Celebrity Chef's Cookbook: Cake Temptations and Other (gua.com.my)

by Max Koh
22 March 2008

Title:
Celebrity Chef’s Cookbook: Cake Temptations and Other Desserts

Authors:
Su Chan

Famed for:
Her signature Tiramisu and other cakes and desserts. They can be found at her SuChan®Deli in PJ and Bangsar Village II.

Genre:
Cookbook

Review:
Cake-lovers everywhere must be buzzing with delight at the release of famed chef Su Chan’s first ever cookbook.

Su Chan? Yes, Su Chan of the infamous Tiramisu cake that has enchanted taste buds everywhere (well, in the Klang Valley mostly). And let’s not mention her delightful cakes, pies, pudding and brownies!



Best of all is it is not hard to do. Su Chan guides you every step of the way to ensure that your cake turns out as good as it looks in the book. The cakes look so delicious you are tempted to eat them off the pages.

The book also contains a comprehensive section called Basic Recipes, teaching you how to make the essential sauces (Toffee, Caramel, Chocolate), date paste, sugar dough, and sponges. It’s like a baking 101 for the kitchen-impaired baking aspirants (re: baking dummies) out there.

The health-conscious, gym-going masses with a sweet tooth will be happy to know that most of the recipes here call for no chemical enhancements, use less sugar and are gelatin free. So, the next time your organic flag-waving aunty declines your slice of cake, you can assure her that it is “organically sound and healthy!”





These recipes are the result of years of experience and experimentation by Su Chan to perfect the art of baking. Su Chan who started baking for her friends and family has taken great pains to develop and simplify the procedures so that you will enjoy the preparation as much as delighting your loved ones with your finished work of art.

The recipes are alphabetically arranged and include a very comprehensive methodology for even the most hopeless of bakers. Each recipe comes with a preparation time frame so that you know that you are on the right track when you finish your cake in time.

As the master chef told me in an interview, “Baking is very precise. Just follow the instructions in the book and you’ll get your end result in no time. It’s not hard at all.” Cool! For a bachelor who is hopeless in the kitchen but loves good food, that is good news.






As you flip through the pages, you’ll feel an increasing urge to get down and dirty in the kitchen. It is that inspiring. Although my past attempts at making cheese cake met with less than successful results, I am now inspired to bake again after looking at these mouth-watering pictures of cakes and pies.

In fact, when I passed the book around to my friends who have never baked, they were inspired and wanted to try out the easier recipes for themselves such as the delicious-looking Mexican Brownies that only takes 1 hour 30 minutes to make. As for me, I would love to make the Japonaise or the Strawberry Pavlova – they look so good on paper!

Su Chan’s love for the art started as a hobby. She began her career in timber export before venturing into advertising. Su Chan then left that to pursue her dreams, joining the famous Bon Ton restaurant as a pastry chef in the 90s.

After spending four-and-a-half-years at Bon Ton, she moved on to start a catering business for the US Embassy before opening her own deli, Su Chan Deli in Petaling Jaya. Her hard work saw her landing a spot as the finalist for the Personality Award for Entrepreneurs from the Food & Hotel Industry’s Platinum Award in 2003.

You can sample her cakes and desserts at her deli in Jalan Dato Mahmud (off Jalan University) or at her new branch in Bangsar Village II. Most of the recipes can be found in this cookbook.

The cookbook is also available in Malay. So if you have been thinking about baking but need a kick in the butt, get yourself a copy now. Baking has never been easier.

The Talented Nick (Sunday People)

Davis (second from right) with his indie band

Davis composed the music for Three from scratch

Published in the New Sunday Times
April 13, 2008

The talented Nick

Nick Davis, all of 20 years, is scorching up the local theatre and music scene, writes MAX KOH

ACTOR, musician, composer and occasional film-maker. He is 20-year-old Nick Davis and he’s already acted in three plays, composed music for two productions and directed, acted and composed the soundtrack for short film, Shells On The Beach.

Right now, he’s the music director for Helena Foo’s Three, a physical theatre based on Mitch Albom’s Five People You Meet In Heaven.

With that kind of resume, it is hard to imagine that the boyish-looking Davis graduated with a diploma in performing arts only two months ago.

“Even though I was in college, I made it a point to get involved as much as possible in the industry,” says Davis, lounging on a chair at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre in Sentul.

His involvement in the industry paid off handsomely. He interned at KLPac for his diploma and will soon be working with well-known thespian Jo Kukathas for Air-Con, which is an ICT FirstWorks piece by Shanon Shah.

“It is really great that I am able to work with Jo. I went for the audition without any expectations and was elated to know I got the part,” says Davis.

Right now, Davis is focussing on Three. The story is about a man who meets five people in heaven and how his little decisions in life has significant consequences on them.

Three is a physical theatre piece where the story is entirely told with body language set to original composition by Davis.

How did Davis come to work with Foo?

“Helena was my senior at Sunway College. She roped me in when she directed her first production The Shape Of Things in 2006 where I played with a live band onstage. I guess it is our friendship that really helps us to be able to work together.”

For Three, Davis composed the music from scratch.

