Wet Market to Table
A guide to Singapore’s wet markets and the diverse ingredients of Southeast Asia.
Pamelia Chia
Exploring Asian food cultures through stories, traditions, and shared experiences.
I am a Singaporean food writer, cookbook author, and speaker based in the Netherlands. My work explores how food carries our histories, identities, and memories — from the disappearing knowledge of Singapore’s wet markets to the diverse vegetable traditions of Asia.
I am the author of two national bestselling cookbooks, Wet Market to Table and PlantAsia. Through my writing, talks, workshops, and culinary experiences, I share stories of Asian food cultures and create conversations around heritage, sustainability, and the ways food connects us.
With a background in food science and professional cooking, I bring together research, storytelling, and hands-on experience to explore the people, ingredients, and traditions behind the food we eat.
I also write Singapore Noodles, a weekly newsletter exploring Asian food through recipes, stories, and reflections.
Subscribe to Singapore Noodles.
Books
I write cookbooks that document and celebrate Asian food cultures through ingredients, traditions, and everyday cooking.
PlantAsia
A journey through Asia’s culinary traditions with vegetables, and a fresh perspective on plant-forward cooking.
Upcoming: Singaporean cookbook
An exploration of Singapore’s most iconic dishes and the stories behind them.
Selected Work
Selected Collaborations
Through essays, recipes, and commentary, I explore the stories, traditions, and techniques that shape the way we eat.
Pork blood and offal aren’t only delicious, but nutritious and sustainable
Channel News Asia — Commentary
Pamelia Chia’s Curry Chicken
Vittles — Recipe essay
Through teaching, storytelling, and culinary projects, I collaborate with organisations to explore Asian food culture in different forms.
Singaporeans’ reluctance to pay more for hawker food is endangering the trade
Channel News Asia — Commentary
Marbled Tea Eggs
Serious Eats — Recipe development
National University of Singapore
Led a talk, wet market tour, and cooking workshop introducing students to Singapore’s food culture, from regional ingredients to heritage dishes.
Rijk Zwaan
Invited as an external speaker and guest chef for Rijk Zwaan teams across Europe and their annual client conference, exploring how Asian culinary traditions can inspire vegetable-forward cooking.
Unilever
Designed and delivered a hands-on Asian vegetarian cooking workshop for a corporate team, featuring recipes from PlantAsia.
Our Grandfather Story
Created and hosted a five-part video series exploring Singaporean food memories and heritage dishes.
Hathaway
Collaborated on menu development, bringing Singaporean and Asian culinary perspectives into restaurant dining.
Seasonings Magazine
Co-created with artist Hafi Seasonings Magazine, an independent quarterly publication exploring Singapore’s diversity through the lens of food and culture.