Roti n Rice

Food to gladden the heart

About Me

About Me Hi and welcome!

My name is Linda and I am the founder of Roti n Rice where you will find
1. Quick and easy meals made using everyday ingredients.
2. New spins on classics and old favorites.
3. Easy dishes from around the world with focus on Malaysian, Chinese, and American cuisines.

Originally from Malaysia, I now live in Colorado with my husband and two sons. We moved to the United States nearly two decades ago. I’ve traveled the world across Asia, Europe, and North America.

Growing up, home cooking was an eclectic mix of Chinese, Malay, and Indian cuisines. Today, Western, Japanese, and other cuisines have joined the mix as I draw experiences from my travels across Asia, Europe, and North America,

I continue to cook the foods from the old country using local and more easily accessible ingredients. Substitutions are sometimes necessary and this can be a good thing. A familiar dish gets an exciting twist or a fresh taste, a totally win-win situation.

Yours Truly,

Signature WP

MISSION AND VALUES

Mission Statement
At Roti n Rice, we believe that “A family that eats together, stays together.” Therefore, it is our mission to encourage the use of our virtual culinary library of tried and tested recipes to create a balance, enjoyable, and memorable food culture for the family.

Core Values
We strive to provide…
1. clear and concise recipes
2. beautiful and engaging photography and videos
3. high quality essays and articles
4. a valuable space for sponsors and advertisers.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  6. May says

    hi Biren,

    I just stumbled upon ur blog,-nice blog! am a malaysian,and now living in Superior WI . am always going down to the cities to nicolet ave! 🙂

    Reply

    • Biren says

      Hi Sharon! So nice to “meet” you and so good of you to visit and subscribe. Your mom is a great cook and I am sure you will follow in her foot steps. 🙂

      Reply

  11. ray says

    hi Biren,

    This is the first time I’m visiting your site and looked around. I like your dishes and they looked yummy. I am a new subscriber and will be following you.

    – more success –

    ray

    Reply

  12. Jamie @ Wokintime says

    Hi Biren! I’ve been following your posts through Foodbuzz and wanted to drop you a note! I love your blog and your philosophy on “cook only what you eat”. Since i started cooking I realized how much food we waste and it drives me nuts! Nowadays I pride myself when I use up all the odds and ends and make something delicious. I’ll be following along from now on!

    -Jamie

    Reply

    • Biren says

      Hi Jamie! So nice of you to drop me a line and for following along. It is true that sometimes much food is wasted unnecessarily. I try to minimize that by cooking dishes the family enjoys. However, my family is good about trying new stuff and food seldom goes to waste at our house.

      Reply

  13. Ruby says

    Great to learn more about you, your family and your heritage! I recently updated my ‘About’ profile pic too – I realized the old one was 8 years out of date! I guess I was still clinging to my youth… 😉

    Reply

    • Biren says

      Thanks Ruby! I’ll have to check out your new profile picture. I think you are not the only one clinging to your youth. 😉

      Reply

  14. Curry and Comfort says

    Hi Biren, I think you blog is fabulous. It’s such a well done blog. Can you give me some advice regarding picture taking? I saw all your lovely photos on foodgawker, what is your secret? If I can ask what camera do you use? What kind of lighting etc.. I take most of my pictures outside and they are always denied by foodgawker for dull lighting. 🙁 Any help or advise you can give.. .I would really be appreciative. Thanks in advance. ~ Ramona

    Reply

    • Biren says

      Hi Ramona, thank you for your compliments. As far as food photography goes, I am still very much a novice. I try to take my pictures in the late mornings or early afternoons. Those times work the best for me, given the conditions in my home. Whenever possible, I open the window or sliding door as the glass sometimes gives the pictures a slightly bluish tone. I only use artificial lighting when it is dish I’ve cooked for dinner. It is quite tricky and I continue to work on it. I do use umbrella lighting and and it is still a hit or miss for me.

      I am currently using my hubby’s old Canon DSLR with an 18-55mm lense. I am toying with the idea of getting a macro lense or do an upgrade.

      Reply

      • Curry and Comfort says

        Thank you so much for answering my questions. I don’t have a DSLR… so that may be the first thing on my list. 🙂 Lighting is such an issue and I just don’t get enough inside the house by the windows so I am going to have to figure that one out. Thank you again for taking the time to write back. Hope you have a great day. ~ Ramona

        Reply

  15. Gursa[email protected] says

    Hi Biren!

    I really liked your blog! Interesting recipies! I love malaysian food. So gonna take a while surfing your blog. I actually thought that this must be by an Indian as we use the term roti in India, but its interesting to know in malay food you use it too. Liked the pictures on your blog too.

    Reply

    • Biren says

      Hi and welcome Gursahiba! I hope you had fun browsing. The word roti was probably adopted from the Indians who make up a part of the population of Malaysia. Some of the Malaysian recipes you see on this blog are Indian, mainly Southern Indian.

      Reply

  17. Angela says

    Hi Biren,

    Thank you so much for sharing more about yourself. I can empathize with you about growing up in a big family where food was the main focus and then moving to a different country where the culture is different and the ingredients you were use to are not so readily available. It is a challenge and I enjoy reading both your blogs.

    Reply

    • Biren says

      Thanks Angela for stopping by. So glad to hear you enjoy both my blogs. It was a little tough at the beginning but after so many years, I have gotten used to the ingredients and know more or less what works as a substitute and what doesn’t. It is kinda fun sometimes. 🙂

      Reply

  18. felicia | Dish by Dish says

    Hi Biren,

    I really love how you’ve incorporated Asian recipes and how you’ve made them look so easy to make! I’m from Singapore but now live in Argentina..moved here a couple of years ago! And…seeing your blog is very inspiring! thanks so much for all your recipes!

    🙂 Big hug from Buenos Aires!
    felicia

    Reply

    • Biren says

      Thanks for the kind words, Felicia! I try to simplify those delicious but often demanding Southeast Asian recipes so that it can be easily replicated even in a “Western” kitchen. As far as possible, I do stick as close to the recipe as possible depending on availability and accessibility of ingredients. I am glad you like them and I hope you will visit often. 🙂

      Reply

  20. Ksenia says

    Dear Linda! Thank you for your wonderful blog!
    I am the ediotr-in-chief of Russian version of Saveurs magazine. We would like to feature one of your recipes in the magazine. Please contact me by email if you’re interested and I’ll give more details.
    Thank you in advance!
    Ksenia

    Reply

  21. Ann says

    Hello there Linda(Biren- only realised that you “re-introduced” yourself to the world recently!),

    I found one of your recipes (spiced potato wedges) at random a while back, tried it, loved it (left a comment on your post) and I have been back to your blog several times to find inspiration when I ran out of ideas what to cook ever since! Just to let you know that I have enjoyed browsing through your extensive library of recipes and I have been inspired to try a few things from what you posted. Thank you for sharing and looking forward to more. 🙂 – Your humble fan.

    Reply

    • Linda says

      Thank you so much, Ann for your sweet message. I am happy to hear you ‘ve found several recipes to try. Please continue to enjoy the recipes and my latest addition of videos to this blog. 🙂

      Reply

  24. Christa says

    Dear Linda,
    thank you for your wonderful blog. I am quite new in this (Blog) business and came to your website by searching an image for my lentil patties recipe that I added to my blog. I love Asian Food so much and will certainly visit your website again for personal recipe ideas and use for my family. Also, I wasn’t quite sure how to do my about page and look around the www for inspirations – yours is truly a positive one.

    Kind Regards from Switzerland!

    Reply

    • Linda says

      Thanks for saying “hi”! Very nice to meet you Christa. I am glad to hear you enjoy Asian food and I hope you will visit often. 🙂

      Reply

  25. Dave Tardent says

    Hi Linda, great site with some yummy recipes. makes my mouth water. Found it after googling “ubi kayu”. Somebody in our circle wanted to know about it after tasting some cake! We live in the Southern Moreton bay islands of Macleay, Russell, Lamb and Karragarra. Off Brisbane, Australia. Sub tropical climate. My wife is Chinese from Brunei Kuching is our second home…so you can probably understand we try to recreate our food from Borneo recipes!!
    Just planted some galangal and a dragon fruit cutting. Regards

    Reply

    • Linda says

      Hi Dave! Thank you for the lovely comment. Glad you found my site. You probably landed on my Baked Tapioca Cake post. I hope you get to try the recipe sometime.

      I planted some ginger and turmeric in pots. Hopefully they will grow. Not seen any signs of life from them yet. This spring has been pretty cool and so I’ll let them be for a little longer. The temps are going up this week. I think they need some heat to grow.

      Reply

  26. Cindy says

    Hi Linda, I just discovered your YouTube Channel, thank you so much for sharing the recipes! I am currently a study abroad student, so your videos really cope with the homesickness! I am from Melaka, which part of M’sia are you from? 🙂

    Reply

    • Linda says

      Hi Cindy! I am glad you found my Youtube Channel and blog. Very happy to hear that you find the videos, recipes, and stories helpful. My hometown is Kuala Lumpur. 🙂

      Reply

  27. Melissa says

    Hello! Love browsing through your blog. I am curious where do you get your groceries in Minnesota. I go there about once a month to get my groceries but I cannot cover so many places. Thanks!

    Reply

  28. Joan Lye says

    Hi Linda, Just chance on your blog as I was looking for recipe on cantonese noodles – Malaysian style. I am a Malaysian and now reside in Canada. You look familiar, did you study in Assunta School? Many thanks for sharing the recipe and will definitely visit again for a ‘taste of Malaysia’

    Reply

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