The Food Canon

Keeping a food blog has been enormously helpful in my journey of learning and discovery as a home cook. The discipline of blogging has helped me to improve on my dishes. Careful notation, taking note of the ratio and amount of ingredients, the motivation to learn and master new recipes all take on a new level of engagement when you know others are also reading and benefitting from these.

Responses from fans and interactions with other cooks, food suppliers and food bloggers have also been a wonderful learning and enriching experience. I am thankful for every new person I have met in the course of the year, every new acquaintance made.  

How do you feed more than a hundred hungry men with BBQ beef efficiently? Most of them were from Half-way Houses, and obviously, do not get to enjoy good steaks often.

Good beef is expensive. So, how do you give them an unforgettable experience of great beef without breaking the budget?   

Sous Vide came in very handy again. I bought grain-fed short rib beef, a relatively inexpensive cut ($20+ per kilo). It was SV-ed at 55°C for 36 hours. Then left in the fridge till it was about time to serve. The beef was sliced into strips (fish finger size). It went on the BBQ for about 1-2 minutes, turning to brown all sides for the Maillard browning effect.

I have 6 types of rice in my pantry: Thai Jasmine, Calrose, Japanese Rice, Basmati, Sweet Rice and Glutinous. I can assure you that none of them will be wasted and will eventually be used.  

Glutinous rice or Sticky Rice is special in its own way. Remember that it is staple in countries like Laos. It is versatile. It can be used for appetisers, mains or desserts. It can be an early morning breakfast delight, afternoon tea staple or a dinner dish. It can grace a Chinese wedding banquet, often towards the end of an 8-course meal. It can also be used for fine dining dishes. As the rice holds up well in almost any shape and can be served in small quantities, it is a chef's choice of rice.

I grew up loving my Mum's curry chicken which she cooked very often.

I have made her recipe many times. But it was when I started using the Anxin "naked-necked" chicken of late that some memories returned on how hers used to taste like.  

A day trip was all it took for me to learn about the chicken we use today. It answered many curious questions I had about the types of chicken we used today and it tasted differently from the ones I grew up eating.

Exotic. Tasty. Spicy. Curry.

Curries, of any kind, are appetising.

A good curry needs:
Oil - you do need some of this
Spices - the fresher, the better.
Chilli of some kind
Something salty i.e., salt (!)
Thickening agent i.e. milk, coconut milk, yoghurt
and of course, meat, potatoes etc.

I will do a short blog on some simple recipes for chicken.

As with always, start with the best chicken you can find. Some of you overseas should have easy access to great free-range chicken. Here, I prefer to use the "naked-neck" chicken as the meat is firmer, sweeter and flavorful. You can find out more about this chicken from Toh Thye Sun's farm which sells this Anxin brand. You can also source this "naked neck" chicken from the wet market. Just talked with your regular chicken seller. They are often sold as "Kampung Chicken." Dr Leslie Tay has also blogged about this chicken here.

I steamed some of this Anxin chicken with garlic sauce (the recipe here). In fact, steaming is one of the best ways to retain the flavours of the chicken.

Poultry in Motion - Ultimate Hawker Fest Chickens destined for Millennial Walk this Sat

So, are you ready for the Ultimate Hawker Fest? Visit the official site here and Dr Leslie Tay's blog post here.

It is important to note that this event is not about being "atas" or "haute cuisine." It is not about turning our hawker food into "fine dining wannabes" or trying to project another image for it.

It is about exploring what our local favorites may taste like if we tell our favorite hawkers and chefs that they can use better ingredients. It will be experimental in some ways and this event may well encourage some hawkers to improve their fare or offer more options.

This is a simple update post on soft-boiled eggs, a morning breakfast favorite of mine. I don't eat it very often but it is always a treat when I can spare the 45 minutes to do it well.

I have posted about the various methods used to produce a 45 minutes 62C egg. I have yet to add that the humble rice cooker on its own can also do it for you, albeit with some added attention needed.

Editorial: I have done a major rewrite of the recipe.

