About me
I was born in a tropical country of Malaysia and I learned to cook from my late Granny. I still remember until now that the first dish that I cooked was choi sum fried in garlic. Sound simple, right? Probably, but not when you’re 10 years old! It was the first but certainly wasn’t the last. I’ve been cooking ever since.
My family is a foodie family. Everybody cooks, everybody eats! My beloved Mama was a cook and she had a little stall at a local market in Kuala Lumpur. That’s how she earned the money to support all the four of us. Although she no longer cooks to make a living, Mama always expresses her love in her cooking whenever we go to visit.
I am now a mum of two wonderful children and we live in the city of Chester. I’ve been living in the United Kingdom for nearly 14 years and I struggle to find authentic tasty products. I remember during my study at Sheffield University, I missed home so much and decided to find something in a shop. I then bought a jar of rendang paste and it was such a disappointment! Never again I told myself.
As a stay at home mum, I love entertaining and enjoy having other mummy friends around for lunch. Therefore one day, a good friend of mine suggested to me about selling my paste as she liked it and I thought to myself, why not? She was my first ever customer and everything began to change from there and then!
The beginning wasn’t easy as I had to juggle my roles; as mother of two young children and a wife. However, I am so grateful by having a very supportive family and friends to explore this journey with me.
I started with only the Rendang paste and now Sakinah’s offers three products in total. All the recipes for all the pastes are from my adorable Mama. I have chosen these because they are my childhood favourites.
All of Sakinah’s curry pastes using only the freshest ingredients. I do not source minced ingredients as I would like people to taste the authenticity of Malaysian food in every jar that they purchase.
Gulai is the traditional Malaysian yellow curry that we eat day in day out. You’ll find this type of curry in most restaurants and stalls in Malaysia. This is because it’s very versatile and adaptable with any type of protein. Generally, Gulai is with medium heat but some may prefer slightly hotter if they use fish.
Some says Masak Merah is a type of spicy tomato sauce but I would rather call it aromatic tomato sauce because of the aromatic spices used in the recipe. It’s a very popular Malaysian red curry that can be eaten dry or with coconut milk. This dish is best served with tomato rice, a buttery aromatic rice cooked with fresh tomatoes. One word, yum!
Traditionally we made, served and had rendang to mark the start of Eid. Sometimes people also served it at wedding receptions. This is because it takes time in making a good rendang. Nowadays you will be able to find rendang every day in restaurants or even roadside stalls since the Malaysians love it so much. It’s best cooked with coconut milk along with roasted coconut (kerisik) so you can taste a rich flavoursome sauce.
The packaging has evolved in these recent weeks and I can’t be prouder. I was able to consult family and friends for their opinions. I cannot imagine doing this by myself. I am so thankful for having such wonderful people around me.
I love going on the bike and this is the method I normally deliver my pastes in the surrounding area. I am blessed to live in a such beautiful area with the access to the canal. What not to love?
In the Winter of 2021, two new pastes were launched. Kuzi and Pesamah. The intention was to broaden the taste of the customers and I succeeded!
Kuzi is a fruity curry usually eaten in the East Coast of Malaysia. This curry has caramelised onion, sultanas nutmeg and white peppercorn. Perfectly balanced of sweet and savoury.
Pesamah is a spicy North Malaysian curry with birds eye chilli and peppercorns. This paste has galangal and tamarind too. Simply mouth-watering!
