Yue Zuhong from Xi’an believes that rice noodles are one of the staple foods of the Chinese. He started a rice noodle restaurant with his wife in Malaysia. It has tomato soup from his hometown and has a Nanyang characteristic curry soup base, making rice noodles become the bridge for the cultural features of the two countries’ food.

Yue Zuhong, who had worked in Beijing for ten years, shared his story of being a Beijing’s drifter with host Zhuang Wenjie,. For example. his introduced local snacks and royal desserts, as well as how humour is integrated into Beijing people’s life. Yue Zuhong also learned the authentic Beijing Zha Jiang Mian, and he personally cooks for the host to taste the delicious food.

In the 10th episode of ‘Taste of Home’, the host Zhuang Wenjie chatted with guest Yue Zuhong, taking us to explore the rich history and trendy creativity of Beijing. The charm of the ancient city is waiting for us to find out.

Zhang Weiwei from Huaihua, Hunan must know more about spice peppers research than you and me. After marriage, she settled in Penang, North Malaysia. She believes that the taste of her hometown is inseparable from chili. Whenever she misses her hometown, she likes to cook dishes of her hometown.

Zhang Weiwei uses various spice peppers and homemade Hunan pickled peppers to cook the fresh and spicy classic Hunan dishes- steamed fish head with diced hot red peppers, and her homemade smoked Chinese bacon. While enjoying the taste stimulation, Zhang Weiwei shared with the host the view of lakes and mountains of Hunan, The Phoenix Ancient Town, Zhangjiajie, Changsha Snack Street, Orange Isle and so on.

In the 9th episode of ‘Taste of Home,  follow the host Zhuang Wenjie and guest Zhang Weiwei to Penang to experience how Hunan spicy and Nanyang enthusiasm collide with each other.

It not only has an excellent cutting skill but the dishes are also well-known for the outstanding presentation Wang Hongjian from Nantong, Jiangsu Province, once learned this culinary art. Therefore, he especially showed his cutting skills in the show, cooking ‘Dazhu gansi’, ‘Wensi tofu’, and stewed pork balls with crab roes.

If you want to trace the birthplace of Huaiyang cuisine, you can’t miss the intoxicating scenery of “Charm of Jiangsu”. There is not only the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, which is as famous as the Great Wall in history but also has the most fascinating garden art in Jiangnan. Every city in Jiangsu exudes its unique charm!

In the 8th episode of ‘Taste of Home’, let us follow the host Huang Minghui and guest Wang Hongjian to drink Biluochun and eat Huaiyang dishes while talking about the beauty of the south of the Yangtze River.

Huang Wen Qing from Xiamen, Fujian came to Malaysia to settle in 2004 as a cultural worker. After coming to Melaka, he fell in love with this place at first sight. There are many similarities between Melaka and Xiamen. In 2018, Jonker Street and Gulangyu formed a friendly historical and cultural district to jointly maintain history and culture.

From Xiamen, you can see the preserved temples and ancestral halls. On Gulangyu Island, there are also various Nanyang villas with a fusion of Chinese and Western styles. This mall island is rich in modern architectural culture. Whereas, the Baba Nyonya in Melaka reflects the Chinese culture that has spread to the south. Huang Wen Qing also introduced us to which special Nyonya dishes have the shadow of Hokkien cuisine.

In addition to tasting Nyonya dishes, Huang Wen Qing uses Nanyang spices and Xiamen specialties, to cook elegant hometown dishes, radish with pig’s trotters, eel stewed chicken soup, and fried vegetarian pancake.

In the 7th episode of ‘Taste of Home, the host Zhuang Wenjie chatted with the guest Huang Wen Qing, looking at homesickness in Xiamen, Fujian in the distance from Melaka.

Chef Hou Zhi Long from Chengdu, Sichuan has 20 years of experience. He started to learn to cook at the age of 14, and he became the head chef of the international chain Sichuan restaurant ‘South Beauty’ at a young age. Hence, he accurately masters the three flavours, three ingredients and three peppers of Sichuan cuisine.

In addition to mastering the essence of hometown cuisine, Hou Zhi Long talked about Sichuan’s cuisine and beauty in the program, and how these subtly bring him the nutrients of cooking. From the historical and civilized Dujiangyan Irrigation System and Mount Qingcheng, the fairyland of Jiuzhaigou National Park on earth, the Chengdu snacks in Kuanzhaixiangzi Alley, and the adorable national treasure pandas, all these make him especially miss Sichuan.

Now he is traveling to another country to start a business in a foreign country. From a chef to an operator, he introduces the essence of authentic Sichuan cuisine to more Malaysians to know and taste.

In the 6th episode of “Taste of Home”, we followed the host Huang Minghui, tasted spicy and fragrant boiled beef and Chengdu fish in chili bean sauce, and visited Sichuan to feel the charm of the land of abundance.

For Bi Hai, who has been in Malaysia for 11 years, if he wants to describe his hometown of Xi’an, Shaanxi by using a type of food,  it must be Youpo noodles. 

The fragrant but not spicy Youpo noodles is the best described of the straightforward and simple personality of Xi’an people. In addition to the Youpo noodles, the calabash chicken, spicy pork intestines, and pork rind jelly are all famous dishes that have been in Shaanxi for many years. As colourful as Xi’an cuisine, it is the local history and culture. 

