How This Malaysian Chef Does the Weeknight Dinner Juggle

Mandy Yin’s new book, Simply Malaysian, is full of recipes I want to make right now.

Mandy Yin’s first cookbook shared the dishes she prepares for guests at her acclaimed London restaurant, Sambal Shiok. Her new book, Simply Malaysian, feels quite different to the author: “It’s how I very much cook now,” Mandy tells me in this week’s podcast episode.

Mandy’s son was born just two weeks after that first book came out, which “really has forced me to adjust, well, my entire life,” she says. “Now my cooking at home really is extremely simple, very quick, as little washing up as possible…It’s honestly, how do you feed yourself at the end of a very busy day, as quickly as possible?”

Kids will do that to you, but many shifts in life can require that kind of adjustment, and whichever one you’re facing these days, Simply Malaysian will be a balm. Mandy reworks the classic Hainanese chicken rice into a simpler one-pot dish: “Actually, I made that for dinner last night!” she says. Blitzed red chilies and tomato paste give tons of flavor to a quick stir-fry of shrimp from the freezer; coconut cream and store-bought red curry paste are all you need to season chicken thighs for roasting. On every page, there’s food you’ll desperately want to eat.

Mandy shares her most essential kitchen staples, as well as the condiments and sauces she preps ahead to make quick dinners more flavorful. Mandy says being “quick and efficient with your cooking, yet not compromising on taste” is a lesson she learned from her parents, who are credited for many of the childhood favorites Mandy’s included throughout the book, including her father’s sweet-and-sour sauce preparation for frozen battered cod and her mom’s five-minute salmon with crispy ginger, honey, and soy sauce.

I’m always curious about how couples (and housemates!) go about sharing dinner duty. Mandy and her husband keep joint phone notes with a meal plan and shopping list, but they’ve designated that he’s in charge of cooking on weekends—which includes making sure he’s done any necessary shopping.

Scroll down to get the 30-minute sesame and ginger chicken recipe that Mandy calls “so, so comforting,” and links to a few of Mandy’s favorite cookbooks. But first, I’d be so grateful if you’d hit follow on The Dinner Plan wherever you do your podcast listening. That way, you’ll have it saved for your next dog walk or onion-chopping session.

Win a copy of Simply Malaysian

There are two easy ways to enter this week’s cookbook giveaway.

Option 1: Make sure you’re signed up as a paid subscriber to this newsletter by end of day Thursday, October 16, 2025. An annual subscription will run you about the cost of one new cookbook.

That’s all you need to do, though I’d love if you’d take a moment to hit that ❤️ at the bottom of this post.

Option 2: Free subscribers can enter the giveaway by sending in a “what’s in my fridge” voice memo for potential inclusion on the podcast. Just follow the instructions here by end of day Thursday, October 16, 2025. Yep, you can do this even if you’ve sent in one of these before!

Giveaway winner will be alerted by Substack DM and email—be sure to check your messages.

U.S. addresses only, 18+. Giveaway not sponsored or administered by Substack. Ends October 16, 2025. This newsletter includes affiliate links—sometimes I’ll receive a commission from your purchase that’ll help to support The Dinner Plan.

Mandy mentioned:

Black Beef Stew (excerpted from Simply Malaysian on House and Garden)
Mandy’s first book, Sambal Shiok (get a signed copy at Omnivore here)
Shallot oil (included as a sub-recipe here)
Tomato Sambal (excerpted on The Guardian)
Squid brand fish sauce
Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
Lee Kum Kee Premium Oyster Sauce
Dad’s Sweet and Sour Fish (excerpted on The iPaper)
Dad’s Spicy Whole Prawns (excerpted on The Guardian)
One-Pot Hainanese Chicken Rice (excerpted on delicious)
Shu Han Lee’s Chili Crab Spaghetti (excerpted from from Agak Agak)
Georgina Hayden’s Slow-Cooked Lamb and Olive Orzo
Five Spice Ragu (excerpted on The iPaper)
Jamie Oliver’s Return of the Naked Chef, especially the roast chicken and the broccoli and anchovy farfalle (similar on Jamie Oliver’s site here)
Sabrina Ghayour’s Persiana (Bookshop here)
Amy and Emily Chung’s The Rangoon Sisters Cookbook (used on Alibris here)
Meera Sodha’s Dinner (Bookshop here)

From the ad break:

Shopping from these links supports the show by letting sponsors know we sent you.

• The Zero Proof: Get 20% off when you shop TheZeroProof.com with code DINNERPLAN20

• Made In Cookware: Head to madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.

• The new Organic Super Firm Tofu from Franklin Farms is available wherever you shop.

Maggie mentioned:

Peter J. Kim’s instant ramen episode on The Dinner Plan
Sabrina Ghayour on The Dinner Plan
Meera Sodha on The Dinner Plan

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Photo: Louise Hagger

Sesame Ginger Chicken

Excerpted with permission from Simply Malaysian: Everyday Dishes to Cook at Home by Mandy Yin (Quadrille, 2025).

This is an extremely soothing dish for when you’re feeling slightly under the weather. Ginger pairs so well with the sweetness of rice wine, as well as yellow bean sauce adding a strong umami depth of flavour. It also comes together very quickly and is great for children, as it has no chillies at all. Any alcohol will have evaporated in the cooking process.

Serves 4–6

1kg (2lb 4oz) skinless and boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
3 Tbsp Shaoxing rice wine or Harvey’s Bristol Cream sherry
1 tsp table salt, or to taste
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
5cm (2in) piece of ginger (50g/1¾oz), peeled and cut into fine 2.5cm (1in) matchsticks
2 Tbsp yellow bean sauce or 1 Tbsp white shiro miso paste
1 Tbsp pure sesame oil
300ml (generous 1¼ cups) water
2 pinches of ground white pepper
2 tsp cornstarch, mixed with 1 Tbsp water
2 scallions/spring onions, finely sliced, to garnish

1. Marinate the chicken pieces with the rice wine and salt for at least 1 hour.

2. Heat the oil in a large wok or saucepan over a medium heat. Stir-fry the garlic and ginger for 1 minute, then add the yellow bean sauce, sesame oil and chicken, scraping out all the marinade into the wok. Stir-fry for 3 minutes.

3. Add the water and pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes uncovered. Stir every few minutes or so.

4. Add the cornstarch-water mix, stir and cook for 1 minute. Taste the sauce and add more salt if desired.

5. Garnish with the scallions before serving with rice.