Semolina Cake (Sugee Cake Recipe)

Buttery and soft, with a mild fragrance of rose essence and a gentle crunch from almonds. This is Semolina Cake, a buttery semolina flour cake loved by many. One of the most popular cakes worldwide, made with semolina flour or sujee flour, it goes by different names across regions.

In South Asia and India, it is called Suji Cake (semolina cake). In the Middle East and North Africa, it becomes Basbousa or Hareeseh, a syrup-soaked delight. In Greece and Turkey, it is known as Revani (traditional semolina cake), often flavoured with citrus.

 

In Sri Lanka, on the other hand, it is the Love Cake, made with spices and cashews.

Fried Fish with Soy Sauce

When it comes to fish, Chinese-style cooking gives you the choice of steaming or frying. First things first: make sure the fish is fresh. Whether you choose to steam or fry, this recipe works for both.

 

On steamed or fried fish, top with crispy fried julienned ginger, which delivers a sharp, zesty, and fresh spicy taste. Pour soy sauce heated in the same oil used to fry the fish over it, then drizzle sesame oil on top of the fish. Finished with fresh spring onions.

Mee Siam Kuah/Gravy (Vegetarian)

Mee Siam is a classic Penang Nyonya (Peranakan) noodle dish in Malaysia. It comes in two styles: dry and gravy (kuah), but both use the same rice vermicelli, also known as mee hoon or bee hoon. The dry version is simple, with just a few ingredients, while the Mee Siam Kuah requires a spice paste as the base of the thick, aromatic gravy.

 

This recipe features the vegetarian gravy version(MEE REBUS VEGETARIAN). A spicy, fragrant kuah,  poured over blanched rice vermicelli, topped with a variety of garnishes. For a hint of sourness, calamansi lime is paired together. Vegetarians who avoid eggs can simply omit them (MEE GORENG/FRIED MEE).

Sardine Varuval (Dry Style)

Among canned sardine recipes, sardine varuval or dry-style sardines is a top pick. Flaky, spicy, tangy, with the aroma of curry leaves and spring onions, it’s quick, versatile, and a favorite at home (SOUTH INDIAN CHICKEN CURRY).

Canned sardines are a pantry-friendly ingredient for fast, easy meals. This Indian sardine recipe uses simple spices to make a homemade sardine varuval in minutes. Serve with rice, as a side, or in bread for a sardine sandwich.

 

Simple, aromatic, and a hit on the dining table (COCONUT MILK TOM YUM SOUP).

Karaikudi Kozhi Kuzhumbu/Chicken Curry

Rich dark brown with a warm reddish glow, this Karaikudi Chicken Curry is made from a homemade spice paste, with tender chicken pieces and aromatic curry leaves. Mouthwatering and simply irresistible, it’s one of the most flavoursome South Indian chicken curries.

Karaikudi is a town in the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu, South India, famous for dishes loaded with spices (LAMB SOUP INDIAN STYLE).

 

This curry is also known as Chettinad Chicken Curry. It connects to the Chettinad community in Malacca, Malaysia, which continues to preserve traditional cooking and spice heritage (CHICKEN RENDANG/RENDANG AYAM).

Lamb Soup Recipe: Indian Style

Whether you prefer lamb or mutton, both can work for a flavorful Indian-style soup. But lamb is ideal for tender meat that cooks faster. Making this Indian lamb soup recipe is easy. Once the ingredients are ready, slow simmering brings out the layered Indian flavors (COCONUT MILK CHICKEN CURRY).

This spiced lamb soup is all about layering flavors. The ingredients are tempered separately - coconut oil, shallots, spices and coriander leaves, before tipping into the soup. This gives the soup a deep, vibrant flavor that is classic to Indian cuisine.

Chickpea Curry Recipe

Not just chickpeas, this spiced Indian curry with spinach, is simply delicious. Indeed, a healthy recipe with no magic. Just simple ingredients and aromatic spices. Instead of using ready-made fish or meat curry powders, this curry is made with a combination of spice powders, creating a full, well-rounded taste beyond a plain curry (VEGETARIAN POTATO CURRY).

