If love like Bread

If love like bread
We knead and feel with hearts that burn
With longing
To savour, each cherished bite
And fragrance that lingers
Forever in the depths of eternity
Bring pleasure to each sense
As we knead and mould each piece
Into ropes that bind

If love like bread
We wait with patience
For it to grow

For it will grow
Unless we forget
to care and cherish

then it will die
and pain will grow

But we start once again
hoping,
never giving up
with faith in our hearts
that one day, perhaps
we will find love
that will grow
and the courage, to start,
all over, all over again…..

Judy Koh


I was very touched the first time I read this poem. It spoke volumes by distilling the essence of what I was feeling about love and relationships. It very aptly likened love to the process of breadmaking.

To make bread, we need to knead the dough first. And, we should knead it carefully as an under-knead or over-knead dough would not give the desired volume and texture. Other steps in the breadmaking process also need to be carefully managed to achieve the desired results. Proper fermentation, molding, proofing and finally baking will result in a bread of beautiful color, shape, texture, and with an aroma that lingers on long after it has been eaten. Love, like bread, when properly nurtured, is beautiful and is relished forever.

But good bread is not without a price. The process of kneading the dough is tiring, fermentation and proofing demand patience and good judgment, and baking is hot and we risk getting burned if careless. But what price would we not pay to have good bread? Alas, despite our best intentions and effort, we may still fail.

As we “knead and mold” each others’ lives, we need to manage the relationship carefully for love to survive, if not blossom. Friction, misunderstanding, undue expectations, etc. could throw a relationship into shambles. Ignoring it will finally lead to irreparable damage with no options for reconciliation.

And, love, like bread, will diminish and die. In its place, “pain will grow” and there will be no end to this pain. The pain of rejection and regret will follow us for the rest of our lives. Despair, cynicism, insecurity, depression, amongst others, will haunt us. When will it ever stop growing? Even if it can be stopped, can it be forgotten?

The deeper that we have loved, the greater is the pain. And, to pick ourselves up to love again really takes a lot of courage. Questions of inadequacy in dealing with similar situations, loss of confidence, suspicion, etc are barriers that prevent us from starting another relationship. It takes a lot of resolution, inner strength, and above all else, personal courage, to allow ourselves to start all over again.

This is the part of the poem that touched me most and I think this is the best part of the poem: only someone who has gone through life’s upheavals could relate such an experience, and Judy has put it down so poetically in just a couple of hesitant lines.

“and the courage, to start,
all over, all over again…..“

Judy is a passionate baker, chef, teacher, and above all, a successful entrepreneur. Her gift in poetry has enabled her to infuse food into her poetry, and poetry into her food. She has founded a culinary school which teaches baking and culinary arts, and beside it she has started a café where she serves popular dishes that she teaches in her culinary school. Judy has adorned the café with her literary works, inspiring her customers as they sip the reflections of love and life.

If you are interested in knowing more about Judy's culinary school, please visit: http://www.creativeculinaire.com/

Wine and Food Pairing

RM: Yo, bro, what’s up? Wha’cha thinking so seriously?

CS: I am thinking why you can’t do things right. Last time I asked you to bring champagne to my birthday party, and what did you bring? A bottle of red and a bottle of white wine!

RM: Oh, I thought it would be a good idea to pair the wines with the foods that you have at the party. It is the hip thing now, you know?

CS: Pairing white wine with white meats and red wine with red meats, and all that jazz?

RM: Well, something along that line… but it has gotten more sophisticated now.

CS: Like how?

RM: Well, there are certain rules of thumb, such as you should match tannic red wines with grilled steak or lamb chops because the fats in these meats will tone down the astringent sensation of the wine. For example, if you are eating steak you would want to select a Shiraz or Zinfandel to go with it.

CS: I see.

RM: Similarly, if you are having Japanese teriyaki, which is a little sweet, you would want to pair it with an off-dry wine such as Chenin Blanc to balance the flavor.

CS: Why?

RM: Because if you pair it with a dry wine, the wine will appear even drier.

CS: I still don’t get it. Why do we need to pair wine and food?

RM: The main objective is to heighten our enjoyment of both the wine and the food. A wine that is full-bodied will overpower a light, delicate dish, and similarly a lighter wine will not be noticed if you drink it with a hearty roast. It is like drinking water. You want to complement it so that you can enjoy both the wine and the food.

