BEYOND THE FOOD

GREAT CONVERSATION MAKES GREAT MEALS BETTER

Bring to your table not only exquisite, ethnic cuisine but also the cultural knowledge and insight to share with and impress your friends!

  • ZONG

    Zongzi (or simply zong) is a traditional Chinese food, made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves. They are cooked by steaming...

  • YELLOW CURRY

    Curry is a staple dish in Thailand and eaten on a regular basis in many Thai homes. Yellow curry usually refers to Gang Ga-ree, which is usually richer and creamier than...

  • WONTON

    The wonton is a type of dumpling that originates from China. It bears some similarity to a tortellini or small ravioli in Western cuisine. Literally translated from...

  • TOM YUM

    While Tom Yum automatically conjures thoughts of the spicy Thai soup, it actually refers to two variants, similar in taste and appearance, from Laos and Thailand. The...

  • TOFU

    Tofu has been a dietary staple in East and Southeast Asian cuisine for hundreds of years and has recently become popular in Western cooking. It is high in protein,...

  • THAI TEMPLES

    Thai Buddhist temple ("WAT" - วัด) is a complex comprising several distinct religious buildings. Major Buddhist ceremonies takes place in temples. They are...

  • THAI SATAY

    Popular Thai Pork satay, also known as “Moo Satay” is a common street food in Thailand, where it is eaten as an appetizer, snack, or main course dish. Satay...

  • THAI GREEN CHILI

    In Thai cuisine, dishes are lightly and delicately prepared with strong aromatic components. Harmony and balance is the guiding principle behind them. A typical Thai...

  • TANDOORI CHICKEN

    This roasted Indian chicken delicacy is marinated in yogurt and spices, with cayenne pepper, red chili powder or kashmiri red chili powder added to give it that...

  • TAMARIND

    The tamarind plant likely originates from tropical Africa - where it continues to grow wild - and carried into India to be cultivated thousands of years ago. It was this...

  • SUCKLING PIG

    A suckling pig is a piglet fed on its mother's milk and slaughtered between the ages of two and six weeks. Suckling pig is traditionally cooked whole, often roasted, in...

  • STEAMBOAT – HOT POT

    Hot pot (Chinese: 火鍋; pinyin: huǒ guō), less commonly steamboat, refers to several East Asian varieties of stew, consisting of a simmering metal pot of stock at...

  • ROTI JALA

    Roti Jala or literally translated in the Malay language as "net bread" is a popular Malaysian delicacy that is often served at gatherings, such as Hari Raya, or...

  • RICE PAPER

    Even though paper can be made out of the stalks of the rice plant, what most people in the Western world recognise as 'rice paper' is actually made from the fibers found...

  • RICE NOODLES

    A staple food in East and Southeast Asia, noodles are generally made from wheat flour, rice flour, or mung bean starch. The oldest noodles discovered were made from...

  • RENDANG

    This is a dish that originates from the Minangkabau ethnic group of Indonesia, and has now become popular not only across the entire country of Indonesia, but also in...

  • RED TORTOISE CAKE

    Red tortoise cake, also known as Ang ku kuih to the Hokkiens, is a small round or oval shaped pastry with soft sticky glutinous rice flour skin wrapped around a sweet...

  • RED CURRY

    Red curry, also known as kaeng phet, is one of the more popular Thai curries. Its name derives literally from the colour of the dish, such as the equally well-known...

  • RAMBUTAN

    Rambutan is a medium-sized tropical tree in the family Sapindaceae. It is native to Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. It is...

  • PORTUGUESE EGG TART

    Portuguese egg tart was evolved from "pastel de nata", a traditional Portuguese custard pastry that consists of custard in a creme brulee-like in a puff pastry case. It...

  • PETAI

    Petai originates from the Parkia speciosa species. This twisted cluster bean, is also known as petai, pete or peteh. It is a popular culinary ingredient in Indonesia,...

