The Food Canon

Most of us have a story of how we used to hate bitter gourd (or bitter melon) when we were young.

Somehow, growing up, as our taste buds and receptors mature, we begin to appreciate the nuances that bitter flavours bring to our food. For some, it changes from tolerance to cravings for this gourd.

The same can be said of life. We all like things sweet but life as we know it, will be pretty one-dimensional if we have not encountered difficulties and suffering. In fact, the Bible talks a lot about suffering and the darker realities of life. If life has been "bitter" for you, you know where you can turn to. As I am writing this, the sufferings of our friends in Nepal comes to mind.

I have actually posted a recipe on bitter gourd. Dig around under Hakka Yong Tofu and you will find a wonderful recipe there.

If you like bitter gourd, you have probably eaten it with fermented black bean ("tau see"). It is a classic combination. Interestingly, it is not sweet which balance the bitters, but saltiness.

I always thought that it is fantastic to serve Satay at a party.

I have been to some where a "Satay Man" was hired. You can smell it in the air as you walk in. And the sight of the charcoal fire which flared occasionally in the skilful pair of hands - one holding a fan and the other a bunch of satay - was always something that added a special atmosphere to the evening.

Note: The full recipe for HYTF can be found here.

When I cook Hakka Yong Tau Foo, it is almost always for a party.

It has been while since I last made this and along with the food team in my church, we had to find our bearings again. But it wasn't as difficult as we had feared. It all went very smoothly and about 100 diners enjoyed the unique dining experience at our Alpha Course last night.

Why HYTF for tonight? I was asked by the team to cook whatever I want as this was one of the last few meals I am doing in the church. It isn't quite the "Last Supper" but it is true that I will be moving to another church to serve as their pastor w.e.f. 1st July this year.

I was thinking of Japanese beef rice, using Sous Vide to 48-cooked some short rib beef to perfection. Or maybe coffee pork ribs and butter prawns. But the dishes will not engage the whole food team the way HYTF will. And so the decision was made.

Updating this old post and added some pics. I have written another post with a simplified recipe here. 

I have grown accustomed to her taste

Tau Yew Bak! Tow You Bak! Toyu Bak! (Oh dear, how do you anglicize or 'engli-pinyin' this?)

This dish has been blogged and 'reciped' to death. It can be found in just about any Nonya (almost synonymous with Singaporean) cookbook out there.

So why another one?