CS: Well, I beg to differ. What if I like a full-bodied wine to go with my delicate food because I like the contrast in flavors? One moment it is delicate and then another it is robust. Don’t think I am the weird one here - take for example my uncles: they enjoy having XO brandy with whatever meals that they are having. Doesn’t that overpower most foods?

RM: Well, that is the older generation, not us …

CS: For me, I don’t like to be told what I like or what I don’t like!

RM: Hey, man, cool down, why so defensive and worked up?

CS: Of course. It is an insult to have these rules telling me how to or how not to enjoy my wine and food.

RM: Hey, these are only guidelines - you don’t have to follow them if you don’t like it.

CS: Let me tell you something: In China, people are drinking Maotai with all kinds of food. Now, this is about 60% alcohol and it burns if you put a lighted match to it. And, it will definitely numb your mouth when you drink it and I am sure you won’t be able to taste the food after that. But they are enjoying themselves! Are you telling me the Chinese don’t know how to appreciate wine and food? And, we need these stupid guidelines?

RM: But this is western wine that we are talking about …

CS: Hogwash! What western and what eastern wines? What wine is not important – what is important is one’s state of mind. It is not so much the origin of the wine than one’s appreciative state of mind when drinking it. If you are in a good appreciative state of mind, it will taste good, and vice versa!

RM: Gee, we are not into zen, are we? We are talking about just the enjoyment of the wines themselves. Back to the wine, ok?

CS: Ok, in that case, whether you like the wine or not is subjective or personal. And, this liking depends on your background, culture, exposure, status in society, and things like that. These western wines have not been part of our culture and have only been around recently, so I am quite confident to say that they are something that we learned to appreciate, or rather something we have learned to like. It may not be because they taste so fantastic but maybe they are the trend now and we want to be seen as being trendy. Since you appreciate them so much, why don’t you tell me why you like them?

RM: For the Cabernet Sauvignon which I brought that day, I liked it because it was bursting with ripe black cherries with hints of perfumed floral notes on the nose. This was followed through with layers of black berries, prunes, and mocha flavors on the palate, backed by an interesting dash of mineral notes, and rounded with grainy silky tannins.

CS: Wow, so chim! You have sophisticated taste, don’t you? I didn’t know you can differentiate between so many fruit flavors. If you ask me for my opinion, I would say that they actually taste more like grape juice than real wine. Real wine to me is like maotai (茅台), shaoxing (绍兴), zhuyeqing (竹叶青), and wuliangye (五粮液). Do you know how many percent of our population are able to appreciate wine like you?

RM: No idea. Not many, I guess maybe 1% of the population. Definitely less than 10%.

CS: I guess wine and food pairing is more for this minority as they have a common knowledge and experience in wine and they know what they are talking about. So, if you are throwing a party for these people, it would be a good idea to put some thought into pairing the wine and food. And, be prepared for an expensive party ‘coz all the dishes would have different tastes and this means you need different wines to pair with different dishes. As for the rest of us poor wine dummies, just leave us alone and allow us to enjoy it our way because I feel that as long as we like it with the food, it is a good pairing.

RM: Aiyo, today why are you so touchy? Why don’t we go and drink liang teh? I buy you liang teh , lah! I think you are very heaty and need to cool down a little. You didn’t have a good time with your girlfriend last night, huh?

CS: Ya, I’m sure I’m gonna have a good time with you later.

RM: Hehe, no thanks, I got sophisticated taste and I know what I like.

CS: Really? Do you?

Patchwork of Flavors

Yesterday was the official launch of “Patchwork of Flavors”, a cookbook with a collection of 38 multi-racial recipes contributed by senior citizens. It was spearheaded by students from NTU in its social entrepreneurship effort to encourage active aging in the elderly through continuous involvement in the community. The cookbook showcases recipes on traditional home-cooked dishes which were handed down to its elderly contributors. Going at $10 each and accompanied with a goodie bag of food samples, it was a steal. There was quite a queue to buy the cookbook and all proceeds of the sale went to charitable organizations.

Recipes such as Fa Cai with Oysters, Steamed Chicken with Dried Lily Buds and Black Fungus, and Black-Eyed Beans Soup brought back nostalgic memories of times past for me. Even the Guest of Honor at the event mentioned the memories of her mother whenever she thinks of certain dishes. Indeed, food embodies powerful meanings in our lives.

