Explore food culture with family recipes

WHAT is nasi liwet? Or pempek? Ju hu char? Mallung or wambatu moju? They're passwords into rich Asian food cultures - traditional dishes that you won't find in so-called heritage restaurants but in private homes blessed with a family member who cooks with love and authenticity. Once reserved only for immediate family members and selected friends, a younger generation of home cooks and private chefs schooled in such traditions are letting others in on the joys of honest-to-goodness family recipes.

In Friday's issue of Weekend magazine, get a first-hand lesson on culinary history as we discover little-known Indonesian fish cake snacks called pempek made by an 80-year-old Indonesian nanny; tuck into eye-opening Sri Lankan curries and sambols from a private chef; and sample Penang-style ju hu char - dried cuttlefish and stir fried bangkwang by a true-blue Kristang home cook. It's not haute cuisine, but it's a taste that's after our own hearts.

In Interview, we meet up with Andrew Li, CEO of the Zouk Group who talks about how the clubbing industry - remember something called a dance floor? - has been clobbered beyond repair by the pandemic, and what he's doing to help it bounce back.

For your culture fix, head out to Gillman Barracks - the visual arts cluster which is finally reopening its doors. Or marvel at the creative staying power of Bob Dylan and Neil Young, 70-something music icons who are still pushing out the quality of work that puts some of their 40-something counterparts in the shade.

Design-wise, peep into a home inspired by nature, and freshen up your wardrobe with gender neutral basics from the fall/winter collections.

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