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Cooking Fish Head Curry

curry Monday, December 07, 2015
Bringing our overseas guests for Fish Head Curry can be an amusing experience. Few of them expect just a single head and pair of eyes staring at them from the dish. As there as as many type of curries as there are Indian, Malay home and Nonya homes, you can imagine the countless ways you can cook this dish. It is as the...
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Yesterday in Melaka: This city is more than just Nonya food...

Melaka Saturday, November 14, 2015
I believe in Yesterday ... and chendol, for the matter. Melaka is a convenient for short getaway for Singaporeans. I was there for a short break recently. It is a haven for Nonya food but I did not have any of the usual dishes. The typical Nonya restaurants in Melaka can be pretty average as modern chefs go for convenience rather than excellence. There are...
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Perfecting the Roast Chicken

Chicken Thursday, October 15, 2015
This is my usual cooking notes to remind myself of what I have been cooking. Not that I get to cook a lot these days since I took up my new assignment at a very busy church (hint - it has the largest cross in Singapore - see pic). It is a cool church. The humble roast chicken is something that is commonly...
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Sous Vide Appliances for the Home Kitchen

Review Saturday, October 03, 2015
L-R: Sous Vide Magic, Demi-Supreme, Anova Top: Codlo If you do a lot of Sous Vide cooking, and assuming you can afford it, it is useful to have more than one type of appliance. I have been using Anova, Codlo, Sous Vide Supreme and Sous Vide Magic. I know this may sound like over-indulging a cook's fascination with kitchen appliances but I don't...
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The rock of all ages...and the coming elections

Essay Saturday, September 05, 2015
This rock has been a steady thump for centuries. It offers no glamour shots. It has an old greyish look. It makes color photos look monochrome. It is simply not cool. It does not make a good birthday present. It has no manual nor fanciful package. In fact, even without a manual, a child or an elderly person are equally adept at using...
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Keeping your Brinjal's colour and the Fried Brinjal with Dried Shrimps and Sambal Recipe

Vegetables Monday, August 17, 2015
Brinjal. Eggplant. Aubergine. Depending on where you live, it bears a different name. It also comes in many different shapes: round, oval and long. One thing is certain, it is popular in many cuisines and there are many ways to cook it. As I have mentioned it is a star piece of a Hakka Yong Tau Foo spread. For regular dinners, to cook...
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Happy 50th Birthday Singapore...and celebrating it with Nasi Lemak

Malay Monday, August 10, 2015
"A good plate of Nasi Lemak is about getting the basics right. It is not about adding good side-dishes or adding expensive gourmet ingredients." This is one of those "public cooking notes," where I had to jot down notes after cooking a good dish and you get to read it. It was a wonderful day of celebrating the 50th birthday of our nation....
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Pork Ribs and Bitter Gourd in Fermented Black Bean Sauce

Chinese Sunday, May 24, 2015
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...
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Making Kajang Satay (Mengapa, mengapa....?)

beef Monday, May 18, 2015
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...
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Notes from a Hakka Yong Tau Foo Party

Auntie Ruby Thursday, May 07, 2015
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...
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Auntie Ruby's Tau Yu Bak (Braised Pork in Soy Sauce)

Auntie Ruby Saturday, May 02, 2015
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)...
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Why?

Roast Pork Monday, April 13, 2015
If you have been following my blog, you will know that I have done a few posts on Sio Bak, Siew Yoke or Cantonese Roast Pork. I have even claimed that I have perfected the techniques. Not quite. There has been times when the skin won't crisped. This is especially so when I have pricked the skin, using some forks.  There has been...
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Rice Wine Chicken

Chicken Monday, April 06, 2015
You have just given birth. You are now confined to the house for the month. You cannot bathe. You cannot visit Island Creamery. No macaroons. No chocolate brownies. No curry chicken. Coffee? Smell it if you like, but no sipping please. For the next few weeks, your mother in-law ruleth. ...
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"Hong Siew Pai Kuat"

Auntie Ruby Saturday, March 07, 2015
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Steamed Glutinous Rice with Dried Shrimps, Chinese Sausage and Mushrooms (Lor Mai Farn)

Auntie Ruby Saturday, March 07, 2015
“Loh Mai Farn"is a breakfast staple which my Mum made regularly for gatherings or parties. Apart from getting the flavours into the rice, the key is to keep the grains separated and retaining the springy bite (“al dente”). Gluey and soft glutinous rice is to be avoided. To achieve this, my Mum would slave over the wok. After soaking the rice for a...
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Cooking Notes: Preparing for the CNY Reunion Dinner (2015)

Chinese Monday, February 16, 2015
As I do not normally cook some of the CNY dishes, it is good to take down cooking notes. If it helps you to know what I am doing, it may give you some some ideas. Planning for a meal up in Petaling Jaya (PJ) can be a challenge, especially if it is a kitchen which I am less familiar with. We are...
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Wok-cooked Pork Ribs and a simple recipe for Orange and Honey Pork Ribs

Chinese Wednesday, February 04, 2015
If you are familiar with my Mum's way of using the wok to cook Char Siew, it should have crossed your mind that you can do the same with pork ribs. This benefits from the same convenience. You do not need to marinate the pork ribs beforehand. For about 45 minutes from start to finish, you start by slowly braising the ribs and then...
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Planning for this year's Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner (2015)

Chinese Monday, February 02, 2015
So, what are you cooking for this coming Chinese New Year's Reunion dinner? This is a special dinner where everyone comes back "home" and the family catches up with one another. It is very special for the older folks - our grandpas and grandmas - as each CNY Reunion dinner continues a chain of tradition that stretches back as far as they can...
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Smooth, silky & creamy Steamed Egg: As comforting as they come

101 Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Steamed egg brings back many childhood memories. Next to milk and milo, it is one of the first foods which we were comforted with. Quick and easy to make, I can imagine why mothers feed their kids with this. When the rice cooker button pops up, from "cook" to "warm", my mum will put a plate on the rice. She poured a layer of...
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Cooking Notes: Christmas Party Recipes (2014)

Christmas Monday, January 12, 2015
A new year has started! A blessed new year to all. Thanks again for your feedback that you are finding the recipes and techniques shared here helpful. This motivates me to continue blogging. If anything, the discipline of blogging also helps me to be more organised, reflective and improve on my cooking. I thought I should take down some cooking notes for the dishes...
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