Source: Body and Soul section of The Advertiser newspaper, 21 Jan 2018 Enlarged article: https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/tokpanjang/Images/kidsinkitchen.jpg My editor just sent me this article to highlight and enforce the messages I am sharing [...]
Journaling - place where you may have the answers to all the questions you need answering This is a very personal post - it is about my own journey of [...]
Home cooked ramen in under 30 minutes Have you heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? I grew up with sumptuous, healthy and hot breakfast almost [...]
It is not just a box of takeaway noodles - it is about what it represents! What's so special about this box of takeaway noodles? From the first look - [...]
Lay Ean and Dr. Dana Skopal - Editor for Tok Panjang Just had a wonderful lunch with my editor, Dr. Dana Skopal. For those of you who have not met [...]
Last weekend was my daughter's birthday. So how do we celebrate birthdays in Australia? Do I still follow the ritual from my childhood? It is not possible to do everything [...]
Do you really know what your life would be like in 5, 10 or 20 years? We can plan, wish and hope, and envision what it would be like, but [...]
Happy New Year!! It is the start of a new year and I would like to wish all of you good health and may the new year bring happiness, health [...]
Yesterday, I decided to put all my work aside and dug out several boxes from the study cupboard. Those boxes had been in the cupboard for as long as I [...]
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and family. Christmas time is a time to re-connect with your family and friends, re-evaluate your priorities and make time for [...]
Simple ways to connect to your community Even though I have left home more than 30 years ago, I still miss all my family and friends in Malaysia. This is [...]
Festive times are a time to share, give and reconnect with the family. As I was doing my weekly grocery shopping and met a few friends along the way, we [...]
When I moved to Sydney from Melbourne some 22 years ago, the local library in Chatswood was running a wonderful program to help migrants learn conversational English. I thought it [...]
Festive seasons are great opportunities for connections and to introduce your culture to your family It is few more weeks to Christmas, and I hear people dreading this time of [...]
It is only a few more days until Christmas. Have you organised your greeting cards? What about your gifts? Your presents? Your treats? Your guests? Family gatherings and hosting people? [...]
Nasi Lemak Day 4 and last day of the Nonya Cuisine Made Easy; we are looking at nasi lemak and its accompaniments. This is a very easy to prepare dish [...]
Authentic Nonya Curries in under 30 minutes I can't speak for everyone, but if you are serving more than 10 people, I would normally prepare my dishes prior (or at [...]
Otak otak in baking dish Ok - this is one dish that I have been experimenting with the most - and I think it is one of the most successful [...]
Mee Siam Will you be hosting the family this coming festive season? Have you thought of what to serve your guests? Would you like some ideas on quick and easy [...]
This pyrex dish can go from bench top, to steamer, to table and back to a refrigerator with the convenience of a lid As Malaysians will know, we are a [...]
Bridge cultural and generational gaps in your kitchen I really would like to encourage you to treat your kitchen like a secret place for you to escape to. The kitchen [...]
Invest in equipment that saves time and makes life easier! I remembered having a conversation with a friend a few years ago about how she placed all her T shirts [...]
Make cooking a joyful and fun experiences Sometimes we rely on things that we forgot how useful they are until they broke down, i.e. a dishwasher. You see, my dishwasher [...]
The steamer my grandmother got for me from Melbourne I know this is not the most impressive looking cookware...; however, this steamer has been with me for many years. I [...]
Every child is unique! Many many years ago before I had kids, I always thought that children's characters were "molded" and "shaped" according to our family values and environment. I [...]
Butterfly Pea Flower (Bunga Telang) I am truely excited to come across the butterfly pea flower and the powder in Australia. I have added it to my collection of ingredients [...]
I attending a function on Saturday, meeting up with many fellow Malaysians for a nice Malaysian meal - Sarawak style. I am not familiar with the Sarawak style dishes, so [...]
From today, 25th November until midnight Monday 27th November, 2017 Thanksgiving is a time of joy, a time to celebrate with family and friends, and a time to be thankful. [...]
Guide and share your culture with your grandchildren from your kitchen! I was at a tea shop talking with the manager about various teas... and somehow our topic of conversation [...]
Daun Kaduk / Wild Betel Nut Leaf I am not writing a recipe today, just introducing a simple colouring page for the kids - introducing our Asian herbs. So today's colouring-in is [...]
It is not about quantity, but quality, and make every meet-up counts! My uncle and aunty from Canada are spending some time in Penang right now, and this is the [...]
Time consuming when you have to prepare them from scratch I am all for fun and efficiency in the kitchen, so when it comes to certain must-have ingredients in the Asian [...]
Simple easy nonya assam prawn This is a classic Malaysian/Nonya dish that is sour and spicy, and it can satisfy your taste buds as well as your stomach. Assam means [...]
Start reconnecting to your childhood dishes with readymade ingredients! One of the many things migrants miss most is the food they grew up with. Are you one of them? I [...]
be daring....be innovative...be expressive! On the weekend I had the pleasure of demonstrating the making of otak otak for the Peranakan Association of NSW, with a group of amazing cuisine [...]
Kaim Chye Boay - a melting pot of delicious leftovers!!!!! This is an amazing dish to make using your leftovers! "Kiam chye" - is salted vege and "boey" is leftover. [...]
The health benefits of herbs and spices and how they were incorporated in our traditional dishes by our ancestors. Last week my aunt sent me a link from Penang's newspaper, [...]
Someone gave me some calamansi, and straight away it reminded me of sambal belachan. Sambal belachan - this is a must have Malaysian condiment with most of our dishes and [...]
Nonya cuisine made simple! I want to bring back the nonya cuisine to the Peranakan community; however, I want to do it in a way that is conducive to the [...]
