Tasting Puan Sri Nisa Bakri’s Home Cooking @ Serasi Cafe
On 13 November 2017, I headed to Serasi Cafe for an afternoon with Puan Sri Nisa Bakri, the home cook behind Raul’s Cafe and the cookbook I Am Not A Chef. The event shared her cooking journey overseas, but for me the real highlight was getting to taste her food.
Who Is Puan Sri Nisa Bakri?
Puan Sri Nisa is a self-taught cook whose cookbook I Am Not A Chef features both Malaysian favourites and dishes from other countries. Her cooking has taken her abroad: in October 2017 she joined a programme by NAWEM (National Association of World Entrepreneur of Malaysia) at the University of Jaen in Spain, where she also had the chance to cook at a restaurant run by celebrity chef Antonio. She has since hosted an eight-episode cooking programme in Dubai and appeared on other cooking shows.
What I Ate
Lunch was a spread of classic Malay home-style dishes:
- Asam Pedas Nisa Bakri – her signature sour and spicy dish
- Ayam Goreng Berempah – fried chicken coated in spices
- Kari Udang – prawn curry
- Nasi Wangi – fragrant rice to soak up all the gravy
It is easy to see why people say her food tastes like a mother’s cooking. Nothing is fussy, and every dish is the kind you want to go back to for a second plate of rice. The Asam Pedas remains my favourite of her dishes.
What’s Next
The afternoon also marked an agreement between Puan Sri Nisa and Agroworld Channel Sdn Bhd to launch a smoked lamb product, as part of her plan to bring Malaysian flavours to markets like the USA and UK.
