I waited all week for Friday night to come when the smoke from the stall carried with it the wonderful smell of grilled chicken that makes you instantly hungry. I have a vivid memory of saving my pocket money to buy this dish at the night market in my village when I was 11 years old. His latest cookbook, Bowlful, is the distillation of many years of travel and a celebration of the economical, vibrant and deliciously simple bowl food from these regions.
Photo / Luke J Albertīorn in Malaysia, chef and author Norman Musa has spent much of his life exploring the cultures and cuisines of Southeast Asia.
In an essay on ‘Southeast Asian Cuisine & Eating Culture’, Musa underlines both the similarities and the differences in the cuisines of each country, not to mention the (occasionally contentious) examples of dishes that multiple countries claim to have originated! ‘The Bowlful Cupboard’ provides helpful guidance to 46 key ingredients, and is followed by a guide to solo bowls, communal bowls, signature bowls and tapas bowls.The night market's baked chicken & slaw. He discovered many similarities in the way the people of these countries cook and eat, not least the way that food is most commonly served and eaten in bowls, hence the book’s title. His collection of recipes focuses on the foods of Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and the Philippines. In his ‘Introduction’, Musa admires the way that Southeast Asian dishes are “ packed with diverse ingredients, rich in herbs and spices, and have such exquisite flavours“. What appeals to me about this book is the prevalence of familiar favourites such as Pad thai, Gado gado salad, Massaman duck curry and Banh mi alongside dishes I’ve not eaten or cooked before, such as Javanese lamb curry, Pansuh baked chicken and Kacang pool three bean stew. Born in Penang, Malaysia, experienced chef and author Musa has spent much of his life exploring the cultures and cuisines of the wider region, developing recipes based on the flavours, techniques and dishes he has encountered. Often I choose books that focus on a single cuisine but in the case of Bowlful by Norman Musa, I was drawn in by the promise of fresh and vibrant dishes from across Southeast Asia.
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