The Food Canon

I have done a short video which will be helpful as a visual companion to the Char Siew recipe in the book and this blog. Enjoy.

Hi again.

Now that the cook book has been released, it appears that more are cooking now from my Mum's recipes.

It is a good thing that we are not done yet with paper and ink. There is something about that format which is more practical and connects better with the home cook. Good to know, as I had some doubts when the idea of a cookbook was first mooted.

The cookbook is best seen as a companion to this site or the other way round. From here, I can make reference to it. And yes, recipes do not need to be final when printed! There will alway be variations.

The recipes in the cookbook use limited photos due to constraints of space and design choices.  Here is where the blog can complement as photos of the process can be helpful for some recipes.

It has been proofread many time over but *groan*, there are still some typos, most which are minor.

But this addendum is important for the Nasi Lemak Recipe.

At the bottom of page 201, which has been cut off:

"If you do not have a suitable steamer, you can still cook the rice well in an electric rice cooker. Add the thin coconut milk into the water (remember to keep the 1:1 liquid-rice ratio). Include the salt and pandan leaves. When the rice has cooked, switch the cooker to ‘warm’ mode. Add the coconut cream, more pandan leaves and stir gently. Then let it stay in warm mode for another 15 minutes."

Something amazing happened at The Cathedral Cafe last Sunday.

By now, you would know that the book is out.

It is a bit surreal. To see a replicas of myself, rather Matrix-like, with the dreaded pineapple repeating it's thorny appearance many times over. I am just glad that is at the back-cover and that the bowl of Hae Mee is receiving all the limelight and attention.

The book will be launched publicly this Saturday, 11.30 am to 2 pm. If you have been a fan or supporter, please pop by and say hello. The Cathedral Cafe is just next to the City Hall MRT Exit.

You are likely to bump into other food enthusiasts and home cooks, both budding and experienced ones. It will be a jolly good crowd. And I am also hearing rumours that Auntie Curry Puffs may be offered so that you can taste the real thing and not just gaze hungrily at those photos.

Farmed salmon is cheaper these days. They freeze well and defrost quickly. My Mum-in-law's helper will pack the fillets individually and we will take out a few on nights when we are doing a quick dinner.

I love noodles. Don't you?

If you are a follower of this blog, you would have noticed that my Mum was big on noodle recipes. Some of these recipes (sans curry laksa) have already been blogged in great detail and my coming cookbook will also feature them. They are indeed worth learning and mastering.

Another of her favourite recipes which she only cooked regularly for those of us at home is "Mee Hoon Kueh." It is sometimes called "Pinched Noodles" or Pan Mee.  I have many memories of enjoying these bowls of homemade goodness. The noodles are pinched, flattened and randomly shaped by hand (fingers rather) with varying thickness, which makes the texture interesting. This is the character of this dish, as opposed to uniform machine-made noodles.

The garnish of crunchy fried ikan bills and fried shallots adds more flavour and variation in texture.

I have mentioned  that I thought that this cookbook would be easy to do since it is a matter of going from print to screen.

The fact is I had to rewrite most - if not all - of the recipes. There will be good number that is not on the blog or at least not yet. It has taken a lot longer than I had earlier envisaged.

One reason why I had to do some rewriting is because of some difference in expectations when it comes to print and screen.

For one, my blog started out on a very casual and sometimes silly tone. Some of you who visit the blog to be entertained and not just get recipes will be amused by some of these posts, largely satirical, which I categorised under "just-for-smiles." Even some recipes here are long because they tell stories.

Auntie "Har Jie" (extreme left) teaching my friends how to make curry puffs

The upcoming cookbook will be the first book I have authored. I thought I should jot down some notes about the process involved and this may inspire those of you who hope to publish someday.

It was an interesting experience.  It has encouraged me to consider writing more, either for cooking or issues relating to my work as a pastor.

Since I already have a cooking blog, one should think that it should be easy enough to do a "screen to print" thing. And so I thought. The effort needed was far more intense than I anticipated.

Firstly, I made a decision to restrict the recipes to "Aunty Ruby's classics." This means that a whole swathe of recipes which I have worked on myself, including those using modern techniques like Sous Vide will not find their way into the book. My Mum never made Roast Pork (Siu Bak) or any of the Thai recipes. These recipes could not be included. I had to work on a few more of her recipes to meet the target needed. But I have practically cooked up every  written recipe that I could lay my hands on. So what else could I do? I do have palate memories but is it possible to work backwards from there?

Assam Fish is a sourish, spicy and appetizing dish which my Mum made regularly.

I have been slower in putting up recipes since my life has gotten busier with a shift in my work place.

I have also been focusing on getting the cookbook out, which involves focused work and discipline. I have to dedicate my off days to do this and we are aiming to release the cookbook in October.

I want to talk about pickling today.

I am always amazed how the humble cucumber is transformed in flavour and texture through some simple pickling process.

Pickling typically involves immersion in vinegar. The adding of salt dehydrates the vegetables further, resulting in a more intense flavour. A popular local pickled recipe is Acar, a recipe which I hope to put up one day soon on this blog.

