Waikato Malaysian Food n Cultural Festival 22/02/2025

17/02/2025

Introducing vendor no 14

Chef Honey Slade comes all the way from Taupo to join the Malaysian Festival this Saturday.

With 40+ years experience in cooking she specializes in traditional "kampung" Malaysian cooking. She has cooked commercially for more than 30+ years including fpr big event such as weddings and parties. She is bringing the traditional nasi kandar famous in Northern part of Malaysia

Nasi kandar historically started by the Muslim Indian who carried them using shoulder pole made of bamboo or sticks before it transitioned to being sold at stalls or restaurants.

Her menu for this Saturday will be

Nasi kandar
1- set lamb shank
2- set ayam bawang (chicken Onions caramelize)
3- set Daging hitam (beef soy)
Serv with 2 options vege ,fried cabbages or vege salad, boil egg, papadom and curry gravy
Sambal blacan for spicy lovers

17/02/2025

Introducing vendor no 12

Chef Muhammad Nor Alimi is well known in Hamilton for his versatility n wide range of cooking expertise from North to South,west to east of Malaysia!
He moved to NZ 5 years ago and have worked in multiple Malaysian cuisine restaurants in Hamilton. He has also participated in multiple community events for the past 2 years.

He will be bringing our crowd favorite, roti canai and its cousins including Roti Sarang Burung (Bird's nest roti) as well as mee kari

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17/02/2025

Introducing stall no 9

We will be bringing Malaysia's favorite snack! Coming all the way from state of Terengganu, keropok lekor does not need any further introduction. Made from fresh fish, keropok lekor can be eaten boiled or fried. The crunchy taste coupled with spicy n sweet sauce will tantalize your taste buds making you wanting even more!
We are also bringing other street snacks such as fried seafood balls for your taste!

10/02/2025

Introducing our vendor no 9
Teh Tarik Sifu! Daniel Foo

The Quintessential Teh Tarik

Talk about Teh Tarik! Every Malaysian knows the drink and has fond memories of socialising around the gerai and the mamak stall at any time of the day!

I co-founded a café in Brunei and was totally immersed in the art and science of espresso based specialty coffee. I was involved in barista work, organised coffee appreciation and barista courses and workshops then.
When I went into the coffee industry in 2016 in Brunei, I was interviewed by the editor of the Leisure Magazine then, who called the cup of coffee I made for her as “brewed to perfection!” My idea of the perfect cup of coffee is understanding the origins of the beans and extracting the best flavour, mouthfeel and exuding the intoxicating aroma when a person imbibes it.

The perfect cup or glass of TEH TARIK literally translating to "pulled tea" is quite different from a cup of espresso based coffee though! Teh Tarik is more than just a drink.. It is a symbol of camaraderie and social interaction. I’m not too far-fetched to say that this beloved beverage is the national drink of Malaysia. It is an intrinsic part of Malaysia's cultural and social fabric. It’s a drink that you can enjoy during breakfast, in the afternoon or even during supper after a couple of drinks at the local pub! We grew up with it; reminiscing the days of our youth where many evenings were spent sitting around the gerai or the “Mamak Stall” socialising, catching up on news or just simply relaxing!

One can understand why Teh Tarik has become a quintessential Malaysian experience, enjoyed by locals and tourists alike. It’s a taste and mouthfeel which is so unique that you just can’t emulate it with just your average English Breakfast Tea with milk. The strong and robust tea base of the drink comes from tea dust in which the quality ones would come from our beloved Cameron Highlands. The special mouthfeel of the Teh Tarik comes partly from the condensed milk which thickens and sweeten the drink.
My maternal grandmother owned a typical coffee shop in the small town of Chemor in Perak and I used to help around making kopi, teh, kopi-O and kopi-O kaw… So I’ve been making drinks all my life in the hospo industry and at home for family! So we are looking forward to seeing you at the Malaysia Food and Cultural Day on the 22nd February 2025.

Keep a date with us.. “TEH TARIK SATU!”

10/02/2025

Introducing our 8th vendor!

