Hey, hungry writer!
Welcome to our corner of the internet where food meets fun and stories stir up flavor. At babe.com.my, we’re all about delicious Malaysian recipes, cheeky twists, and kitchen experiments that go from "what if" to "wow, this works." If you’ve got a passion for food, flair for writing, and a sprinkle of humor, our digital kitchen’s calling.
Who we are
We're a bunch of food nerds based in Malaysia, smitten with bold flavor, spicy sambal, slurpy noodles, crispy edges, smoky stir-fries, chewy kuih, and everything in between. We stir, write, taste, tweak, shoot, then eat. Sometimes we nap after. This space isn’t just about recipes, it’s about sharing what cooking means to different folks, silly moments, kitchen fails, weird flavor combos that oddly work, or memories packed into mouthfuls. We want words that smell like toasted belacan and stories that sizzle.
What we’re looking for
We welcome stories soaked in sauce, sprinkled with salt, steamed over real life. Things that feel like someone sat down and wrote from the soul... or at least the stomach. We're open to:
- Recipes (classic, experimental, forgotten, regional)
- Malaysian twists on global eats
- Ingredient deep-dives (cili padi obsession, anyone?)
- Seasonal meals
- Hawker stall-inspired dishes
- Home-cooked joy
- Cooking tips, kitchen hacks
- Honest food stories (burnt the rendang? Let’s talk about it)
- Travel through taste (but keep it grounded)
What we don’t want
No AI-generated fluff. No generic tips copy-pasted from the internet. No health preachiness or calorie math. No judgment. If you want to tell us oats are evil or your nasi lemak changed your life, cool, but keep it real. We’re not a food science lab or nutrition calculator.
What makes a good submission
Use your voice. You don’t need to sound like a journalist. Or a chef. You just need to sound like you. Talk like you’d talk to someone sitting at your dining table, elbows deep in sambal. Tell us why you made what you made. Tell us how it made someone smile, or run away coughing. Keep it honest. Use humor if it suits the dish. Keep it easy to follow, readers should feel like they can cook it without breaking into a stress sweat.
Photos help. We love drool-worthy shots. Doesn’t have to be pro-level, but no blurry stuff from five years ago either. Think natural light, nice angle, something that makes us say "woi, nak makan lah."
How to submit
Ready to feed us words? Send your pitch or completed piece to contact@babe.com.my. No attachments at first, just paste the idea or story into your email. Tell us a bit about yourself if you want, nothing long. Something like: “Hey, I’m Mira. I once made nasi goreng with mango. People liked it. Here’s the recipe.”
We’ll read every email. Really. If we like your vibe, we’ll ask for more. If we don’t feel it, we’ll gently let you know. Give us about 1–2 weeks to reply.
Word count & structure
Keep stories between 500–1500 words. Recipes should include:
- Title
- Intro (why it matters, who loves it, what inspired it)
- Ingredients (in the order used)
- Steps (clear, simple, no faffing about)
- Extra notes (subs, storage, anything else)
If you're writing a story without a recipe, that’s cool too. We still want it to taste like something. Sensory detail is your best friend. “It smelled like…” “The color was like…” “First bite felt like…” Use those. Taste is emotion. Cooking is chaos plus care.
Rights
We prefer original stuff. If it’s been posted elsewhere, say so. We don’t mind reprints if they fit, but tell us upfront. Once published here, we’d love to keep it on babe.com.my forever. If you want to republish somewhere else later, ask us first, we’re usually cool with it.
Voice & vibe
Tone here is playful but polite. Smart but not stiff. We love writers who respect culture, flavor, and local voices. Don’t explain nasi lemak like readers have never seen rice before. Talk to Malaysians like you are one. If you're not Malaysian but love the food, awesome—just approach it with heart, not with exoticizing nonsense.
Cursing? Light stuff, sure. But no harsh or nasty language. If you’re mad about your burnt keropok, call it what you like, but keep it PG-13.
Diversity & inclusion
We want voices across the board. East Malaysians, second-gen kids, folks of mixed heritage, recent migrants who found home in sambal, everyone in between. If you’ve got a story wrapped in banana leaf, even better.
Food reflects who we are. We want that reflection messy, complex, and full of joy. If you’re shy about writing in English, don’t be. We can help polish. Malay and Manglish are fine, too. Sprinkle lah. We love realness.
Editorial process
Once we accept your piece, we may suggest edits. Nothing major unless needed. We’ll keep your voice, we’ll just help it shine. Final copy will always go back to you for a quick look before publishing.
Formats we love
- Listicles (“5 times I thought my curry would kill me”)
- Mini essays (“I moved to KL, and learned to fry tofu”)
- Step-by-step recipes with juicy backstory
- Visual recipes with playful captions
- Food memories that make us feel hungry and seen
Stuff that inspires us
Imagine this: a story about a failed kuih attempt that turned into a family joke. Or a recipe from a road trip to Penang with flavor notes and roadside drama. Maybe a piece about how your house smells when you cook fish curry on Sunday. We love things that stick.
Common mistakes
- Being too stiff or formal
- Over-describing without meaning
- Writing like a robot
- Skipping the human part
- Too many exclamation marks
Before you write
Ask: why does this matter to me? Why would someone else care? Can someone make this after reading? Did I say what I really wanted to say?
We’re not building a food empire. We’re building a food playground. Come play. Stir, write, laugh, fumble, taste, then write some more.
Pitch us at contact@babe.com.my. We’re hungry for your words.