Plant-based Malaysian recipes

Most of these recipes are things I make at home regularly. Some are straightforward weeknight meals. Some take more time. All of them are worth it.

Steamed buns and bao make up a big part of what’s here: pau filled with red bean, peanut, mushroom char siu, sweet potato, chocolate, pandan kaya, and more. If you’ve never made pau from scratch, start with the dough. Once you have that right, every filling becomes straightforward.

Sambals and condiments are the backbone of Malaysian cooking. A good tomato sambal or sambal jawa turns a plain bowl of rice and tempeh into a full meal.

Tofu and tempeh dishes include some of my most-cooked recipes, including homemade tempeh from scratch. Easier than it sounds, and far better than anything from a supermarket.

Curries and sides cover everything from a vegan pineapple curry to a 15-minute kale masak lemak, dishes rooted in Southeast Asian flavour and built around whatever’s in the kitchen.

Farah’s Foods is part of Jungle Hugger, a site about sustainable living. Food is central to that. What we cook, how much we waste, and where ingredients come from all connect back to the bigger picture.