How to Cook Indonesian Padang-Style Eggplant Balado

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 Hakka Lo Pek Pan (Hakka Radish Cake)

I sometimes feel sorry for those not born into the culture trying to learn all the nuances of Chinese food. It’s hard enough trying to wrap your head around the topic, let alone recognise all the different iterations of specific dishes by different Chinese dialect groups. Radish cake is one such example; the Cantonese version found at yum cha » Read More

How to Make Savoury Taro Cake (Wu Tao Ko)

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 Cook Ayam Masak Merah (Spicy Tomato Chicken)

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