  • PESTLE AND MORTAR

    Pestle and mortar is a tool used to crush, grind, and mix solid substances. The pestle is a heavy club-shaped object, the end of which is used for crushing and grinding....

  • PENANG PRAWN NOODLE

    Penang Prawn Noodle is the cuisine of the multicultural society of Penang, Malaysia. Mostly sold at road-side stalls, it is best known as a "hawker food". It is also...

  • PENANG ASAM LAKSA

    One dish that every tourist must try out when visiting Penang, Malaysia is the Asam Laksa. It is available at many hawker stalls and eateries throughout the island,...

  • PANDAN

    Pandan is a tropical plant and is used widely in Southeast Asian cooking as a flavoring. It is an upright green plant with fan-shaped sprays of long, narrow, bladelike...

  • PAD THAI

    Pad Thai, which literally means "Thai-style frying", is one of Thailand's national dishes and well-loved outside of Thailand. And no surprise, as it presents a tasty...

  • PAD KI MAO

    Pad Ki Mao or Pad Kee Mao is a popular spicy stir-fried street dish which is found in Laos and Thailand. Made popular by the Chinese ethnic community, it shares a...

  • NYONYA CUISINE

    In the 15th century, Chinese immigrants who settled in South East Asia inadvertently impacted the region with changes that were more than simply cultural. Assimilation...

  • NINTH DAY OF CHINESE NEW YEAR

    The ninth day of the New Year is a day for Chinese to offer prayers to the Jade Emperor of Heaven (天公, Tiāngōng). The ninth day is traditionally the birthday of...

  • NASI LEMAK

    Nasi lemak is widely eaten in Malaysia and Singapore. Commonly eaten as a breakfast or supper dish in both countries, it is normally sold at hawker food centres or...

  • MURUKKU

    Murukku is a savoury snack popular in India and Sri Lanka, originating in the cuisine of the South and West India.Murukku is typically made from a mixture of urad and...

  • MOONCAKE

    Mooncake is a Chinese delicacy traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival which usually falls around September. The festival is for lunar worship and moon...

  • MASSAMAN CURRY

    Curry can be defined as a savoury, stew-like dish native to India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and South East Asia. Massaman curry is a southern Thai dish which is believed to...

  • MAMAK STALL

    A mamak stall, is a food establishment which serves mamak food. In Malaysia, the term mamak refers to Tamil Muslims, who generally own and operate them. Although...

  • MALAYSIA HOKKIEN NOODLES

    Malaysian Hokkien noodles (Hokkien mee) is a popular fried noodle dish prepared in the Chinese Fujian cooking style. There is a slight ambiguity in regards to the dish...

  • MALAYSIA CHAR KOAY TEOW

    Eating street food is a favourite form of dining in Malaysia, and one of the most famous Malaysian street food dishes is char koay teow, which was believed to have been...

  • LONGAN

    Longan, translated literally as "dragon eye" because it resembles an eyeball when its fruit is shelled (the black seed shows through the translucent flesh like a...

  • LEMONGRASS

    Lemongrass refers to about 55 species of grasses that are native to India. It has a citrusy flavour and is widely used as an herb in Asian cuisine - either in fresh,...

  • KHAO SOI

    Khao Soi or Khao Soy is a Burmese-influenced dish served widely in northern Laos and northern Thailand. The name means "cut rice". As the name suggest, the rice noodle...

  • KAFFIR LIME

    Kaffir lime is an unlovely fruit with a bumpy exterior and unique hourglass-shaped leaves. It plays an essential role in Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese and Malaysian...

  • JACKFRUIT

    Jackfruit is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world. It can reach up to 80 pounds in weight and 36 inches long and 20 inches in diameter. The inside of the fruit...

  • INDONESIAN NASI GORENG

    There are many varieties of stir-fried rice dishes throughout Asia. This is likely due to the fact that most Asian communities consume rice as a staple, and there is a...

