Editors Picks
There are cities you can understand through maps, and then there are cities like Kuala Lumpur that only begin to make sense when you follow what people eat. Not what is recommended or ranked, but what is repeated. The same stall visited every week, the same dish ordered without hesitation, the same flavours that feel…
Noodles have a timeless place in the world of food, and Taste Our Traditions can attest that only few dishes are as universally loved. What makes a bowl of noodles truly stand out is not just the ingredients, but the artistry and skill behind their creation. Noodle-making is an ancient craft that demands patience, precision,…
The first thing I noticed was the smoke. It didn’t rise all at once, but in thin, steady ribbons that curled upward from a narrow grill set just inches from the counter. The scent came first, warm and unmistakable, a mix of rendered chicken fat and binchōtan charcoal, clean but deeply present. Inside the small…
In our first, would probably say, emotional editorial, I would like to open with how there is a particular kind of silence that happens before a dish is eaten now. Not the quiet of anticipation, but the pause of positioning, a hand hovering just above the plate, adjusting the angle of a bowl so the…
Her hands move in a blur, a dance of muscle memory refined over sixty years. In a small, steam-filled kitchen in Shanghai, an elderly woman transforms a humble circle of dumpling dough into a perfect, 20-pleat xiao long bao. Each pinch and fold is a syllable in a story passed down through generations-prime examples of…
I’ll never forget the first time I made miso soup from scratch. Not the instant kind, but the “proper” way. I boiled water, dissolved miso paste, added tofu, and waited. It tasted flat, salty and cloudy but missing the deep, satisfying flavor I loved in Japanese restaurants. I thought maybe I needed better miso. Years…
In the world of Asian food, few dining experiences capture the soul of traditional Japanese food culture like omakase. At a premier omakase restaurant, diners entrust their meal entirely to the chef, whose artistry is guided not just by mastery, but by shun—the appreciation of seasonal and fresh ingredients at the absolute peak of their…
In the humid, sticky heat of Southeast Asia, where your shirt clings to your back and the air is thick with the sharp scent of oxidising oil, there’s a particular clink that always gets me. It’s the sound of a metal spatula striking a wok, a rhythmic percussion that’s as familiar to me now as…
To understand the plate is to understand the map. If you were to trace the spice routes of the 15th century or follow the monsoon winds that carried merchant ships across the Indian Ocean, you would find yourself at the epicenter of the world’s most vibrant pantry. The food in the Southeast region of Asia…
If you were to stand at a busy intersection in Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, or Jakarta and close your eyes, your nose would tell you a story before your eyes ever could. There is a specific, intoxicating perfume that defines Southeast Asian food: the sharp tang of lime juice hitting a hot wok, the…