Kuih Bingka Ubi or Baked Cassava Cake is about as simple a Malay kuih as you can make, and the bonus is that it's gluten-free. If you're based in Sydney, you should be able to find grated cassava easily in the freezer section of Indian and well-stocked Asian grocery stores - it's a definite timesaver. BTW I know I've posted this recipe on this » Read More
How to Make Cucur Badak (Stuffed Sweet Potato Dumplings)
July 31, 2018 by
Cucur Badak, or savoury sweet potato dumplings stuffed with a spicy minced dried prawn and coconut filling, is one of those little Malay kuih (snack) recipes that we learned in our Home Science classes back in high school in Malaysia, and they’re really not that hard to make. The fact that you need to deep-fry them is probably a bit of a » Read More
How to Make Yee Chai Peng (Ear Biscuits)
July 24, 2018 by
Yee Chai Peng (Cantonese for “ear biscuits”) were these intriguing spiral-patterned, curved fried pastries from my childhood in Malaysia, which were crunchy, slightly sweet and yet savoury. The only ones I ever ate were factory-made; this wasn’t one of those things that you would find people making fresh at home or at their street stall - certainly » Read More
How to Flip & Cook Roti Canai | Roti Bom | Murtabak & More (Part 2)
July 17, 2018 by
A Wok Around Asia Roti Canai Masterclass by Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur This is part 2 of a two-part series on how to make roti canai; part 1 (click here) covered how to make the dough, and this part shows you how to flip, fill and fold the roti. Chef Chandra of Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur covers all the popular roti styles available at your » Read More
How to Make Savoury Taro Cake (Wu Tao Ko)
July 11, 2018 by
Savoury Taro Cake (Wu Tao Ko in Cantonese) was a breakfast snack that I remember being sold alongside Chee Cheong Fun (steamed rice noodle rolls) back in my hometown of Seremban in Malaysia. My parents would typically order a small share plate of it from the hawker stall at breakfast, and it was served steamed (not pan-fried like what you get at » Read More
How to Make Vegan Blue Smoothie Bowl
July 5, 2018 by
I generally frown on any recipe that’s tagged as “healthy” or “vegan” because my brain translates those words respectively as “fad” and “taste-free”. However, this smoothie bowl is pretty tasty in spite of being healthy and vegan, so definitely give it a try if you have some fruit sitting around at home. The coconut milk/cream bit comes into » Read More
How to Make Perfect Roti Canai Dough
July 2, 2018 by
A Wok Around Asia Recipe By Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur When I got into this whole “food thing” back in the day, I had to learn how to make everything myself through trial and error, because hawkers in Malaysia were notoriously secretive about their craft. One of these recipes was for roti canai (roti prata if you’re Singaporean), and I’ve » Read More
How to Cook Ayam Masak Merah (Spicy Tomato Chicken)
June 28, 2018 by
I’m told Ayam Masak Merah is a ubiquitous dish at Malay buffets back in Malaysia but I honestly don’t remember ever eating it. It could be that my home state of Negeri Sembilan serves up a Malay fare that’s noticeably different to that found in other parts of the country. For the longest time after it appeared on my radar, I wasn't particularly » Read More
Matching Australian Wines With Asian Food
June 26, 2018 by
I was recently sent a box of Australian wines courtesy of Wine Selectors, a wine subscription company which sells wine from over 500 Australian producers, of bronze medal standard or higher. The pack I received was from their Australia’s First Families of Wine Favourites Mixed Collection, and this has given me the perfect opportunity to » Read More
How to Make KL Hokkien Mee With Homemade Noodles
June 19, 2018 by
On my most recent trip to Kuala Lumpur, I was reintroduced to a childhood favourite known in my hometown of Seremban simply as Hokkien Mee (Hokkien noodles). I bought it from a stall in Ampang run by Feh Loh (literally “Fat Guy” in Cantonese - that was what he called himself, I promise), asked for it to be made with no pork, and it ended up being » Read More