A classic Chinese dish from the cookbook Bao Family by Céline Chung. These tasty dumplings are simple to make and well-loved.

A popular dish from the cookbook Bao Family by Céline Chung. Granny Smith apples are a great choice, as they’re firm and slightly tart, which balances out the sweet sugar coating.

A popular Chinese dish from the cookbook Bao Family by Céline Chung. Tasty, simple to make, and packed with flavour.

“White pomfret was Amah’s favourite fish to eat, but it was really expensive. I knew every time we ate it something special had happened: maybe my dad had closed a business deal, maybe one of us got straight As at school or maybe it was for Lunar New Year. It was precious. Pomfret is hard to get in Australia, but you can use any other white fish in this recipe. When we serve this for Lunar New Year at the restaurant, we use coral trout because it’s one of my favourites and, in my opinion, the best fish we can get in Australia.”

“Malaysian roast chicken has crispy, dark skin and lots of flavour from the five-spice and salt rub. Back in primary school, when my mum was working and it was just us boys and Dad, he would often ask, ‘Chicken rice tonight?’ It was always a big yes from us, and we’d go to the chicken rice shop near our house where, like almost all chicken rice shops, you could get Hainan chicken or roast chicken. I always prefer roast chicken. I love the flavour, and there is a lot more skill in making a proper Malaysian roast chicken with crispy skin. Start this recipe the day before.”

“The quality of beef in Malaysia sucks, and my grandparents never ate beef because of their religious beliefs. One of the few times we ate it was at Kayu Nasi Kandar, a shop in Petaling Jaya that serves rice with a choice of curries on top. The rendang gravy at Kayu was delicious, but the beef was so tough and chewy. The only beef I liked was a McDonald’s cheeseburger. We’d go on a Monday for the one-ringgit cheeseburger special. My dad would ask me and my brother how many we wanted and, being growing boys, we’d take ten or fifteen home and smash the lot.

So the first time I properly appreciated rendang was in Australia. My take on rendang is controversial as I use good-quality Australian beef for the texture and flavour. Some people wonder what’s the point if you are going to slow-cook it, but when I ask if they like the sauce they say it’s bloody amazing. It’s all a by-product of using good-quality, fatty meat.”

“This recipe makes wings similar to the type you find at izakaya and kushikatsu (fried skewers) restaurants. After being fried, the wings are dipped into a sauce, which, naturally enough, slightly softens the crispness. The wings are at their absolute best eaten within 10 minutes of being fried and dipped but are delicious even when the crispness has entirely faded. Izakaya frequently serve the mid-joint portion with the wing tip attached, so use them, if possible. Bottled ponzu is fairly easy to find, but bottled yuzu might be more difficult – look for it at shops specializing in Japanese ingredients. If you can’t find yuzu juice, use equal parts of fresh orange, lemon and lime juice to total 5 teaspoons.”

“If you’ve eaten KFC – Korean fried chicken – chances are high that the first version you tasted was the sweet and spicy Dakgangjeong or Yangnyeom. The two are very similar, but my Korean friends tell me that Dakgangjeong is sweeter and sticker, while Yangnyeom is spicier. I prefer the spicier version.”

This is one of my all-time favourite ways to prepare seasonal vegetables – an absolute classic of Japanese home cooking, and with good reason: it’s ridiculously delicious.

I love the silky texture and fresh, sweet flavour of raw salmon, but of course I also love the dense, meaty flavour of grilled salmon – this delivers the best of both worlds, with tangy ponzu and hot green chillies to offset the richness of the fish.

These delectable crunch-parcels are one of the most popular toppings for udon and soba in Japan, and it’s easy to understand why. They start off crunchy and sweet, and over time the batter absorbs the broth to make for fabulously juicy mouthfuls.

This showstopper of a dish originates from the Chittagong district, and is traditionally served to welcome a new groom into the bride’s family. Mellow, lightly spiced and creamy, the skinless chicken is melt-in-your-mouth and flavoursome throughout thanks to slow cooking and bhagar or tempering of golden fried onions.

When it comes to bhorta, aloo, or potato, is at the top of most people’s lists. It’s one of the tastiest and most versatile versions of this mashed dish, and is an essential feature on the Bangladeshi culinary map. Best of all, it can be made by anyone, irrespective of budget or ability. The potatoes are either baked or boiled, then mixed with smoky fried chillies, onions and salt. A good drizzle of pungent mustard oil and a scattering of fresh coriander (cilantro) completely enlivens the blank canvas of soft potatoes and creates a magical dish. Mash a portion with plain rice and enjoy a classic Bangladeshi carb-on-carb delight. In place of mustard oil, you can use vegetable oil and a teaspoon of English mustard.

As a child, and being one of the eldest grandchildren, I was lucky enough to enjoy leisurely breakfasts with my late nani (maternal grandmother) whenever I visited my grandparents’ home. For me, this was my time with my grandmother, sitting at the kitchen table and being served a portion of doi chira in an enamel bowl. I would watch as she sliced up the bananas, then poured warm milk on top of the chira (which I would later learn she handmade, on visits to Bangladesh). Next, she’d add an occasional dollop of yoghurt or doi, and sometimes gur (date molasses). A sprinkle of salt offset the sweet and tangy, and created a simple dish that was a joy to eat.

I came up with the idea for this dish after listening to two friends talk about instant noodles – a subject that is dear to my stomach. Peter reminisced about eating instant noodles, sprinkled with the seasoning mix, straight out of the packet, without cooking them first. Carol said that she hadn’t ever tasted one of my favourite instant noodles, Nongshim Shin Ramyun. I wondered how instant noodles would work as a coating for fried chicken, and fortunately had a packet of Nongshim Shin Ramyun in my cupboard. (An important tip if you want to buy these: seek out the ones made in South Korea, because they taste so much better than the ones made elsewhere.) It was one of the easiest fried chicken dishes I’ve made, and the noodles fried up spicy and crunchy. You can vary the flavour by using other types of instant noodles, but make sure the seasoning packet is a dry mix, not a paste. Also, use only the seasoning powder, not any oil or dehydrated vegetables that may come in the packet. This fried chicken goes very well with soju (Korean distilled alcoholic beverage) or beer.