Grilled beef fillet with bitter melon and black bean sauce

It is so easy to fall in love with Poh Ling Yeow. She's wildly attractive, intelligent, funny and vivacious. She has a dazzling charisma, but at the same time is approachable. And she’s oh so talented. A professional artist before starring on the first season of Masterchef, she is now a true celebrity of the Australian food scene and host of her own show, Poh & Co., on SBS. “It’s really lovely to be back on a second season of Poh & Co. and working with friends and family, because ultimately that’s where I get all my inspiration from,” Poh tells me when we sit down for a chat on the set of our Impress photoshoot. “It’s a very truthful depiction of how I draw my ideas, the kind of everyday influences that I have and the people that I come in contact with. “The thing that I love about the show most is that it touches on very common, suburban aspirations, you know, wanting to have a vege patch or build your own pizza oven. It’s got currency in terms of people being able to relate to it very easily.” Working on TV and being able to chat with people from all walks of life has also benefitted Poh in the fact that she has been able to feel more secure about her own food identity. “I used to be very purist about the way I cooked, but now I’m relaxing and understanding what my identity is, which is a Malaysian-born Chinese Australian. So I feel like my food should absolutely reflect that. “Now I feel I have this license to be a little bit more free and playful with my food and it absolutely reflects what food is all about. It’s all about multiculture, about mixing ingredients and techniques.” The other exciting development in Poh’s life is opening her first restaurant, Jamface, in Adelaide’s Central Markets. “It’s actually just a little café – a very casual place. I’m cooking light breakfasts and lunches. The main focus is actually my pastry. I’m well known for my Asian food, but the thing that I absolutely love is French pastry. You should come down and check it out.” Watch our exclusive video interview with Poh:  

In his new book, Destination flavour Adam Liaw examines the many cuisines of the world, so who better to ask, ‘what is  Australia’s food identity?’ The discussion on Australia’s food identity in this country might be the longest conversation we’ve ever had with the fewest words spoken. There’s no doubt we love our food, but we also find it difficult to put our finger on exactly what it is.  Have you ever been asked by somebody abroad about Australian food, only to mumble something like “Oh, we eat all kinds of stuff…” and change the subject? How can we describe the taste of home? The Pros There are, of course, things we do very well. Our diversity of cuisine is the best in the world. We might assume the rest of the world eats as widely and as well as we do, but they don’t even come close. Our cuisine has drawn from all over for centuries, and we flit from one inspiration to the next with barely a thought.  A chiko roll and a couple of dim sims might not seem the most exciting example of Australian food, but in the 1980s, for the descendants of Irish stew and siu mai respectively to sit together so comfortably and mainstream? It wouldn’t be possible in any other country. Others may match us for British, American and European influence, but nowhere covers the breadth of Asian cuisines as well as we do, and that includes the countries of Asia.  The overall quality of our produce is also truly impressive. There are many countries with greater biodiversity and where many ingredients surpass our quality, but as a complete package, if I could visit one good greengrocer, butcher and fishmonger in any country to make a meal, I’d do that right here at home. For the full story and recipes from Adam, pickup a copy of the Sept/Oct 2018 Selector issue from all good newsagents,  subscribe  or look inside your next Wine Selectors delivery. OUT NOW: Destination Flavour People and Places by Adam Liaw (Hardie Grant, RRP $50).