Si Yau Kai. This is a well-loved Cantonese dish. It's a traditional recipe which has been passed down through many generations.

Someone in your line of grandmas or aunties must have their own version of this. It is not difficult to make and the end-result is satisfying. Accompanied by the right condiments, it can be a complete meal in itself.

When my Malaysian relatives visit me here, they are a very difficult lot to please when it comes to our street food.

However, there is one dish which leaves them stumped in silence and reluctant, quiet praise: Singapore's famous Hainanese Chicken Rice (HCR).

Poached to perfection, the best versions in the world are found here on this little island.

You cook regularly. And like me, you always want to improve on your dishes.

You appreciate good food and you want to serve others the same.

That is an attitude I have learnt from my late Mum. She always wanted to serve her best.

I am doing another write-up of this fantastic recipe. I have posted the recipe and updated it recently.

Here, I use a different format and document some additional notes. Actually, I am doing this for myself. These are cooking notes, if you like. As I don't cook the same dish in twice in a row, writing it down helps me to remember what went right and what didn't. While I am at it, you might as well read it too.

I have since cooked it for many parties. There are times when the broth tasted really good. There are times when it did not. Once the pork was hard, dry and tasteless as I left it boiling and forgotten for too long. On numerous occasions, the bee hoon was way took soft. I have since learnt that you don't need to pre-soak it in warm or hot water. Cold tap water will do.

I dread pizza.
I love pizza.

I dread the ones which come on a thick bread with sourish tomato paste. The thick leftover side crust is hardest to finish. And after downing all that cheese, you feel "jelak" as the Malays will say. I have negative memories of pizzas from a chain (which shall not be named), as I have always see them as convenient food for children who do not know any better. And on nights when there was no dinner, they became phoned-in meals. Dread.

I am making my Mum's Penang Hokkien Mee twice this week and thus, inspired to say something more about it though I have blogged the recipe.

Her version never fails to please. In fact, most are "wow-ed" by it.

So, what is it that makes her Penang Prawn Mee special?

Since I discovered that one can make good Claypot Chicken Rice at home in real claypots with great results, I have cooked this many times. I have stopped using the rice cooker to make this pot dish.

It needs only a few ingredients.
It is quick to make.
And it is relatively cheap.

I am a fan of Mackerel fish of any type. I love Kembung and Selar, plainly pan-fried or spiced up.

I have blogged the recipe of Chili fish here, which uses the Cencaru or Hard-tail Scad.

Of late, I have learnt to enjoy a good grilled Saba fish. They seem to come cheaper these days. If I have to cook a dish in a hurry, and if I want it to be something I will absolutely enjoy, it has to be this.

There is an interesting write-up on Japanese fish at Ieat where Saba is featured. There Leslie talked about the "Kokumi" in Saba:

I love Bak Kut Teh. And the version I like most is the one I grew up eating - my Mum's.

Eaten with a bowl of steaming and fluffy white rice, the BKT meal is always a special occasion. Occasionally there will be an additional green veg dish but most times, it is a BKT-only dinner. Auntie Ruby would use pork ribs, pork belly, fried tofu pok (bean curd), button mushrooms (canned ones) and occasionally, she may add intestines.

And the first thing you do when the meals starts is to slurp a few spoonfuls of soup. The pork rib meat is tender enough but not falling off the bone. Dip the rib into dark soy sauce with sliced red chilis and enjoy.

I have earlier memories of my Mum's visit to the Chinese medicine shop to gather the herbs ("chup yok"). Just say you need the herbs to make BKT and the medicine seller would know what to do. I doubt the ones today will know how to do so. As commercially packed BKT herbs are widely available these days, few venture into these medicine halls to assemble them "from scratch."

I will detail here the planning, preparations and some of the recipes which the Food Ministry team in my church whipped up for a recent Alpha Introduction dinner. This is our second time and I have documented our first experience in a guest blog here.

This will be helpful as reference as the team continue to plan and cook for future events. Those of you who cook for parties or large gatherings (birthdays, Alpha Course etc) could be inspired by some of our experiences here.  