One interesting feature of the cookbook, which I think is innovative, is that some of the food pictures are flanked by commercial canned or bottled drinks and accompanied by descriptions of these drinks. This is quite unusual as I have not seen a cookbook that does this. It seems that the cookbook is promoting these products.

I learnt later that these are the products of one of its sponsors. I think this is an innovative way to raise funds as social entrepreneurship seeks to tackle social issues with entrepreneurial methods so that it is sustainable in the long run. The advantage of this type of arrangement/partnership is that it is a win-win-win situation for the organizer, the sponsor, and the beneficiary. When the event is successful, the sponsor benefits from the exposure that its products get, the organizer has a higher chance of success in raising the needed funds, and the beneficiary could receive more funds.

It all seems good and well to me but I have a little naggy feeling about our motive to give – doesn’t anybody give out of altruistic reasons anymore? Must there be some benefits derived from the giving?

The people who bought the cookbooks were supporting the charitable organizations but would they do it if nothing was offered in return? What about the sponsors? I asked myself if I would give to charity without anything in return. I had to contemplate and the answer was: “Maybe once in a while.” How far have we slipped from the ideal of just giving freely from the heart without expecting anything in return except the satisfaction that one has done a good deed?

One might argue: Didn’t we give unreservedly and generously during the tsunami disaster, the earthquake disaster and other disasters?

Yes, we did. In fact, we sprang into action to help those less fortunate. But, why are we so slow or reluctant in giving to the less fortunate who live amongst us? Why do we need "benefits" to give? Have we been inundated with too many requests to give that we have become insensitized? Do we need the media to sensationalize their plight in our very own country before we take action?

Maybe.

And, maybe, the human race has never been so unreserved or so generous in helping others, never was…. we are under the illusion that we were. So, unless we are shaken vigorously, that little thing called conscience will always lay dormant, covered by layers of our other more desired pursuits. And, because of this, chances of getting enough help through appealing to this side of human nature would always be slim.

That is why there is a need to resort to appealing to the more materialistic side of human nature. Only through this could the needy be helped. I think this is one situation in which the end justifies the means as it is for a good cause. At the end of the day, it is the tangible benefits which charitable organizations gain that is important.

Ideals will always remain as ideals as long as they are espoused by many and practiced by few.

Fate of the Mortar & Pestle

Recently, I signed up for a workshop on the history and uses of the mortar and pestle in Southeast Asian cuisine. It was part of the Food and Culture Series rolled out by the National Museum of Singapore aimed at linking culture and history to our modern lifestyles.

The workshop touched on the different types of mortar and pestle commonly used in the region, and there was a demonstration on how to use it to grind spices and herbs. One may think it is quite straightforward when using a mortar and pestle to grind spices and herbs. Actually there is more to it than meets the eye if one wants to do it efficiently. The trick is to grind the dry, harder spices first before the fresh, softer herbs. Of course, you can put everything into the mortar and grind them together but the flavor profile would be different and that would also take a longer time. I was especially intrigued by the way the pestle was used to pound the spices/herbs. It is not just a straight up-and-down motion to smash or crush the spices/herbs. It involves, at the end of the downward motion, a rotating movement of the pestle. This results in a combination of crushing and shearing. I call this type of grinding, ‘tumbuk’, to differentiate from the regular up-and-down grinding. It was said that in the olden days, the worth of a prospective daughter-in-law was based on her proficiency at using the mortar and pestle.

Several of the participants commented that they do have mortars and pestles at home but have never used them. Some recounted how their grandmothers would tumbuk pastes and cook up wonderful meals for them in the past, but they seldom have the time to cook now, much less to tumbuk the pastes. It seems that if this trend were to continue, the mortar and pestle would be ‘extinct’ one day.

Nowadays, the food processor has taken over the place of the mortar and pestle at home. It is more convenient, faster, and provides multiple uses in one machine, such as extracting juices, grinding meats, kneading dough, and even stuffing sausages. All these features help in optimizing the small space that we have in our kitchens. In addition, as most people are working, there is a lack of time for lengthy preparations. This tedious task is replaced by ready-made spices and pastes which offer more convenience.

