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Bee hoon goreng with kicap manis tempeh
Malay food, contrary to popular perception, is easy to veganize despite it being a meat heavy cuisine. Meat can always be replaced with other proteins or “meaty” plants. With the variety of spices in Malay food, plant-based dishes can be made tasty. The challenges are replacing the two seafood-based foundations of Malay cuisine – belacan (shrimp paste) and […]
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Black rice noodles cold dish
A Chinese recipe will be appropriate for the coming Lunar New Year, as this refreshing and umami-rich dish will be a healthy addition to reunion meals. When we think of Chinese cuisine we will automatically think of stir fries, rice and soups served piping hot. There is a class of Chinese dishes known as cold […]
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Eight Treasures Chinese New Year Menu Tasting
Yes, I know Christmas still haven’t arrived and Chinese New Year is still a month away! But being Chinese, we all know a high level of kiasu-ness is needed to secure a table for the family reunion meal in local restaurants. It’s common for Chinese eateries to be fully booked for the first 2 days of […]
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Acai lemon no-bake cake
As a culinary and health enthusiast, exotic and nutrient-packed ingredients always excite me. Recently, local artisanal food company Poppy and Co kindly shared a sample of their frozen, organic acai pulp and some amazing insights on this super food. Their acai berries are harvested from wild acai palm trees in the Amazon rainforest. The berries […]
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An alternative to fish sauce inspired by tradition
Fish sauce is a staple, and in some cases, the backbone of many Southeast and East Asian cuisines. Traditionally made by fermenting fish for months with salt, then pressing out the liquid. From pho to pad thai to kimchi, the many variants of this salty, pungent sauce offers a different taste profile than soy sauce. […]
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Happy Lunar New Year – Bak Kwa Recipe
Less than a day to the new Monkey Year! Here’s a perfect excuse to escape from nosy visiting aunties pressuring you to get attached/married/reproduce, to the safe sanctuary of your kitchen. Bak Kwa is a well-loved local Chinese New Year snack originating from Fujian in South China, usually made by smoking and preserving pork pigs. […]
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Char-Siu Style Tempeh
At this pre-Lunar New Year time, many of my Singaporean vegan friends will start worrying, what to do at reunion meals when the host family don’t get the “no animals” idea? Simplest solution is they bring a vegan dish to the reunion. Whether you’re going to host a plant eater or you’re a plant eater […]
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One-pot meals basics part 3 – cooking times
Last post on my approach to Asian – inspired one pot meals, following the past pantry basics and flavour + texture posts. People seem to have a misconception that cooking takes hours. Not at all! General guide on cooking times (No rules written in stone – it’s common sense, intuition, experience, personal preference!) : 1) […]
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One-pot meal basics part 2 – flavour and texture
After part 1 on pantry basics, here’s the ingredients combining part of our one-pot miso udon. Cooking is a simple exercise in layering flavours with textures. Almost all foods give some texture, but not all can impart flavour. It’s important to note that besides salty, sour, sweet and bitter, there’s a fifth sense of taste […]