 

Chickpeas for this curry are the canned version. Whether you prefer to boil your own or use canned, chickpeas are packed with protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They are a great source for supporting heart health and sustained energy, for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.

Even nibbling on a few chickpeas gives health benefits.

Indian Fish Curry with Coconut Milk

An Indian Fish Curry, South Indian style, striking in spices with a reddish dark brown hue. A dish that instantly captures your food love - simple, nothing complicated, yet so satisfying. Coconut milk adds a creamy, mildly sweet flavor that softens the spiciness, while a touch of sourness rounds everything off for a perfectly balanced profile (SRI LANKAN FISH CURRY). 

In a Malaysian kitchen, though, a South Indian Fish Curry often takes on a local twist (SOUTH AFRICAN FISH CURRY). Vegetables are added, something not typically done in South India. For this version, eggplant joins the curry. The rest of the ingredients are a mix of common kitchen staples and fresh finds.

Keema Recipe

Mince meat cooked in a spicy, dry-style curry, that’s keema. This popular South Asian dish is loved in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and even Malaysia. You can make keema with lamb, mutton (MUTTON RENDANG), beef, or chicken. Use home-ground meat or store-bought minced meat for convenience.

Keema is versatile. Add green peas, potatoes, or sliced button mushrooms, or keep it simple with just meat. Pantry-friendly ingredients are enough. No need for fancy extras. This recipe uses lamb, but you can easily swap in other meats or even make a vegetarian version called Vegetable Keema (VEGETABLE KURMA).

Tom Yum Soup: Coconut Milk Thai Style

Whether it a plain simple Thai soup, or Tom Yum style, it all comes back to the Southeast Asian Herbs. Galangal and lemongrass the common cooking with herbs, and for aroma the famed kaffir lime leaves, or even coriander leaves (STEAMED FISH THAI STYLE). 

Whether it’s a homemade paste, or store bought Tom Yum Paste, or without a paste, yet with the beloved Thai deliciousness.

 

Apart from the common fiery red tom yum, there is also there white tom yum (Tom Yum Nam Sai) and this tom yum soup with coconut milk (Tom Yum Nam Khon).

Mee Goreng (Fried Mee)

Apart from rice meals, (NASI KERABU/HERBS RICE) noodle dishes are highly anticipated in Malaysia, and one of the favorites is Mee Goreng (fried mee). Though it comes in different styles, it’s still Mee Goreng at heart. The variations mostly depend on the meat, seafood, or poultry used.

The Malay-style Mee Goreng is one example, and when cooked with fresh prawns, it’s called Mee Goreng Udang (MALAY STYLE PRAWN NOODLES). Eggs can be added on top, served as a runny fried egg (Mata Kerbau), or mixed into the yellow noodles while frying.

Pada Salted Fish Pickle

Pada Salted Fish Pickle is a famous Eurasian dish unique to the Malaysian and Singaporean Eurasian community. While other fish pickles or meen achar exist worldwide, none match the aroma, tang, and sweetness of this salted fish pickle (PORTUGUESE VEGETABLE PICKLE).

Crispy fried salted fish and green chilies in a delicious spice paste make it irresistible.

 

For taste, adjust the amount of salted fish, green chilies, and spice paste to balance spiciness, tanginess, and saltiness. These are the essential cooking tips for Pada salted fish pickle.

Steamed Fish: Thai Style

Bold, vibrant Thai flavors. Spicy, sour, and salty, all come together in tender steamed fish. This is the ultimate Thai dish. Steaming is one of the healthiest cooking methods, requiring little more than preparing fresh ingredients, including cleaning and gutting the fish.

 

Freshness is key. Choose a fish that has a subtle scent of the ocean or sea water. The eyes should be clear, and the gills bright red, indicating fresh blood and quality. Otherwise, making steamed fish is a waste of time and money (FISH CURRY WITH COCONUT MILK). 

