About

Hello, my name is Kim, a Chinese, born and grew up in Penang, Malaysia. I had been contemplating  for a few years to share some of my recipes but one thing after another hindered me but finally here I am.  I chose the name of Food Mystique in memory of my late mother who was the one who had inspired me in the realm of cooking.

When I was very young and being the only child at home, I would often 'glue' myself to her and follow her each time she went marketing.  I would enjoy watching her diligently check the fowl under its wings and backside, nagging at her favourite fishmonger for her red eyed fishes and then tuck in my usual 'Koey Teow Th'ng' (Rice Noodle Soup) which had a lot of bouncy fish balls before heading for home. Bouncy? For sure, they were!  Once, I accidentally overturned my bowl and those cute little balls were bouncing on the floor like marbles! Guess that was why I was attracted to always eat from that particular stall.

We were living in a village then where space was not a problem and my mother made sure that there were enough herbs and vegetables for her to harvest at anytime.  She would zealously start preparing for lunch and again I would be amazed watching her turn the screeching fowl, fresh eyed fishes (the fishmonger had taken them out from behind her stall for her) and freshly harvested herbs and vegetables into delicious meals which I thoroughly enjoyed.  To my young mind then, I was truly awed and mystified by it all.  From then on, my interest in cooking was formed and further developed into my early teens when I had to take over most of the marketing and cooking.

That was my first informal training and over the years, it was a journey of learning through trials / errors / success from experimentations and references in cooking.  I have had botched meals which I ended up eating by myself. I also started to develop an interest in baking during my early twenties.  Whenever I travel, my priority is to discover, taste and enjoy the different types of food, be it ala carte or street food. When I find and taste something that is delicious and unique, I always try to get a gist of how it is cooked. Sometimes, I develop on it to become a fusion recipe.  To me, cooking is creativity.  This journey in exploring the realm of cooking is an interesting and never ending learning experience.

I operated a cafe restaurant and learnt a lot through cooking and serving together with the other cooks.  When I moved later on, I was unable to pursue cooking freely but my passion did not diminish.  My mind was often filled with ideas for creating recipes and especially on how to make them as simple and healthy as possible and yet tasty. You will find them here as well as some traditional Nyonya recipes. I have adapted some according to my preference but still retain the traditional and authentic flavours.  All recipes have been tried and tested.

I will only be posting my recipes as and when I am able due to my other responsibilities but even so,  I hope you will like and try them out. Happy cooking!

~Kim~