability of specific local experts and optimal conditions at highly-sought, off-the-beaten-path eateries – the itinerary, precise timings, and specific vendors are subject to change. 

Any necessary modifications will be made to ensure the highest quality and most exclusive culinary experience for our guests.

Meals:

Breakfast is included and offers two options at each stay:

Option A (Hotel): You may take breakfast provided by the accommodation (where applicable).

Option B (Local Style): You may join me at a nearby hawker stall or kopitiam. This provides direct experience of local food culture.

All lunches and dinners are covered by the tour price. Menu selection for the group will be set by me.

Please note that I don’t consume pork, and menu choices will reflect this bias. You’re welcome to order additional dishes (with or without pork), supplementary items, or beverages at your own expense.

The post Jackie M’s Culinary Tour #2 – A Slow Food Pilgrimage to Hidden Malaysia first appeared on Jackie M..

On the week I did Nyonya cuisine, a food brand came forward to sponsor some of the ingredients we would be using in our cooking session. Never one to say no the freebies, I happily accepted their offer.

One of the dishes we were tackling in that session was Penang Asam Laksa, which I used to sell as an occasional special at my restaurant. And one of the ingredients in my asam laksa recipe was tamarind concentrate. I used to buy this in bulk for my restaurant – a specific version from Thailand.

The food brand offered their version of tamarind concentrate and the students in my class used it like-for-like in the recipe. As it turned out, their tamarind was much more concentrated than what I usually used, so everyone’s asam laksa ended up too sour. We tried to fix it with mixed success. And yes, I take full responsibility for the stuff-up.

The point of this story is not to say that any particular brand of an Asian ingredient is superior to another, but rather that if you’re going to be following my recipes, developed by me (unlike, ahem, in the case of some bestselling cookbook authors), you need to be on the same page as me when working out exactly what iteration of an ingredient I’m talking about.

This is why I created a really basic PDF called the Malaysian Pantry Decoder – I compiled it for participants of my Malaysian Hawker Pro coaching programme so they knew what to look for when shopping for ingredients for the six restaurant-level dishes they would be tackling in the programme.

Then I figured everyone else who follows my recipes (which I’ve been sharing online for 15+ years) could benefit from it as well, so if you want to grab your copy, you can do so here – Malaysian Pantry Decoder.

It’s meant to give you a visual guide to the types of ingredients I commonly use, along with the brands I prefer (in some, not all cases) – since if you’re Asian you’ll know that no two soya sauces or oyster sauces are identical.

So next time you attempt my recipes here on my website and on YouTube etc., you can use it as a point of reference, and not blame me if your asam laksa is too sour or not sour enough.

If nothing else, it might open your eyes to the possibilities next time you visit an Asian grocery store (esp. the freezer section) for ingredients you might not have considered using in Malaysian cooking.

I’m going to dive further into some of these ingredient/brand choices in follow-up emails I send to my list, so you can make sense of why I use them as opposed to other stuff that might be more “conventional”.

By the way, if you’ve been sitting on the sidelines re: Malaysian Hawker Pro, where you get to master 6 dishes from my restaurant menu with personal virtual coaching from me, I’m gearing up for my next intake. If you want to skip the queue (because the price will be going up), drop me a line I’ll send you the details along with the current pricing.

Jackie M.

Photo from our Grace Hotel cooking class – and by the way, I know it was twelve and a half years ago because Noah was seven months old and still in Westmead Hospital, getting ready to finally come home after multiple operations etc.

The post Malaysian Pantry Decoder first appeared on Jackie M..

I ended up closing my restaurant soon after that to look after my disabled child Noah.  (FYI anytime I mention Noah it is to give some context re: why I no longer own a restaurant, so people don’t mistakenly think I’m a failed business owner; I’m not fishing for sympathy about Noah’s situation.)

Anyway, not operating a restaurant meant I had the opportunity to travel back to Malaysia regularly and collaborate with local chefs and hawkers. I learned A LOT about how things are done there, but I also realised that what I had taught myself and implemented in Sydney re: Malaysian hawker cooking actually held up pretty well (with the usual caveats re: ingredient availability this side of the world, etc).

I’m now finally ready to dedicate 100% of my attention and effort into helping motivated cooks online to master Malaysian hawker cooking.

