Chef/Owner, Arang

Chef Nurl Asyraffie Bin Mohamed Shukor launched his private dining space in September 2022. The SHATEC-educated chef began his culinary career at the modern European restaurant Iggy’s. Then after two years there, he worked at Corner House followed by a short stint at Gaggan in Bangkok.

Subsequently, he worked at Thevar for two and a half years. It was chef-owner Mano Thevar who encouraged him to develop his versions of contemporary Malay food. For a few months, Asyraffie ran a pop-up at Thevar before pursuing Arang full-time.

By combining his years of experience in the F&B industry with his knowledge of the cuisine, Asyraffie aims to elevate modern Malay food.

According to the chef, Malay food has a lot of potential. “The Malay archipelago is vast and includes the Riau Islands in Indonesia, so it isn’t just about nasi padang, rendang, sambal and lontong,” says Asyraffie, who is determined to explore his heritage.

He has started using regional ingredients, such as Andaliman pepper from Medan that is similar to Sichuan peppercorn and has a lemon-like aroma, warm peppery flavor, and creates tongue- numbing sensation. Asyraffie serves chickpea crackers with Japanese hamachi fish cured with Andaliman pepper that’s then smoked and aged. He also finishes it with a sprinkling of the pepper.

Join us at Chef Nurl’s Master Class: Contemporary Malay Cuisine.