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Sharing some easy and some so-worth-the-extra-effort recipes you can pull off in your kitchen.

From pasta sauces and easy bakes to simple curries and rice dishes I hope to inspire some new cooks to get busy in the kitchen.

thesuddencook

In Malaysia 🇲🇾. Hi, I’m Hema 👋.
Writer ✍️ @makchic
Also creator of www.thesuddencook.com
Click ⬇️ below for recipes.

🔟Reflecting on the last ten years as I turn a y

🔟Reflecting on the last ten years as I turn a year older today. A decade ago I became a mum.😩The level of exhaustion experienced in parenting twins during their newborn days, was something I will never forget. 👩‍🦳Along the way I realised white hair can indeed get whiter and eye bags could indeed get bigger 😳🙏As they grew older, I learnt to put myself higher on the to-do list but more importantly on the prayer list.😷Along came the pandemic which in hindsight, very much spiritually matured both my husband and I.🌟Around this time, thesuddencook.com was re-born and it has been a delight watching its reach. ❤️Fast forward few years later, the kids entered primary school and I re-entered the workforce.Balance was restored. Here I am now. Balanced 47, let’s go🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉Thank you for being on this journey of thesuddencook with me. #godisgood #blessed #birthday

𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞

𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐢𝐫 𝐅𝐫𝐲𝐞𝐫🤫 Using a *shortcut* ready made paste to make the ikan bilis sambal was the highlight of prepping for this meal. But don’t tell the Air Fryer, who was put to work good and proper with roasting the peanuts, frying the ikan bilis and cooking the 🍗Ayam Goreng Berempah. Cutting the 🥒 was easy. Cooking the eggs was pretty mundane. Cooking the 🍚rice with the proper amount of coconut milk and water, plus adding the right amount of salt and throwing in some ginger slices was a pain. ❤️But making the sambal using the sambal tumis paste I got from the TTDI market, was something new. And new always excites. 𝐅𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐤𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐬 For a long time the most popular ‘recipe’ on thesuddencook.com was how to use the air fryer to fry ikan bilis. Here are some things to remember:✅If rinsing the ikan bilis before hand, be sure it is dried well✅Pre-heat the air fryer ✅Coat ikan bilis well in oil ❌Don’t overcrowd the tray✅Leave it to crisp up after it’s out Full recipes:➡️ https://thesuddencook.com/how-to-get-crispy-ikan-bilis-in-an-air-fryer/➡️ https://thesuddencook.com/air-fryer-ayam-goreng-berempah#nasilemak #ikanbilis #airfryer #ayamgorengberempah #fry

𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠Rendang is a favourite of mine. It’s like a luxury holiday. Not a staycation or budget vacay. A truly lux, well-planned vacation 🏝️ which takes meticulous planning and a certain amount of day dreaming prior to happening.This was my ❤️ love affair with making this rendang. I’ve been wanting to make this for the longest of time. Different things kept cropping up like 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 children, husband and house duties. Today I neglected them all. Rendang was made. I researched cooking gurus @khairulaming , @sheenacookingpassion and @che_nom who all 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 me thru their rendang reels and recipes to keep making this happen. Rich, savoury and just the right amount of spicy - chicken rendang on my mind 😍➡️Chicken Rendang Recipehttps://thesuddencook.com/chicken-rendang/➡️Beef rendang recipe here: https://thesuddencook.com/beef-rendang/#hariraya #rendang #chickenrendang #beefrendang #aidilfitri2025

𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗲𝗲 𝗺𝗲

𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗲𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘀, 𝗳𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗰𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗺❤️This was one of the first few recipes on thesuddencook.com when I first started the site 4 years back. It is also one of the highest read because I figure it’s quite a simple recipe. ✅We like yee mee. We like the soft, slightly chewy but spongy texture as it soaks up the sauce and pairs with the other ingredients. 💡You could 𝐬𝐮𝐛 the pork with prawns which my recipe is based on. Chicken would work just as fine. This is going on rotation more often for sure. ⭐️Note on the yee mee: I merely soak it in boiling water for one minute. Then drain. Full recipe➡️ https://thesuddencook.com/braised-yee-mee#dinner #yeemee #braised #recipe #noodles