Tempe Orek (Indonesian Spicy Fermented Soy Beans)

Tempeh, also spelled tempe, a traditional fermented soybean product from Java, Indonesia, is a nutrient superfood. Protein-rich, full of probiotics, and packed with nutrients, it is one of the healthiest plant-based foods. In Malaysia, it is mainly used for Malay food (RENDANG KAMBING/MUTTON RENDANG). Tempeh has also gained recognition worldwide, including in Western meals.

The plain, humble taste of tempeh is delicious on its own. A sprinkle of salt and a quick fry makes it crispy and appetizing, a healthy snack by itself. It can also be added to masak lemak (turmeric coconut milk stew), made as sambal tempeh, or included in other dishes.

Mutton Rendang

There is chicken rendang (RENDANG AYAM/CHICKEN RENDANG), beef rendang, and of course, mutton rendang, or rendang kambing. Is the recipe very different? Not really. You can change some ingredients for a twist, but the core ingredients are a must.

Mutton is generally tougher than lamb. Cooking it until tender can take time. If overcooked, it will shrink and lose its texture. A useful tip for mutton rendang and other mutton dishes is to pressure cook the mutton with ginger paste and garlic paste. This makes cooking easier while keeping the flavor.

Nasi Kerabu - Malaysian Herbs Rice

An array of herbs, including crunchy green herbs and the butterfly pea flower, make Nasi Kerabu, or Malaysian herbs rice, a healthy and colorful dish. The types of herbs are not fixed. They depend on what is available and what is preferred. Therefore, no two plates of Malaysian herbs rice may be exactly the same.

These herbs are also staples in Southeast Asian cooking, with bunga telang/ butterfly pea flower (GROWING BUTTERFLY PEA FLOWER) giving the rice its vibrant blue hue.

Pineapple Cucumber Salad with Torch Ginger

A no-cook salad is one of the easiest dishes to put together. It’s a simple recipe, all you need to do is slice the ingredients. Better still, these ingredients are easily found at Asian grocers. In Malaysia, they’re everyday staples you can pick up at markets or even supermarkets.

Budget-friendly too, and if you have extra pineapple or cucumber after making this Malaysian salad, they make a  healthy snack (NASI ULAM/HERBED RICE). Even the peanuts? Buy them roasted, no need to roast at home.

Malaysian Sodhi (Indian Coconut Milk Stew)

Simplicity shines in Sodhi, the Indian coconut milk stew. This much-loved dish also finds a cherished place in cuisines from other parts of the world, like Sri Lanka and especially Kerala. Making Sodhi is effortless: just add all the ingredients to a pot, simmer, season with lime juice and salt, and you're done.

 

You can create various types of Sodhi, and to make it a one-pot dish, adding vegetables is a great option. I often do this to keep the dish interesting and avoid monotony. Plus, it saves me the trouble of preparing a separate vegetable dish 

Pucuk Ubi Masak Lemak (Tapioca leaf In Coconut Gravy)

Pucuk Ubi Masak Lemak is a traditional and authentic Malay dish. Creamy, with a vibrant yellow hue (TURMERIC FISH PAN GRILLED), tender tapioca leaves, and the salty burst of belacan (shrimp paste) and dried shrimps make this tapioca leaf in coconut gravy absolutely delicious.

 

This Malay heritage recipe has been handed down through generations and remains a staple in a traditional Malay rice meal (RENDANG AYAM/CHICKEN RENDANG).

Ikan Balado

Balado is a spicy Indonesian chili sauce, or sambal, that’s both versatile and fiery, depending on how many red chilies you use. Originating from West Sumatra, it’s a key feature in Padang-style cooking and often served with mixed rice dishes across Indonesia (KERABU MANGGA/MANGO SALAD). 

Made by blending red chilies with shallots, garlic, and a touch of lime, balado can be used raw or sautéed until aromatic (TAMARIND FISH). 

It’s delicious on its own as a condiment or as a base for dishes like Ikan Balado (fish in chili sauce). You can prepare balado ahead of time and store it for adding to rice meals, vegetables, or other protein dishes whenever you need a spicy kick (FRIED FISH WITH ASAM SAUCE).