The Expat Living team recently did a team-building cooking class with SAMIA AHAD of Coriander Leaf, which we loved. She tells us more about how she entered the F&B industry, her restaurants – and her ideal hosting menu.
Stamping Coriander Leaf’s mark on Singapore
Samia has been living in Singapore for 27 years, and over the past 25 of those years has built a successful restaurant business with Coriander Leaf. In that time, she has faced – and survived – just about all of the challenges that crop up in the local F&B industry. No mean feat!
The restaurant at the Polo Club is a favourite of the Expat Living team, while the flagship restaurant is now on Craig Road. When Samia isn’t in the kitchen with her trusted culinary team, she’s conducting cooking classes for corporate groups. We loved both her energy and the food at our recent team-building session. Samia is a larger-than-life character – a naturally funny storyteller and a fabulous host.
What brought you to Singapore and where had you been living previously?
I’m originally from East Pakistan, now known as Bangladesh, and I moved to West Pakistan after the division of countries. At 18, I went to London and lived there for 11 years before moving to New York City. There, I trained as a chef in classical French cuisine. After that, I came to Singapore, trailing my husband like most expat spouses.
What made you decide to open Coriander Leaf?
I’ve been working since I was 21, and though I took a break when my son was born – restaurants and family life don’t gel – I started to get a bit antsy when I moved to Singapore. So, I started giving cooking classes at home. Two years later, the classes had completely overtaken my home kitchen, so I figured it was time and opened Coriander Leaf in 2001.
What inspired you to pursue a career as a chef or restaurateur? Have you always loved cooking?
Never! I didn’t start cooking till my early 30s, which is when I went to cooking school in New York. I moved to NYC in my late 20s for reasons of love. I sold my business and apartment in London and arrived in NYC with no career plans other than that I knew I wanted a career change.
Living with my fiancé who was just finishing law school, we had very limited funds. I started cooking at home as we couldn’t afford to eat out much. I found I quite enjoyed it and wasn’t too bad at it either. So, I decided to attend a professional cooking school, and the rest is history!
What’s your favourite aspect of your work at Coriander Leaf?
The teaching – not only the clientele that comes to learn in our team-building cooking classes, but the young chefs that we hire at the restaurant.
I’m really passionate about what I do, and I find passion is infectious. It’s incredible to see people develop a sense of pride in what they do.
Any memorable incidents from your time in the F&B industry?
When I was seven or eight months pregnant and working in NYC, I was thrown out of the kitchen as my colleagues said they couldn’t get by me in the aisle. They were fed up with carrying my stock pots for me, and joked that I should go home and have my baby!
What’s your favourite menu to prepare if you’re hosting a group of guests at home?
Figuring out the menu is one of the most important and enjoyable parts of hosting. That’s why all my cooking classes and cookbooks are structured as menus rather than disconnected recipes.
I find myself returning to a Middle Eastern menu of koshari (a pasta with lentils), imam biyaldi (eggplant in a tomato sauce) and a fattoush salad. It’s easy, it can be made well ahead of time, and it hits a great blend of bringing something unexpected with the lentil pasta, with flavours that feel really comforting and familiar.
Otherwise, one-dish meals like khao suey or haleem are great for entertaining.
Any particular surprises you’ve found living and working in Singapore?
When I first opened Coriander Leaf 25 years ago, there were very few female chefs, and the few that there were in the local F&B industry, were mostly in pastry.
The senior chefs that I hired at the time tended to dismiss my knowledge. They had to listen as I was the boss, but they didn’t really believe in what I was doing, especially when I started the teaching and the team-building cooking classes. Singapore’s F&B industry has come a long way since then, with more women leading kitchens.
Where in Singapore do you live?
I’ve lived in different places over my 27 years here but mainly near Orchard and then Bukit Timah. Last year, I moved to the East Coast off Siglap and absolutely love it! I wish I had come here before – there’s more of a sense of community here and street life, rather than going from one basement carpark to another or one mall to another.
What do you like to do here when you’re not working in the Coriander Leaf kitchens?
I swim and I bike. But my true obsession other than cooking is knitting. It’s creative and meditative, which helps me keep my sanity in the otherwise stressful environment of restauranting.
Quick questions about Singapore:
What is your favourite…
Casual restaurant? On the rare evening that I have off, the last place I want to go to is a restaurant!
Date-night restaurant? After 40 years of marriage, not sure I want to go on a date night with my husband, but if I were to have a boyfriend… I used to love sitting at the bar counter of Esquina to eat. I believe the chef there has left and opened his own place in the East Coast, which I hope to go to soon!
Bar? I recently went to Puffy Bois, a pizza bar in Duxton. It has great pizza by the slice, more than decent wine and beer, and live music.
Local food? Sin Hoi Sai on East Coast Road. Another female-owned establishment, one that always makes you feel welcome.
Nature space? Singapore Botanic Gardens.
Thing to do with visitors? I used to enjoy taking them to Orchard Towers – I liked to show them the other side of Singapore.
Nearby holiday destination? Bali.
Team-building cooking classes and more at Coriander Leaf
Samia is the author of cookbooks Simply Samia and Coriander Leaf: Addictively Asian – they can be ordered through the restaurant website.
You can also experience her fun energy through a team-building cooking class for corporate or private groups. Samia guides team members to produce a six- to eight- course menu within a time limit. Afterwards, everyone enjoys the fruits of their labour by dining together on the dishes they have created.
Another option is to bring Coriander Leaf to your events at home, in the office or for a seminar. The team can cater for canapés, full buffets, bento lunches, sit-down meals with personal chef service, and more.
For information and details, get in touch with the team at corianderleaf.com, 6732 3354 or info@corianderleaf.com.
Deal! Quote “Expat Living” to receive $50 off catering.
This article first appeared in the August 2026 issue of Expat Living magazine. You can buy the latest issue or an annual subscription, or read the digital version for free now.
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