Kueh Sera Sera

CHRISTOPHER TAN MAY be better known as a nerd baker but he's also a kueh maker with a deep affinity for some of the most esoteric Asian snacks otherwise lost in the black hole of long forgotten childhoods (more your parents' or grandparents' than your own). Now, he's brought them back to life in a modern, millennial-friendly format that proves there's more to the world of kueh than Kueh Lapis Kukus, Chwee Kueh or Kueh Bangkit.

His new book, The Way of Kueh, is a love letter to a lineup of almost extinct kueh such as Kueh Cucur, a spongy pancake-like treat traditional to both Malays and Peranakans; Bluder, a moist and buttery Eurasian specialty with Dutch roots; Qin Beh Kueh, a homey Hokkien kueh made from leftover rice congee; and Bak Kueh, a savoury mungbean-stuffed Teochew-Peranakan creation.

"It is imperative that we record, preserve and continue to cook our traditional kueh recipes, or we may risk losing them for good, along with the rich culture surrounding them," says the award-winning cookbook author, cooking instructor and photographer.