A Cool Chef & Writer Talks Best Meals, Foodie Memories & More

My perfect Sunday would be a sunny day, a slightly longer lie-in, then going to a food market or vintage market for a stroll. Or even dropping into some charity shops to see what I could find. Then picking up some lovely products for dinner and making a big pot of something delicious and having one or two friends come round for a 3-4pm Sunday dinner.

For a date, I’d recommend somewhere low pressure and fun – I think a really good ramen spot or a buzzy wine bar with small plates where you can graze and sip is perfect. You want somewhere where you can laugh, try each other’s food and not feel too formal. Failing that, somewhere with a pool table.

After a long, late shift my go-to meal is instant noodles. Maggi goreng is a recipe in my book which is basically instant noodles that have been enhanced with sambals and chilli oil. It’s the perfect after-work treat.

I do enjoy a trip to Waitrose – it feels like a special moment. But I often go to local, small, specialised shops like Asian supermarkets or halal butchers. My most-used ingredient is anchovies. I use them in absolutely everything.

My favourite dining companion is my mum. She loves food just as much as me. My dream dinner party guest would be Graham Norton. I think he’s the best chat show host. He’d have lots of great stories and he’s just hilarious. I like to get deep in the giggles at a dinner party.

I don’t have a signature dish. I always cook new things at home and for my friends. I need to keep my dinner party love alive! But it always revolves around sharing big plates of food. When hosting, make sure to look after yourself too. I wrote a section about this in the book – it basically explains that you need to make it fun for yourself too. Remember to have that bath before people arrive, eat the crispy bit of skin on the chicken you roasted (chef’s perks!) and forget starters, mains and desserts. Go for sharing-style food where everyone can get stuck in.

One of the best parties I’ve even thrown was a Lunar New Year party where we had a dumpling party. One person made the filling, one person made the dumpling wrappers, one person cooked and we all had a great time.

My favourite food on the go or for a takeaway is often fried chicken. I like Chick’n Sours for a takeaway – they really get it right. Everything has been so well thought out. I’m on the move a lot these days, so time in my house is precious. I really rate Good Friend Fried Chicken in Chinatown London – it’s got these gorgeous juicy pieces of fried chicken with amazing sour plum and chilli dusts. If I see Singapore chilli crab on a menu, get prepared to get your bibs out. 

I’m a big fan of a dry sherry or a chilled vermouth with a wedge of orange – it’s the perfect aperitif. But I also love natural wines, especially light reds with a bit of a chill. And of course, if it’s a cocktail moment, a spicy margarita never goes amiss.

My favourite quick midweek meal is garlicky stir-fried greens and a soy egg rice bowl – super fast, full of flavour, and you can chuck in whatever needs using up. Anchovy oil, garlic, soy, sesame seeds – bish bash bosh. Ten minutes and you’re done.

A perfect Sunday lunch for me involves no roast dinners – I know this will offend many, but they just don’t do it for me. What I do love is going for a 2pm lunch at a dim sum restaurant and sitting there for hours just ordering more and more delicate dumplings. Prawn and beancurd cheung fun is a delicate rice paper roll wrapped around crispy beancurd and juicy, fragrant prawns. With a sweet soy dipping sauce, it’s perfect.

For weekend brunch, it has to be a kaya toast situation: soft white bread toasted over the gas hob, slathered with butter and kaya jam, plus soft-boiled eggs with soy sauce and white pepper. Add in some kopi and it’s heaven.

My death-row dinner changes depending on my mood, but I think it would have to be my mum’s homemade curry with a giant bowl of rice, crispy anchovies on the side, a dod of sambal and a fried egg with a gooey yolk. Something comforting and nostalgic. My food hell? Soup being served in a square bowl.

I love Fuchsia Dunlop’s cookbooks – she writes with such heart and precision about Chinese food. I also rate Yotam Ottolenghi for veg-led brilliance. I find myself dipping into The Little Viet Kitchen often too – it’s visually stunning and the recipes are lush. And Ixta Belfrage for her excellence in recipe writing. She is an absolute genius.

My favourite place to visit and eat in has to be Malaysia. No matter how many times I have been, I constantly find myself learning new things every time I go. I am obsessed with Penang, Melaka and Ipoh. Sama Sama is all about the joy of my mixed Malaysian food and the stories behind the dishes that made me who I am.

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