🇲🇾🇲🇾🇲🇾🇲🇾🇲🇾🇲🇾🇲🇾🇲🇾

Sambal NZ Catering is a home-cook based business and cater for special occasions such as weddings, office gatherings, birthday and festive celebration open house. Besides, Sambal Catering also active in joining big foodie events around Auckland including Auckland biggest foodie event; Southeast Asian Food & Cultural Fest 🎉

I started Sambal NZ Catering around 13 years ago. Everything starts when I always organised party and cook Malaysian cuisines and my friends and family encouraged me to run a catering from home. I feel motivated and I start with taking orders from my closed friends💝

I come from a family that cook a lot and I am one of the granddaughter who inherits and admires my late grandmother👵🏻, who owned the biggest kuih-muih supplier in Alot Setar,Kedah back in 1960s. During my pre-teen age & school breaks, I learnt and helped her prepared traditional Malays' kuih muih for the reseller to pick up and resell the kuih-muih from village to village. On the other hand, I also learnt a lot from my Aunt Liza, a Malaysian celebrity chef who hold a Guinness World Record for cooking nonstop for 50hours in Malaysia🏆

Alhamdulillah 🤲🏻 now I am a certified home-cook based business holder. I am so happy and proud with my business journey 🤍

Since 2023, I collaborated with an Indonesian caterer, Yulie Susilo and my daughter in law, Jane. Sambal NZ trio managed to served and joined more foodie events throughout the years. And we are happy to announce that we are participating Malaysian Food & Cultural Day bringing authentic Malaysian & Indonesian food
to Hamilton this coming 22nd Feb 2025. Please follow and share our page to keep updated, TERIMA KASIH.🌹🌷🌼

09/02/2025

Our seventh vendor for the event is Leena Ina and her husband Boy!

She is from Langkawi Island, tanah Mahsuri while Boy is from Perlis.

They will be bringing North Malaysian cuisines along with the chicken sate which will sure be one of the main attraction on the event day!

Look forward to their roti jala n pulut panggang which will sure leave you wanting even more!

09/02/2025

Introducing our sixth vendor.

Breeze Restaurant

We are lucky for this event to be joined by Hamilton's best briyani restaurant for all the patrons.

Breeze is designed giving utmost importance to comfort, elegance and hospitality. We aim at serving not just the authentic and flavorsome cuisines of the North but also unlock the exotic and succulent dishes of the South. In short Breeze is a culinary experience in itself; from our appetizers to dessert, plating to lighting; we are a cut above the rest. Breeze is your ultimate stop for food that will fuel your hunger and feed your soul.

About the owners

The story of Breeze kick starts with Noor Mohammed Shaikh (Noor) and Nithin Manuel (Nithin) two friends turned entrepreneurs. Noor, was previously living in Auckland with his family and was building a career in Engineering, while Nithin was settled in Hamilton with his family pursing his career as a social worker. When Noor and Nithin caught up food was their desired topic of conversation. Noor often spoke about his ammis(mum) flavorful biriyani and hearty curries while Nithin spoke about his cooking adventures and missing food from India. It would be rightful to say passion for good food brought them together and its during one such conversation the seeds for Breeze were sown.

The Mighty, energetic and multi cultural Waikato was chosen to give wings to their dreams. They pondered over a name for the business and came up with Breeze as a way to honor the legacy of our Head Chef Abdul Dayan. They aimed at providing quality food that satisfied hunger and liberated palates with flavors.

Our Head Chef - Shaikh Abdul Dayan

Introducing the anchor of our yacht, our head chef Abdul Dayan. We are very fortunate to have on board with us our Chef Abdul Dayan also father to Noor. Mr Shaikh Abdul Dayan (Dayan) formerly served as a senior executive chef at Breeze Hotel, Chennai, India. He holds a degree in Diploma - Culinary Arts Management. Dayan was born to a middle-class family in a village named Kakatpu in Odisha, India. During his childhood he developed an interest in cooking from assisting his mom and dad. As a little boy Dayan keenly observed his father presenting his food skills to his fellow colleagues at the Indian National Cadet Corps. Young Dayan was hugely inspired by his father’s work and followed his footsteps to the world of culinary.

The then young Dayan is now Chef Dayan and has acquired more than 40 plus years of experience. He has an in-depth knowledge in cooking and has worked across Asia, Middle East, and Oceania in the field of culinary arts. He has a network of more than 3000 plus students that he has trained that are successfully doing well across the world.

He has been awarded with SICA Golden HAT award for the year 2004, 2007 and 2009. This award marked his service to the food and beverage industry for his outstanding contribution to the culinary fraternity in his career. SICA is the highest award for Indian Culinary Profession.

