Cooks & Books: Julie Lin for SAMA SAMA

"Food has the power to stir memories, bring people together, transport you to new places, and, most importantly, take you home. Julie captures all of this within these pages. This book is a true joy." ~ Yotam Ottolenghi

"Season the dish until the ghost of our ancestors tells you to stop!" ~ Julie Lin

Julie Lin is a Malaysian-Scottish chef, writer, TV presenter and restaurateur behind the enormously successful restaurant in Glasgow, GaGa. GaGa is Michelin recommended and won Best Restaurant in Scotland in 2022.

Julie features regularly on Saturday Kitchen, The Hairy Bikers Go Local and hugely popular Netflix series Somebody Feed Phil, as well as cooking for Judi Dench on Country File. Julie has also contributed to several publications including the Guardian, Observer, BBC Food and Vice. She has a Substack and accompanying podcast, Use Your Noodle, on which she shares recipes and anecdotes from her week.

She joins us to demo and dish our tasters from her debut cookbook SAMA SAMA.

In Malay, sama sama ('same same') is a way of saying 'you're welcome' to reinforce the idea of togetherness and equality in this everyday exchange. SAMA SAMA celebrates all parts of Julie's identity (Malaysian, Chinese and Scottish) with heart-warming stories of food and self-discovery, reminding us that food is the thread that ties us all together.

Through 90 delicious recipes, Julie encourages you to test your palette, adjust recipes to your liking and broaden your ideas of authenticity. Rather than lengthy recipes and complex processes, her 'agak-agak' style is about cooking with soul, creating accessible dishes with explosive flavours, such as Chilli Crisp Puttanesca, Steak au Sichuan Poivre and Kaya Croissant-and-Butter Pudding.