WHAT do you do when you have specialty knowledge in a particular area and want to share that knowledge wide and far? You can publish a book on it! And that’s exactly what former engineer-turned-cooking instructor Nazlina Hussin did.
The Fierce Aunty’s No-Nonsense Guide To The Perfect Laksa is without doubt the most comprehensive book ever published on laksa, that very uniquely Malaysian dish that all communities love.
Nazlina talks to SAVVY about how she moved from engineering to cooking, how the laksa book came to being, and her plans for the future which naturally involves food.
How did an electronics engineer end up being a cooking school instructor?
After graduating with my electronics engineering degree from the University of Manchester, I came back to Penang to work in the engineering line. I then went into entrepreneurship when an opportunity to open a scuba diving school in the East Coast came up and I did that for eight years. When I finally returned to Penang, I found it difficult to get back into engineering because I was already older and thus needed a higher salary. But the companies didn’t want that. They preferred to hire younger engineers who were cheaper. I started a food website called Pickles and Spices (www.pickles-and-spices.com) which attracted a lot of attention, locally and abroad. One thing led to another and I ended up running cooking classes.
How did you start your cooking classes?
My very first foray into teaching cooking was with Tropical Spice Garden. I worked with them for one and a half years. It was a kind of partnership where I shared revenue with them. After that I got a contract with Eastern & Oriental Hotel to do cooking activities to entertain their guests and that lasted for a year and a half too. It was only after that that I began my own cooking school.
How did you attract students at first?
Then and now, it’s my website that brings me students. I don’t advertise much. People find me through organic search. A lot of my students are tourists — people who come to visit Penang and want to have a different, more immersive experience than just sight-seeing. They want to try their hand at traditional Malay cooking. I teach them real cooking but I also make it fun and enjoyable too.
Your background is engineering. How did you learn cooking?
Well, initially it was from my mum. You could say I was her forced helper but later I learned from the Internet, watching YouTube and so on. I was always curious about food, about what goes inside a recipe. I recall even at the age of 10 asking my mother to buy me minced meat because I wanted to learn how to make my own burger.
Did you do a lot of cooking as a student abroad?
I did but back then I was actually more interested in baking. At one point, I even secretly harboured a dream of becoming a baker someday. I’d bake bread, pizza, cakes, biscuits, you name it.
Do you still bake these days?
Not so much anymore. It’s more convenient just to buy stuff as there are lots of good bakeries around. Besides, I hate cleaning up after baking!
What made you decide to do a book on laksa?
I’ve always liked laksa and I’m very familiar with the different forms of laksa out there. What motivated me to do it was my students who asked for it. At first I wasn’t convinced a book on laksa would work but there were a lot of requests. It’s something that was gestating for about three and a half years before I finally did something about it.
Did you do a lot of research?
I did quite thorough and extensive research because I wanted it to be as authentic as possible. I didn’t want to fake it. So, I visited a lot of states to see what the laksa there were really like.
Did you do much of the work yourself?
Yes, I did the writing myself. I also did the food styling and I directed the photography. I wanted to make sure it turned out exactly as I had envisioned it.
Where do you think laksa originated from?
It’s very hard to say because Chinese people cook laksa but there are a lot of Malay versions of it too. My personal theory is that it came from Thailand because it’s spicy and sourish, which is a common characteristic of Thai food. But there’s no direct equivalent of laksa in Thailand so it must have been a dish influenced by Thai cooking rather than something imported.
In Penang where you’re from, there are two types of asam laksa — the Chinese version and the Malay version. What are the differences between the two?
The Chinese one uses more prawn paste and involves a lot more ingredients. The Malay one is very simple with just onion, chilli and fish paste as the core ingredients.
What’s your favourite version of laksa?
I like Laksa Terengganu the most. There are two types, the white kind and the red kind. I prefer the red one, which involves the use of curry powder of a specific brand: “Rose” brand. You can’t call it Laksa Terengganu unless you use that brand of curry powder! It’s very fragrant and not too fishy.
With so many different forms of laksa out there — some of which bear no resemblance to the others — is there any common denominator?
Most forms of laksa use torch ginger but even that’s not true for all. Laksa Sarawak, for example, doesn’t use torch ginger. Vietnamese mint can be found in most laksa as well.
Does every state have its own form of laksa?
Many do but not all. Sabah and Negeri Sembilan don’t seem to have any native forms of laksa, or at least I’ve not heard of any. Guess what. Selangor also doesn’t seem to have its own form of laksa!
What’s next?
I want to do a second edition of the book. The first one is only 112 pages and I had to limit the amount of content I put in there. But there are so many more things I want to share. I want it to be the ultimate guide to laksa and I want it to be perfect in every way.
Planning to do anything digital?
A lot people asked me to do a video channel on YouTube. Then, of course there are e-books that can be done and phone apps too. Actually what I need is a digital strategist to help me with this because I don’t really have time to think about it much. I teach cooking five days a week. But I’m interested in exploring all these digital opportunities. I got my start by doing a website, remember?