  • INDIA ROJAK

    Indian Rojak is a traditional fruit and vegetable salad dish commonly found in Malaysia and Singapore. The term "Rojak" is Malay for mixture. In Malaysia, mamak / Indian...

  • INDIA BANANA LEAF RICE

    Banana leaf rice is a typical dish in South Indian cuisine. White rice (or parboiled rice in authentic South Indian restaurants) is served on a banana leaf with an...

  • GREEN CURRY

    Green curry originated in Asia and spread to the rest of the world during the Ayutthaya period when Siam open its doors to trade. Its name is derived literally from the...

  • GARLIC

    Garlic is ubiquitous in the art of cooking in the Middle East, northern Africa, southern Europe, and regions across South and Central America, but especially in Asian...

  • GADO-GADO

    Gado-gado is a popular traditional Indonesian salad of mixed vegetables dressed with a delicious peanut sauce. The sauce is a vital part of the dish, often made in...

  • FINE DINING IN KUALA LUMPUR

    The term Fine Dining brings to mind all kinds of images, from crisp white table cloths to waiters in tuxedos. Fine dining, just as the name suggests, offers patrons...

  • ENOKI MUSHROOMS

    Enoki is the Japanese name for the long, thin white mushrooms that are so commonly used in Japanese, Chinese and Korean and other Asian cuisines. Looking at it, it's...

  • DURIAN

    Widely known in Southeast Asia as the "king of fruits", the durian is distinctive for its unique odour and its thorn-covered husk. Its shape ranges from oblong to round,...

  • DODOL

    Dodol is a toffee-like sweet food delicacy popular in Indonesia and Malaysia. It is made with coconut milk, rice flour and unrefined whole-caned sugar (or commonly...

  • CORIANDER

    Coriander leaves, also known as cilantro, are a common ingredient in the cuisines of the Middle East, Central Asia, the Mediterranean, India, South Asia, Mexico, Texas,...

  • COCONUT

    The coconut palm is so ubiquitous throughout the equatorial region that it has become an icon of the tropics in most Westerners' minds. But the coconut is more than just...

  • CHOPSTICKS

    Chopsticks are typically used by Asians as an eating utensil, among the Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese community. It is believed to have originated in ancient...

  • CHINESE TEMPLE

    A Chinese temple can refer to any temple which is used for the practice of Chinese folk religion, a conglomeration of China's three main religions: Buddhism, Taoism,...

  • CHINESE LO HEI

    The Chinese Lo Hei also know as Yusheng, yee sang or Prosperity Toss is a Teochew-style raw fish salad. It usually consists of strips of raw fish (most commonly salmon),...

  • CHICKPEAS

    Chickpeas - roundish members of the legume family also known as garbanzo beans – are commonly associated with the popular Middle Eastern dish hummus. Grown primarily...

  • BATU CAVES

    Batu Caves is a limestone hill, which has a series of caves and cave temples, located in Gombak district, 13 kilometres north of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The cave is one...

  • BAMBOO STEAMERS

    Bamboo steamers are popularly used among the Chinese community as part of their cooking utensils. It can be stacked on top of each other so that the steam can cook many...

  • BAK KWA

    Bakkwa is a Chinese salty-sweet dried meat, made in the form of flat thin sheets. It is normally made from pork. Compgutgiudabte . However, there is now a chicken...

  • BAK KUT TEH

    Bak kut teh is a Chinese soup popularly served in Malaysia, Singapore, China and Taiwan. The name literally translates as "meat bone tea", and, at its simplest,...

  • ARROW HEAD

    Arrow head has bulb-like corms which are native to China and Japan where it is largely cultivated. Raw arrowhead has a slight bitter taste. Gudisertomu . It is simply...

  • APAM BALIK

    Apam Balik is one of the local traditional delicacies, made popular as a street food in Malaysia and Singapore . Among the Chinese, it is usually referred to as Ban...

  • AIS KACANG

    Ais Kacang, also known as air batu campur. In the Malay language, “ais batu” simply means “ice”. Traditionally a special ice machine is used to churn out the...