Photo: Ben Hansen
Chef, cookbook author, cooking school host and champion of Asian cuisine, Tony Tan has earned household-name status in Australia. Having grown up in a restaurant-owning Hainanese family in Malaysia and cooked his way through much of the UK, France and Australia, our 2025 Outstanding Contribution to Hospitality Award winner is no stranger to food and hospitality.
With two acclaimed cookbooks under his belt, there’s no denying the wealth of Tony Tan recipes to try for yourself. And luckily for you, he’s shared over xx of them with us. Below you’ll find perennial favourites such as his char kway teow or sweet and sour pork, as well as detailed guides stepping you through how to master making chicken satay at home or roti canai from scratch.
Without further adieu, these are our favourite Tony Tan recipes you need to master at least once in your life.
Char kway teow
(Credits: Alicia Taylor)A popular street food in Malaysia, this char kway teow is best cooked one serving at a time for maximum wok hey.
Roti canai
(Credits: Dean Wilmot)A step-by-step guide to perfecting this breakfast staple.
Tony Tan’s Nyonya pork spare ribs
(Credits: James Moffatt)A Peranakan dish that sings with sweet, savoury and tangy notes.
A spicy-sour sambal perfect for pouring over rice.
The curry laksa may be better known, but asam laksa is a breed all its own: sour, sweet and rich with fish.
Hainanese chicken rice
(Credits: Rob Shaw)This supremely comforting classic is a cinch if you know the tricks.
Black pepper crab
(Credits: Rob Shaw)A colourful, gutsy South East Asian favourite, this is a dish worth getting your hands dirty for. Roll up your sleeves and give it a crack.
Sambal, dried shrimp and seasonal vegetables add up to one deliciously simple salad that’s ideal served as part of a banquet.
Chicken satay
(Credits: James Moffatt)The superstar of South East Asian street food, satay is an ideal dish for the barbecue.
A multi-dimensional dish with briny, punchy and spicy flavours.
Sweet and sour pork
(Credits: Ben Hansen)It’s sweet and sour but not as we know it. Tony Tan reveals the true brilliance of this much-loved Cantonese classic.
It’s the spice paste that really sets this stir-fry apart.
A meat-free take on the Sichuanese favourite.
Hakka salt-baked chicken
(Credits: Ben Hansen)This surprisingly simple dish rewards a little attention to detail with a lot of flavour.
Get the lowdown on this fiery addictive dish hailing from Sichuan.
This popular Sichuanese dish is a heady mix of refreshment and spice, with peanuts and cucumber providing plenty of crunch. It’s the type of dish you could get addicted to.
Inspired by an asparagus dish eaten in Sichuan, Tony Tan stir-fries his own version with fresh shiitake mushrooms, ginger and soy sauce. So simple, so good.
You love eggplant but you’re short on time. This is the recipe for you.
A magical version of the Cantonese classic, with a robust chilli oil to boot.
Chiu chow raw fish salad
(Credits: Anson Smart)A dish from China’s Chiu Chow community that makes the most of the top-shelf fresh fish.
Stir-fried chicken with Chinese olive vegetable
(Credits: Anson Smart)We’ve added an utterly addictive Chinese condiment to this simple stir-fry.
Typoon shelter prawns
(Credits: Anson Smart)Love garlic? Love prawns? You’ll love this.
Braised pork ribs
(Credits: Anson Smart)Just add rice, and dinner’s set.
Sure, it’s messy to eat. That just makes it more fun.
This Sichuan-inspired dish with great depth of flavour, and a decent level of spice.
A Taiwanese take on the classic three-cup chicken: just flash-fry the calamari with rice wine, soy sauce and sesame oil, and dinner’s ready.
A cinch to prepare, and it tastes even better the day after it’s cooked.
Stir-fried gai lan
(Credits: Greg Elms)“A Cantonese staple, this dish is a breeze to cook,” says Tony Tan.
Sichuan sliced pork with garlic and chilli sauce
(Credits: Greg Elms)The Sichuan dipping sauce is a spicy foil for the fattiness of pork belly.
This vegetable curry involves marinating mushrooms in a mix of tamarind, ginger and lemongrass before grilling them and the results are powerful.
Malaysia’s favourite barbecued chicken, served with a savoury coconut sauce, is quite possibly the most fragrant bird you’ll meet and a cinch to make to boot.
Braised mushrooms with chillies and Sichuan pepper (Dun xiang gu)
(Credits: Chris Chen)A deeply comforting vegetarian dish.
Tony Tan’s Malaysian-style roast turkey with cucumber acar
(Credits: Ben Dearnley)Brine the bird for a juicier result and serve with a pickled cucumber acar for balance.
Pineapple and rum glazed Christmas ham with tomato sambal
(Credits: Ben Dearnley)A classis Christmas ham with a spiced tomato sambal is the perfect case of East meets West.
Cantonese fried rice with chicken, salted fish and bean sprouts
(Credits: Chris Chen)Skip the takeaway and learn how to make this comfort food classic at home.
Chilled tossed noodles
(Credits: Ben Dearnley)A tangy noodle salad enjoyed in the heat of summer.
Five-spiced ‘smoked’ fish with broad bean salad
(Credits: Ben Dearnley)Despite its name, there’s no smoking involved. Simply marinate, deep fry and finish in a spiced sauce.
