Cooking Nyonya shows the way to healthy eating

EATING healthy is an essential part of life. However, did you know that to start eating healthily, you must first begin by picking the right kind of oil?

Kuali and Yee Lee Corporation Berhad recently organised a cooking demonstration in Kuala Lumpur where the NeuVida Omega-9 oil was used to cook four authentic Nyonya delicacies.

The NeuVida Omega-9 oil contains just the necessary ingredients for a much healthier end results to all your favourite dishes.

The cooking demonstration, held at the Cooking House in Desa Sri Hartamas, was hosted by reknowned Malaysian Chef Debbie Teoh.

Teoh has made quite a name for herself. With more than 15 years experience in the food industry, she is a true bred Nyonya who hails from Malacca. She has authored many cookbooks and specialises in Nyonya recipes. Underwraps and Nyonya Flavours are just a couple of books written by her. Her latest book is called Authentic Nyonya.

At the event, Dow AgroSciences field scientist Dr Lee Leng Choy provided first hand information on how to pick the right type of oil for your everyday cooking.

"When shopping for oil, always ensure you look at their labels and identify the fatty acid contents."

"Some fatty acids are good for the body, while others can cause health complications. What you need to look out for is oil that contains mono unsaturated fat, zero trans fat, zero saturated fat and a minimum amount of polyunsaturated fat," he said.

"Judging from the questions from the audience, it is clear that they seem concerned about their health. I'm glad I have been given a chance to spread the awareness further and educate them with a deeper knowledge of the good and the bad types of oil out there."

"By creating awareness, they can take the knowledge home and share them around, thus begin leading a healthier lifestyle with their family and friends," said Dr Lee.

Later, Teoh took the stage and awed the audience with her culinary insights.

"I loved the crowd today. It's always fun to have a crowd so inquisitive and wanting to learn," said Teoh.

"During my cooking demonstrations, I always ensure the crowd gets involved in what I'm doing. It's not just about attending a demonstration, staying in your seat and watching the cook at work. It can be quite boring that way, which is why I like getting the audience to come up in front and help me out. That way it makes it easier for them to learn and take home some valuable tips," she said.

The first lucky member of the audience who was called out to assist Teoh was homemaker Madeline.

"This is my first time attending Chef Debbie's cooking demonstration and I am honoured to be in her presence. She is a great cook and I am a big fan. I have two of her cookbooks at home and am a huge follower. I remember trying out one of her recipes for Nyonya Chang which turned out very nicely. I've been following her for years and definitely look forward to more cooking demonstrations by her."

Teoh did more than just demonstrate her cooking skills. She got to know her audience on a personal level and made them feel at ease. It was no wonder that there was a long queue to assist Teoh pour the Roti Jala butter into the pan.

Another participant Geeta Krishnasamy said she found Teoh to be very charming and entertaining.

"It was certainly nice to get to know Chef Debbie up close and personal. I've seen her on print and online, but nothing beats meeting her in person."

"Cooking is completely different from baking. Your measurements need not be accurate and there's room for constant experiments. Chef Debbie is very insightful and I've definitely learned a new thing or two from today's demonstration," she said.

Food technologist Selva Kumari Letchumanan said, "Everyone can cook these days, but it takes a lot of patience and preservation to experiment and find out the exact ingredients that work with certain dishes." "And Chef Debbie not only has a great mind for details like this, but she brings joy into the kitchen. She has a vibrant personality and made today's demonstration very fun."

Teoh cooked up four delicious authentic Nyonya dishes during the demonstration that was later served to the audience. They were fried Popiah, Roti Jala with Nyonya Curry Chicken and Kuih Ketayap for dessert.

The Star/ANN