Bryan Koh

Little has been written about the cuisines of Borneo, the fourth largest island in the world, occupied by three nations, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. Fascinated by its history, astonishing biodiversity and peoples, Koh spent four years travelling across the island to meet some of the myriad communities contributing to its culinary landscape, from indigenous ethnic groups, like the Iban, Dusun, Murut, Malays and Banjarese, to settlers like the Chinese, Javanese and Bugis. The result is the rich, engaging and kaleidoscopic Tamu: A Guest at the Bornean Table, written as a travelogue with food firmly at its core. More than just culinary information and recipes, Tamu also sheds light on the lives, culture and traditions of the people who make up this fascinating land. It is also rich with information on the lesser-known botanicals that form the foundation of the island’s local cuisines. As with his previous three literary endeavours, this book is sumptuous with food and location photographs, all of which were executed by Koh, who also designed the book.

For Bryan Koh, Milkier Pigs & Violet Gold, marked his first foray into the world of cookbook publishing. It was the first Filipino cookbook written by a foreigner, inspired by the food he had enjoyed during his childhood and that which he encountered on travels throughout the Philippines. It was received with critical acclaim. In the five years since its release, and ten years since Bryan first began traversing the country in the name of research, global interest in Filipino food has swelled, as has a curiosity among Filipinos about the regional and provincial delicacies of their homeland. For this second edition, Bryan returned to the Philippines yet again and visited previously uncovered territories, such as Quezon, Maguindanao and Tawi-Tawi. The result is an especially vivid tome, with at least 20 new recipes, including hardinera, a festive steamed meatloaf; espasol, a sweetmeat of toasted glutinous rice and coconut milk; balo-balo, a green mango salad with salted fish and toasted coconut; piyalam, fish stewed with turmeric, onions and tomatoes; and puto kuhita, steamed tapioca cakes stuffed with sweet-sour braised octopus. As with its predecessor, this new edition is sumptuous with food and location photographs, all of which were executed by Bryan, who also designed the book.

Both a food-centred travelogue and recipe book, 0451 Mornings are for Mont Hin Gar explores regional Burmese cuisine, taking the reader on a journey through Myanmar’s vast and varied culinary landscape. The title pays homage to mont hin gar, a fish soup noodle dish that the locals usually have for breakfast. Filling its pages are richly illustrated food stories gleaned through the author’s travels all over the country, from Mandalay teashops to Waymo eateries, from Rakhine markets to Bagan and Mawlamyaing home kitchens. Laden with information on local ingredients and cooking methods, one can expect recipes for staples, such as fermented tea leaf salad and mont hin gar, as well as more unusual dishes such as kyaing tong peanut tofu salad, Chin white corn porridge, and a curry of pork, fermented sesame paste and citron leaves from the arid central plains.