How to Cook Laksa Sarang Perak, Easy Curry Mee and Vegan Laksam Laksa Sarang by Chef Amin at Mu Hotel, Ipoh Laksa Sarang (literally, bird’s nest laksa) refers to the egg that’s beaten, then poured in a thin stream into hot oil to create a nest-like effect. It’s served on top of the laksa, which adds a beautiful crispy texture and rich flavour to what would be recognised as a sour fish-based (asam) laksa. Chef Amin, the head chef of Mu Hotel in Ipoh, Perak, demonstrated how to make Laksa Sarang in this episode of Street Food Journeys: Laksas of Malaysia, and provided his insights into how to ..read more

How to Cook Laksa Sarawak, Laksa Goreng, Laksa Kedah and Easy Laksa Nyonya Melaka In the third of our four-episode web series, Laksas of Malaysia, we were thrilled to be invited by Datin Suraya Kusaidi, a friend of Masters of Malaysian Cuisine (MOMC)’s Mazna Merten, to film a segment on Laksa Sarawak. Most Laksa Sarawak recipes do not disclose how to make the laksa paste from scratch, but Datin Suraya, who’s originally from Sarawak, was happy to share her own family’s recipe for what the late Anthony Bourdain once described as the “breakfast of the gods”.   Laksa Sarawak by Datin S ..read more

How to Cook Laksa Terengganu, Laksa Melaka, Laksam, and Laksa Lipat Gulung   In this episode of Street Food Journeys, we travelled to Terengganu Cultural Village courtesy of Tourism Terengganu, to learn how to make Laksa Terengganu (two versions – white and red). The beautiful backdrop of the Terengganu Cultural Village (photo courtesy of Rosita Heilek) We saw how the laksa noodles were made using a traditional giant mould suspended over a cauldron of boiling water.  Yours truly having a go at making laksa noodles the traditional way Then, we were joined by local expert Gay ..read more

Most Australians who know laksa think “curry laksa” when asked to describe it. There’s no shame in this – curry laksa is essentially the laksa I grew up eating myself, in my part of Malaysia (Seremban, 40 miles south of KL).  What many don’t realise is that among Malaysians, laksa means something completely different depending on which part of the country you grew up in. The most obvious example is Penang Asam Laksa, the sour broth made using fish and served with fresh herbs such as daun kesum (Vietnamese mint), shredded cucumber, torch ginger bud and pineapple, and topped with a gooey ..read more

MEDIA RELEASE 26 August 2022 Street Food Journeys Returns With Series 4 & 5 Filmed In Malaysia Tourism Malaysia’s Street Food Journeys is back with two new series, Laksas of Malaysia and Malaysia: Melting Pot of Asia, to once again showcase Malaysia’s culinary diversity through the lens of Sydney-based former restaurateur Jackie M. and her team of elite chefs from Masters of Malaysian Cuisine (MOMC). Masters of Malaysian Cuisine chefs Johari Edrus, Zaleha Olpin, Jackie M, Rene Juefri and Bob Adnin. Not pictured – Debbie Teoh, Dave Murugaya and Dato’ Ismail Ahmad Produced by Jackie M an ..read more

One good thing about having South African digital marketer Paul Gray in Sydney with us is that it allows me and Baby Noah to play tourist in our own city.  Now that we’re at the tail end of winter (we conveniently missed 5 cold, wet La Niña weeks thanks to filming and travelling in Malaysia) we’ve spent our weekends exploring Sydney’s unmatched coastline. This Sunday just past, we had the added bonus of sampling the lobster rolls at Lobster & Co‘s pop-up at The Rocks. Paul played his usual role of designated videographer and he was able to compile this highlights reel of our lobster ..read more

Edensor Park was where we settled when my parents, younger sister and I first arrived in Australia back in 1984, and it was in that part of Sydney where I got my first after-school job delivering pamphlets and the local newspaper (remember The Champion, anyone?) in the area. Even though I no longer live out that way, I do go to nearby Cabramatta every week to stock up on Southeast Asian cooking ingredients; it’s basically my forever ‘hood. So we were quite excited when the owners of the popular Holy Heffa Burger Truck, Andrew and Dianna, invited us to try their burgers recently – I love talk ..read more

Penang Island is synonymous with street food, and it was appropriately our first stop during our Masters of Malaysian Cuisine (MOMC) road trip throughout the Malaysian peninsula in July 2022. What did we eat and where did we stay in Penang Island? As mentioned in my introduction last week, this is by no means a comprehensive list – we were there to film cooking segments for Tourism Malaysia’s Street Food Journeys 4 and 5, so we ate a combination of food made for our series along with iconic local food and food from hotel buffet spreads. Accommodation: Cititel Penang We travelled to Penang twi ..read more

What do you eat and where do you stay when you’re travelling in Malaysia?  I get asked that question a lot (and similarly, I’m always looking for recommendations before I visit places in Malaysia I’m not familiar with). In July 2022, I had the opportunity to go on a road trip covering most of the peninsula of Malaysia for an entire month with Noah, Paul Gray, and the Masters of Malaysian Cuisine (MOMC) extended family of chefs, cooks and YouTubers. Red dots mark the places we visited during July in Malaysia We were there to film content for our next two Tourism Malaysia Australia-spons ..read more

Stingless Bee Honey aka kelulut is officially recognised as Malaysia’s first superfood, and for good reason – it is scientifically-tested to be: High in easy-to-absorb antioxidants (high amount of phenolic acid, with propolis and bioflavonoids) High in antimicrobial activities (as high as Manuka Honey); it is antibacterial, antiseptic, antifungal, and antiviral High in naturally occurring low GI sugar called Trehalulose Stingless bee honey has a unique sweet and sour taste, and while it is typically consumed straight or in a drink, it also works very well in dishes that call for a tangy fla ..read more