So, how do you cook for 130+ pax? The meal has to be appropriate and special as we normally serve better food for the first Introductory or Celebration Alpha session. We initially thought of Hakka Yong Tau Foo but changed our minds as the number of guests kept increasing. The logistics involved to keep the YTF pieces crisp and hot will be challenging.

It did not take me very long to agree to take part in this #CookForFamily,  an initiative started by Daniel from Daniel's Food Diary. Food bloggers don't often work together and this is understandable as we indeed live very busy lives here. Some of us could barely keep our blog updated regularly.

Where possible, if I can help promote something good, especially encouraging home-cooking and families eating together, why not.

The tradition of families dining together over home-cooked food is worth pursuing for two important reasons: strengthening of family ties and building family tradition. 

36-hours 55°C Sous Vide Short Rib

I have received a few requests to explain how the Sous Vide Magic (SVM) can be set up for home use.

I will gather all the essential info on SVM in this post.

The picture below illustrates how the set up is done. As you can see, the rice cooker, working as a water bath, is doing the cooking and the SVM is basically functioning as a temperature controller, switching the rice cooker on and off to do so.

This is a seriously good burger. No kidding.
Since I started cooking Sous Vide Short Rib Beef in earnest, I have always thought that it would go very well in a burger.

• It is firm and yet tender.
• Succulent and moist.
• The flavour is, of course, amazing. 

I finally got down to making a burger with it  it and it has wowed everyone who has tried it.

I was asked recently to help promote a "#CookforFamily" campaign, which will be launched in August. This is to help encourage eating at home as a family.

It was not difficult for me to say yes, as in part, this is what the blog is all about.

I have one wish which has yet to come true: believe it or not, I have always wanted to be a singer.

Yes, I have not dreamed of becoming a preacher or even a cook. But I have wished, again and again, that I could have a great singing voice.

Oh, don't I envy those soloists who could share a song in church to an admiring moved audience. To be a preacher is one thing. But to be a singer, that is quite another.

Baking?

The first recipe I ever tried making was Pandan Chiffon cake. I was about 13 then. I was an early adolescent about to discover the world. And I thought the world of Chiffon cakes was worth a shot. It was the latest craze in town then along with - if some of you can still remember - the so 70's Black Forest cake.

Guess what became of my Chiffon? It never saw the light of day. It did not rise. I tried to salvage it but it turned into some kind of pandan kuih. It was totally inedible..an outright failure.

I have learnt since then that baking needs a certain precision and methodical discipline. The density, viscosity, temperature, texture, salinity, timing etc all have to be accurate. Even the kind and size of baking trays matter. You need to know what you are doing.

I have said that I will blog some other variations of claypot rice recipes. I have cooked Rice Wine Chicken before and I thought it should work well as an idea for claypot chicken rice.

And it did.

Rice wine and ginger go very well together. And with some good fresh chicken and spring onions, it's hard to go wrong with this.

M'sian version of Indian Rojak: before the julienned veg and sauce are added

It is June vacation and I was in Melaka and Petaling Jaya (West Malaysia) recently.

Either my taste buds are changing or I did not try hard enough. But I have found it difficult to find something that is worthwhile blogging - or bragging - about. After all, I still have Malaysian roots.

That said, there were some sweet moments that are worth mentioning.

This post rounds up my food journal on my recent London trip.

I mentioned in the first post that this was neither a vacation nor a food trip. I did not plan on visiting any Michelin-star restaurants and we were contented to make some discoveries ourselves. I am grateful for some pointers on this site's Facebook page but apart from that, we were very much guided by our own senses - and our limited budget.

The Salad Pullover

It is strange to be excited about a bowl of green salad.

One afternoon, it was raining and not wanting to be cold and wet at the same time, we popped into a Spanish Tapa restaurant at Kensington. As we were not lunch hunting, we opted for something light: mixed green leafy salad and some cured hams.

A good green leafy salad needs this: Good fresh crunchy greens to begin with, a good vinaigrette and when tossed together, the greens should be lightly coated. You can taste the vinaigrette, but hardly notice it visually. In fact, cheese and nuts are optional if you have a good base to begin with.

