Starchild: Malaysian children have their own creative take on fusion food

Asher Wang Qi Chuen, 4

Fusion food describes the combination of various cuisines from different regions in the world. Hugely popular examples of fusion food is Tex-Mex cuisine, a mixture of food from Texas, in the Unites States and Mexico. Tex-Mex food includes quesadillas, enchiladas, fajitas and guacamole. Have you tried any of these food items?

Fusion food is also popular in Malaysia. Have you eaten tom yam fettuccine before? Or maybe a satay burger? Here’s what Starchild readers had to say on the topic, Fusion Food.

Jayden Tan Li Sheng, 9

Chuah Seng Koon, six, thinks fusion food is special because he gets to combine his favourite dishes – sushi and pizza. “I will have a macaroni pizza together with sushi. Imagine having my toppings of sushi, salmon, pepperoni, roasted chicken, tomatoes, macaroni, and cheese. However, I must remember to boil the macaroni for at least 10 minutes. Lastly, spread my favourite sauces – tomato and honey mustard on top.”

Chuah Seng Koon, 6

“We eat fusion food at home with meals like fried spaghetti in soy sauce eaten together with local vegetables. I think kuih bakul wrapped in seaweed, fruity sushi and sweet potato balls would make a tasty fusion dessert,” writes seven-year-old Bethany Wang Qi Syuen.

Bethany Wang Qi Syuen, 7

Younger sibling Asher Wang Qi Chuen, four, loves nasi lemak, served with French fries. “This fusion meal tastes nice with lemonade. That’s my best fusion food combination.”

“I don’t like fusion food. But I think I can make one special dish. I will add Japanese sushi and pepperoni. I’ll put a few types of sushi like salmon, octopus and egg sushi on top of the pizza. The pizza has two bunny ears too. I hope many children will like it,” writes Wong Cheng Yang, eight.

Wong Cheng Yang, 8

Wong Jie Ern, six, says: “I don’t have any favourite fusion food. I like fried chicken and nuggets. I love both because they have crunchy skin. I like to eat them with rice and it really tastes good. I also like to dip it with tomato sauce.”

Wong Jie Ern, 6

Jayden Tan Li Sheng, nine, writes, “My favourite is the spaghetti that my father cooks for us. The ingredients he adds is spicy sambal prawn, garlic and fried onion. He tosses in chicken and prawns. We will have it together with chicken soup. It is delicious and I love the fragrant spices from the sambal and fried onions. It’s so yummy!”

Find the hidden words!

ITEM: Halloween is coming up on the Oct 31. Halloween literally means “hallowed evening,” and was previously known to early European celebrators as All Hallows’ Eve. People normally associate Halloween with jack-o’-lanterns, black cats, witches, and other scary figures. What do you think Halloween celebrations look like? How would you like to celebrate this spooky day?

E-mail your contributions to [e-mail] by Oct 8. Please put “STARCHILD: Halloween” in the subject line of your e-mail.

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