The Malay Cook
by Ranie Saidi

Malays make up the majority of Malaysia's population, yet their everyday home cooking has rarely made it onto cookbook shelves outside the country. London-based recipe developer Ranie Saidi sets out to change that with his debut, a book built as much on grief and memory as it is on recipes.

At its heart is Che Aminah, Saidi's grandmother, a village cook in Malaysia who ran her own wedding catering business and taught him the foundations of Malay cooking by her side. When she passed away in 2011, her handwritten recipe book was stolen, leaving Saidi with nothing but memory to work from. After moving to London, he began piecing her dishes back together from recollection, a process that eventually grew into sold-out supper clubs and, now, this collection of more than 70 recipes.

The book moves through savoury snacks like Tofu Bergedil and Satay Wings, rice and sharing dishes such as a Northern Malaysian Nasi Lemak platter, comforting one-pot bean stews and curry puffs, and playful modern additions like Pandan Tiramisu. A dedicated chapter, Che Aminah's Kitchen, is given over entirely to his grandmother's own recipes, including her much-loved Matrimonial Chicken. Over half the recipes are vegetarian or plant-based, and a Malay Palate Flavour Table offers ingredient swaps and guidance for cooking with what's available locally.

Written with warmth and shaped by loss, The Malay Cook is both an introduction to an under-represented cuisine and a personal tribute, tracing Saidi's journey from Kuala Lumpur to London one dish at a time.

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