This is the kind of person I’m looking to work with:

1. You’re comfortable handling food and you know your way around the kitchen
2. You love Malaysian hawker food, but you feel stuck when it comes to cooking it
3. You’re willing to expand your comfort levels (in a supported way) in order to test and master Malaysian hawker cooking
4. You’re friendly and coachable and have ~4 hours per week for 12 weeks to devote to this (most of it in your own time)
5. You might have even attended culinary school and found there’s a frustrating knowledge gap there when it comes to Malaysian/Singaporean hawker cuisine

If this sounds like you, go ahead and check out the full details at Malaysian Hawker Pro.

Let me know if you’re IN and I’ll get you set up.

PS this has taken much longer to get going than I had anticipated because a bunch of projects ended up on my lap (Masters of Malaysian Cuisine, The Durian Cookbook etc.).

The post Mastering Malaysian Hawker Cooking with Jackie M. first appeared on Jackie M..

Melaka-born Nyonya cuisine expert and Masters of Malaysian Cuisine (MOMC) chef Debbie Teoh demonstrated how to make Satay Celup sauce in the first episode of Street Food Journeys: Malaysia (her segment kicks in at the 9-minute mark)

–

Here’s Debbie’s Satay Celup recipe from the show:

Satay Celup

INGREDIENTS:

1⁄2 cup cooking oil
Spice Paste:
2 stalks lemongrass, thinly sliced
8 shallots, sliced
80 g galangal, thinly sliced
15 g dried chillies, soaked in hot water till soft
20 g candlenuts
3⁄4 Tbsp coriander seeds, pre-toasted
1⁄2 Tbsp fennel, pre-,oasted
25 g garlic, sliced
2 chicken carcasses (or pork bones), chopped
1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed
50 g Gula Melaka (or brown sugar), to taste
1⁄2 Tbsp salt, to taste
150 – 200 g peanuts, fried & ground coarsely
Recommended Dipping Options:
300 g meat (beef/chicken/pork), sliced into 4cm
rectangles
500 g medium sized prawns, peeled
400 g squid, cleaned & cut into 4cm squares
350 g brown squid, cleaned & cut into 4cm squares
10 pcs tofu puffs, halved & filled with a slice of
cucumber then skewered
250 g Meatballs
250 g fish balls
1 packet deep fried bean curd slices
Some “yong tau foo” like stuffed chilly, bitter gourd
200 g cockles
20 pcs hardboiled quails eggs, peeled
200 g vegetable balls
1 packet fresh brown mushroom
1 packet young corn, cut into 3cm lengths
1⁄2 loaf Hainanese bread, cut into 2.5cm squares
2 cucumber, quartered & sliced
Deep-fried Chinese crullers “yau char kwai”
Bamboo skewers

METHOD:

1. Place the chicken carcasses and crushed peppercorns in a large pot, then cover with 2.5 litres water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes or till it reduces down by a third.
2. Strain the stock & set aside. Alternatively, use chicken stock granules and add water.
3. Using an electric blender, finely blend the spice paste ingredients. Heat oil in a wok sauté spice paste until fragrant, stirring continuously.
4. Add the stock and gula Melaka, then add salt & ground peanuts to taste. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes, then check for seasoning.
5. To serve, lay out a select of meat/vegetables to cook in the gravy. Keep the gravy on a simmer, stirring
   occasionally to prevent the gravy scorching at the bottom of the pot.
6. Using bamboo skewers, place the meat/vegetables into the gravy to cook through.
7. Serve with some Chinese bread, “yau char kwai” & freshly cut cucumber for dipping into the Satay Celup gravy.

Don’t miss any of the recipes by yours truly and by my Masters of Malaysian Cuisine chefs; sign up to my mailing list here and I’ll send the PDFs to you directly along with our latest news etc. >>

The post How To Cook Satay Celup by Debbie Teoh (Street Food Journeys S1E1: Melaka) first appeared on Jackie M..

Johor is highly-regarded among Malaysians and Singaporeans as a foodie destination, so much so that Singaporeans regularly travel across the border into Malaysia just to eat a meal in this, the southernmost state of the peninsular of Malaysia. In this episode of Street Food Journeys: Malaysia, we explore Johor through the lens of its food.

