The Malay Cook: Everyday Malaysian Recipes from Grandma's Kitchen to Mine - Hardcover

by Ranie Saidi (Author)

Over 70 recipes that celebrate the flavours of Malay cooking in Malaysia--the everyday food of the nation's majority, deeply rooted in history and heritage.

'Food and pain, food and love, food with all its delicious, spicy glory! Ranie Saidi went on a journey of unearthing his lost flavours and this book celebrates them with incredible generosity.' - Yotam Ottolenghi

'It's a deeply personal book, structured around Ranie's grandmother, so the recipes are not just "authentic" but inherited, lived and cooked through grief, distance and memory. Generous and practical, the book teaches so much about flavour, identity and belonging.' - Helen Goh

Through poignant anecdotes and the legacy of his grandmother's recipes, The Malay Cook traces Ranie's journey from Kuala Lumpur to London.

With over 70 recipes that celebrate the flavours of Malay cooking, they are perfect for communal dining, last-minute guests or enjoying a comforting one-pot meal. Over half the recipes are vegetarian and plant-rich. Malay cooking is a harmony of sweet, sour, salty, lemak manis (coconut creamy umami) and spice. Ranie shares a rich collection of recipes, from Tofu Bergedil in the Savoury Snacks section, to Kerabu, a Malay salad; Northern Malaysia's Nasi Lemak platter in Rice & Sharer; comforting One-Pot Bean Stews and Curry Puffs; playful twists like Pandan Tiramisu in Sweet Treats; and in Che Aminah's Kitchen, his grandmother's much-loved Matrimonial Chicken. Ranie's recipes highlight everyday ingredients you can source locally, and the handy Malay Palate Flavour Table offers swaps and guidance, sharing the foundations of Malay cooking, while adapting for the modern kitchen.

Author Biography

Ranie Saidi, the founder of The Malay Cook supperclub, is a London-based recipe developer celebrating his Malaysian Malay heritage. A 2023 Yan Kit So award finalist, his cooking is inspired by the everyday Malay dishes his grandmother, a wedding catering cook, made while he was growing up. Ranie sells his Malay sauces through Delli Market and select stores, and hosts supper clubs at Soho House, Curry Club London and the Boundary Shoreditch. He has also been featured in the Financial Times and Olive magazine.