Photo credit: Goh Eck Kheng

This is a dish Mum made regularly.

I have explained in this post how to cook brinjal well. For the home, a two step method of first cooking it on high heat - roasting in oven, pan-searing or deep frying - before flavouring it works well. The skin of the brinjal is delicious and crisped up when roasted or seared coated in some oil.

Ayam Sioh is a simple Nonya staple.

As you should know by now, Nonya or Peranakan is a cuisine which evolved from the coming together of Chinese (mostly Hokkien) and Malay cuisine cultures. Sometimes, it reflects foreign cultural influences like Portuguese, Dutch and English as well, those being the colonial masters of earlier years. It is also called "Straits Cuisine" as most of the areas where Nonya culture evolved from were port cities like Melaka, Penang and Singapore.

In this recipe, using the tau-chu or soy bean paste is obviously from Chinese cuisine. But what other ingredient marks it out as Nonya? Tamarind paste and ketumbar.

Ketumbar is basically a Malay term for Coriander powder. Technically one should call it serbuk ketumbar, but typically the term alone speaks for itself.  Tau chu+ ketumbar + tamarind, and the coming together of this Chinese and Malay  paste and spice in this recipe reflects it's inter-cultural roots.

Fried Batang fish, served here with kecap manis sauce, omelette and rice.

This is a simple recipe which you can use for your daily dinners.

Fried Batang or Mackerel fish, marinated in turmeric powder was a comfort food in my childhood home. I can also recall it being sold in my Mum's restaurant and canteen.

Over the years, Batang has become more expensive but it is still a relatively cheaper fish to use and is very suited for pan or deep frying as the flesh is firm.

Whether you are serving a whole family or just a dinner for two, this dish is convenient and easy to make.

Note a few tips about fish:

• As long as it is fresh, you won't need to do a lot to make it taste good.
• It keeps well frozen.
• Fish does not need to be marinated for too long. 30 minutes at most. 
• Clean your fish thoroughly to remove the blood and scum. 
• Fish bones and heads can be used to make stock.

So, when you want to introduce overseas guests to Singapore food, what do you think of?

The usual street food dishes like Chicken Rice and Bak Chor Mee perhaps. But are there restaurants selling cooked à la minute Singaporean Chinese dishes, which though Chinese, is not to be confused with Hong Kong influenced eateries like Imperial Treasure or Crystal Jade? Where will you bring them if they want to eat Chinese and local?

It is a joy to be able to get back to "community cooking" in this new church I am serving in. As I have said elsewhere, it is a familiar environment that I grew up with where I am very much at home.

We ran the Alpha Introductory Dinner recently and made a decision to offer "home-cooked" dinner. This article serves as cooking notes for  myself and the team and I am sure, you will find helpful as well.

As I have recently learned to prepare Nasi Ulam, I thought a Malay or Nonya themed dinner will be nice for the occasion.

And if you check your Nonya cookbooks, including the magisterial "Cooking for the President," (a great cookbook!) you may drop all considerations of making it because at first glance, it sure looks complicated and redoubtable.  

"Nasi" means rice and "ulam" means salad. The key is to dial it down to something you will consider making for your daily dinners. Bear in mind that for the humble Malay Kampung home, their Nasi Ulam basically uses herbs and dried seafood that are available off their larder or garden. Sometimes, it is just using leftover herbs. Eat it with some sambal belachan and it will be sedap all the way.

There are many types of Ayam Goreng and I hardly stick to a fixed recipe, apart from being consistent with a few basics behind a good fried chicken Malay style.

This latest recipe is quickly becoming one of my favourite for its simplicity and great results.

I have been making it as a side dish with Nasi Ulam, a recipe which I will be blogging soon.

I have always been curious about the "crispies" that I see on the Ayam Goreng which is served in Malay stalls in Malaysia. After some conversations with makciks (they are always friendly and willing to share their tips...some will even let me see who they cook them in their kitchens!) I finally figured out that it came from blended or pounded ginger. The blended ginger sticks to the chicken when fried and adds texture and flavour.

I have already blogged the Sambal Udang recipe.  

Many of you will know that belimbing goes very well with it. Belimbing is a sourish fruit that grows well here. Being a pastor, I have no shortage of belimbing as there will be a some members out there who have one of these trees in his/her garden.

Knowing that their pastor like to cook, I get plastic bags of them regularly. After all, belimbing goes to waste pretty quickly after they are plucked or when they ripen. And gifts from your garden to the pastor makes a lot of sense, though I have yet to declare such gifts on my annual tax returns.

Belimbing cooks very quickly and I normally add them within the last few minutes of the dish. I cook the sambal first, and then the prawns and the last thing that goes in are the slices of belimbing.

As for preparation, salt the belimbing in a colander beforehand to draw out the liquid.

This dish is appetising. Eat it with mint leaves, cucumber and steaming hot white rice.

And somehow, it always tastes nice eaten with hands.

Lemon grass and belimbing (right)