The purists would argue that the spices / pastes produced with food processors would not be as good as those produced traditionally. I would not say that they are not as good, but I would say that they are different. ‘Good’ suggests a certain standard that has to be met and very frequently this standard is derived subjectively. It depends on one’s innate preferences, family traditions, societal norms, culture, industrial practices, etc. For example, would you eat tofu that has turned green and emits a foul stench? Well, not for me! But, in Taiwan this same tofu is deep fried and served with chili sauce and considered a delicacy. So, which is good and which is bad? None, there are just differences in food preferences. Similarly, the spices/pastes produced using modern technology are just different.

There is nothing wrong with being different. What is important is the meaning of the food to the eater. We eat food not so much for taste than for meanings that are embodied in it. We need sustenance, sustenance beyond just physical nutrition, sustenance to satisfy those insistent hungers that we have – for love, warmth, security ….

I remember my early university days when I was in the States. Sometimes, when I was really homesick, I would cook an instant noodle, adding lots of chili to it. Never mind that it was different from what it was actually like at home, it was the memories evoked from smelling, tasting, and swallowing it which reminds me of my homeland, my home and my loved ones that were important. It was the emotions that were accompanying these memories that I was craving for, and these were the meanings associated with the instant noodles.

Try this out for yourself: Look at the picture below and ask yourself - What is it saying to you?


Like to most people, it is probably saying to you: Have a break (or something related to relaxing). This is the meaning we associate with Kit Kat. Other brands of chocolate e.g. Cadbury or Hersheys would not be saying the same thing.

We always remember the food that is cooked by our mothers or grandmothers. It may not be up to standard. In other words – it may not be good. Does it matter? We still like it because it is associated with the love showered by them. Along the same vein, does it matter if they used a food processor or a mortar and pestle to prepare the meal? The feelings of love, warmth and security would not diminish a bit. At the end of the day, it is the memories and emotions attached to the food that matters. Isn’t it?

History is always evolving, and so is food. How can one stop the change? It is part of life. With the trend of less and less people using the mortar and pestle, these tools may finally find a permanent home in the museum or as a super paperweight on our writing desk. The future of the mortar and pestle seems bleak.

The workshop culminated in tasting some dishes that were prepared from the pastes made during the demonstration. The workshop was quite informative and the atmosphere relaxed as participants interacted spontaneously with the friendly and knowledgeable instructor. It was especially rewarding for me as I actually met Chubby Hubby and the mysterious S whom he frequently mentions in his posts. To me, he is the icon of food blogosphere and it was an honor to shake his hand. It was a memorable evening.

As I was leaving, I thought: Years from now, the grandchildren of these participants might be recounting how their grandmothers would pulverize pastes in food processors and whip up wonderful meals for them, and smiling as the fond memories stir up warm, reassuring emotions in them.


If you are interested in the other programs or workshops in the Food and Culture series or the events lined up for the Singapore Food Festival, visit this site: http://www.nationalmuseum.sg/

The Museum also has an interesting exhibition called “A Banquet In Stone” where delicacies such as “Buddha Jumps Over the Wall” are created using rare stones which closely resemble real food. Check it out!

兴化米粉 Xinghua Bee Hoon

I went hunting for fengshui items recommended by a well-known fengshui master to “remedy” the difficulties of the year. Friends had suggested that I try the shops along Racecourse Road as the prices there are lower. So, I spent the whole of one morning checking out the shops for blue rhinoceros, wind chimes, brass pagodas, and mythical animals like fu dog, pi xie, and chi lin. It was a fun experience haggling over the price with the shopkeepers, never mind that I didn’t get much of a discount. It was also a hands-on induction into the world of fengshui remedies and enhancements. After having checked out shops on both sides of the street and gotten some items, I was very hungry and needed food. I went into a corner coffee shop and ordered fried bee hoon (i.e. 米粉 / rice vermicelli). I knew I needed to fill my stomach asap before my hunger pangs throw me into a foul mood. The food arrived soon enough.

