Sama Sama

Who’s the author? Julie Lin is a Malaysian-Scottish chef, writer, TV presenter and restaurateur – her Glasgow-based  restaurant GaGa was named Best Restaurant in Scotland in 2022. She has made regular appearances on Saturday Kitchen and the hugely popular Netflix series Somebody Feed Phil, as well as cooking for Judi Dench on Countryfile.

Julie has also contributed to several publications including the Guardian, Observer and Vice. She has a Substack and accompanying podcast, Use Your Noodle, where she shares recipes and anecdotes from her week. In 2024, Julie was named Food Influencer of the Year at the Golden Chopsticks Awards, as well as Women of Influence’s Woman to Watch.

What’s it about? In Malay, sama sama (‘same same’) is a way of saying ‘you’re welcome’, a shorthand for togetherness and equality. With this cookbook, Julie celebrates all aspects of her identity (Malaysian, Chinese and Scottish) with heart-warming stories of food and self-discovery.

With this wonderful collection of 90 delicious recipes, Julie encourages you to explore and challenge your palate, adjust the recipes to your liking and redefine the concept of authenticity. Instead of lengthy, exacting recipes, her cooking style is ‘agak-agak’, a colloquial term from the Malay word for ‘somewhat’, where cooks rely on their senses to inform the dishes they create.

Julie’s food is all about cooking with soul, creating accessible dishes that combine explosive flavours, ingredients and techniques from all over the world. In her words: ‘Season the dish until the ghost of your ancestors tells you to stop!’

Recipes we love: Chilli Crisp Puttanesca, Steak au Sichuan Poivre and Kaya Croissant-and-Butter Pudding.