I’ve been neglecting my third child😢. The one

I’ve been neglecting my third child😢. The one who is patient and never tires of me. I showed it some 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞though this month as I made it a point to rekindle the connection before 2024 is up. So up went a new post. 🎉The latest recipe on thesuddencook.com - Macaroni Goreng got its inspiration from an 𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐲 of places. It has become a favourite with the kids. Cooked pasta coated in a sauce made up of pantry staples combined with bite-sized chicken and veg of choice.Back to the third child. It never talks back, always listens and doesn’t whine. I clearly have a favourite. 🤩 www.thesuddencook.com - your siblings drive me nutso sometimes but you, you - stay behaved. Latest recipe here:➡️https://thesuddencook.com/macaroni-goreng/#dinner #recipe #pasta #goreng #macaroni #macaronigoreng #pastagoreng

My first real teacher when it came to cooking was

My first real teacher when it came to cooking was definitely my 💁‍♀️sister. I only discovered the cooking passion ‘suddenly’ at 28 and by this time it was an open secret that she was a great cook. I would ask her very basic questions because I truly was a beginner in every sense of the word. My next teacher taught me to think out of the box. Now a bit more apt at cooking, I was introduced to her during the pandemic. She taught me that it’s ok to include soya sauce and oyster sauce to a pasta dish (!) with 🧈butter and 🧄garlic and have it taste absolutely delicious. She taught me how (though it sounded odd to me), adding 🥬kale into chicken soup is acceptable and turns out delish. And last night she taught me how to make 🥚Egg Foo Yong. Using minced pork and 🍤prawns with a little side sauce that brought the dish together. It was well enjoyed. So thank you @mariongrasby. You’ve made cooking a nice, pleasant adventure for me since 2020. #mariongrasby #marionskitchen #recipe #beginner #cooking

I remember thinking vividly that baking with not o

I remember thinking vividly that baking with not one, but two toddlers was just too.much.work. 😢And I was absolutely right. ✅When they were younger I would try. I would try to make it work by inviting them to bake with me. My son would insist the flour be strewn on the counter top as a sort of track for his small little cars 🚘. My daughter would insist I add a whole tub of chocolate chips into the batter. I would insist they leave my kitchen. Some sort of crying would be taking place by this time😭 (most of the time by me). My patience wore thin and it was the absolute worst. Times have changed. One has gone on to be a great little helper 😍. Here’s a Chocolate Cupcake recipe the kids love. ➡️https://thesuddencook.com/moist-chocolate-cupcakes/#baking #recipes #chocolate #cupcakes #chocolatecupcakes

Delish Baked Butter Chicken by @recipe_tin. Are yo

Delish Baked Butter Chicken by @recipe_tin. Are you a butter chicken fan? This recipe is super straightforward. No marinating ahead of time needed. No stove cooking. 🎉Marinate the chicken thighs with salt, Garam masala, cumin etc. Then in a baking dish add ingredients for the sauce like passata, ghee and cream. Add chicken to said baking dish. Bake. Enjoy with rice and a veg or roti if you prefer. The sauce comes out with a lovely red hue combined with a smooth, silky, creamy texture. Chicken is nice and tender. It was the ease of making this dish on a busy weeknight which I totally appreciate. Most ingredients are on hand. Passata is something I use when making bolognese too. On the hunt for more busy weeknight recipes please. For the full recipe head to:https://www.recipetineats.com/one-pan-baked-butter-chicken/#recipetineats #dinner #butterchicken #butterchickenrecipe

🍗Roast Chicken the only way I know how. Using

🍗Roast Chicken the only way I know how. Using a dry rub made up of spices like ✨paprika, salt, cinnamon, cumin, turmeric + some crushed 🧄Add in some olive oil and create a paste. Rub all over butterflied chicken. Allow to marinate. Pop into oven. We ❤️ the chicken roasted with a slight char on the skin. Tender and moist, juicy flesh. For the recipe and tips head to:➡️https://thesuddencook.com/how-to-roast-chicken#roastchicken #recipe #dinner #chicken

I like using the mortar and pestle to 🔨pound in

I like using the mortar and pestle to 🔨pound ingredients. It’s like a nice step to release some antsy 🤪energy. Also it’s the first day of school holidays. But of course there is no connection between that and said antsy energy…ahem. This version of 🍗ayam goreng berempah using the air fryer requires me to pound some lemongrass, 🫚ginger and 🧄garlic into a rough paste. That with some meat curry powder, salt + turmeric powder create some kind of ✨magic paste. Let the chicken marinate for a while for good results. Pop into air fryer. There is also something about bruising (another good stress reliever, whacking the end of a long stem of lemongrass with the 🔪knife) (again nothing to do with school holidays) lemongrass so it releases its 🎉magic. Full recipe:➡️ https://thesuddencook.com/air-fryer-ayam-goreng-berempah/#dinner #recipe #airfryer #airfryerrecipes #ayamgorengberempah

