Born into a Chinese family in Malaysia, Chef Lai says his food is a reflection of Nyonya cuisine, a blend of Chinese and Malay cuisine. “It is a mix of two cultures, so one finds a little bit of Chinese infused into Malay. For the steamed rice cake, I insisted on the right bamboo hollows; it was a task for the procurement team but they did it.”Chef Lai tells the story of a Chinese princess who wanted to eat good food to stay pretty. It is believed that black sesame is good for the eyes and hair, sticky rice flour is good for skin and digestion etc. The other dessert — the eight treasure cup — is made with a combination of eight fruits and berries.”None of the desserts are sweet and Lai says too much of sweet is not a good idea.

Source: The Hindu March 15, 2023 20:33 UTC