Junda Khoo is a Malaysian chef and owner of the successful, accoladed chain eatery Ho Jiak in Sydney. In 2022, Junda’s innovative creations led to him being nominated as a finalist for Chef of the Year by Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide. Ho Jiak Town Hall was also named as one of the top 80 restaurants in Australia by Gourmet Traveller and was awarded one Chef’s Hat in recognition of the dedication and excellence of the dining experience delivered. 

1. Who would your dream dinner guest be and what would you cook for them?

My amah (grandmother) who taught me the joys of cooking and is no longer here. I would cook for her everything she used to love to eat.

2. What’s your most treasured food memory?

This still is what I treasure most about food and why I love doing what I do; watching other people's smile when they eat.

3. What are the ingredients or flavours you could not live without?

I reckon chilli and garlic.

4. What is (or what are) your most essential cooking tools?

A sharp knife, a wok and a rice cooker and I'm ready to go

5. Who are your food heroes/ greatest influences?

My amah who used to cook for me and the whole family. Her food would bring everyone together to the table which was so powerful.

As a teen, I watched a lot of Jamie Oliver and Huey's cooking adventures and that helped a lot with my cooking at home, and my first steps to cooking for myself.

And as a self-appointed head chef, I watch a lot of Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen, to learn the discipline, teamwork and timing required for food to be cooked in a restaurant.

6. What are the food trends you most dislike?

Food waste for social media content, where the table is filled with so much food to create content on social media but is usually never finished and thrown away.

7. What do you cook when you just can’t be bothered or when time is short?

Instant noodles and a fried egg.

8. Name your current favourite cookbooks?

My go-to from before and still today is a cookbook called: One Day, One Dish: 365 Selected Home-Cooked Recipes. 

I also love Maeve O’Meara's Complete Food Safari cookbook.

9. What are your best tips, tricks or hacks for entertaining at home?

Keep it simple, get others to help you – whether it be potluck or takeaway – rather than trying to do everything yourself. 

10. Are there any foods you don’t like or don’t eat?

I eat everything but less of the sweet stuff. I don’t have a sweet tooth.

11. Name a favourite destination for food/dining

Of course, Kuala Lumpur. The food scene in KL has been really good lately and I would even say it’s better than Penang or Melaka.

12. What’s your ultimate food treat? 

A simple home cooked meal. Amah used to make these everyday, my parents never cooked. Coming over to Australia, I had to cook for myself and since being a chef, what I love most about finishing my day after a busy service is to go home to a simple home cooked meal made by my wife. 

Read our Ho Jiak book review here

Recipes from Ho Jiak: A Taste of Malaysia…