The Fortifications wall of Xi’an, Wall,  the Drum Tower, and the  Great Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an,  have all gone through the alternation of the sun and the moon and the changes of time. They are carrying a profound humanistic feelings. In particular, the Fortifications Wall of Xi’an is a famous ancient city wall in China. Bi Hai ran and grew up inside the wall when he was a child. This is his home. Now, he has left the home.  Everything becomes a haunting memory. 

Going home is the most concerned expectation in his heart. In the fifth episode of ‘ The Taste From Home’, follow the host Huang Minghui to Shaanxi, the hometown of guest Bi Hai, to eat a bowl of Youpo noodles.

Haijie comes from Tianshui, Gansu, and now she has been married to Malaysia and formed a happy family with her husband in this foreign country. When the cultures of the two places merged, both sides became her favourite homes. The good food and gorgeous sceneries of Tianshui in her hometown are fond memories that will never change in her heart. Just like this hand-held mutton , it is a special dish particularly recommended by Haijie. The lamb is stewed with more than ten kinds of spices, and the white radish is cooked until tender. Eat the meat by dipping in with special seasonings, and it tastes so yummy and juicy. 

Tianshui is an oasis in Gansu Province, with green mountains and  blue waters, rich in water sources and has four distinct seasons. This fertile soil is rich in products, produce a bunch of sweet and juicy fruits such as cherries, apples, grapes, cantaloupe and so on.

If you take a trip to the Maiji Mountain Grottoes, which has  a history of more than a thousand years, there are magnificent and stunning Buddha statues and murals that are 1,000 square meters long. People can also walk up to the mountain to overlook the scenery along the plank road built with wood along the cliffs. 

In the fourth episode of “The Taste From Home “, let the host Zhuang Wenjie and the guests take us to Tianshui, Gansu, grab the delicious lamb and taste the feeling of missing home.

Two Shandong individuals, Du Yu and Du Shigui did not know each other at all back in their hometown. But they were destined to be acquainted with each other in another place. While furthering their studies in Malaysia, they got to know each other and became good friends. 

At every get-together, they must delve into their cooking skills together and learn from each other. Dumplings, fried prawns and milky-white fish soup are all hometown flavors that are “no mediocre hometown epicurean” as far as their impressions can attest to. Although the cooking skills and ingredients cannot match that of the chef,  each bite represents the best consolation to their homesickness. 

The two of them prepare dumplings and chat about the beauty of their hometown which is the happiest moment. Shandong is a passionate warm city where every landscape and every town that ingenuously blends modernity with history, depicting the full charm of “hospitable Shandong”. 

Like the famous scenic spot of Daming Lake, the vista is beautiful throughout all the four seasons. People go there to relax and appreciate the blooming lotus which is aesthetically pleasing to their eyes. Alternatively, one may climb Mount Taishan or Mount Tai, the foremost peak amongst the five major mountains of China, and feel the overwhelming aura of its majesty. 

In this issue, we follow host Jane Ng to make 3-in-1 fresh vegetarian dumplings and partake the fabulous friendship between the two overseas studying Shandong students who had met in some faraway place beyond their own hometown.

Whether in Northeast China with a long winter, or in Malaysia where the seasons are like summer all year round, Gao Haoyun from Jilin firmly believes that as long as the family is reunited, then that is home in one’s heart. 

During this Chinese New Year, the Gao family prepares traditional delicacies in their hometown. Northeast stew medley, sauerkraut braised white meat, sauerkraut pork dumplings and the likes are the memories of the North-eastern people for the Spring Festival Reunion. 

The Northeast stew medley, in particular, is an indispensable delicacy on the reunion table of the Northeast folks. A medley of favorite ingredients are added randomly as one wishes, stewing in a big pot until fragrant and soft, just like the generous and straightforward personality of the Northeast people.

In the past, , Gao Haoyun would take his family to the Songhua River in Jilin Province during the New Year in his hometown to enjoy the rare natural beauty of hoarfrost vista and experience the wintry ambience of the Spring Festival. 

The picturesque icicles hang on the willow branches along the banks of the Songhua River, which seems to amass the mirthful expectations of the people of the Northeast for a new year. 

Alternatively, they would go to Changbai Mountain and gawk at the magnificent landscape of Tianchi. A pool of crystal clear water is like jade inlaid in the mountains akin to an ink painting, which not only makes people yearn for it but also renders Gao Haoyun tinged with unmatched hankerings from within. 

In this issue, we will follow host Jane Ng to participate in the hometown reunion dinner of guest Gao Haoyun and experience the magnificent New Year feast of north-eastern people.

Some people say that hometown food is a familiar taste, while others muse that hometown food is a traditional flavour. For chef Zhang Fenglong, who has been away from home for seven years, hometown food is the taste of his mother in memory.

In Zhang Fenglong’s mind, his mother is always the best chef in the world. It is only because every culinary of his mother bears his warm reminiscences of home.

Far away in a foreign land, he blends homesickness into culinary treats and cooks salty, sour-cum-elegant Teochew dishes with preserved vegetables, sour plums and Puning bean paste that he has brought along from his hometown.

The casserole seafood porridge, in particular, often prepared by his mother is the daily delicacy of the people of Teochew. It is even infused with his endless yearning for his hometown, which reminds him of the beauty of Teochew and Shantou, it’s West Lake, Guangji Bridge and Shande Meihai as they are all unforgettable grand sights.

In this episode, let’s follow Darre Ch’ng and Zhang Fenglong to savour a bowl of motherly stewed seafood porridge clay pot, take a trip to Chaoshan, China and pay homage to the local cuisine.

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