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A Very Hearty Mee Siam

12/9/2014

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The last time I made mee siam was over a year ago in Kuala Lumpur. Cooking local is the easiest wherever one lives because ingredients are usually in their best conditions in every aspect: availability, form and cost. I can imagine our American friends in Malaysia putting together their Thanksgiving meal - they'd probably gather all their essential ingredients only after numerous trips to different grocery stores. When something means that much to you, all the more you must be determined while maintaining that zen-like calmness so that nothing really gets to you. 

I found myself in a similar situation weeks ago when winter officially set in with low single-digit temperature (Celsius) everyday. There are at least three restaurants in Manhattan that serve Malaysian dishes, but every trip leaves me yearning for more as they never quite scratch that itch spot-on. I still drop by one of them now and then for some prawn fritters (aka cucur udang) which I lack the motivation to make at home, and also to say hello to my Indonesian friend who works there. We barely remember each other's names but can always pick up from our previous conversation. That is, me getting there in the first half hour of opening.

A firm belief of mine when it comes to Malaysian home-cooking, particularly true for one-pot meals that contain carbohydrate, protein(s) and greens, is that you either go big or go home. There is no such thing as cooking for just two portions. Anything less than eight portions is not worth the trouble, especially factoring in the fact that ingredients here in America are packed by default in larger quantities. Gone are the days when you go to the market and ask the makcik for fifty cents' worth of taugeh. 

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Chicken Pot Pie

6/12/2013

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Made chicken pot pie two Sundays ago. In our last two or three visits to Ben's, I noticed JL had been ordering chicken pot pie. When asked if it was really that good, he simply said that he wanted some pastry crust. 

I think I understand what he meant. It's nice to have warm pastry crust covering a bowl of savoury, creamy chicken with chunky vegetables. As long as the vegetables are not cooked to death, I can see myself enjoying it too, despite feeling barely lukewarm for chicken pot pie.

My assignment: read up chicken pot pie recipes by the usual suspects, then see if I could come up with my own version. Not too fatty and more importantly not time-consuming. Flipping back and forth between cookbooks and websites, I compared, in particular, the roux, combination of ingredients, sequence, choice of pastry and the oven settings. 

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Easy Roast Chicken in Herbed Butter

5/7/2013

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The word "easy" has different meanings. It largely depends on the person saying it. If Heston Blumenthal says it's easy, you might still need a blow torch, candy thermometer, syringe or some dry ice. When Anthony Bourdain says it's easy, you should read his recipe carefully and then read some more on the key techniques that he has mentioned. When Jamie Oliver says it's easy, it is likely that you are able to improvise his recipe. After all, that's his style.

When I say it's easy, it is easy. And I'll try to share as much details with you so that you are confident of pulling it off, even if your stove had not been lit for months, or in some extraordinary cases, since the day you moved in.

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Mee Siam Malaysian-Style

4/4/2013

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When you are invited to any reception in Malaysia, it is common to see a buffet spread of local cuisine. This is not because Malaysians cook a lot, but rather, Malaysians eat a lot. After all, who'd want to attend some event if there wasn't any free makan? Even at home, when one is expecting company, at the very least, one should consider getting some snacks - curry puffs, assorted kuih-muih, banana fritters or you char kuey - since these are available as long as one's home is within civilization. Otherwise, one can consider preparing something right from the home kitchen. It'd better be really good friends who are coming, then. 

One of the local dishes which I missed dearly living abroad was mee siam. Yes it is available in Singapore but somehow, it wasn't my luck to taste very good ones. Besides, the Singaporean mee siam is different from that across the causeway. It comes with a tamarind-based broth and the condiments are mostly added at the point of serving. The Malaysian version is dry with most of its condiments cooked together with the rice vermicelli. 

I can't help but digress. Just utter the words "mee siam" to any adult Singaporean and chances are, you'll hear "mee siam mai hum" (mee siam without cockles) within minutes. It was the talk of the nation for weeks back in 2006 after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said it in his national day rally speech. Haters jumped at this golden opportunity to prove the disconnect between the PM and his countrymen. Someone plastered the phrase to Black Eyed Peas' My Humps and the Youtube video went viral. I think PM Lee meant to say "mee siam mai hiam" (mee siam without chilli) but then again, I don't recall people ordering mee siam that way either. Hmm.

So ANYway, I made mee siam for the second time in my entire life. The first being two days ago. I had this craving simmering within after eating a bland version of it a couple of weeks ago. You can say that my indignation drove me to it. So after some reading on the internet, my first attempt took place on Tuesday as JL left on a business trip. I had no problem having mee siam for a few meals. There was another "first" - I've never blended any paste in my life! I took it positively because now I can finally put my six-year-old handheld blender to good use. (I've only used the immersion blender and whisk components all this while.) 
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It was also my first time using taucheo, preserved soybean paste. I tasted it out of the jar - it's really salty with a faint sour aftertaste to it. 

