Tuesday March 13, 2012
The Flavours of spring
’Tis the time of year for fresh ideas in Flavours, and new beginnings for home-grown celeb chefs.
MARCH 20 is officially the start of spring in the northern hemisphere, bringing with it a host of tender and sweet baby vegetables, spring lamb, and Easter and its chocolate eggs and bunnies – just some of the delicious reasons why we should take note of spring even here in always-sunny Malaysia where we are connected to temperate seasons via the supermarket.
With the burst of vegetables on our supermarket shelves and the start of the hot and dry season in Malaysia, Flavours magazine proposes light and refreshing dishes for the table. From grazing on local light meals proposed by cookbook author Debbie Teoh to a healthy menu good enough to get you going on a detox programme, and fruit-based desserts, the March issue of Flavours will put plenty of vegetables and fruit on your table. But be warned that these are light recipes with lots of oomph.
Join the gorgeous Chef Syam Shiamala who invites you to flirt with flavours and ideas with her rainbow-inspired food; it’s good for the body and easy on the eye – who knew eating by colour could be so much fun?
On the cover (pic above) is the engaging MasterChef Australia winner Adam Liaw. Since winning the competition in 2010, the former lawyer is now sought-after all over the world for cooking demonstrations and food events. Read about the inspiring story of how a Penang-born boy’s culinary dream became reality as Liaw shares his winning formula. Despite his distinctive samurai-esque hairstyle, Flavours discovers that Liaw still has a big stomach for local street food. Malaysian MasterChef wannabes, don’t miss the recipe for Liaw’s winning dish, the Seven Lucky Gods, which he is sharing with Flavours readers.
Supermarkets connect tropical Malaysia to the northern hemisphere’s sweet taste of Spring. Closer to home, MasterChef Malaysia Ezani Farhana Monoto gives us a glimpse behind the scenes of the reality show, and how winning the title has changed her life from would-be-dentist to “dessert queen”. So too Filipino Dino Ferrari, the private chef who raced to the finish line of E&o’s Search For AFC’s Next Celebrity Chef, clinching a deal to host his own cooking show on the Asian Food Channel (AFC).
If these talents inspire you, maybe it’s time you look up Le Cordon Bleu to earn your very own prestigious blue ribbon, right here in Malaysia – the company has partnered with Sunway University College, and Flavours has the lowdown on that.
Flavours also gets Chef Tommes and novice cook Jojo Struys talking about their new AFC show, and boy, are those two as different as Chalk And Cheese. Other TV chefs in the spotlight this issue: sweet “assassin” Adriano Zumbo, and bush-cook Justin Bonello – he’s not Out Of Africa yet (catch them both on the LI channel). Malaysia’s own “King of Clubs” Bob Wong is featured in this issue, too; he’s no chef, but when it comes to the F&B industry, he’s a major player, having masterminded nightspots like the Boom Boom Room, Voodoo and Modesto’s in Kuala Lumpur in the 1990s.
Speaking of F&B, on the B front, Flavours sieves through robust wines from Languedoc, France’s biggest wine producing region, for some quaffable reds, and checks out newcomer Taps for the biggest range of craft beers in the Klang Valley. Think you’re a wine wiz? We challenge you to take the Flavours wine quiz!
Be the first to explore the belly of Yangon – touted to be Asia’s soon-to-be hot travel destination – with the magazine’s recommendations to where to find the good grub for a repast of Myanmar food and culture.
Adam Liaw, Masterchef Australia 2010 winner, shares his take on local favourites. For design inspiration this issue, the streets of Chinatown turn up a surprise: The Warehouse is the art gallery-cum-café and restaurant of Johor’s Tunku Mohamed Khairil Tunku Ibrahim and his wife Laura McAughtry. The joint is turning out to be a magnet, pulling in Malaysian artists and diners alike to enjoy a bit of restored history alongside their beef steaks.
Sounds like a packed mag, doesn’t it? But we have more! Additional goodies include a fab 25% discount on the newest books by Ferran Adria, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and others. Hidden within the pages is also a Loving Heart token – your key to participating in the magazine’s Heart-to-Heart Mother’s Day contest in the April issue. Don’t miss this contest: it gives you the chance to win some great prizes for your deserving mum, including a pampering spa package from The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat, a 3D/2N hotel stay at Swiss Garden Golf Resort & Spa Damai Laut, and Clinique hampers worth RM1,000 each.
But for instant gratification, try to win one of the 12 copies of the new The Best Of Chef Wan cookbook that is up for grabs this issue. – Ng Tse Mei
> The March issue of Flavours is currently available at all good newsagents and bookstores nationwide.
Flavours is owned by Star Publications (M) Bhd. LI, Life Inspired, is Asia’s first HD lifestyle channel. Star Publications is LI TV’s airtime sales agent.
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