𝙅𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙗 #46

𝙅𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙗 #46 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙. 🎵You’ve been faithful through my story, You are worthy of all glory🎵We sing this in church every Sunday. I feel like it was written for me. From having two children in my late 30s to back to being gainfully employed in my mid 40s, He has been faithful. I am blessed with a work tribe a girl could only dream of. I get to write and create again. Most of all, I continue to enjoy cooking and the therapy it brings. He has been faithful. Grateful for all that I have, prayerful for all I continue to need. Glad to be on this journey of being The Sudden Cook with you. 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉#46 #grateful #thankful #foodblog #recipes

Pasta carbonara for dinner tonight. I’ve used an

Pasta carbonara for dinner tonight. I’ve used angel hair pasta (my least 😳 favourite) as it’s what my daughter chose on our last trip grocery shopping. In a bid to fake encourage her to choose what pasta she wanted, she chose my least favourite one 😭. I’ve got a couple of pasta dishes on rotation here. Some paired with 🍤 prawns, some with chicken and like tonight’s one with 🥓bacon. Some use short pasta (spirals are a favourite). White sauce versus red. I personally prefer the lighter sauces like the cherry 🍅tomato pasta sauce I do occasionally. Pesto (using sweet basil 🌿)is a favourite too. Basil plants are easy to grow unless you neglect them then they die. Just ask my garden. 🪴 Some nights are pasta nights. Recipes:➡️https://thesuddencook.com/pasta/#pasta #pesto #bolognese #carbonara #alfredo #cherrytomato #recipe

When it 🌧️ rains I make it a point not to @gr

When it 🌧️ rains I make it a point not to @grabfoodmy , because my order will be ‘in the kitchen’ then ‘in the kitchen’ then ‘in the kitchen’ then ‘sorry your order is cancelled’. 20 mins of my life I will never get back. And so understandable as less riders also 🏍️. So as it rained tonight, I decided to crank out the sardine tins and make a simple sardine sambal with hot white rice. 🍚But the greens that accompanied. Oh the @boomgrow freshly harvested green Tatsoi, Japanese Kailan and Red Pak Choy that sat in the bowl with the rice and sardine sambal, held its own. Stalks were still crunchy with a hit of that oyster sauce and sliced garlic 🧄 while the leaves were flavoured and not too wilted. So fresh. Sardine sambal- so good on a rainy night with hot white rice. Recipe:➡️https://thesuddencook.com/sardine-sambal#dinner #sardine #sardinesambal #kailan #pakchoy #tatsoi #boomgrow

Pesto pasta with meatballs. Little N loves her s

Pesto pasta with meatballs. Little N loves her some 🌿pesto. Pesto involves putting stuff into a food processor or blender and well, blending while a thin stream of olive oil is poured in to help. It makes a great 🍕pizza base too. Goes well on top of protein like chicken or fish. Nicely spread on toasted 🍞sliced sourdough with a sunny side up 🍳maybe. We just use it as a pasta sauce. I use pumpkin seeds (instead of pine nuts) and chuck in together with basil leaves, shredded 🧀parmesan and 🧄garlic cloves, season with salt and pour in good quality olive oil while blending. Little N is happy clappy. Then I told her to empty out clothes from the dryer then not so happy.🤔Pesto recipe➡️https://thesuddencook.com/pesto-as-a-pasta-sauce/Air fried meatballs➡️https://thesuddencook.com/juicy-air-fryer-meatballs/#dinner #pesto #pasta #meatballs #recipe

Easy 🍒 cherry 🍅 tomato pasta sauce with 🍤

Easy 🍒 cherry 🍅 tomato pasta sauce with 🍤 prawns. So good!✅Minimal prep. I make it then chuck in the prawns at the end. This sauce got me continuously thinking how less ingredients and a little hack can go a long way. 🎉The main friends are olive oil, garlic 🧄 and 🍅cherry tomatoes. I do add basil 🌿 if on hand. The little hack is the baking soda to cut the tartness of the tomatoes. I like. Together with salt and sugar that’s all the ingredients needed 👌- we’ve had it with prawns and also meatballs. ➡️Recipe: https://thesuddencook.com/easy-cherry-tomato-pasta/#dinner #recipe #cherrytomatoes #pasta #pastasauce #prawns

