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Culture Generation

Know The People and Their Culture Through Food

Cuisine - Food Traditions - Cultural Identity

Featured Press

"Ms. Arokiasamy, 55, grew up buying roti canai for a few cents from a corner shop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and eating it with tea or coffee. She cooks frozen roti canai from the South Asian grocery store on the griddle, then claps it between her hands to make it extra flaky, like the roti from her childhood."

New York Times Featuring Christina
Ms. Arokiasamy eats roti canai dressed with different fixings for breakfast because it reminds her of her childhood in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Credit...Jovelle Tamayo for The New York Times
Tacos from Malaysian Kitchen
The cookbook author Christina Arokiasamy turns frozen roti canai, a variation from Malaysia, into quesadillas.Credit...Jovelle Tamayo for The New York Times

"The Seattle cookbook author Christina Arokiasamy, on the other hand, is looking for a traditional version when she shops for roti canai — made by stretching the dough into a thin, large round while slicking it with oil.

Ms. Arokiasamy, 55, grew up buying roti canai for a few cents from a corner shop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and eating it with tea or coffee. She cooks frozen roti canai from the South Asian grocery store on the griddle, then claps it between her hands to make it extra flaky, like the roti from her childhood.

But it’ll never taste as delicate as the fresh version, she said. “It is a lot of work and artistry to make a roti.”"

Welcome

Chef Christina Arokiasamy Cooking Image

Welcome to Culture Generation – Know the people and their culture through food in Kent, Washington, where we invite you to take a culinary journey through a hands-on cooking class with acclaimed chef and cookbook author Christina Arokiasamy.

The Spice Merchant’s Daughter – chef Christina Arokiasamy, trademark for true and unique Southeast Asian cultural cooking and dining experience, immerses you in an evening gateway into a visual and sensory feast you’ll never forget. Having been awarded many industry accolades and topped many gastronomes’ scoreboards, chef Christina Arokiasamy (Aro-Kia-Sammi) highly acclaimed class attracts people from all over America to imbibe in the secrets of her exquisite flavors, stories and traditions; you would otherwise have to take a flight to Southeast Asia to experience.

Whether you are a beginner or an accomplished cook looking to expand your repertoire, you are bound to have an enjoyable time grinding spices, cutting aromatics, creating master sauces and sambals, learning to use the wok or stone mortar and pestle. Savor an exquisite meal afterwards unlike anything you’re ever tasted. “Please think of my class as your home away from home, whenever you cook here, you are among friends” –

~ Christina Arokiasamy ~

THE MALAYSIAN KITCHEN

Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Boston New York 2017
A delicious and informal mashup of Southeast Asian and European influences, Malaysian cooking is full of flavor and easy to love. Chef and author Christina Arokiasamy brings it into the American home kitchen. This cuisine borrows from the traditions of Thailand, India, China, and Portugal for dishes as varied as Chili Prawns, Salmon Tandoori, Hainanese Chicken Rice, and Grilled Lamb with Rosemary Pesto. Christina gives recipes for authentic Malaysian favorites like Beef Rendang and Char Kway Teow Noodles, while also sharing her own modern iterations, such as Wok-Fried Spaghetti with Kale. An assortment of sambals and chili sauces—simply thrown together in a blender—get you started on your way to these dishes that are so tasty and versatile you’ll find yourself using them in the rest of your everyday cooking. Vivid on-location photography takes the reader into the spice markets, coffee houses, fishing villages, and kitchen gardens that inspired each recipe.
The Malaysian Kitchen Cookbooks Cover - Christina Arokiasamy

FIVE GENERATIONS
IN THE SPICE TRADE

Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Boston New York 2017
The foods of Malaysia carry with them the aromas and flavors of the lands of Southeast Asia. I have dedicated myself to sharing these culinary treasures with people around the world. This flavorful journey can happen in your home using my cookbook, online for my video demonstrations, or at my cooking classes in the Seattle area.

~Chef Christina Arokiasamy~

RECIPES

Kopi Tiam Pork Tenderloin in Black Pepper Sauce

Kopi Tiam Pork Tenderloin in Black Pepper Sauce

Hainan cuisine made its way to British Malaya in the late 1800s through cooks who ventured to this colony in search of greener pastures. Working in expatriate homes, camps and for wealthy Europeans, they soon mastered the culinary skills to make familiar European food such as roasts, soups and bread. Over time, the inevitable fusion of European and Chinese came to be known as Hainanese cuisine.

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WHAT THE PRESS IS SAYING

Prestige Logo

These Malaysia-born chefs are bringing local flavours to the global stage BY SHARUNA SEGAREN 08 AUG 2022

WebMD Logo

SEATTLE-BASED CHEF AND COOKING INSTRUCTOR CHRISTINA AROKIASAMY CALLS curry a comfort food, just like beef stew. “A spicy sauce, light or rich, with vegetables, meat and/or seafood, curries can be the best braised dishes you’ll ever taste,”

Oprah Logo

- Oprah -

"Think you can’t cook Malaysian food? Too complicated? Wouldn’t know where to start? Think again! This spicy, tangy, vibrant cuisine is well within reach if you have a copy of chef Christina Arokiasamy’s new cookbook."

The Seattle Times Logo

- Seattle Times -

"CHRISTINA AROKIASAMY’S tales are transporting, as when she talks about her childhood in Kuala Lumpur, picking fresh curry leaves on daily walks."

People Food Logo

- People Magazine -

"The author of The Malaysian Kitchen offers a quick side dish that ‘will complement anything you bring to the table"

Publishers Weekly Logo

- Publishers Weekly -

"Arokiasamy, a Malaysian native, professional chef, and cooking instructor, showcases a flavorful array of Malaysian dishes in this enticing and accessible collection."

Huffington Post Logo

- The Huffington Post -

"Chef Christina was born and raised in Malaysia, is the author of “The Spice Merchants Daughter” and is also considered a spice expert, coming from 5 generations of spice merchants."

King 5 Logo

- King 5 -

"A stunning new cookbook takes home cooks on a culinary adventure to the heart of Southeast Asia. In The Malaysian Kitchen, chef and author Christina Arokiasamy shares recipes for incredible dishes that are as simple as they are delicious."

Food Republic Logo

- The Food Republic -

"Think you can’t cook Malaysian food? Too complicated? Wouldn’t know where to start? Think again! This spicy, tangy, vibrant cuisine is well within reach if you have a copy of chef Christina Arokiasamy’s new cookbook."

NBC Logo

- NBC -

"Chef Christina Arokiasamy is a fifth-generation descendant of a family of spice merchants. She grew up in Kuala Lumpur, trained in Bali and Thailand, and today makes her home in Seattle, Washington."

CBS Logo

- CBS -

"Arokiasamy — a renowned chef, author and spice expert — is spearheading the Malaysia Kitchen Program, working to promote the accessibility and convenience of the country’s cuisine and products to U.S. consumers."

Yahoo Style Logo

- Yahoo Style -

"Galangal, the fragrant ingredient popular in cuisines across Asia, tends to get lumped in with ginger. It makes sense: They’re closely related to one another (galangal is sometimes called “blue ginger”), both are rhizomes (knobby, underground stems that sprout roots and shoots), and both have long been thought to have medicinal properties."

The Washington Post Logo

- The Washington Post -

"Sweet soy sauce and Thai basil give this spicy dish an authentic flavor."

The Star Logo

- Star Magazine -

Malaysian-born chef Christina Arokiasamy was offered a cookbook deal after appearing on the Food Network in the US as host of Bespoke Malaysian Kitchen based on the idea that she would be introducing and teaching Malaysian dishes to Americans.