The Food Canon

This an exotic dish, at least to those less familiar with Thai cooking.

I have yet to apply a difficulty rating to the recipes here but this will not fit the category of 'difficult.' At least to me, it is a whole lot faster and easier to make than our local Nonya Curry Chicken.

If green curry is commonly associated with chicken, red curry seems to go with duck. Both of them are the stars in popular Thai cuisine and this dish is a good way to introduce Thai cuisine to a newcomer. Infuse with the incredible fragrance of Sweet Basil leaves, this dish is a sure winner.

Now, if you intend on roasting your own duck, the difficulty rating will hit the insane level. I do not see why you would want to do that as it plays second fiddle to the curry. And roast duck stalls are aplenty in Singapore. In fact duck is so popular here that there is one that is used to ferry foreigners around.

I love the food in Ipoh.

I was born and bred in Petaling Jaya and she does have some great hawker stall dishes.

But Ipoh is quite something else.

Many say that it has to do with the surrounding lime hills which affects the alkalinity of the water. This in turn may explain why Ipoh's bean sprouts, bean curd and hor fun (flat rice noodles) are so unique that they are named after the city. The Chinese populace is predominantly Cantonese (if not in dialect group, certainly in terms of cooking culture) and famed for their cooking. And with fresh fish, crabs and prawns coming from rivers in the region and the slower pace of life, you have some of the factors which makes Ipoh's cuisine special.

Take a closer look. Can you recognise the vegies and herbies?

Let me move on to some practical home cooking tips. You would have noticed some of these tips in my blogged recipes.

Tip 1: You may be a home cook, but think like a chef

My mum was a chef at work and home, so you can guess where this came from.

Professional chefs work with some basics i.e proper equipment (tools), proper environment (kitchen and space), good and fresh ingredients ('procurement') and lists or recipes. Unless you cook the same dish everyday as do some of our local hawkers, you like most chefs, need to refer to lists/recipes. I was given an IPad recently and I have found it useful to bring it alongside as I check on my own blog when cooking.

And I said think like a chef, not dress as one. And don't  behave like one of those Ramsay-types and start throwing your temper around (watch it - the heat and stress from cooking will work you up easily).

You would have probably read the first Char Siew recipe which launched this blog. I have since cooked it many times over in response to various requests. Now, for the belly version.

I tried getting belly pork at the wet market this week.

I said "tried" as the pork seller was adamant that it is not meant for Char Siew making. She kept insisting that I should use shoulder. I shrugged mine and said, "I want 2 kg belly, Auntie." "No, no...shoulder." This went on for a good minute.

Then, finally, I had to say, "But I want to try out a belly version of Char Siew. I am customer. You, seller. I buy, you sell. And if I want belly, you give me belly. Don't you know me?! I am the youngest son of Auntie Ruby. And I am the famous Food Canon who has 23 likes on his facebook page!"

If looks can kill, a crustacean will.

Have you notice how prawn or lobster-like the aliens in films look? From Alien 1 to 3 ( or is it 4) and down to the latest unforgettable but revolting film, Peter Jackson's other and lesser known District 9, prawns are almost always given an extra terrestrial role.

And when they are laser blasted, their roe will splatter the screens. Whether your reaction is yucky or yummy depends on your preference for your regular prawn meal. If you are like my wife, the heads are the first to yuckily go off her plate with a Marian yell, "Off with their heads!" On mine, they yummily stay.

Let me introduce a crustacean species which is alien to most Singaporeans - the Freshwater aka River Prawns.

In A Minute ...

You were not April fooled by my last post, I am sure. Or were you? I hope it has put a smile - not an egg - on your face. 

Some of my friends have given feedback that they have found the recipes on this blog complicated. I can understand that this can seem so for some. There is no shame in that as cooking, like everything else, needs practice and experience. Also, there is the question of familiarity, i.e. whether you are familiar with Chinese, Malay cooking etc.

I will blog some simpler ones from time to time. Some may think that these dishes are not 'blog-worthy' but I have often found that even for the more experienced cooks, there is something to be learnt, even from simple recipes.

Let's start with this. When we need to whip up a dish for dinner in a hurry, we often turn to our old and trusted friend: Silken Tofu.

This is my mother's Mother of all Recipes: Auntie Ruby's Fried Eggs.

The secret is out. This is one dish which demands good culinary skills. Succeed with it, and you will know that you have arrived as a chef.

So what do you need to make perfect fried eggs?

Firstly, good eggs. And I mean, really good ones. And the best ones comes from 60-day grain fed chicken, no less. It has to be free range ones and laid within 24 hours. Get it from your local egg seller. Say it quickly in one breath: "Free range 60-day grain fed chicken eggs laid within 24 hours please." If she says "huh?", move on.