Malaysia: Recipes from a Family Kitchen
SynopsisPlot
Malaysian food has long been the hidden jewel of South-east Asian cookery - it's a fusion of the Chinese, Malay and Indian cultures that make up Malaysia itself. In her debut book Malaysia Ping Coombes shares all the secrets and delights of this extraordinary cuisine. Drawing inspiration from her mother and from the late-night stalls and street markets in her hometown of Ipoh, Ping has put together over 100 delicious recipes that serve as a perfect introduction to the tastes and textures of Malaysian cooking. Chilli crab and caramel pork, spicy laksas and rendangs, satays and tangy sambals: these classic dishes are intensely satisfying to make, share and devour!
Story
About this book
Ping Coombes grew up in Ipoh, a city in the state of Perak known for its food culture and late-night street stalls. This cookbook, her first, collects over 100 recipes rooted in the cooking she learned from her mother and from the hawker markets of her hometown. The dishes reflect the three major culinary traditions that shape Malaysian food: Chinese, Malay, and Indian, each contributing distinct ingredients, techniques, and flavors to a shared table.
The recipes cover a wide range of Malaysian staples. Laksas, which are spicy noodle soups built on coconut or tamarind broth, sit alongside rendang, a slow-cooked dry curry, and various sambals, the chilli-based condiments that appear at nearly every Malaysian meal. Satay, chilli crab, and caramel pork are also included. Coombes writes the book as an introduction to these dishes, aiming to make them accessible to cooks unfamiliar with the cuisine.
Ipoh itself is sometimes called a food capital of Malaysia, partly because of the concentration of hawker stalls that serve regional specialties at low cost. The book draws on that local food environment as much as on family cooking, connecting home kitchens and street vendors as two sides of the same tradition.
