Ashley Pan, 23, tax consultant
Submission video recipe: Chocolate fondant with gula melaka ice cream
Why should you be our first R.AGE Food Fight champion?
You know how punctuation gives meaning to a string of words? For me, I believe I have a greater purpose than to just be a chef in a restaurant. I want to be a chef that bridges multiple cultures, like Peranakan and Western. Ultimately to me, food is all about loving it and sharing it.
If you do win, what will you do with that RM10,000?
That’s a lot of money! It would definitely help with a food outlet I have in mind. It’s going to be an outlet that serves affordable, mouth-watering, healthy food to all groups of people. But beyond that, I want to feed the hungry and poor.
What do you currently do?
It’s definitely not as exciting as cooking. I’m currently a tax consultant with Ernst & Young in Kuching, so you can imagine, it’s all about facts and figures, eight hours in front of a computer, typing away the whole day.
What is your most favourite dish to make?
My favourite dish would definitely be kuih pai tee. Even if it’s just a vegetarian dish, it’s so simple. Sliced fresh veggies, with a top hat shell, and a bit of chilli. That’s perfect.
What food do you absolutely hate?
This is easy for me. The food that I really hate is anything matcha, or green tea flavoured. Everyone loves green tea but I hate it and that’s so strange. It has this earthy, plastic-y taste to it.
Best piece of cooking advice ever received?
Less is more. Whenever I create a new dish, I remind myself to focus on the simplicity of the flavours.
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Ashley’s sweet submission video makes us crave chocolate fondant with salted gula melaka ice cream.
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