‘English’ food in Malaysia is a catch-all term for anything that is vaguely western. My earliest memory of Mum’s ‘English’ fare is a wok-cooked spaghetti with minced pork, and a sauce made from tomato ketchup. Sounds strange, but my brother and I loved it and I can still remember how it tasted. My uncle once brought her a jar of pasta sauce from Australia but we hated it, much preferring her version!
This chapter features some classic European dishes with a Malaysian twist. I dedicate this section to my mum, ever the creative cook, who tried incredibly hard to give us something different: I have always marveled at her determination to attempt dishes she had never even tasted before.