The Race Against Time

Author and food historian, Khir Johari undertakes the arduous task of archiving Malay cuisine through the lens of a cultural anthropologist.

- Lu Yawen

In mainstream media these days, Malay cuisine has had a bad rep. It seems all the evidence—from social media posts by fitness enthusiasts to official documentation from the Health Promotion Board—points to the same conclusion: all that oil, coconut milk and sugar can’t be healthy. The misconception stems from a gross generalisation of Malay food. Well, Khir Johari is here to change that perception.

With The Food of Singapore Malays: Gastronomic Travels Through the Archipelago, the food historian and now author has written perhaps the most comprehensive book on Malay cuisine in English. The 624-pager traces its roots from predecessors throughout the region, meticulously documenting the names, tools and techniques that are in danger of extinction.

Marshall Cavendish International published and launched the book last November, and its first run of 1,000 copies sold out within five days. A second print run will be available this March.

ON A MISSION

The Food of Singapore Malays originated in California where Khir taught high school mathematics for six years, while spending weekends at the now-defunct Black Oak Books at Berkeley. There, he found books written by British scholars, Richard Olaf Winstedt and Richard James Wilkinson, who both had extensive knowledge on 20th century British Malaya.