The Food Canon

Oh I love it.

The idea that you can turn discards into something so appetising.

Just when we thought that Roger Federer's days are over, he turned around and won yet another Gland Slam title, while we were slurping our bowls of discards.

My CNY 2017 batch was indeed a "head to toe" pot of goodness. Using leftovers parts from suckling pigs served at a wedding dinner, a huge bone from Christmas ham and a roast duck (sans head) we managed to make two huge pots, eaten over a span of three days.

We used lots of pickled ham choy (long variety) and the round kai Choy (long one out of stock). Tamarind paste and assam keping for the sours. We also added lemon grass and kaffir lime leafs for the herby tones. And yes, lots of dried chillies.

Still good and hungry

What has science or philosophy to do with this traditional Hokkien "leftovers" dish, you may ask.

As always, what goes on behind a dish always piques my curiosity, especially something as unique as Chai Buay or Choi Keok.

Yes, this is what makes Chai Buay great: the way it uses leftover dishes. Roasted bones and meat are great for the stock. You can also add some fresh pork bones and chicken feet. 

This we should know by experience: there is still life yet in your cooked meat and bones. The flavors are never completely extracted through normal cooking or even the first round of stock making. Most households will discard the least desirable boney parts. But these make for a great stock. I remember this huge pot in my Mum's restaurant kitchen where she 'dumps' meat and bones, some fresh, some cooked. If you know what you are doing, that is a very efficient way of cooking, making the most of your meats.

While good meat stock is essential for Chai Buay, the heart of the dish is the Mustard Green veg or "kai choy." This veg absorbs flavors very well. Sponging anything you cook with it, and with a luscious texture, it is fantastic for this.

Hum Choy - Salted/Brined Mustard Green

There are two types of Mustard green, the round stem version, and the leafy one. As the latter's leafy texture makes for good eating and is cheaper, it is more popular during CNY. If you can't find any of these, you can add some pickled or brined salty version: hum choy. Hum choy, whether the round stem or leafy one, is basically pickled mustard green. It is salty of course. Soak it in water for half and hour or more. You may have to do it  a few times. The texture of the pickled version will be different from the fresh one and I will normally prefer to use both.

Getting down to it

Make the meat stock first. What meat you have for it will be good for eating. Lots of bones will be good. Roast duck or roast pork will impart a smoky flavor to the dish. However, leave out the duck head and neck as your soup will have a strong smell the next day. Add lean pork, spare ribs and roast pork if you have any. Add a lot of dried chillies (or fresh red chillies) as it is important that this is spicy. For the sour, you need a a lot of  assam keping (dried tamarind slices). A good meat stock needs about 2 hours at least. If you have a pressure cooker, you can cut down the time by a third.

Then add the cut or tear up the  mustard greens and simmer for another hour or so.

Towards the end, adjust the taste. Add some chicken stock concentrate (or chicken powder), some oyster sauce and rock sugar (ping tong). Taste your soup. It needs to have a tinge of sourness. At this point, add some tamarind sauce (assam) and taste to get the balance right. The texture of the veg needs to be soft enough and yet, have a nice bite to it.

Good ChayBuay= Good meaty stock + Mustard Greens + Chillies (Spicy) + Assam Keping & Tamarind Sauce (Sour).

This is best eaten the day after as the flavors will continue to develop. We will normally leave it overnight on the stove. Just boil it and leave it undisturbed. This pot can be "rolled over" over  a few days, i.e. stuff, meat or veg can still be added. While you can add other veg into the pot, I advise that you stick to just mustard green. Almost any meat (and especially skin) will go well in it. Chicken or duck feet taste great in it. I will not add any leftover Chinese sausages or fish bones. These will spoil the taste. Yes, use your leftovers but not any leftovers.

Eat this hot in a bowl with chopsticks. Some white rice if you like some carbo to complete the meal.

Don't let the CNY end without at least cooking this once. After all, you need to do something with your leftovers. They will be delicious in your Chai Buay. The funny thing about Chai Buay is that the "second rate" meat there actually tastes very good.

As I reflect on this, I think of the verse from the Bible in Isaiah 41:3

"A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice..."

Yes, God specializes in turning nothing into something. Chai Buay reminds me of this. If you think your life's usefulness is exhausted, think again. In His hands, the best is yet to be.  

Have fun cooking the discards this CNY.

I add here a recipe list as a guide. 
5 litres (1.3 gals) water
1 roast duck or leftover meats
10 dried chillies
4 slices dried Garcinia Cambogia fruit (assam keping)
400 g tamarind pulp (assam), rendered in 240 ml (1 cup) water, seeds removed
4 stalks round-stemmed mustard greens
2 stalks leafy mustard greens
Salt and rock sugar to taste

Choi Keok - A wonderful dish from leftovers (Photo credit: Goh Eck Kheng)

As another year turns, it is helpful to remind myself that TFC is simply about inspiring and getting home cooks to cook more. To this end, I am surprised (though I shouldn't be) at the role of ink and page (still) in inspiring home cooks to translate their reading into cooking. That is good to know.

Well, another CNY is coming. What are you planning to have on your Reunion table? 

I know you are gawking at those advertised pictures of pencai and roast meat and wondering about what you should be ordering in for your Reunion Dinner.

You have to be realistic about how good some of these commercial dishes can be, given the rush of CNY season and the mass cooking approach. You are not likely to get what you see...WYSINWYG!

I have been asked a few times:

"What are the easier recipes in the cookbook that one can start with?"

This list is good for new cooks:

Stir Fried Ginger Chicken - p 49
Steamed Egg - p 45
Tow Yew Bak - p 65
Pan Fried Turmeric Mackerel   - p 117
Cold Tofu in Bango Sauce - p 129 (more assembling than cooking)

As for noodle recipes, Ipoh Kai See Hor Fun (p 160) is good for one to start with. You can use the hor fun commonly sold here (some stalls actually call it Ipoh Hor Fun) or use dehydrated pho from NTUC etc.

And there are a whole set of recipes which are only slightly more challenging for new cooks such as the Wok-Cooked Char Siew, Steamed Pork Ribs in plum sauce, Ayam Goreng Halia etc. I also don't think Claypot Chicken Rice is difficult and I have listed an easier version (p 189).

You are likely to cook what you feel like cooking on a given day. Remember that there is nothing like freshly cooked home dishes. Just put a lot of love into it!