Tony Tan grew up in Kuantan, a town on the east coast of Malaysia. The town is a melting pot of cultures with people from China, India and Malay settling there and bringing with them a rich variety of culinary traditions.
His formative years were spent immersed in the vibrant world of cuisine, learning from his Malay, Peranakan and Indian-Tamil neighbours and his Hainanese parents.
Today, Tan is an internationally regarded chef, restaurateur, teacher and mentor. In his latest book Tony Tan’s Asian Cooking Class he shares more than 150 recipes that draw on his personal experiences and knowledge, showcasing dishes from Malaysia, China, Vietnam, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and more.
The cookbook includes recipes across the following categories: ‘Noodles and Rice’, ‘Dim Sum, Dumplings, Buns and Snacks’, ‘Meats’, ‘Poultry’, ‘Seafood’, ‘Vegetables’ and ‘Sweets’. The layout make it easy to navigate and the recipe instructions are very clear. Some of my favourite dishes are the Pandan Panna Cotta with Red Rubies, Thai Duck Curry Dumplings and the Stir-Fried Vegetarian Hokkien Noodles. It’s a beautifully put together book, I especially loved the vibrant photographs and colours that accompanied the recipes.
Tan’s love of food and his decades of culinary knowledge really emanate throughout the pages. So, if you’re a fan of Asian cuisine, in particular South-East Asian cuisine, then I highly recommend this book.
Reviewed by Sarah Martin
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tony Tan is one of Australia’s most respected culinary teacher and chef specialising in Chinese, Nonya, Indonesian, Korea, Cambodian Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Singaporean, Malaysian and cross-cultural cooking.
Trained at La Varenne in France and Leith’s School of Food and Wine in England, he has owned and cooked at Shakahari Restaurant in Melbourne and Tatlers Café in Sydney. Tatlers was an instant success and was regarded as one of the most innovative restaurants in Australia. He was principal of his cooking school in Melbourne which he established in 2001.
A graduate in Renaissance History and Chinese Language from Monash University, Tony is fluent in several languages; as a consequence, he hosts intensive culinary and cultural tours to countries in Southeast Asia, China and Spain. Tony has also presented several master classes around Australia and has been guest chef at hotels and restaurants throughout Australia, China, Malaysia, Vietnam, New Zealand and Spain including the Ritz in Madrid as well as at Alambique, one of Spain’s top cooking schools.
In 2007, Tony’s school is picked by the Australian as the state finalist in the Best Food Experience Category. In 2008, the school is listed as the two best in Australia by US Gourmet magazine as recognition for delivering in-depth culturally and historically accurate knowledge on the cuisines of Asia and modern Australia. He closed his school in 2012 to focus on tours and writing. The quality of Tony’s food tours is recognised by winning The Australian newspaper’s prestigious Travel & Tourism Awards in 2008. Aside from making guest appearances as visiting chef in restaurants in Melbourne, Sydney and Wellington, he was also Creative Director – Cultural – of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival. Tony is currently writing a book on Hong Kong and the long awaited Nonya book.
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