Click here to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eB2JJz7sZE 

Tourism Malaysia Culinary Ambassador and Masters of Malaysian Cuisine At Heart chef, Dato’ Ismail Ahmad, showed us how to make Laksa Johor. Laksa Johor is unique in part because it uses spaghetti (incidentally it was the subject of the recent “Laksa Wars” on Malaysia’s social media where netizens debated the merits of the different versions of laksa in Malaysia).

My experience of Mee Rebus (literally, boiled noodles) from my years growing up in Seremban, is quite different to what is known as Mee Rebus in Johor. The version I knew was mindblowingly spicy and completely savoury (unlike the Johor version which is noticeably sweet). It also came with a light yellow (not orange) sauce, and it was vegetarian.

I had to look up the Johor recipe before attempting it in my cooking segment – interestingly my research yielded a number of markedly different versions, so I picked elements from a couple of different recipes to produce mine. I was grateful to have Masters of Malaysian Cuisine’s Michelin-trained chef Rene Juefri on hand to discuss these variations afterwards.

Rene spent a large amount of time during his childhood in Johor, so he was well-positioned to speak about the cuisine. The Mee Rebus Johor I made turned out very flavoursome and it reminded me somewhat of Mee Rojak which is a version of Indian Rojak (salad with a spicy sweet potato sauce) that’s served with egg noodles.

YouTube and TikTok star Mark O’Dea made his first appearance in Street Food Journeys (you’ll be seeing more of him in future episodes), and he discussed his experience of Johor with MOMC’s Vegan Chef Dave, who was born and raised in the state.

We also interviewed Kelab Alami co-founder Serina Rahman about the Sea Warriors Market which was founded to help local fishermen to make more money for their catch. Other regulars in this episode were The JetLag Warriors, Malaysian tour guide Shaukani Abbas, and MOMC Chef, Bob Adnin.

Don’t forget to sign up at https://MalaysianChefs.com/StreetFoodJourneys if you want the recipes from our cooking sessions, along with the bonus content we couldn’t fit into the episode.

The post Johor: Laksa Johor, Mee Rebus, Places To Visit & Things To Do first appeared on Jackie M..

MEDIA RELEASE

16 April 2021

Tourism Malaysia Australia Partners with Jackie M for Street Food Journeys: Malaysia

Tourism Malaysia Australia is delighted to partner with Malaysian-born, Sydney-based hawker food expert Jackie M. to produce an 8-part video series titled Street Food Journeys: Malaysia.

Each 20-minute episode covers a different Malaysian state, with a focus on its famous hawker dishes. The viewer is then transported to the kitchen where Jackie M and her celebrity chef friends from Masters of Malaysian Cuisine (MOMC) demonstrate how to recreate these dishes at home using locally-available ingredients.

“I’m excited at the opportunity to celebrate Malaysia’s hawker offerings and to honour the people behind the food”, says the show’s host and producer Jackie M, whose own parents used to sell street food back in her hometown of Seremban. 

She continues,“Covid-19 means we have to wait a little longer before we can travel again, but this series gives everyone a chance to virtually explore Malaysia’s diverse street food offerings and use it to inform their future travel plans to Malaysia.” 

Co-producer Paul Gray says, “This is a culinary travel show with a difference, in that you get to learn how to make the dishes we’ll be showcasing, from some of the top Malaysian chefs in the world”.

Apart from the MOMC chefs, the series will also feature Kuala Lumpur-based YouTube and TikTok star Mark O’Dea, and multi-award winning Malaysian tour guide Shaukani Abbas.

The series airs on multiple platforms and channels online starting 2 May 2021, with a new episode to be released every Sunday evening at 9pm AEST:

Episode 1: Melaka

Episode 2: Johor

Episode 3: Pahang

Episode 4: Perak

Episode 5: Terengganu

Episode 6: Penang

Episode 7: Kedah

Episode 8: Sarawak

For more details, contact:

Jackie M.

Ph: +61 (0) 425 797 718

E: jackie@jackiem.com.au

The post Tourism Malaysia Australia Partners with Jackie M for Street Food Journeys: Malaysia first appeared on Jackie M..