From September 13th to the 15th, Battersea Power Station will host the celebrASIA festival. Yesterday, the iconic London destination announced Malaysian Chef Mandy Yin as its ambassador for the festival. The following question-and-answer session tells her story.
We’re always excited to feature a Malaysian luminary, as Malaysia is a core part of Luxurious Magazine’s DNA. More than fifteen years ago, Paul and Natasha Godbold started the magazine from their house in the heart of Kuala Lumpur city centre. Its growth increased exponentially following their move to Tanjung Bungah on Penang Island, which prompted their move back to the UK.
To reiterate the fact that Malaysia truly is in the magazine’s DNA, Paul’s mother was born on Penang Island, and his father, a British soldier, was stationed there in the 1960s. However, that coincidental side note aside, the spotlight in this feature is squarely on Mandy Yin, a renowned Malaysian chef, food writer, and the founder of the award-winning Sambal Shiok Laksa Bar.
Like many Malaysians, Mandy was raised in Kuala Lumpur in a household where food, community and family took centre stage. However, despite being the daughter of an expert cook, a career in the food industry wasn’t her first port of call.
Mandy initially pursued a legal career, which she found was detrimental to her overall well-being; fortunately, she followed her instincts and the rest, as they say, is history.
What is your earliest food memory?
Mandy: Having curry laksa for lunch every day at primary school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
How did you become interested in cooking?
Mandy: My mum is a great cook, so I grew up watching her. Although, it was only when I went to university to study law that I really started to cook properly.
Before opening your restaurant, Sambal Shiok, in 2013, you worked as a lawyer. What motivated you to make this career switch?
Mandy: I had been working unsustainable hours in corporate law for several years and burnt out. At that time, I knew that I needed to do something in the food industry, as food has always been my one true love.
What are your favourite ingredients, and how do you come up with new recipes?
Mandy: Chillies, shrimp paste, tamarind, coconut milk, and lemongrass are the five key ingredients for Malaysian cooking! When creating new recipes, I will draw heavily from my food memories of everything I ate growing up in Malaysia—at the intoxicating hawker centres and night markets, my mum’s home cooking, celebratory family banquets, and everything in between.
My recipes are firmly rooted in Malaysian flavours and technique, but generally with a twist- perhaps combining the idea with something else that I have eaten on my travels or a dish from another culture.
What dishes are you most proud of?
Mandy: My signature curry laksa continues to be a bestselling dish at my restaurant. It is a combination of Kuala Lumpur’s milder curry laksa and Penang’s tangier, fish-forward assam laksa. My laksa is based on a Nyonya Peranakan curry laksa that I first tried in Malacca, my dad’s hometown.
I am also proud of my Malaysian fried chicken with peanut sauce, which has been with me for a decade. It is the same one I used to serve with my original chicken satay burger when I first started out in food.
How has the Malaysian cuisine offering in London evolved since you started Sambal Shiok?
Mandy: When I first started 10 years ago, Malaysian food was severely underrepresented in the city, with only a handful of restaurants. My passion has always been to introduce as many people to Malaysian food as possible and showcase the rich variety of the cuisine.
In the last decade, the number of Malaysian restaurants in London has grown significantly, including several Laksa-centric restaurants. Together with these restaurateurs and other prominent Malaysians in the UK, such as Masterchef 2014 winner Ping Coombes, Roti King’s Sugen Gopal, Abby Lee from Mambow, Julie Lin from Gaga Glasgow, we are collectively educating the British public on how incredible our cuisine is!
Aside from Malaysian cuisine, what is your favourite South East Asian food or dish?
Mandy: I am a sucker for a fiery Thai prawn tom yum, especially as a noodle soup- I always have packets of Mama brand creamy tom yum instant noodles in my pantry at home for a quick fix!
celebrASIA is a brand new festival for London created by Battersea Power Station, which will take visitors to the riverside neighbourhood on a journey through the South East Asian culture. Why are you excited to be an ambassador for the festival?
Mandy: I am proud of my Malaysian heritage and am proud of South East Asian culture. It is a joy and privilege to be able to share these aspects of my identity with a wider audience in one of London’s most vibrant new neighbourhoods. I am particularly excited because this will be a rare opportunity for all Southeast Asians in the British diaspora to come together to celebrate our rich cultures!
To my knowledge, this will be the first event of this scale celebrating South East Asia in London. September is also ESEA Heritage Month- this was established in the UK to honour and celebrate the culture, diversity, history and contributions of ESEA communities across the UK and to raise awareness amongst those who are not ESEA. celebrAsia is an excellent addition to festivities in this important month!
What is your first memory of Battersea Power Station? What do you think this new riverside neighbourhood has brought to London?
Mandy: I often passed Battersea Power Station on a train down to Sussex, where I used to work, and always thought that it was a shame that such an iconic London landmark had been left derelict. Seeing its transformation and rejuvenation into a new cultural hub is amazing.