Taucheo reminds me of a rather cool ex-colleague turned friend who, in reply to people calling her, would say, "Yes? Si mi taucheo?" 

If you don't get it, I shouldn't explain.


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Rain Check for Ano-san

4/5/2012

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We met R for dinner last night and feeling bored with the same old half-baked "western" food in KL, he was game to try something new. It was our first time at Changkat Bukit Bintang on a Wednesday night. Is it always this lively on Hump Night or were people thinking the same as we did? It is the Holy Week and surely, one must have the conscience to abstain from all things hedonistic on Good Friday? And being the not-quite-disciplined ones, what we'd normally do on a Friday night would then be brought forward to Wednesday night? 

Confession: I was ready for some Torture Ribs at Racks despite having been there barely a week ago. But I think our pseudo-Japanese-Korean Ano-san wasn't in the mood for pork ribs for the n-th time. Just for the record, though - Racks is a great place to hangout with people whose company you enjoy. The only pre-requisite is that you must love pork. But what to do when you don't feel like pigging out?

That's when the next door neighbour comes into the picture. These two immediate shophouses are easily our favourites along Changkat Bukit Bintang. Time for tapas at Pinchos. Ano-san was happy to share some with us. Three hours of tapas, bread, cider and beer later, I told R that if we end up living in KL, it would be a pleasure for me to put together an evening of tapas and pinchos at home for him. "Oh... I will come!" he replied, nodding his head profusely. Meanwhile he should just keep his fingers crossed for us, this week especially.

So lest I forget - for future reference, with the freshest ingredients, no cutting of corners, here's what I propose:

* Aceitunas: marinated olives, in particular Kalamata olives (a tiny bowl for JL coz he l-o-v-e-s them)
* Gambas al ajillo: sauteed prawns with garlic, parsley and olive oil
* Pan tumaca con jamon Serrano: Serrano ham and tomato spread on toast
* Chorizo con setas: Chorizo sausage stew with mushrooms and potatoes
* Albondigas: pork and beef meatballs with thyme and garlic
* Berenjenas con tomate: pan-fried eggplant with tomato sauce and parmesan
* Pinchos de ternera: grilled veal skewers with mushrooms
* Pinchos de jamon con queso fundido: ham and melted cheese on toast with pine nuts
* Tomates con ajo: fresh tomatoes with garlic, herbs and olive oil
* Ensalada sencilla: romaine lettuce with hard-boiled eggs, tuna, olives, onion and tomatoes  

Let's just start with these ten with some bread to soak up the sauces. 

Ano-san bring very mucho sidra El Gaitero, hokay? And you pray for us also, hokay?
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Sauce Code: Béchamel

4/30/2011

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In the early days of cooking for The Husband, here are some of first things I learned:

1. Ground pepper does not go down well with the Then-Boyfriend. He choked right before my eyes. Not once, not twice, but till the very last strand of fettucine on his plate. It must be love.

2. The Then-Boyfriend's mother is a highly experienced cook, being a home economics teacher in her entire career. While most of us measure precisely when baking, my Maman eyeballs 100 grams of flour. You don't see her working in the kitchen often. But all our meals are complete 3-course ones.
 
3. Today's entry - Béchamel Sauce.
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Put simply, this Mother of All French Sauces consists of butter, flour and milk. Depending on what it is used for, its consistency can be adjusted by tweaking the proportion of the three components.

In our kitchen, we use it for gratin, lasagne, croque monsieur, puff pastry tart - these are just off my fingertips. I've been putting off writing about it because I have not found a foolproof proportion for it. 

So why, then, am I writing about it now?

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Roasted Dijon Mustard Chicken Breasts

3/25/2011

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As I stirred a teaspoon of light soy sauce into what's left of the little jar of Maille dijon mustard, I was curious about how it'd smell: light soy sauce plus dijon mustard. That's me (Malaysian Chinese) and the husband (French) in the same jar. A pretty funny thought. But that wasn't what I was thinking at that time.

It is true what researchers claim: that smell can invoke memories. With the tip of my nose into that little jar, I strangely found myself back in my parents' home, as a kid with my three school-going brothers. (Our eldest brother G and sister R were already in campuses out of town.)

