Hello, I’m Shu.

I was born and raised in food-obsessed Singapore. 15 years ago, I moved to London with a suitcase half-filled with clothes and books, the other half taken up by a rice cooker.  It was in the sparse, cramped kitchen of my uni halls, that I taught myself how to cook. I missed the sounds and smells and flavours of home terribly, and it gave me the excuse for a weekly call with Mum (an incredible cook and formidable woman). Since then, I have gone on to do lots of tasty things:

I make small-batch Southeast Asian spice pastes and sambals over at Rempapa Spice Co. From our early bootstrapping, part-timing days at the farmer’s markets back in 2018, we have grown to supply Whole Foods, Selfridges and independent delis up and down the country. We’ve even been featured on The Guardian and Singaporean news TV, Channel News Asia. 

I write about food and develop recipes. Some examples of the brands and publications I’ve worked with include: Jamie Oliver, Kikkoman, Tilda, Lee Kum Kee, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Great British Chefs, and Food & Wine. My debut cookbook Chicken & Rice: Southeast Asian Recipes from a London Kitchen was published by Fig Tree Penguin Books in 2016 and combines the best of British ingredients with Southeast Asian flavours. I’m currently working on my second book.

I help food brands, large and small, to develop menus and creative things. I collaborated with Wagamama to create Shu’s Shiok Chicken and the plant-based Shu’s Shiok Jackfruit. The dish is now a permanent menu item in all their UK and US restaurants. For 7 years, before I took the plunge wholeheartedly into the world of food, I was a creative strategist for brands such as Waitrose and have created award-winning campaigns for them.

I’m always up for something that’s fun, delicious and/or will help me pay my rent. 
For literary opportunities, please email emily@emilysweetassociates.com
For anything Rempapa-related, please email hi@rempapa.com
For everything else, please email hi@shuhanlee.com / follow @iamshuhanlee