I am back in London again. It is summertime although it seems as if the sun is gone preparing for the coming Olympics, as the rest of the city is.

I can go on and on about the wonderful conferences, the people I have met and the atmosphere in the pub when Drogba scored the winning penalty. But as this is a blog about all things edible, we will stick to that. Photos turned out alright with my trusty iPhone 4GS though there were times I wished I had brought along my Canon.

Butter Prawns. This is our regular order each time we visit our favourite family restaurant. This has been so for many years now. This version has the sauces sticking creamily to the prawns and is different from other eateries. 

My Mum had tried to 'crack' the recipe but she never quite succeeded. Of late, I have been experimenting with it. There is no written recipe to guide me but brief conversations with the cook and experiences from cooking other dishes helped me to figure out the method. In fact the main technique which makes the difference is that the oil needs to be hot enough. 

How would you like to see one of the most celebrated chefs in the world eat up his microphone?

Recently,  I was privileged to be at a World Gourmet Summit Citibank Gastronomic event where one of the demo sessions was conducted by the legendary British celebrity chef,  Marco Pierre White himself. He was the youngest chef to be awarded 3 Michelin stars. He trained chefs such as Gordon Ramsay.

We cooked Nasi Lemak recently for 60+ folks at the closing session of Alpha Course at our church.

I will detail here some of the experience and this will also act as a journal record for future Nasi Lemak meals as I am sure last night's will not be the last.

I have said before that Nasi Lemak makes for a fine party spread for these reasons:

• It can be made beforehand and except for the rice, the items can be served at room temperature.
• It is inexpensive as far as the 'essential' Nasi Lemak goes with additional costs coming from the extra items like chicken, prawns etc.
• It is not labor intensive either and does not need great culinary skills and efforts to make. This means, others can be roped in to help.   

Have you sipped coffee and chewed pork to accompany it? Probably not. We wouldn't have thought that pork and coffee could go together.

Yet Coffee Pork Ribs is a very common dish on both sides of the causeway. I may be wrong, but I believe this dish evolves from the world of restaurants and Cantonese Cze Char stalls rather than home kitchens.

There are many restaurants techniques which are not just centered on making good food but the need to do so efficiently. Recipes have been created or evolved from the world of the countless Cantonese Cze Char eateries dotting Malaysia and Singapore.

For example, in the last few years, salted egg yolk is the latest craze. You can have salted yolk this and salted yolk that, often used to flavour seafood though not limited to it. Did it originate in Malaysia or Singapore? Who knows? Some cook eats in another restaurant and likes a dish. And he begins to experiment and make it in his own kitchen. It must taste good and just as important, the recipe needs to be practical for consistent and efficient production in a restaurant.

I hope you did not try to locate Jalan April Satu. (Read precious post)

I know I am suppose to cook up dishes, not stories. But once a year, we have an excuse to pull each others' legs. If it has whetted your appetite, you might as well try to make it yourself. Check the HYTF recipe here.

In this post, I will show you some simple dishes which you can create as an appetising side dish to a main meat dish.

Sambal "Kacang Botol" (Winged beans or 4 Corners Bean) is a popular dish in Malay cuisine.

Editor's note: This post is an April Fool's satire. Do have a laugh. 

The Hakka Yong Tau Foo Inception

"Aut HYTF. Din tonite?"

A fellow Malaysian whom I knew since my NUS days sent me this cryptic SMS a week ago.

Authentic Hakka Yong Tau Fu in Singapore?

There have been many claims to HYTF here but I have been disappointed again and again. 

I thought my friend had been working in Singapore for so long that he has forgotten what HYTF is really like.

So, my reply was: "Really?"

"Really really. Recently opened. Try. "

Have you seen the movie, Inception?

I added Mee to my home version

So why in the world do you want to make Char Kuay Teow at home?

It is readily available in almost every food court. Even the Penang ones are appearing all over Singapore these days.

