Over the past year, we have started to include more recipes on our website. Responses have been positive so to welcome the new year, we thought that it will be apt to list out the 5 most popular recipes on our site in 2012.

On the No. 1 spot...(drumroll please...)

1. Southern Fried Chicken


This juicy Southern Fried Chicken will tame even the wildest cowboy.

You don't need a gazillion spices to make this killer Southern Fried Chicken, you just need a pinch of cayenne, cumin, garlic and the usual salt and pepper. Fry your chicken well and you will be rewarded with skin so crispy that they will break away from the flesh like a crunchy biscuit.

Fried chicken has always been a crowd favourite so it was quite a revelation when we found out the 2nd most popular recipe was a fish dish. So ranked 2nd in our list is ....surprise,surprise....it's Asam Pedas Ikan Pari!

2. Asam Pedas Ikan Pari


A melange of spicy and sour notes, so good you'll lick your bowl clean.

A specialty in the southern states of Melaka and Johor, the gravy has a generous amount of tamarind juice to give it a refreshing tangy kick. We used pari ( stingray ) because we can't be bothered fiddling about with tiny bones but you can always opt for parang, tenggiri or ikan merah if pari is not your thing. Asam Pedas Ikan Pari is great eaten hot with rice and sambal belacan. We recommend mixing the gravy with rice and a dash of 'kicap manis', so delicious that no matter how hard you try to resist, you'll be asking for an extra helping of rice.

Halfway through our list, placing at no. 3 is the much loved Sambal Ikan Bilis.

3. Sambal Ikan Bilis


Many Malaysians have smuggled this overseas, it's a known cure for homesickness.

You can eat it with rice or even bread, sambal ikan bilis is a staple in every Malaysian household. Everyone's got their own version, some like it sweet, some like it dry, some like it with extra chillies, in whatever guise, the sambal ikan bilis is a condiment that quintessentially tastes like home.

And of course, how can we not have a dessert on our list? Placing at no. 4 is a cake that helps to conjure up sweet childhood teatime memories, the scrumptious Pandan Butter Cake.

4. Pandan Butter Cake


Buttery, fragrant and dense, this pandan butter cake recipe is a keeper.

Even though now we have a wide selection of recipes for fancy desserts, time and time again we would always go back to the simplest recipes. Pandan Butter Cake is a classic cake that has stood the test of time. A wonderful marriage of east and west, it's butter cake with an Asian twist. Infused with the delicate fragrant properties of pandan and given an extra boost of flavour with the addition of kaya, this is a recipe that will be in your family for generations.

Now, we've come to the end of our list and ranked at no 5 is another chicken dish. This time though it's something more local - Ayam Masak Merah.

5. Ayam Masak Merah


A mixture of tangy, sweet and spicy flavours, ayam masak merah is not only tasty but pretty easy to whip up.

You can usually find ayam masak merah served at weddings with nasi minyak and acar. Made with a combination of ketchup, chilli sauce and aromatics, this dish has a thick tangy gravy that clings to rice perfectly. We fry the chicken first to allow the skin to crisp up so you'll get the moist flesh within and crispy gravy covered skin on the outer layer. It's tasty and not as complicated as it looks.

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