Photo: Nonyaware from my grandmother's collections On Saturday 16th September 2017, I had the honour of being invited to be the MC for the Peranakan Association Australia NSW's 6th Annual [...]
Lay Ean Eng, MC PAA NSW Annual Dinner - wearing my grandmother's baju kebaya Photo courtesy: Peranakan Association Australia NSW Do you believe things happen for a reason? Allow me [...]
What is the story behind your favourite dish? Have you been watching Masterchef? I seldom watch any reality shows, but I quite enjoy Master Chef and have been watching it [...]
French toast mee koo The best gifts that you can give anyone will be the gifts that come from your heart, don't you agree? For example, home-cooked dishes, handmade soaps, chilli [...]
I am going to try this dish - Samabal Udang Petai - which is also sambal prawn with petai. (Refer to the post on how to make sambal prawns with [...]
Have you experienced chit-chatting with friends, and somehow the conversation ended up about your favourite childhood dishes/games. And you get very excited about it? I was having lunch with a [...]
Sometimes a simple dish or a drink can spark beautiful and wonderful memories. And this A & W root beer with ice cream sure brought back fond wonderful childhood memories. [...]
Your currency of connections - your relationships with your family This is one of the most precious drawings that my daughter did. I can not recall when she drew this, [...]
Your kitchen - a natural classroom! My amazing editor, Dana, sent this link to me: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-18/childrens-literacy-study-links-hearing-words-to-reading-ability/8697138 There are two amazing articles in there, but for today, we are going to [...]
I am going to refer back to this article – http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-18/childrens-literacy-study-links-hearing-words-to-reading-ability/8697138 ” – Children’s literacy study links hearing words to reading ability for first time, researchers say”. (Do check it out; it is [...]
Sambal Prawn - One of many Malaysian delights Today we are going to look at preparing sambal prawn. Sambal prawn is a popular dish in Malaysia. It is a combination; [...]
Creating memories together through food While watching Master Chef, one of the contestants mentioned about connecting through food. They said that one of the many ways to connect with her [...]
What is belachan and what is it used for? "Belachan" is a shrimp paste. It is primarily made from finely crushed shrimp and mixed with salt, and then ferment for [...]
Moving to a new country, whether it is for work or by choice, involves lots of decision making, planning, research, commitment and sacrifices on all parties involved. It may be [...]
What does “I don’t like the dish” really mean? Is there a difference between “I don’t like that dish” and “the dish does not taste the same”? During our many [...]
Recently when I was back in Penang accompanying my mum with her grocery shopping, she asked me to take her to this particular store that sells readymade pastes…I was so amazed with [...]
It is about the journey … not the destination! by Albert G Imagine how a bowl of assam laksa can ripple into a 2 hour conversation… I was sharing assam [...]
Want do you normally do with leftover fish? You see, I had pan-fried salmon leftover and was wondering what I could do with it? I could shred it and make [...]
Reconnecting with your own family/tribe is important for your well-being, as you are reconnecting to your roots, your core values and your sense of self I recently had a conversation [...]
How can I encourage my children? Something I hear very often, and I have experienced this scenario myself. Why aren't children motivated? I want them to be able to do [...]
“I wish there were more hours in the day.”… “I just don’t have enough time to go to this.”… “I just need more time.”… “I just wish it was Friday [...]
In my last blog, I shared with you that “You are your children’s role model”; today, we are going to discuss about you being the guiding force for your children. When you [...]
The Benefits of Connecting With Self is you are able to find the confidence to strive for what you want in life and be the person you set out to [...]
Whether you are about to have children or already have, you would probably be going through parenting blogs, reading parenting magazines, talking to family and friends, seeking out professional advice [...]
Behaviours, whether coming from a child or an adult, are a communication of unmet needs. It is a communication of what we have right now and what we want, and is [...]
Nasi Lemak is a very popular dish in Malaysia, so much so that even most Malaysian airlines will serve it on their flights. This dish is accompanied by hot and [...]
This Penang hokkien mee paste is one of more authentic pastes I have tried, and it is seriously simple and delicious. First I pre-cooked the pork stock and froze it. [...]
Recently there was a conversation about the support of new mothers and I was sharing my experiences of the 30 day confinement after both my children were born. Many mothers [...]
This is a very simple fried rice recipe for busy GoParents – Spam Fried Rice! Whip it up for afternoon tea, breakfast or for school lunches. It is not the [...]
How to encourage younger generations to consume more home cooked meals rather than eating out? Chatting with a friend yesterday, we were discussing about meal preparations, fussy eaters and young [...]
First, it is the start of a new year and I would like to wish all of you good health and may the new year bring happiness, health and joy [...]
Steaming fish is one of the simplest and easiest dishes you can prepare. This dish is light and soothing on your stomach, and we normally had steamed fish (when growing [...]
Happy Boxing Day everyone! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, and spending quality time with family and friends. As for us, we had the most wonderful and relaxing Christmas [...]
Are natural traditional foods important in our diet? I was going through Facebook, and several health posts popped up about turmeric. So I decided to do a bit more reading [...]
I am going to introduce to you Penang Curry Mee. In Penang, this dish is known as curry mee. It is a mixture mix of yellow / egg noodles and [...]
My favourite – Penang Hokkien Mee! Also known as Hokkien Har Mee. One of the famous hawker food at Penang. It is a dish serve with yellow mee and rice [...]
13 simple recipes from Penang that you can cook in under an hour! Sign up for immediate download. Name * Email Address *
Today I am sharing another of my favourite Malaysian dishes – Mee Snuah Soup. It is a very light version of noodle soup, with minimal ingredients and light on the [...]
This is a simple yet delicious dish that you can whip up within half an hour. I used to make this for my children's afternoon tea after school. You can [...]
