Sham Hanifa’s multicultural background is the perfect representation of the Malaysian society that he grew up in, with Chinese and Thai influences from his maternal side and Indian and Malay influences from his paternal side. This is reflected in Sham’s food, which combines these cultures, cuisines and flavours. You’ll hear people saying the word ‘agak-agak’ all the time in Malaysia, where it’s a common term. It means ‘to estimate’ or ‘to guess’, but to Sham, it means using your instincts when it comes to cooking. In this book, he’s translated those instincts into easy-to-follow recipes that pack in all the flavour of his diverse heritage.
About the author
Shamzuri (Sham) Hanifa is an award-winning chef, businessman and broadcaster. Originally from Malaysia, Sham moved to Carrick-on-Shannon in County Leitrim, Ireland, in 2000 to begin a journey that would take him from general kitchen work to head chef and owner/co-owner of a number of establishments, including the Cottage Restaurant, My Kitchen by Sham Hanifa, Synergy Café, Buffalo Boy Steakhouse and the Chef Sham Sauces range. Sham has appeared regularly on Virgin Media’s Six O’clock Show since 2019, where he demonstrates easy, Asian-style dishes. He is a proud member of Euro-Toques and is a Food Ambassador for County Leitrim.
