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There’s a real art to making local kuih.
IF there was one thing we all discovered preparing for this month’s column, it was that we can’t always rely on local recipe books. This month’s focus was on local kuih and though it wasn’t supposed to be a “challenge” it turned out to be probably the most challenging thing we’ve done for Don’t Call Me Chef since it kicked off more than a year ago. It took all of us at least two attempts (and plenty of running across town finding ingredients at the last minute) to get our respective kuih down pat – despite having recipes to refer to.
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Here are all the ingredients for a balanced meal.
IS there anyone who does not know Chinese food? It’s probably the most ubiquitous food in this part of the world, and it’s easily found in the West too. That’s partly because it’s easy to take to Chinese cuisine’s clean and balanced flavours (even if some of us are disdainful of the liberal use of MSG).
Many people also find it easy to take to the wok. (And it’s fun to watch expert cooks tossing the pan’s contents with a flick of the wrist, yielding the spatula with a flourish, flames shooting out every which way from the stove – it’s all very impressive!) Chinese cuisine is characterised as much by its cooking methods as it is by the ingredients used. Stir-frying, steaming, double-boiling and braising are some of the most common Chinese methods used, and they are not hard to learn. Most people probably know how to cook a simple stir-fried vegetable with garlic, or fry rice.
With Chinese New Year approaching, we decided to serve up our favourite Chinese dishes.
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New year, new experiments.
WITH every new year comes new challenges, new endeavours ... and for foodies like us, new types of food. This month, in keeping with the spirit of new beginnings, the four of us decided to bravely go where we never have before – culinary-wise, that is.
For some of us, this meant attempting a technique that was slightly intimidating. For others, it involved making a dish they had somehow always avoided.
But whatever it was, we simply proved to ourselves the old adage: you never know till you try.
So here’s to a year filled with many new experiments, escapades and adventures in the kitchen.
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