KUALA LUMPUR: Who would have guessed that the different types of local laksa could pique the culinary interest of Canadian TV personality and chef Anna Olson?
Olson, who is in town to promote her new cooking show, Inspired with Anna Olson, had so far sampled two types of the laksa dish – laksa Sarawak and laksa nyonya.
“Looks like I need another season to discover, sample and get inspired by all the different types of laksa Malaysia has to offer,” she told the Press after a cooking session to promote her upcoming show.
Another dish that she had become interested in is beef rendang, with its cooking method very different from the Western style of cooking.
“As a baker, I’m very much sensitive to the different techniques of cooking and I find that cooking this traditional dish is really interesting,” said Olson.
She admitted that what she liked best about her culinary journey in Malaysia and Asia is the humbling experiences she had gone through, a reminder that there is so much more for her to learn and experience in the culinary world.
“I’m like a kid all over again, without any preconceived idea of how certain Asian dishes are prepared. So when doing this show, I visited several Asian countries and have celebrity chefs and cooking experts from the respective countries cook classic dishes, and from there, I get a really good inspiration to prepare dishes with the essence of Asian cooking.
“I don’t intend to copy or replicate those dishes, but rather get good inspiration to prepare dishes with Asian essence. I mean, who am I to teach you how to prepare laksa? You’re the expert,” Olson quipped.
Meanwhile, during the cooking session, members of the press had the opportunity to learn how to cook East-West ‘fusion’ dishes she had concocted in her own kitchen, especially for the show.
Olson is here as part of a tour to promote the show, which will premier exclusively on Asian Food Channel (AFC, Astro Channel 703) on July 29 at 9pm.
Kuala Lumpur is the last stop of her tour after Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and Manila in the Philippines.