“I am really interested in composing soundtracks and see how the movements and music work well together. You know, like background music for a film. And we also play with a live band during the performance, so you’ll be able to see how we improvise during the show.”

Davis described the music for Three as a blend of rock and new age. “It’s something like Explosions In The Sky or Mogwai.

“At first, the dancers did not get it. It was a bit tough to choreograph the movements according to the music. But once I got the basic melody we were able to coordinate things. There was a lot of interaction. In fact, I joined most of the choreography sessions even though I did not have to be there,” says Davis, clad comfortably in a black T-shirt and jeans.

Davis’ first love is music. He learnt to play the drums when he was 15, and soon taught himself how to play the guitar and keys. He’s been performing music around the indie circuit with other singer-songwriters.

So what’s the big plan?

“Well, I hope to record a demo CD soon. I am actually looking for a cellist in order to complete a trio with me and another piano player. So if there’s any cellist out there, please contact me.” He laughs.

“What I hope to do is a back-pack music tour around the world.”

• Three will play at Pentas 2, KLPac, Sentul Park until April 20. Tickets: RM25/RM15 (students, senior citizens and disabled). Shows begin at 8.30pm for April 15-19, 3pm (April 13 & 20).
Call 03-40479000.

Dance of Tribute (Sunday People)

Published in the New Sunday Times
7 September 2008


Madangopal Narayanan as Rama

Dance of tribute

By Max Koh


IN the rite of passage for a bharathanatyam dancer, there comes the time for the arangetram, the graduation performance that signifies his or her readiness to perform to the public.

The disciple is ready, the guru pronounces.

For 13 years, Madangopal Narayanan trained under many gurus in order to reach this stage.

The blood, sweat and tears are well worth the diorama that he is about to offer tonight at the Panggung Eksperimen Aswara.

This is his arangetram, his offering to the world as a dancer coming of age.

The arangetram is no easy feat. The duration of an arangetram is about two hours and he needs to have the stamina, concentration and determination that only come with hours or practice.

Madangopal will be performing seven pieces tonight, some of them choreographed by TFA’s head of bharathanatyam Shankar Kandasamy.

For this event, Madangopal trained even harder for close to two months. “In order to perform that long, you have to train your body and mind in order to get used to it,” said the 19-year-old who trains about five to six hours daily at the Temple of Fine Arts (TFA) in Brickfields.

He recently completed his A-Levels at Methodist College and hopes to study medicine. “Only in the final two weeks was I able to settle down and find myself in that state of readiness. In dancing, the mind and body is the hardest to discipline.

“It may be initially taxing, but when you find it — you can truly immerse yourself in the joy of dancing,” said Madangopal who is under the tutelage of Vasuki Sivanesan.

While Madangopal is excited about his first solo full-repertoire performance, he could not have done it without the important people in his life — his parents and gurus.

“My mother is a dance teacher (Shyamala Narayanan) while my father works at the TFA. So naturally, as a kid I was forced to learn to dance. I didn’t like it at first but then one day it hit me,” recalls Madangopal. “In Hinduism, the word guru entails a lot of love and dedication.

“In the beginning, I used to hate dancing because it was so difficult. But when I realised the love and dedication that my gurus has laboured for me, I made it an effort to improve myself.

“Eventually, I found the joy of dancing.” Narayanan dedicates his performance to all his gurus including Geetha Shankaran Lam and Shankar.

“They are some of the most important people in my life. I realised how privileged I am to have these gurus to guide me,” said Narayanan. “I wouldn’t be here without them.”


Catch Madangopal Narayanan’s arangethram at 7.30pm today at Panggung Eksperimen Aswara, Kuala Lumpur. Free admission.

Viva La Vida album review (Sunday People)

Published in Sunday People, NSUNT
31 August 2008




Coldplay: Viva La Vida (Universal Music)

QUALMS about Coldplay’s newest album straying too far into the experimental zone can be quashed as the band retains much of its distinct style heard in the previous albums.

The band has opted for a more atmospheric album in Viva La Vida with layers of sonic texture. Unlike X&Y which was a bit too polished, this album is a delectable treat to the ears.

Thanks goes to producer Brian Eno who helped Coldplay engineer their new sound. Eno is responsible for projecting U2 to superstardom with its album Joshua Tree 20 years ago. He’s done it again for Coldplay.

The title track opens with a strings section and a marching beat which reveals a new side of the band.

Lead single Violet Hill, currently on air, hints at venturing into a more spacious sonic landscape but holds on to that melody hook that fans love.

Cemeteries of London, a song that is as bleak as its subject, is a modern lamentation of gloom and spiritual lapse in the city. Fans will hear Coldplay’s familiar shimmering guitar works here.

Lost! might catch listeners by surprise with its organ pipes but as lead vocalist Chris Martin begins to sing, one can’t help but be mesmerised.

Highlights on the album include Strawberry Swing with its sunny disposition and Yes with a Middle Eastern-flavoured strings section.

In the age of Itunes and Mp3s, Coldplay teaches us again the joy of listening to an album from start to finish. All 10 songs on this album is a gem. Viva La Vida! — By MAX KOH