Featured Press
"Ms. Arokiasamy, 55, grew up buying roti canai for a few cents from a corner shop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and eating it with tea or coffee. She cooks frozen roti canai from the South Asian grocery store on the griddle, then claps it between her hands to make it extra flaky, like the roti from her childhood."
"The Seattle cookbook author Christina Arokiasamy, on the other hand, is looking for a traditional version when she shops for roti canai — made by stretching the dough into a thin, large round while slicking it with oil.
Ms. Arokiasamy, 55, grew up buying roti canai for a few cents from a corner shop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and eating it with tea or coffee. She cooks frozen roti canai from the South Asian grocery store on the griddle, then claps it between her hands to make it extra flaky, like the roti from her childhood.
But it’ll never taste as delicate as the fresh version, she said. “It is a lot of work and artistry to make a roti.”"
"Char kway teow – a popular stir-fried dish of flat rice noodles, bean sprouts and prawns – is synonymous with Penang’s street food, chef Christina Arokiasamy says”
“In this satay-style recipe, instead of threading thin strips of meat on skewers, Arokiasamy grills entire marinated lamb chops.”
“Hainanese chicken rice is a street-food favourite in Malaysia. Poached chicken that is fall-off-the-bone-tender and seasoned rice are at the heart of the dish”
“Think of it as happy cooking,” chef Christina Arokiasamy says. “Malaysian food is a journey of taste. Sweet, sour, salty, spicy and savoury hit your palate at the same time”
“Dragon Boat Festival Is the Perfect Excuse to Indulge in Every Kind of Sticky Rice From blue-hued Malaysian-style to a sweet Northern Chinese variety, here’s where to eat the traditional snack around Manhattan—or recreate it at home… Saveur speaks to Chef Christina Arokiasamy”
37 New International Cookbooks for the Traveling Home Cook.
What’s key to understanding Malaysian rendang is that it is not simply a popular dish — it is a national treasure, beloved by millions, even topping CNN’s “World’s 50 Best Foods” list.
These Malaysia-born chefs are bringing local flavours to the global stage BY SHARUNA SEGAREN 08 AUG 2022
“Take a culinary tour of Malaysia with Christina Arokiasamy”
“Arokiasamy writes: “You never need to feel intimidated by the strangeness of an ingredient. It is as close as your laptop.” Her approach is easygoing and her voice friendly; her recipes are both recognizably accessible.”
How Christina Arokiasamy wants to bring Malaysian cooking to the mainstream in the US, a top dining tip in Venice and the week’s headlines from Toronto.
These Malaysia-born chefs are bringing local flavours to the global stage BY SHARUNA SEGAREN 08 AUG 2022
"Gardens in northeast Malaysia overflow with aromatic plants unfamiliar to most of us […] as well as more common lemon grass, mint, cilantro and many types of basil. And they all play a role in nasi ulam, a richly herbal and vibrantly textured rice salad. Rooted in traditional medicine, it originally was intended to cleanse the body of toxins, says Christina Arokiasamy, author of “The Malaysian Kitchen.”
Arokiasamy says the key to finding the sweetest corn is to pull back the leaves one inch at the tip (don’t pull it back too much or you’ll ruin it for the next customer). It should be filled with plump-looking kernels and should also be wrapped very tightly.
“The author of The Malaysian Kitchen offers a quick side dish that ‘will complement anything you bring to the table’ “
The author of ‘The Malaysian Kitchen’ was first fascinated with food as a child in Kuala Lumpur.”
“The first time I tried one of these recipes, I was tasting things in places I didn’t even know had taste buds. Yet that mysterious, intoxicating spectrum of tastes — the cultural legacy of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and beyond — is apparently made of building blocks like any other: lemongrass, galangal, chiles, lime leaves, coconut milk and so on.”
“It seems to happen every time: Your chicken biryani looks and smells amazing, but tastes impossibly bland. The reason, says chef, author and spice expert Christina Arokiasamy, could be that your spices need refreshing”
“Arokiasamy, a Malaysian native, professional chef, and cooking instructor, showcases a flavorful array of Malaysian dishes in this enticing and accessible collection.”
“Think you can’t cook Malaysian food? Too complicated? Wouldn’t know where to start? Think again! This spicy, tangy, vibrant cuisine is well within reach if you have a copy of chef Christina Arokiasamy’s new cookbook.”
“Arokiasamy, a former chef at Four Seasons resorts in Thailand and Bali, teaches Southeast Asian cooking classes throughout the Pacific Northwest and has served as the official Malaysian food ambassador to the United States.”
“Christina Arokiasamy grew up in Malaysia with a mother who was a spice merchant. Her friends called her “the girl with yellow hands” — I’m guessing it was all the turmeric she handled -– and when she walked home from school, she could smell her house before she could see it.”
“Spices do more than perk up the flavor of your food — they put a natural pharmacy right in your kitchen. Few people know that better than Christina Arokiasamy, the local author of the cookbook and memoir “The Spice Merchant’s Daughter.”
“Sweet soy sauce and Thai basil give this spicy dish an authentic flavor.“
“As the first-ever Malaysian Food Ambassador to the U.S., Arokiasamy spearheads the Malaysian Kitchen Program, a project which gives voice to the accessibility and convenience of the country’s cuisine and products to U.S. consumers.”
“Arokiasamy — a renowned chef, author and spice expert — is spearheading the Malaysia Kitchen Program, working to promote the accessibility and convenience of the country’s cuisine and products to U.S. consumers.”
“Chef Christina Arokiasamy is a fifth-generation descendant of a family of spice merchants. She grew up in Kuala Lumpur, trained in Bali and Thailand, and today makes her home in Seattle, Washington.”
“Perhaps the most famous Mayalsian specialty made with galangal is beef rendang, a tender dish of beef braised in coconut milk.”
“The perfumes of Malaysia practically float off the pages of this beautifully composed cookbook. With a Proustian nostalgia, cooking instructor Arokiasamy follows her nose back to Kuala Lumpur, where her mother ran a spice stall (and her great-great-grandfather transported spices for the English East India Company), mangoes were delivered to their home by bicycle and baths were enhanced with ginger-scented water.”
"The spice merchant’s daughter will not open a restaurant. It’s almost a shame. Her cooking bursts with such brilliant flavors, it would rank among the city’s most thrilling places to eat.”
“These spicy prawns are easy to prepare and pack a punch of bold flavor.”
“Growing up in Kuala Lumpur, Christina Arokiasamy vividly remembers the spices which formed the cornerstone of her childhood. Her mother, a fifth generation spice merchant, would often put spices out to dry in the sun and as a little girl, she was enthralled by the whole routine.”
“Malaysian-born chef Christina Arokiasamy was offered a cookbook deal after appearing on the Food Network in the US as host of Bespoke Malaysian Kitchen based on the idea that she would be introducing and teaching Malaysian dishes to Americans.”
“Southeast Asian chef and author Christina Arokiasamy likes to say that when the flavours dance, that’s Malaysia, and she’s on a mission to awaken palates to the unique pleasures of her native cuisine.“
"Containing easily prepared, yet flavorful recipes, “The Malaysian Kitchen” combines personal reflection, cultural perspective, and a useful introduction to Malaysian home cooking. The recipes are surprisingly simple in a good way, giving the reader a sense of “I can actually make this.”
“Foreign cuisines become American mainstays in one of two ways: They are introduced by large emigré communities (e.g., Italian, Greek, Indian, even Ethiopian) or by Americans who acquired a taste for the local food while working overseas…”
As Seen on Front Page of Canadian Press