This usually took place on Sunday afternoons when Dad was in charge of the household, including lunch. *cringe* Back then, Sunday was a normal school-day for Mom. And she wouldn't be back till after 2pm. Dad would turn the four of us into a team of "house cleaners": the youngest (yours truly) dusts and wipes, the next youngest (S) sweeps, the next (M) mops. While the eldest of the four, R, cleans the compounds around the house (front porch, side garden, back yard). Smart Dad. He'd tire us out by doing the chores, and by lunch time, we'd be so hungry we'd eat anything. 

So what has this got to do with the light soy sauce and dijon mustard mixture?

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Little Bundles of Joy

1/20/2011

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One of the most memorable parties we attended in Singapore was "Dumplings Night" at G and J's beautiful home. Guests arrived as a buffet spread of mostly homecooked food was laid out. The plan was for us to have dinner then catch the World Cup 'live' on ESPN. I have no idea now which two countries played that night. But I keep a vivid picture of what took place in the kitchen: the huge pot of broth coming to a rolling boil, under the watchful eyes of G's helper. One batch after another, dumplings were dropped into the broth and we waited for them to come afloat. 

In my bowl, little bundles of joy sat bathing in ladles of broth, topped with a crack of pepper and sprinkling of chopped scallions. "Why haven't I thought of this? Ever?" This -  along with the pudgy frog that found its way into the living room, its nose touching the glass separating Fat Kermit and the elevated pool - brings about fond memories of friendships that grew out of shared office space.

These days, I make enough dumplings to feed a party of six. The only difference is in its shape: I find the potsticker-styled ones more versatile in terms of storage and cooking methods. Because they can sit upright independently, these can be steamed, pan-fried or boiled with ease. I'd usually make them while watching TV, arrange them on a wax-paper lined baking tray, leave in the freezer for about an hour and finally pack them in a few ziplock bags. After all, this is comfort food for me.
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At the supermarkets, one finds skins in different combinations: white or yellow, square or round. My personal choice is the white and round type. The yellow ones tend to have this yeasty-factory taste or perhaps it's just me.

Don't spend too much time pondering over the names. Briefly, you want to use "dumpling skins" instead of "wanton skins". The latter is thinner and not as ideal for pan-frying. We are making these babies to boil, steam or pan-fry.


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Of Shepherds and Their Sheep

12/28/2010

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Mary HAD a little lamb.
I find it somewhat disturbing but can't quite explain it. When we think about teachers and students, it is only natural to assume the teacher provides guidance and care for his students. In the context of Singapore's education system (for 2010 at least!), a teacher's role is best summed up in three words: lead, care, inspire. So on the same basis, we move out of the classroom to the pastures: shepherds and sheep. Pretty much the same, no?

Of course NOT!!

The shepherd's pie says it all. I'd love to elaborate on how the ministry of education in Singapore deals with "shepherds" who make pies out of their lambs but let's leave that for another day. But a little clarification on the difference between shepherd's pie and cottage pie: the former is with lamb, the latter with beef. Pictures don't tell much but if you have both dishes sitting in front of you, surely you can smell them apart.

If you're making this for the first time, just remind yourself this simple arithmetic:
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Part 1: mashed potatoes
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Part 2: ground lamb with mixed vegetables
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Part 1 spread on top of Part 2 = Shepherd's Pie

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Roasted Beef & Mushroom Soup

10/15/2010

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A roast by any other name
Thanks to Borders, Kinokuniya, and the Indian news-vendor at Holland Village in Singapore, I was a frequent reader of common American titles such as Real Simple, Bon Appétit and Martha Stewart Living. But little did I know that Ms Stewart has another publication called Everyday Food. It's quite a cute magazine because it is only the size of Reader's Digest, and packed with easily 50 recipes.

In the October 2010 issue, there is an article on roasted soups with five different recipes. But why the need to roast something when it is already meant to be "souped"? Because roasting concentrates the flavours in your meats and vegetables and thus giving your end-product, the soup, a richer, deeper kick.

I adapted this entry from one of them - the roasted beef, mushroom and barley soup - simply because there is no barley in the kitchen, but had some celery and carrots which I wanted to clear. Having them both gave a sweeter taste to the soup while keeping it clear. Also, JL suggested having this as pasta soup. But I am often rebellious and used Chinese noodles instead.
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Make it Asian
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Or have it with toasted olive bread

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    briefly

    JL and S grew up in France and Malaysia respectively. They met while living in Singapore, stayed a year in the USA (Cambridge, MA) then the south of France, Malaysia, and are back again in the USA (New York, NY). 

    frenchinos at home is where we share some of our stories with friends, much like the living room, dine-in kitchen, or the timber-deck balcony which we've always wanted to have, which sounds most impossible where we live now. 

    Welcome and we're happy to have you here :)

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