Londoners should be proud of this glorious riverside icon, which has been transformed into a destination that everyone should visit whether you’re a Londoner or from further afield.
Why do you think festivals such as celebrASIA are important?
Mandy: It’s not always easy for the Southeast Asian diaspora to travel home as often as we would like, and festivals such as celebrASIA are an opportunity to come together and foster a stronger sense of belonging in our adopted home. It is also a chance for us to share what we love most about Southeast Asia with people who may have never visited the region before and are keen to experience everything its rich culture has to offer.
From enjoying traditional delicacies to playing childhood games, enjoying live performances and learning a new skill at the arts and craft workshops, there will be something for everyone at celebrASIA.
What do you think visitors to celebrASIA will learn from visiting the event?
Mandy: Visitors will learn about the rich tapestry of culture and traditions from Southeast Asia. First, they will be wowed by the striking decorations, including elephant sculptures, a traditional kite display, hundreds of lanterns under Grosvenor Bridge, and rickshaw installations.
They can also browse Southeast Asian artisanal products, from sauces, spices, and snacks to jewellery, homeware, and accessories, at a market inside the Grade II* listed Power Station and learn new skills, including crafting a personalised pewter dish at Malaysian pewter specialists Royal Selangor‘s School of Hard Knocks to making a lantern for autumn’s Mooncake festival or creating a beautiful piece for their home using the Malaysian art of Batik.
Throughout the weekend, there will also be live performances of Southeast Asian traditional dances on an outdoor stage, DJ sets, orchestras, and other pop-up performances, including a performance by the Battersea Power Station Community Choir.
For children, there will be arts and crafts activities (Shadow puppets! Paper layering! Ketupat weaving!), face painting and an interactive ‘Grand Tour’, which will allow mini explorers to seek out information boards dotted around the Power Station and test themselves with a fun quiz. Malaysia Square will also host the ASEAN Games, where visitors from different ASEAN countries can participate in traditional childhood games.
Last but not least, visitors can get a flavour of the similarities and differences between the region’s cuisines through a whole host of food vendors who are the cream of the crop of London’s Southeast Asian food scene.
As part of celebrASIA, you have collaborated with Chick’ N’ Sours on an exclusive dish. Can you tell us how this collaboration came about and what dish you created?
Mandy: Ten years ago, my chicken satay burger launched my food career across London’s best street food markets.
When I first started out, I got to know David Wolanski, the founder of Chick’ n’ Sours. Our Satay Fried Chicken collaboration, which we have worked on, especially for celebrASIA at Battersea Power Station, is wonderful as it brings me back full circle to my street food roots.
The Satay Fried Chicken sandwich marries Chick’ n’ Sours’ incredible chicken with Sambal Shiok’s unique tomato sambal and, of course, my famous peanut sauce that has been pulling in the crowds since 2014! I can’t wait for visitors to celebrASIA to try it!
What are you most looking forward to experiencing at celebrASIA?
Mandy: I am looking forward to being transported to Southeast Asia for the weekend and soaking up the atmosphere. It will be an incredible experience to be part of this unique festival, which is making its London debut in and around the iconic towers of Battersea Power Station. Of course, being a chef and food writer, I am most excited about trying all the food.
In terms of the arts and crafts programme, I love Malaysian kites and shadow puppets, so I will be first in line to see these! I also used to celebrate the Mooncake Festival as a child by lighting lanterns, so I am looking forward to introducing my son to this tradition by making lanterns with him. The traditional dance performances will be fabulous, as the music will transport me back home, and the costumes are always beautiful.
Do you have any other industry friends popping up across the weekend?
Mandy: The food vendors include many of my peers. I have enjoyed Roti King’s Malaysian food for over 20 years since I moved to the UK.
I love Old Chang Kee’s Singaporean egg and chicken curry puffs, Apoy’s Phillippino BBQ skewers, Eat Lah’s gorgeous Malaysian blue rice bowls, Yaay Yaay’s Thai kaprow, Lah Pet’s Burmese mohinga, Makatcha’s Indonesian rendang, Mamapen’s Cambodian BBQ rice bowls, Hanoi Kitchen’s Vietnamese pho, Pandan Bakery’s Malaysian kuih, and Rangoon Sisters’ Burmese chicken burger with Chick’N’Sours.
I am looking forward to discovering new favourites from the other vendors whose food I haven’t yet tried.
The above interview with Chef Mandy Yin was conducted by the team at Battersea Power Station, who also provided the photography by Charlie Round-Turner.
celebrASIA will take place at Battersea Power Station between Friday, September 13th, and Sunday, September 15th, 2024. For more information on this exciting new festival for London, please visit www.batterseapowerstation.co.uk/events/celebrasia/.
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