Some still prefer to fry them at home. I venture to explain some of the possible reasons:

• They like to turn their homes into smokehouses.
• They want a romantic evening, gazing hazily at each other, with the song "Smoke gets in your eyes" in the background
• They want to try out different ingredients. Such as foie gras, truffle oil or lobster meat. Oyster in place of cockles. Instead of lard, they prefer the apparently healthier la graisse de canard (duck fat!)
• They dislike queues (and the better CKT stalls always have queues - I call these the Char Queue Teow stalls - CQT).
• They dislike the CQT man who always scowl with a 'take it or leave it' attitude. 
• They dislike the made-to-feel-guilty stares as they queue and bump into a friend. Sheepishly, "Er..I only queue for CQT once a month!
• They are dying to try their new wok and burner.

I really don't know.

(This is a 3-part series on my recent trip to Ipoh. You can read the first two posts here and here)

A stall outside  house

We skipped lunch on our second day in Ipoh as we needed a break after the curry mee meal.

Not for long though and by tea time, we were primed and ready for the famous Hong Kee Mah's Fa Sang Wu. It is a fantastic Chinese Peanut Cream dessert eaten piping hot.

This in my opinion must be one of the best Fa Sang Wu around but it has the usual Ipoh treatment. Humble and non-descript. If you drive too fast you may miss it. It is a plain looking stall outside a house in a resident area. And it is only opened from noon till about 4 pm.

This is an old-fashioned drivethru.

This is how it looks if you order the garnishes and meat separately

The "Don't Hurry Me Curry Mee"

Wait and take your turn...

We started our second day in Ipoh with curry mee.

Will you wait 45 minutes or more for a bowl of this?

Judging by the wait and queue at Xin Guan Fang Curry Mee, it seems like many won't mind. It is located near the new police station at Jalan Sultan Iskandar. It is known by locals a "ma ta liu min" and reputed as one of the best curry mee here.

One reasons for the wait is the limited no of tables. This tells you that the owner has been at this for a long time and not about to introduce any changes. He is only cooking a certain amount each day and it will all be finished by late morning.

He is not in a rush. "Take your time" and this seems to be the way of life in this city.

Welcome to Ipoh

It is now almost 5 years since we were last in Ipoh. Lots of memories as my ailing mother was nursed here.  The last time I visited Ipoh was to bid her farewell.

Ipoh is about 2 hours drive from KL. The drive is very beautiful and scenic. When you see limestone hills, you know you are approaching Ipoh.

The Rabbits are here

Once a year, some in the Chinese community here will be craving for Rabbit fish.

Some call it the "Chinese New Year Fish" or "Pai-Lin Yue."

For a few days in a year - and only for a few days - the ones caught and sold in local markets are full of creamy roe and wilt, with little of the usual fishy taste inside the stomach. This is the period when they get ready to spawn. I suppose its' rich tummy is a sign of prosperity. For most, it is just tradition and taste.

It is a special Chinese New Year delicacy. During that period, they come with a premium price, fetching up to $100 per kilo. Crazy.

This year, they missed the boat and arrived way too late, being perhaps the leap year.

Fried Sea Bass - Thai style. Perhaps I won't call this a 101 dish but to Thais, fried fish with some condiments is a basic dish.

I have always been keen on eating at home.

There is something special about the family gathering around the dining table. I feel that a home is less than one if the kitchen and dining table is not used regularly. At least I grew up in one where the home centered around them.  

As I have mentioned elsewhere, I started learning to cook soon after I started working as I always wanted to recreate some of the dishes I grew up with. When the kids came, my Mum came down from PJ to stay with us. It became less necessary for me to be in the kitchen. Mum was providing the daily spread. We could look forward to returning home to dinner everyday. Sometimes I will call her to ask what's for dinner. She will always say a phrase in Cantonese which rhymes. "I won't let you know and will let your heart keep wondering."

After my Mum passed away, for a while, we were quite at a lost as to our daily meals. We tried "tingkat" home delivery meals. They sent dinner in these stacked containers. You have to eat whatever is delivered to you. The food was often bland and rather tasteless. After two weeks of trying to appreciate these meals, one evening, we just could not carry on. Not even after we have said grace! I told my wife to cancel the arrangements.

