Candlenut Kitchen Singapore

Singaporean chef Malcolm Lee is relatively young to be leading a kitchen. Normally, as most young chefs in Singapore do, Malcolm would be working the sauce station or be the sous chef of a Western style restaurant in Singapore or abroad.  As he began his apprenticeship in Europe his fellow cooks asked him about the cuisine he grew up with. As he described his culinary upbringing, Malcolm realized that he wasn’t really proficient in preparing the rich and diverse food of his youth, Peranakan or Nonya cuisine, a blend of Chinese ingredients with spices and cooking techniques used by Malay/ Indonesian families. Unlike many of his classmates, Malcolm relocated to Singapore to focus on the food of older generations. Relying on his grandmothers’ recipes and culinary knowledge Malcolm is highlighting classic Peranakan flavours by applying modern cooking techniques and presentations.

Candlenut Kitchen recently relocated to the new Dorset Singapore Hotel.

I spoke with Malcolm Lee for the video below, following a presentation of Nonya cuisine at Asia’s Best 50 Restaurants ceremony.

Cameron Stauch is a chef currently living in Hanoi, Vietnam. He is eating and cooking his way around Asia in search of cooks and producers who are focused on preserving and enriching their local culinary ingredients and traditions. Follow him @camcooks.