Hi, I'm Reese, from Penang - an island in Malaysia that was developed by the British East India Company two centuries ago as a trading port in - you guessed it – spices!
I love spices - the vibrant colors, aromas and flavors. Where would cooking be without spices?
Not in my kitchen.
The place where you'll find me busy with snacking or cooking. A condition my grandmother and mom instilled with their ability to cook anything, and doing so at any time of the day. They spoiled me and my sisters with sweet & sour assam laksa infused with tamarind and mint, satay marinated with turmeric, fennel seeds, and cumin, piping hot hokkien prawn noodles with homemade ground chili paste, coconut milk rice livened up with fresh ginger, pandan leaves, and star anise, and the list of dishes goes on until there was no space left on the table for my plate.
So here I am, next in line, with a taste for flavor in every dish. No, not just in food, but in life. In traveling the world, meeting new people, learning new languages, and experiencing cultural diversity by putting myself right in the middle of it.
When I left Penang after University, and traveled throughout Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, I encountered in every place I visited, the undeniable connection between foods and cultures, and the role spices played in the rich history of the world. Connections I want to share with you on Season with Spice.
Like the dishes we all grew up with that we keep craving and returning to, I found my way back home to Penang last year. And through the amazing diversity of my little spice island - which I am reminded of every day through my work on community and art projects in the UNESCO World Heritage site of George Town - I discovered those same connections happening all around me.
And to my surprise, I found those connections in a familiar kitchen. Cooking alongside my mom, she not only shared with me, and continues to share with me, the recipes with spice passed down from my grandmother, but also the many stories that are an inseparable part of them.
“Dinner’s ready.”
That's Mark. Can you smell the cayenne pepper and cumin from the kitchen?
"Okay, almost done writing."
“Did you tell everyone that you just turned 30?”
“Hey!” Don't listen to everything he says...especially any claim of being the better cook.
Enjoy the recipes and the spices and the stories. I can’t wait to hear from you!
Hi, I'm Mark. While my taste buds have adapted (burned) well to the spicy food of Malaysia, I’m a long way from home in Minnesota – a land of holiday potlucks, where you always go back for seconds because there’s never enough space on your paper plate after the first attempt at the endless counter of hotdishes, casseroles, Jell-O with fruit, and assorted bars.
Penang is famous for food, but I do miss those Minnesota dishes. Especially the desserts. I still remember watching my mom bake cookies, cakes and bars. She would open the highest kitchen cupboard and spin this mysterious spice rack, then add the wonderful effect of cinnamon, ginger, clove, and nutmeg in my holiday treats.
Travelling throughout Asia and Australia, paving my own Spice Route through work in Kochi, Singapore, Tokyo, and Penang, I was shocked when I tasted those same spices in savory dishes. It was strange, but delicious. It made me realize how dynamic spices could be. How they could be mixed and added to any dish, and voila – amazing flavor!
“What are you writing in there?”
I’m the better cook. “Nothing.”
“Did you tell them that you write fiction?”
“Not yet. Why?”
"I thought they should know you make a lot of stuff up."
I'm not going to respond to that. But I better get going. I’m in the middle of writing out an ice cream recipe with a bit of spice (rum’s a spice, right?).
We never lock the door to our kitchen, so visit anytime. Tell us your ideas and questions, and take the recipes into your kitchen to create colorful, flavorful dishes to share and savor.
