Ping Coombes

Malaysian food reflects a fusion of cultures, mostly Malay, Chinese and Indian, and is a hidden gem of South East Asian cuisine. I'm excited to bring the incredible flavours and aromas I grew up with into the limelight and show you how easy it is to recreate authentic, delicious, mouth-watering dishes that will delight every time. The Malaysian Cookaway menus I have created bring together traditional recipes with modern cooking methods, to showcase the rich, diverse heritage of Malaysian cookery. Join me and fall in love with this enchanting cuisine.

I grew up in Ipoh, a town in Malaysia known far and wide for its delicious food. We ate very well, but growing up, my mother was very protective of her kitchen, so I never learnt how to cook. When I moved to the UK to study in 2000, I really missed the food from home, so started to experiment, cooking, failing, and making panicked phone calls back home to Mum in Malaysia! I fell in love with cooking and as my skills improved, my confidence grew, until in 2014 I took my beloved recipes to the MasterChef UK kitchen, and was thrilled to win the title. Since then, I have set up a Malaysian Cookery School and written my first cookbook full of family recipes.