KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 20 — AirAsia (AA) has carved a culinary niche for itself with its in-flight offerings centred around Malaysian flavours.

Catherine Goh, the 36-year-old chief executive leading AA’s in-flight menu brand Santan, is the person behind this move.

"Focusing on customers is very important and I am driven by social media feedback.” Goh told Malay Mail in a recent interview.

Coffee capsules, cendol, kuih lapis and even wantan mee in the sky

Clever use of available food technology that transforms local delicacies into perfectly crafted in-flight meals is how passengers get to enjoy these local favourites.

For their coffee capsules which is a continuously expanding range, AA collaborated with China’s Saturnbird to bring on-ground premium cafe experience to AA passengers.

"Don’t be tricked by the tiny packaging. It actually makes a lot of difference in taste, compared to a regular 3-in-1 coffee packet. The taste profile is stronger,” Goh added.

She said that the coffee is Santan’s own recipe, while the packaging is customised by Saturnbird.

How were cendol and kuih lapis’ quintessential flavours preserved?

Goh said that the challenge for the cendol was finding a "coconut milk product that has a very stable shelf-life so there is no wastage and it tastes exactly like regular santan.”

To capture the essence of the traditional dessert, the Santan team then worked with Penang Chendul to have the latter supply red beans, and cendol. Combining these ingredients, the team cracked the recipe and came up with their in-flight cendol which passed regulatory checks.

As AA’s aircraft lack onboard chillers or freezers, the culinary team meticulously prepares meals to be temperature-stable from the moment they leave the ground.

Strategic temperature-regulated carts ensure food remains fresh and safe throughout the flight.

"Kuih varieties get spoiled easily, so we have to ensure the same discipline is applied to ensure the taste remains. What we are selling and giving here are not just food but memories, because travelling is a memory and you will remember what you ate onboard AirAsia.”

The hardest food to reverse engineer? Goh said it was Santan’s wantan mee.

"At first, I was quite puzzled when wanting to launch it, because I know passengers would immediately think that this would be subpar, because even when cooked at home, it can get soggy if not done properly.

"Imagine an in-flight version... so it took us a long time to perfect the recipe, before offering it to customers.”