That was when I made a new resolution to resume home cooking.

Readers of this blog and cooks will know that I have a fascination for Thai dishes. (Check the list here)

The thing is, I do enjoy cooking them. There is a simplicity, balance of flavours and a refined quality about the recipes which I find attractive. Most are fast to make, some under ten minutes of cooking time. The essential  ingredients are available here and so they can be made 'from scratch.' And presentation wise, they always look appealing and appetising.

The good thing about dabbling in another cuisine is you can get new ideas for your own. Already, I am thinking that my Mum's Nonya Chicken Curry can be modified to improve on its presentation and taste experience.

I have made green curry chicken many times, improving the recipes along the way as I begin to understand this dish more. I was in a cooking class in Bangkok recently and some ideas I picked up added to my learning experience.

Even if you have no interest in this dish, there are ideas you can pick up regarding the fundamentals of curry-making. So, read on. 

Nicely shot by Japhia Wong

Celebrating Chinese New Year in Petaling Jaya (Malaysia) is always a special experience. It is a return to my roots. Each time my uncle (my father's younger brother, Pak Leong) visits, I find out a bit more about my past.  

My second paternal Uncle: he has many fascinating stories to tell

Apparently, our group of Hakkas came from the north ("Holam"), the very same one that Sun Yat Sen hailed from. They migrated to Guangdong. Some moved on to Hong Kong during the 1911 Revolution. Some, because of the ease of travel in the British empire, migrated to Malaysia.

We have relatives in London, Canada, USA and even some in Surinam. Hakkas indeed have migration in their blood. Always in search for a better life. I suppose I continued the trend when I became a Singaporean this year.

I found out that my father studied till Form 3 before he started working as a book-keeper. He was a good writer (in Chinese) and was a regular columnist in some local papers. He was also very interested in cooking. At one point, he was cooking by day and counting by night.

A Reunion spread which my Mum cooked in 2004

Chinese New Year is around the corner.

If you are planning for a home-cooked dinner for your reunion, I am sure you have already started making plans. By now, you should be clearing your fridge & freezer to free up storage space. Some dried goods can be bought way in advance. If you have not bought your meats and seafood, expect to pay premium prices. And yes, go real early in the morning to your fav wet market.

Each family has a different heritage and tradition and some dishes will be repeated every year.

This year, we are regathering at my childhood home in Petaling Jaya. It is a place of many memories. It is also a place which testifies of God's grace as He has indeed blessed us over the years. I had some dark childhood memories of this place as for one long period, it was being used as a gambling den. I can recall a police raid once and a stranger rushing in and hiding under my bed. All these are long gone as God's light has shone into my home ever since. 

Tom Yum Soup: All the photos were taken from my Iphone 3 GS - they don't look too bad. Won't be changing my name to Food Apple anytime soon though.

I love to cook (what's new).

And I love cooking lessons.

If I have the time and opportunity to learn from someone , I will.

My best teacher? My late mum of course.

The best class was her commercial kitchen. Not that she had the time and patience to give me a "class." At a very young age, I became a free extra hand in her kitchen. Something needed to be washed, chopped, pounded, squeezed or stir-fried. When I become strong enough to hold her wok chan in her large commercial work kitchen - which looked even huger to a child - I did. I simply had to learn because she needed help. My Mum was a patient woman and hardly lose her temper when something went wrong. And she had this great sense of humor, which you can imagine, can be rather crude and colorful in her native Hokkien and Cantonese.

I am in Bangkok and interestingly, yesterday, I went back in time as we learnt how to squeeze coconut milk, pound in the granite mortar etc.

Slicing it this way to insert into the Mantou Bun

I have blogged recently on using the Sous Vide method to make Chinese style Roast Pork Belly (Sio Bak).

Is there a way to do it all in a day? I also wanted to lower the SV temperature to achieve a firmer bite.

Here is how this recipe works: