Shu Han Lee, the celebrated author of Chicken and Rice, returns with her latest cookbook ‘Agak Agak’. In this vibrant collection, Shu captures the essence of Singaporean cuisine with recipes that showcase bold flavours and spices while remaining accessible to home.
Shu grew up in Singapore before moving to London in 2009, which allowed her to bring a unique perspective to her approach to cooking. With ‘agak agak’, she merges the deep connection between heritage with the practicality of home cooking in a Western kitchen.
Rooted in the Malay concept of ‘agak agak’ – a term those loosely translates to ‘to taste’ – the book emphasises the flexibility and creativity in the kitchen. Shu invites readers to experiment and adapt, transforming traditional dishes into everyday meals that burst with rich, multicultural influences that define Singaporean food. The cookbook serves as a bridge between cultures, offering recipes that are easy to recreate while staying true to the vibrant and diverse flavours of Singapore.
You’ll find a bundle of recipes to choose from, such as classic and modern recipes of Kaya Toast with Half-Boiled Eggs, Nasi Goreng, and an 8-hour Ox Cheek Rendang! For something sweeter, Shu offers readers Pandan Swiss Roll and Black Sticky Rice Pudding with Rhubarb, amongst others.
We’ve shared one of our favourites from the cookbook; delicious steamed aubergines paired with a cherry tomato sambal.
Steamed Aubergines with Cherry Tomato Sambal
When steamed, aubergines (eggplants) become silky soft and almost creamy inside – a perfect sponge for soaking up any sauce. Here, Shu topped the aubergine with a summery sambal, made with fresh cherry tomatoes. It brings together two of her favourite sauces to eat with aubergine: sambal chilli (a must-have at any Malay nasi padang stall) and tomato sauce (well-loved in all sorts of Italian classics like aubergine parmigiana). As the tomatoes fry, their sugars caramelise and give the sambal a rich, sweet–sour depth. This isa dish that really sings of hot sunny days – whether in sweltering Singapore or in a British back garden in August.
Serves: 2-3 as a side
Ingredients:
- 1 medium aubergine (eggplant) (about 250 g/9 oz)
- 2 tsp white rice vinegar, or white wine vinegar
- 2 tsp light soy sauce
- small handful of Thai basil
- small handful of fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
For the tomato sambal topping (see tip):
- 50 g (1!⁄” oz) large red chillies, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 banana shallot, roughly chopped
- 100 g (3½ oz) cherry tomatoes, half roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- Juice of ½ lime (about 1 tbsp)
- ½ tsp light brown sugar
- ¼ tsp Maldon Sea Salt, or to taste
Method:
- Slice the aubergine into 2 cm (¾ in) thick, finger-length batons. Now, place the aubergine batons in a large bowl of water with the vinegar, and leave for 10 minutes. This extra step helps the aubergine keep its beautiful purple/white colours.
- To make the tomato sambal topping, pound the chillies, garlic, shallot and half the cherry tomatoes using a pestle and mortar or whizz in a small blender until you get a coarse paste. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan set over medium heat and fry the sambal for 15 minutes, until fragrant and the oil seeps backout. Quarter the remaining cherry tomatoes and add to the pan, frying until their skins blister and burst. Lightly crush some of the tomatoes so they release their juices into the sambal. Stir in the lime juice, sugar and Maldon Sea Salt.
- While the sambal is frying, steam the aubergines. Stack them in a steamer basket, and set over gently boiling water. Cover and steam over high heat for 8–10 minutes until they’re soft but still firm enough to hold their shape. Transfer the steamed aubergines to your serving plate, arranging them in a line down the plate and drizzle the light soy sauce over evenly.
- Warm up the cherry tomato sambal again so it’s sizzling, then spoon it over the aubergines. Make sure you get everything in the pan, including the bright red chilli-spiked oil. Sprinkle the Thai basil and coriander over to serve.
Tip:
You can shortcut making the tomato sambal by gently frying the cherry tomatoes in oil until they burst, then stir in 2 tablespoons of Sambal Tumis and a pinch of Maldon Sea Salt flakes.
In conversation with Shu Han Lee…
Agak Agak’ embraces the idea of cooking ‘to taste’. Can you tell us more about this approach and how it reflects the essence of Singaporean cuisine?
