In this episode, host Samuel Goldsmith sits down with food writer Ranie Saidi to explore the deeply personal story behind his debut cookbook, The Malay Cook. What began as a journey through grief after the passing of his grandmother became a celebration of Malay food, family, and identity.

Ranie opens up about how his grandmother's recipe book was stolen after her death and how he set out to recreate her dishes from taste memory, with help from his aunt and years of trial and error across Malaysian restaurants in London. He shares how therapy led him to reconnect with his happiest memories: cooking alongside his grandmother, a beloved wedding caterer in Malaysia.

We dive into the foundations of Malay cooking. The "four sibling" spices, the central role of coconut, and the turmeric marinade tradition and hear the beautiful origin story of Samine Rice, a rainbow-colored dish born from monsoon season hardship. Ranie also breaks down the differences between sambal varieties, explains the distinction between Malay "gulai" and Indian-style curry, and makes a compelling case against the obsession with food "authenticity."

Plus: Ranie's dream speakeasy restaurant concept, his guilty pleasure cheese and onion sandwich, and a lightning-round that includes cow's testicle, Storm from the X-Men, and the perfect crisp flavour.

In this episode:

• How cooking became a path through grief and identity

• The stolen recipe book that inspired The Malay Cook

• Key Malay ingredients: the four sibling spices, coconut, and turmeric

• Samine Rice and its rainbow origin story

• Ramadan, Eid, and how Malaysian food traditions mark the calendar

• Sambal explained: vinegar, coconut, soy sauce, and more

• Quick-fire: favourite dishes, cooking disasters, and dream restaurants

Ranie Saidi, aka The Malay Cook, is a London-based recipe developer, writer and supper club host celebrating Malaysian Malay heritage through modern, accessible cooking. A 2023 Yan Kit So Award finalist, his recipes are rooted in the everyday dishes his grandmother - a wedding catering cook - made while he was growing up. He sells his Malay sauces through Delli Market and hosts supper clubs at Soho House and Boundary Shoreditch. His work has been featured in the Financial Times and Olive Magazine.

Subscribe to The Good Food Podcast and download the Good Food app for more recipes and inspiration. Visit goodfood.com for the full archive.

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Cook-a-long with Samuel Goldsmith, in this bonus recipe episode

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BOSH creators Henry Firth and Ian Theasby sit down with Samuel Goldsmith to talk about making plant-based food exciting, accessible, and genuinely delicious. From their new ready meal range and nutritional yeast seasonings to their latest cookbook More Plants, the duo shares practical tips on whole food plant-based eating, the truth about supplements like creatine and omega-3s, and why they've never been fans of the "V word."

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Cook-a-long with Samuel Goldsmith, in this bonus recipe episode.

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Baker and author Edd Kimber — the first-ever winner of The Great British Bake Off — joins us to talk about his latest book Chocolate Baking, which puts one of our favourite ingredients centre stage. Edd shares the fascinating history of chocolate, from Mayan drinking rituals to modern bean-to-bar innovation, and explains why chocolate doesn't always have to be the dominant flavour in a recipe.

We also dig into the ethics and economics of chocolate pricing, Edd's obsession with Tonka beans, his mum's apple crumble (and why the jammy middle layer is the best bit), and what makes a truly perfect chocolate chip cookie. Plus, Edd opens up about navigating life after reality TV, the challenges of being defined by a single moment, and the Nigella announcement.

Stick around for quickfire questions, including Edd's signature "can't be bothered" meal and the fictional character he'd most like to have dinner with.

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Cook-a-long with Samuel Goldsmith, in this bonus recipe episode.

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Silk Roads, Saffron Rice, and the Stories Our Food Carries

Did you know every apple in the world can be traced back to Kazakhstan? In this episode, Samuel Goldsmith sits down with Anna Ansari — Iranian American cook, former trade lawyer, and author of Silk Roads: A Flavor Odyssey with Recipes from Baku to Beijing — to explore how food has connected cultures across Central Asia for centuries.

Anna shares how a plate of Uyghur food in 1990s Beijing tasted unexpectedly like home, why Uzbek plov is far more than the sum of its five humble ingredients, and how cooking Iranian stews became a way to root her blended British-American-Iranian family in tradition. Along the way, they talk nasi goreng technique, the myth of culinary authenticity, and why a Tootsie Roll is her ultimate guilty pleasure.

In this episode:

How the ancient Silk Roads shaped the food we eat today

The surprising Central Asian origins of apples, melons, and rice

Why authenticity in food is more fluid than we think

Anna's death-row dish: tahchin (Iranian saffron rice cake)

Cooking as connection — to heritage, family, and home

Quick-fire confessions: gnocchi disasters, pulled pork parties, and bumpy cake

About the guest:

Anna Ansari is the author of Silk Roads: A Flavor Odyssey with Recipes from Baku to Beijing. A former customs and trade lawyer with a background in Chinese studies, she writes about the intersections of food, history, and identity.

Subscribe to The Good Food Podcast and download the Good Food app for more recipes and inspiration. Visit goodfood.com for the full archive.

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Cook-a-long with Samuel Goldsmith, in this bonus recipe episode.

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Why Only 4% of Us Get Enough Fiber and Why It Matters Way More Than You Think

Registered nutritionist and bestselling author Rhiannon Lambert joins host of the Good Food podcast, Samuel Goldsmith, to tackle one of the most overlooked nutrients in our diets: fibre.

In this episode, Rhiannon explains why the UK is facing a fibre crisis, how ultra-processed foods reshaped the way we eat, and what the latest science says about gut health, longevity, and disease prevention. She also shares her simple 30/30/30 formula for getting more fibre without overhauling your life, plus the truth about supplements, sugar swaps, and nutrition myths that won't go away.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why fibre is about far more than digestion. From heart health to cancer prevention to living longer

• How the rise of convenience food left us eating less fibre than during WWII rationing

• The NOVA scale: what "ultra-processed" actually means (and why baked beans aren't the enemy)

• Rhiannon's 30/30/30 formula for hitting your fibre target one meal at a time

• Which supplements are genuinely worth taking and which ones are overhyped

• Why less than 2% of nutrition advice on TikTok is accurate

About the guest: Rhiannon Lambert is a Harley Street registered nutritionist, founder of Rhitrition, and author of The Fiber Formula and The Unprocessed Plate. She's known for cutting through wellness noise with clear, evidence-based advice.

📖 The Fiber Formula is out now.

Subscribers to the Good Food app via the App Store get the show ad-free, plus regular bonus content.

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Cook-a-long with Samuel Goldsmith, in this bonus recipe episode

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