Char Kway Teow is a great big favourite of the two

Fried penne with minced chicken and carrots 📣

Fried penne with minced chicken and carrots 📣Today the pasta sauce was almost non existent. It was just a slight savoury coating onto the pasta but full of flavour. 💡The ‘sauce’ is made up of tomato sauce, sugar, salt, pepper and some chicken stock. You can use whatever short pasta and whichever minced meat you have. Veggies? Also up to you. I’ve used diced carrots and a handful of cherry tomatoes. 🍅 ✅While pasta is boiling, get a saucepan heated with some oil. In go some sliced 🧄 garlic. I added the 🥕carrots next and a splash of water 💦 to let it steam and cook thru. After a bit, add in the cherry tomatoes and minced chicken. Let chicken sear at bottom then toss and combine. 🥫I then added 4tbs tomato sauce, 1/2 tsp each salt and sugar, pinch of pepper and 1/2 tsp sesame oil. I crumbled in half a chicken stock cube and added about 120ml water. Mix. Add in cooked pasta and it will absorb this fake sauce. Toss and serve right away. 🍽️It was a good way of using up one packet of mince and some veggies I had. You can also garnish with chopped spring onions. #pasta #friedpasta #mincedchicken #carrots #tomatosauce #dinner #recipe

I let my 🧒 girl win some mealtime🥘 battles f

I let my 🧒 girl win some mealtime🥘 battles for the betterment of everyone’s peace. For example she doesn’t like 🥬leafy greens such as spinach. It still gets served, but she nicely puts it away on the side, like some unwanted ❌ rejected part of the meal. Example #2 - she doesn’t like 🍇grapes. Of all fruits, the easy one. The no need to peel just wash me and I’m good to go fruit. Nope she says. Nevermind. She also doesn’t take to onions 🧅. I’m sorry did she think I was going to omit onions from my cooking!? In that cute little mind, did she think I would not use the mother of all ingredients in my future cooks 😳. I said “I will never not use onions in my cooking.” I didn’t make eye contact. She fell silent. She ate. At least she knows she can’t win all the time. Pictured here are two dishes with onions somewhere in between. A chicken noodle soup and a salmon egg donburi. Both her favourites also 🤔. #dinner #salmon #egg #donburi #noodle #noodlesoup #chickennoodlesoup

Bak Kut Teh is something we all enjoy. Growing up

Bak Kut Teh is something we all enjoy. Growing up my mum didn’t cook🙅‍♀️ pork at all so it was my dad who exposed us to many pork dishes from restaurants including firm favourite BKT. I essentially chuck in the store bought BKT sachets into clay pots once the water is boiling together with some garlic 🧄 and let it be for a bit before chucking in the pork ribs. Let that cook till meat is tender. Remove sachets and add a tablespoon of light soya sauce. 😋Taste. We have this with Yau Char Kwai and some tofu pok (tho I’m not a great big fan). Oh and that cut 🌶️cili padi is mandatory. Soup is tasty, ribs are tender and dunk that yau char kwai into the soup till it soaks up all that goodness. And don’t forget the garlic oiled rice to go with. Not just plain white rice but flavoured with garlic oil and salt. Trust me it makes such a difference. #bakkutteh #pork #porkribs #dinner #bkt

The Sudden Cook was born out of my 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 little family going thru a high bout of uncertainty a few years ago, coupled with a global pandemic otherwise known as the year 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬. 🙎‍♂️My spouse was going thru a particularly challenging time and stress was our friend. Determined to channel my energy somewhere useful, I bought the domain for thesuddencook using WordPress and re-started sharing my recipes. 🌟I dug up knowledge I acquired working with designers and programmers over the years and somehow managed to build something decent. ✅Today, Google felt it was worthy enough and decided to reward me with a 100USD pay check. The progress was slow but with passion it’s nice to persevere. 🎉This is a shoutout to the website. The recipes in there are recipes I use day to day. Born out of uncertainty and what felt like gloom and doom on some days, it has somewhat (slowly) progressed. It’s not shouty or glam, but it has somerecipes which some of you have tried and either DM-ed, pm-ed, commented about or what’s app-ed me about. Thank you! I hope they help. 🙏So grateful for that bout of uncertainty. Safely said 3+ years later. 😅 Thank you for allowing me to be on this journey of TSC with you. 💕 💡thesuddencook.com #recipes #foodblog #sharingrecipes #foodblogger

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