Chef’s Major career highlights

Dayan’s first major success was being appointed as the Chef-in-Charge at the International House Restaurant, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.Dayan was hired as Chef at Breeze Hotel Chennai, India where he adorned various roles including the role of Senior Executive Chef. During his 18 years of service at the Breeze he was invited as the guest faculty at various Hotel Management Institutes across India, he has headed various food festivals and has also represented Indian Cuisine at Sri Lanka Food Festivals. He considers his biggest contribution as combining authentic Tamil cuisine (Chennai Sangamam) for which he was accoladed by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, India, and the Honorable Member of Parliament.

Apart from planning, preparing, and serving more than 100+ Indian menus, he has trained students locally and internationally. He is also a well-known face in the market for his culinary skills across New Zealand. With years of experience, he is now looking to setup his own brand in the market and will be doing so as the head Chef of Breeze.


He believes that “Eating is a necessity, but cooking is an art.”

09/02/2025

Our 5th vendor we would like to introduce is 88 Spice NZ

The world of chopping onions and garlic, and dealing with ‘smelly’ belacan is a far cry from the corporate world of a former journalist chasing news of the mercurial the financial and commodities markets. But the kitchen has become my choice of abode these days to chase my passion to recreate tastes and memories of food I grew up eating. 88 Spices’ food celebrates the flavours of my mum’s Hokkien and Nonya heritage (inherited from her great grandma), and my dad’s Cantonese heritage.

On Saturdays, you can now find me at Chow Luck Club Market at Morrin Road in Auckland. On Sundays, I am at a cosy spot at the Clevedon Farmers’ Market, selling my favourite Malaysian curry and rendang, and jars of sambal.

Hope you will come visit us at the Hamilton Malaysian Society Food Festival where we will be serving pohpiah and some of our favourite kuihs, and sambal in jars.

Instagram site

https://www.instagram.com/88spicesnz/reel/DFr1tsFpXsY/

09/02/2025

Introducing our 4th vendor

Kehma's Kitchen

Known for her beautiful smile and her generosity, Kehma and her husband runs their business from their food truck every Saturday from Blockhouse Bay
Specializing in Malay and Indian Cuisine she is known for her Nasi Lemak, spring hoppers and karipap they are a welcomed addition to the festival.

Look forward for their out of this world food at the event and they will also be Halal!

09/02/2025

Our 3rd Vendor to be introduced is none other than Lameez Salie from Meezies Kitchen

A little history of being a Cape Malay

The Cape Malay community has its roots in the 17th and 18th centuries when enslaved people from Southeast Asia, particularly from present-day Indonesia and Malaysia, were brought to Cape Town, South Africa as slaves by Dutch colonizers. These enslaved people developed a unique cultural identity called the Cape Malays.

Cape Malay Koesisters are an oblong doughnut infused with warm, aromatic spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and aniseed. These delightful treats are dipped in a warm sugar syrup and generously sprinkled with coconut, creating a unique and flavorful experience.

Creamed horns are crafted from homemade pastry, filled with cream, and elegantly topped with chocolate and a light dusting of icing sugar.
Cocktail savories include a variety of dishes such as samoosas, pies, pizzas, and sausage rolls. These items are commonly served at gatherings, such as a ghadat/thikr, weddings, and social get-togethers.

I look forward to serving you a delightful taste of my Cape Malay dishes.

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09/02/2025

Introducing our second Vendor.
Murtabak manis from Auckland

Bringing his cuisine from the land of Indonesia. The famous murtabak manis from Wawan n his crew from Auckland.
His dishes are well known even among the Indonesians in Hamilton n his addition have certainly made the Malaysian food festival more lively

09/02/2025

Introducing our first vendor..bringing her cuisine from South Africa..Variety Food by Nicola.
I first met her when she was working at Firdaus halal butcher 12 years ago. She has always been friendly and caring to all her customers n she continues to be the same person even after she started her food ventures
Make sure u come n visit her stall on 22 Feb at the Malaysian food and cultural festival at Claudelands events centre

10/01/2025

Hi everyone! Kicking off the journey to Malaysian cuisine, I would like to start off with none other than our most iconic cuisine which is Nasi Lemak. It is rice cooked with coconut milk with ginger and pandan leaves which is then paired with eggs, anchovies, peanut n cucumber!
Learn more about it from Wikipedia link below

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasi_lemak

Looking forward to our nasi lemak at the event all the way from Auckland from Kehma's Kitchen by Kehma Selvaraju !

Nasi lemak (Jawi: ناسي لمق‎) is a dish originating in Malay cuisine that consists of fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf. It is commonly found in Malaysia, where it is considered the national dish.[5][6][7] It is also a native dish in neighbouring areas with significant eth...

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