Domestic Goddess

UNLIKE smartphones and cars, life doesn't come with a built-in GPS to direct us to the simplest and quickest routes. Years before Sara Khong metamorphosed into the domestic goddess that she is today, the Kuala Lumpur lass was the owner of a flourishing online fashion business. However, being in an ongoing workaholic's trance for a year came with a price – in the form of medical bills.
"Back then I was so busy I was miserable. I fell sick often and lost a lot of weight. One day, after coming home from participating in a fashion bazaar, I just broke down. I was tired and hungry, there was nothing in the fridge, and having to see a dead cockroach in my living room just turned on the waterworks! Yes, I earned a lot from the business but at the end of the day I felt so sad because home didn't feel like home," recalled the law graduate.
That breaking point spurred Khong to learn cooking and tweak recipes into shortcuts every time-compressed urbanite can handle. The 29-year-old also founded online lifestyle magazine JewelPie.com two years ago and just last year, published Malaysian Meals in 30 Minutes – both feature simplified content aka "life hacks" that have been tried and tested by Khong herself.
"Cooking doesn't come naturally to me. It's just that I forced myself into making healthy food so I understand people who don't like to cook. But you'll grow to like it, and especially because I'm not gifted in the kitchen, it feels like I'm conquering something I didn't know," she beamed.
Malaysian food isn't exactly synonymous with healthy, is it?
Health is very relative – it depends on how you compare, say between nasi lemak and Maggi mee. And the fact is that Malaysians don't have much time so we always eat out and rely on instant noodles. I think it is better that you cook food that's not super healthy but at least it's home-made and not processed, and you're using fresh produce, lots of greens, less salt and no MSG.
What does your mum think about your cooking?
She was sceptical at first and people would ask her, "Sara can cook meh?" I wanted to show her what my job is like so I invited her over the other day for a food photo shoot I was doing with a magazine. I cooked six dishes from all over the world and after the shoot, we all ate and my mum complimented my Thai salad and said my kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew) is better than hers. She even asked for the recipe!
Do you have any plans to start a TV show or open a restaurant?
If there's a TV show, it wouldn't focus on cooking but on lifestyle i.e. how to speed up cooking because I want it to be something people can apply to their everyday life. At this moment I'm so into food I foresee that my pursuit would probably have to do with attaining health and beauty through food.
Who's your favourite food personality?
Ina Garten of Barefoot Contessa. She makes food with family and friends in mind. So to me, food isn't just about taste but it's about people and health.
If you could eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
It has to be nutrient-dense, super healthy, delicious and filling. I would choose kimchi jjigae. There are mushrooms, cucumbers, onions in it, and it's made from miso and kimchi which are fermented so it's good for the gut.
Got any last words for people who "don't have time to cook"?
The key is to prepare ahead during the weekends. For instance, I'd boilchicken stock on Sunday and freezeit in a Pyrex container. If I want to have chicken noodles on Mondaynight, I'd let the chicken stock thaw during the day so by the time I gethome it's ready to be cooked.