Based on the Malay word for ‘somewhat’, ‘agak agak’ really comes to life in the home kitchen, where cooks are encouraged to rely on all their senses and experience, rather than tools or rigid formulas. It’s not a hot mess of luck or guesswork though. It’s knowing to wet your hands if your mee hoon kueh (handmade noodles) dough feels a tad dry. It’s knowing to hold back on the chillies, depending on how spicy or sweet they are this time. It’s the way my mum, aunties and uncle cook – and it’s the way I’ve come to cook, especially here in the UK where I don’t always have the same ingredients to work with; nor the long hours to potter away. I think many other food-loving cultures will recognise this same sort of instinctive, adaptive way of cooking in their home kitchens (for instance, Italians with their ‘quanto basta’, or as much as needed)!
I like to think this ‘agak agak’ approach has helped to shape Singapore’s rich and exciting cuisine from our early days as a bustling port island. Many Singaporean classics, as we know it today, are born out of cooks trying to find a taste of home in a foreign land. With different local ingredients, and with different tools, they used their senses to approximate the flavours they missed, or wanted to create. The incredible array of food you find in Singapore didn’t come from simply following recipes exactly. It came from a long history of adjusting and adapting and doing things ‘to taste’. One example is our national dish, Hainanese chicken rice: the early Chinese traders brought it over Hainan, but we serve the gently poached chicken with a fiery chilli garlic sauce, instead of the traditional spring onion sauce.
You encourage readers to use your recipes as inspiration to create their own dishes. Can you share a story or example of how you’ve done this in your own cooking?
I love mixing up traditional recipes with the seasonal produce I can get here in the UK. I find results would often taste better and be cheaper, having not been flown halfway across the world a week ago. One example in the book is my Rainbow Chard Belachan, inspired by the traditional ‘Kangkong Belachan’, a dish of water spinach (kang kong) stir fried with hot bird’s eye chilli and pungent shrimp paste. What makes this dish really sing is the contrast of crunchy stalks and silky smooth leaves – and chard offers that same delightful contrast that water spinach does.
Having moved from Singapore to London in 2009, how has your experience living abroad influenced your approach to Singaporean cooking?
As mentioned above, I like to make use of British seasonal ingredients as much as I can – Britain has a wonderful larder of fresh, vibrant produce and it would be a real shame not to use it. On the flip side, I’ve also learnt to work with the lack of availability of certain Singaporean ingredients and resources that I had taken for granted. It’s made me think up new shortcuts and/or replacements, and it’s forced me to be clever about recreating the wonderful flavours I grew up with in simpler ways.
As a food developer with your own spice company, Rempapa, what role do spices play in your new cookbook, and how can home cooks elevate their dishes using spices?
Because of Singapore’s proximity to the Indonesian spice islands, its immigrant Indian population and its historical role as a port city, spices play a huge part in Singaporean cooking, and in this cookbook. In fact I have one whole chapter dedicated to curries (though you’ll find spices feature in many more recipes beyond this chapter)! My top tip with spices is to make sure you use and replace them regularly, as the forgotten jar at the back of your shelf is likely to taste of nothing more than dust.
What does a normal day in the life look for you, Shu?
My days vary a lot, as I flit between managing Rempapa and writing or developing recipes for other brands! As Rempapa is currently a one-woman show, I also have to juggle everything from sales to accounts to content creation. I am happiest though, when I’m in the kitchen, trying and tasting new things (least happy when I’m forced to face a spreadsheet)!
With so many bold colours and delicious flavours to choose from, you MUST have a favourite recipe in the book?!
It’s really difficult to choose, but I really hope everyone tries the Chilli Crab Spaghetti. Chilli crab is one of the most iconic dishes of Singapore, but as with all the best things it’s continued to evolve. On many modern menus, you’ll find that same rich, spicy, fragrant tomato sauce served up with spaghetti instead of fried mantou buns – and this is the version I choose to share in Agak Agak. I use cooked crab meat, both white and brown, so it’s super easy for home cooks in the UK. The latter adds a rich depth to the sauce, much like shrimp paste. It’s a recipe that really shows off how fresh and creative Singaporean cooks are – and is insanely delicious of course!
Name three things in the kitchen you can’t live without!
A sharp kitchen knife, garlic, and a bottle of good soy sauce
Where to buy ‘Agak Agak’?
You can find where to purchase Shu’s NEW cookbook here and start being creative with food and flavours in the comfort of your kitchen.
Make sure you have your Maldon Salt ready for these recipes! If you are running out, please feel free to browse on our Where to Buy Page to find your nearest store in which stocks our beloved Maldon Salt.
Lastly, we LOVE seeing your creations – please tag us on Instagram using the #maldonsalt so we can share your own take on Shu’s recipes!
