Alia Ali

Location: Langkawi, Malaysia

Expertise: Malaysian cuisine, Nusantara cuisine

Alia is a translator and food enthusiast. She has worked in and around Malaysian media (with a focus on food) for over 10 years. Alia learned to cook by reading Betty Crocker and watching Martin Yan. She graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of South Australia and is a co-founder of the Malaysian food website www.periuk.my

Alia's Desert Island Food: I actually live on an island now (though not deserted) so this is easy: it's a tie between Cool Ranch Doritos and Jalapeño Cheddar Cheetos. One of my brothers regularly couriers a boxful of the stuff to me from the city.

Alia's Favorite Condiment: Sambal belacan, the hotter the better. Growing up, I used to sneak plain rice and sambal belacan up to my bedroom for a midnight snack.

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