A lot of Malay food seems vegan enough, until one finds out about the generous use of salted fish, fermented shrimp, dried anchovies, fish sauce, oyster sauce and bits of meat or offal that can be hiding in it! In vegetable dishes, animal-based ingredients are…

In late 2019, I was approached by The Star newspaper to develop a couple of recipes to share with their readers to get the new year started off on a healthy note. It was an absolute dream to receive such an invitation, and a sign…

Having just returned from Chinese New Year festivities from my mother’s hometown of Malacca, my Peranakan roots have been reinforced in my psyche. Peranakan food was on sale within every inch of sight. One of the reunion lunches hosted by my relatives was held at…

I just had a press interview this week, and I was asked: What is one of the biggest misconceptions about veganism that you face now? My answer was that many people believe that going vegan is expensive. I explained that most plant-based references we have…

The thing about Peranakan food that people love the most is how much you can taste the love that goes into it. This is the very thing that also puts people off from making Peranakan food themselves! Modern cooking culture has been reduced to instant…

Black sticky rice pudding, or Pulut Hitam in Bahasa, is a classic Southeast Asian comfort food and one of those things you eat as a kid without really knowing what it is. You hear the word, ‘pulut’, you think about it being something called ‘pulut’…

Kaya has got to be one of my most favourite jams, EVER.  Super rich and creamy, with a base of eggs and coconut milk, it’s part of a common breakfast here in Malaysia, typically served with Roti Bakar (‘Grilled Bread’ in Bahasa). Enjoying this indulgent…