The Food Canon

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:

(I have since improved on the recipe further. Read it here.)

I continue with my diary on my experiments with Sous Vide cooking.

It has become an indispensable tool in my kitchen and it will be used for this coming CNY dinner. I have said more about it here.

As I have mentioned before, we are getting a glimpse of the modern home kitchen in Sous Vide. But you should not be pressured into jumping on the bandwagon unless you think it will work for you.

Don't expect SV gadgets to be featured by all those lovely elderly housewives pushing the latest woks and pots at the super stores. It will still take some time for the pool of home cooks out there to understand this cooking method.  

After all, cooking appliances like the microwave, oven steamers and pressure cooker have been here for many years now. These are not like communication IT gadgets, where you may feel left out if you ignore it for too long. Till today, these appliances are still catching on for many.