From a multicultural Malaysian childhood to a culinary mix between Trinidad and Tobago and Nigeria
Blasta Books’ inimitable illustrated cookbooks continue to promote new voices in cooking and showcase the culinary diversity found across Ireland this autumn.
In #11: A LITTLE, Where food oscillates between Chinese, Thai, Indian and Malaysian influences, Chef Sham Hanifa combines all the cuisines of his multicultural childhood to create his own personal representation of the Malaysian society he grew up in. With recipes that contain all the flavour of his diverse heritage, Sham presents a fascinating culinary landscape that shows him to be an instinctively intelligent and respectful chef and will encourage readers to delve into his easy and delicious Asian-style dishes.
Shamzuri (Sham) Hanifa Sham Hanifa is a multi-award winning chef, businessman and radio presenter. Originally from Malaysia, Sham moved to Carrick-on-Shannon in County Leitrim, Ireland in 2000 to begin a journey that would take him from general kitchen work to head chef and owner/co-owner of a number of establishments including Cottage Restaurant, My Kitchen by Sham Hanifa, Synergy Café and Buffalo Boy Steakhouse. Sham regularly appears on Virgin Media One Six hour showwhere he shows easy-to-prepare, Asian-style dishes.
Blasta Books’ Latest Cookbook #12: SOCAFRO is a blend of Alistair Jeje’s two favourite types of music: the upbeat rhythms of Trinidad & Tobago’s Soca and the soulful lines of Nigeria’s Afrobeat. Reflecting Alistair’s dual heritage, this vibrant and uplifting cookbook is a journey through Alistair’s childhood memories as well as the food served at his street food business Socafro Kitchen. Bridging the culinary divide between West Africa and the Caribbean, SOCAFRO shows how the fusion of two major culinary influences can create dishes that delight and get you dancing, including a pilaf jollofspicy Trini Suya Skewersa rich and cheesy dish Afro-Trini Macaroni Pieand deliciously sweet and crunchy chin-chin tamarind balls.
Alistair Jejeaffectionately known as JD, is the proud owner of Socafro Kitchen, a vibrant street food business in Waterford City that serves up a mouthwatering fusion of Caribbean and Nigerian flavours. This culinary blend pays homage to his roots: his mother is from Trinidad and his father from Nigeria. The name Socafro comes from JD’s passion for two distinct musical genres: the vibrant rhythms of Caribbean soca and the pulsating beats of Afro tunes. JD was born in England but spent his formative years in Lagos, where his mother and sister introduced him to the world of cooking. JD believes that your true calling is what you can do effortlessly, and for him, cooking is just that. JD’s larger-than-life charisma is undeniably magnetic, and his radiant smile and treasured recipes uplift all who meet him and eat his food. @socafrokitchen
Blasta Books launched in 2022 as an imprint of Irish publisher Nine Bean Rows. They are to cookbooks what street food is to restaurants: offering people a fun, accessible and affordable way to eat exciting food.
Blasta Book Series
Following a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2021 that saw publisher Kristin Jensen reach her goal in just a few days, Blasta Books was created to connect people through food and stories and to prioritise new and unheard voices in Ireland.
They are small books with big voices.
www.blastabooks.com
@blastabooks
