The Food Canon

I have here a version of rempah fried chicken the Malay way which has pleased many of my guests. It is actually quite simple to make. And it goes very well with nasi lemak.

The first step involved is marinating it. Use ground spices and the fresher they are, the better. Buy fresh grounded ones or use seeds and grind them. Like coffee beans, spice seeds just keep the flavours better, especially in our humid tropical weather.

As for the chicken, cut into larger pieces. The drumsticks and wings should be kept whole. Larger cuts help to keep the meat moist inside with a crisp exterior as you deep fry.

I have just returned from spending 5 months in Toronto, Canada as a part of my Sabbatical break. This is also one reason I was blogging less. I met many wonderful friends in Toronto and there are many good things about the city which I hope to write about soon.

Being a food blog, it is back to food. And I am back to my home and familiar kitchen environment. I was early at the wet market this morning and was glad to come across some pork jowl (or cheek). It is not displayed and you have to ask the butcher for it.

Using my Mum's Char Siew recipe (here and here - I have been blogging Char Siew recipes ad infinitum!), I patiently braised the cheeks till I got the right texture. The result is a tender succulent CS with a nice "bounce" to the bite. Do cook it on low fire and be patient.

I am blogging this recipe for a Canadian friend who had visited Singapore before and was missing the food there, especially laksa. She wanted to learn how to make it.

It is was not difficult to make the laksa broth. Make the chicken stock and then combine with the rempah (curry paste).

What was more challenging cooking it was using whatever ingredients I could find in Toronto and having to do it within the limitations of a hostel kitchen. I will describe the recipe here and the options one can take to improve or simplify it.

Cooking and teaching in Toronto has been an eye opener for me. It has helped me to be more aware of how the recipes on my blog are being read. As some ingredients are different, it can be difficult to achieve a similar outcome.

I will blog here a Char Siew recipe which I used in a recent cooking cum teaching session. Believe it or not, some of the people who were there have not heard of Char Siew. I suppose Char Siew awareness is not on the same universal scale as burgers.

Editor's note: This post is an April Fool's satire. Do have a laugh. 

Some of the best Singaporean Street Food may well be found outside the sunny island. Here, we reveal some of the hottest finds in the winter of Toronto. 
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I have been living in Toronto on my Sabbatical since the end of last year.

Traversing through the little streets and corners of this fascinating multi-cultural city, I am pleasantly surprised to discover some authentic Singaporean street food.

I am not talking about "Singapore Fried Noodles” (what is that?) or some hodge-podge pan-Asian dishes. I am encountering authentic Bak Chor Mee, Hokkien Mee, Hainanese Chicken Rice, Ngor Hiang and the likes.