#4 Rudin Rashid – Melbourne, Australia

I’ve always known of Brooke and Rudie. They’re one of those couples that make you feel good. A few months back I ran into them in the suburban pit of Southland Shopping Centre, and met their kids for the first time. Little legends. They’re a gem of a family – genuine, colourful and magnetic – and I’m so happy to share their kitchen with you.

Brooke was horrified at the prospect of this interview revealing her basic cooking repertoire (I assured her we ALL lean on baked beans and toast for family dinners), but she wholeheartedly suggested a profile on Rudie – a natural, relaxed cook with a love for his Malay heritage.

Brooke did the talking and Rudie did the noodling. They share their outlook on food and family and their recipe for Mee Goreng + Osyter Sauce Broccolini. No-fuss and very tasty (I dug in to the wok firsthand).

Name Rudin & Brooke Rashid
Occupation Brooke, founder/creator of Inky Tattoo Salve. Rudin, Tattooist, Illustrator and co-founder of Inky Tattoo Salve.
Location Parkdale, Victoria
Family members Rudie, Brooke, Zedrin (8 yo) and Tahlin (4.5 yo)

As a family, we are all generally pretty busy. Rudie is consistently busy as a tattooist and works very hard at his craft. Summer is his craziest months, and this means long hours. I’m working between three to five days depending on kids, personal health, and of course how busy I am with orders. Inky has taken off in a big way, and I literally cannot keep up! It began as an alternative to unethical and mass produced tattoo aftercare, but now it has a life of its own, allowing us to support body positivity, the LGBQTI community, and women tattoo artists. I believe that when women support other women, beautiful things can happen! Inky is a product of this powerful connection!

We have two kind and beautiful boys. Zedrin has many interests. Drawing is his main passion, along with his guitar, pokemon, and Sonic the Hedgehog. Tahlin loves everything, from dinosaurs, puzzles, cars and colouring in. As a family we value kindness, honesty, being together, going on holidays and taking care of our planet. Recycling, composting, and educating ourselves on better ways to lower our footprint, is very important to us.

My children’s relationship with food is a work in progress. I feel that if I loved cooking more, then the boys would have more input, or help more, but often I just want to get on with it. Rudie is way better at cooking and allowing the boys to help. I think when they’re older it’ll be easier for me. There are so many things to be aware of in the kitchen, like knives, hot stuff, and dropping things. Tahlin does often come in, and I have him on my hip while I stir or if he wants to see what I’m making. When they were younger it was much harder, so I used to just cut up raw veggies or an apple and let them eat it while I finished the dinner … you do what you can!

Growing up, mealtimes for me were pretty standard. My mum is a good cook and my dad had a few excellent signature dishes (meatballs and a tandoori dish we loved). As a child, I was not ever included in the cooking. However, when my wider family was together it was a whole different experience. There would be countless dishes made, and often a whole table just full of desserts and sweets, which later on I realised is not normal, and I tend to avoid lots of dessert type things with my children now.

Rudie grew up in a very cultural house. His father was Malaysian and a very good cook. Dinner was always at the dining table and included many shared dishes. His mum was a great cook also and would come through with a roast or casserole when they were wanting some western food.

I just want the kids to be adventurous with food and willing to try. The boys are pretty good with new and different foods. Zed perhaps better that Tahlin, but they both love Malay, Indian, Japanese and of course mac n cheese! We are always travelling and trying to expose the boys to different things. I think once they’re a little older we’ll involve them more in the cooking process and meal prep. It can be hard for us to have dinner together as Rudie’s work hours can go late but when we’re all home we make sure to eat together. 

Before becoming parents, Rudie and I ate out most nights. We worked in hospitality at Revolver for many years, so when you work 12 hours through the night, sometimes it was not always the best food! Rudie introduced me to so many different styles of food, and he has wonderful Malay heritage to draw on. Once we started travelling, things really changed for me in terms of food.

With a family, I would say most of our eating habits are different now. Even just the hours when we eat. I’m not the most adventurous cook and often rely on quick pasta, homemade pizza, dishes that involve eggs, and raw salad foods. I have a list of foods I can’t eat due to a serious health issue, so dairy and high fibre foods aren’t often on the menu much. So sad, as cheese is life! So we only have cheese in small doses. We have Malay Monday’s where Rudie will cook some really great dishes! We mostly eat at home, maybe once or twice a month we go out to eat with friends or a friend’s house.

We have a few food rules. School lunches are always sandwiches and fruit, no packaged foods, or sweet stuff. We don’t have sugary cereals or desserts and we drink fresh vegetable and fruit juices often. Both boys are quite aware of what’s healthy and what’s not. Saturdays are our off day, and we get some yummy pizza and just enjoy the carbs. We enjoy going to the markets to find fresh local produce, including eggs, bread, honey, and our veggies and apples.

I have an inflammatory bowel disease called Ulcerative Colitis. There are foods like corn, kidney beans, dairy (some cheeses are ok), highly processed foods and normal milk chocolate that are really bad for me. I eat anti-inflammatory foods when I can. Tahlin also can’t have milk or too much cheese, but we both drink soy if milk is needed. Pork isn’t eaten in our home either, but we are fine with that. This is for specific cultural reasons. 

The pantry is always pretty full and crazy. We always like to have rice, pasta, eggs, soy sauce, bread, tinned tomatoes, vegetable stock and a jar of pasta sauce. Generally, Rudie will bring home a protein or something he wants to cook with but we always have staples for a simple pasta, minestrone soup or fried rice. We always have a bag of frozen peas, corn and carrot in the freezer as well.

Time-saving tip or food hack: I know it’s a bit of a luxury for some but Rudie has always had a rice cooker. He grew up with one so it was one of his first purchases when he moved out. We also have a microwave pasta cooker which comes in handy when we’re getting things done quickly after school.   

Favourite local kid-friendly restaurant: We love to go to Pappa Rich. It’s Malay food and the hustle and bustle of it is great for kids. The food is quick and tasty and no one seems to care if you make a mess. Oh, and our local burger joints YOMG burgers and Burger Lab.

Mee Goreng + Oyster Sauce Broccolini

This recipe is for a simple Mee Goreng. It’s fun for the kids to eat as it involves noodles. It takes some quick prep work but it’s also a one-pot dish which makes it easier. Rudie adds in some broccolini with the oyster sauce which is Zed’s favourite veggie dish.

200g dried egg noodles
500g free-range chicken thighs, diced
1/3 cup kecap manis
2 tbsp soy sauce
Juice of 1 lime
2 eggs lightly beaten
Pak choy chopped
1 garlic clove, diced
1 head of Brocollini
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sunflower oil
Dried shallots (optional)

In a small bowl, combine the kecap manis, soy sauce and lime juice together. Whisk with fork.

Heat a frying pan or wok with oil. Cook chicken for 8 minutes until cooked through, add garlic and then set aside.

Cook noodles as per packet instructions. Once cooked, drain.  

Steam the broccolini and once tender, cover in oyster sauce.

Wipe down the frying pan or wok you used earlier and put it back on a high heat. Stir in eggs and cook until scrambled. Then add drained noodles, chicken, pak choy and sauce mixture. Toss together and cook for a further few minutes.

Divide between bowls and top with shallots.

Photography by Kelli Morris