It was a simple dish with a generous serving of bee hoon adorned with clams, prawns, tiny dried prawns, belly pork, mushrooms, cabbage, chye sim and with a little sprinkling of garlic oil on top. What struck me about the dish was the different types of clams, still clinging onto their opened shells, found on and embedded in the mass of bee hoon. I have never eaten fried bee hoon with these types of clams before. Although the bee hoon looked dry, it was actually quite tender with just the right moistness, and it tasted wonderfully sweet, a sweetness not due to sugar but a light, meaty sweetness imparted by the juice of the clams. The taste was complemented with the fragrance of the shredded mushrooms and the garlic oil, punctuated with the occasional crunchiness of the vegetables. I avoided the belly pork as I was trying to get rid of one around my waist :-) It was a delicious and satisfying meal, and the novelty of the sensations stuck on my mind.

As I was leaving, I caught sight of the name of the stall and understood the type of food that they are serving: 兴化家乡菜 (Xinghua home cuisine)

Xinghua, also commonly known as Putian (莆田), is a place located on the eastern coastline of Fujian province, China. In the early days of Singapore, a lot of people from this region came to look for jobs and worked as rickshaw pullers. There were a number of restaurants (or rather, eating houses) serving traditional Xinghua cuisine to cater to their needs then. There is still one today, which was established since the 1930s, standing at Maude Road. Despite its ancient facade and humble settings, it is doing a thriving business. In contrast, there is also a spate of modern restaurants under the “Putian” brand with sophisticated design and service springing up all over the country in recent years. It seems that Xinghua cuisine is enjoying a surge in popularity recently.

Xinghua is probably famed for the bee hoon that it produces. It is made from selected rice grains which is ground to a fine slurry. The slurry is compressed to remove most of the water and steamed till half-cooked. It is then extruded under high pressure into very fine strands and carefully dried. The strands are about half the diameter of regular bee hoon and are often referred to as “silver strands” because of its whiteness. The local dishes made from it are rustic and richly steeped in traditions. They are typically light in taste and include as ingredients a variety of shellfishes from its nearby rivers and estuaries.

The novelty of the delicious sensations was still stuck on my mind even after several days. I had wanted to return to savor it again, but silently knew that I would not be as satisfied as before because now I am not hungry anymore. I needed to recreate the sensations I had felt and to contemporize it to suit current taste and dietary needs.

My modified recipe for Xinghua fried bee hoon:

300g Xinghua bee hoon, rehydrated
120g Clams, whole, medium size
30g Oysters, shucked, medium size
30g River shrimps, shelled, small size
30g Pork fillet, cut into strips, marinate
20g Shiitake mushrooms, cut into 3-cm strips
20g Asparagus spears, cut into 3-cm strips
15g Carrots, cut into 3-cm strips
15g Enoki mushrooms, cut into 3-cm strips
20g Baby corns, cut into 3-cm strips
5g Garlic, finely minced
5g Ginger, finely minced
1/2T Rice wine
200ml Superior chicken stock
Salt
White pepper
Corn starch
Shallot oil
Vegetable cooking oil

1. Pan fry bee hoon on high heat till fragrant and slightly burnt. Remove to allow oil to drain.
2. Sauté minced garlic and ginger. Add all the vegetables to it and stir fry quickly.
3. Drizzle wine followed by adding the chicken stock. Bring to a boil.
4. Add clams, oysters, shrimps and pork fillet. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer till the shells of the clams open up.
5. Season with salt to taste and a dash of white pepper.
6. Remove clams, oysters and shrimps with 1/5 of the stock and set aside.
7. Add the pan-fried bee hoon to the remaining stock and vegetables. Simmer and turn bee hoon gently till it absorbs all the stock.
8. Drizzle with shallot oil and toss to coat bee hoon evenly. Remove to plate.
9. Bring remaining clams, oysters, shrimps and stock to a boil again and thicken with corn starch.
10. Spoon sauce evenly on top of bee hoon ensuring that the ingredients are well distributed. Serve hot.


The dish is a tapestry of white bee hoon embroidered with ingredients of different colors, moist and slightly glossy. It retains the hallmark whiteness of the original Xinghua bee hoon to help it stay connected to the regional origin of the dish. This is achieved by avoiding the use of dark-colored seasonings eg. soya sauce.

The flavor of the dish has been accentuated through pan-frying the bee hoon to introduce a light smoky flavor which adds a touch of complexity to the dish and through the use of shallot oil. The flavor is also slightly more robust, a good contrast to the original dish, through the use of superior chicken stock which is allowed to be absorbed into the bee hoon to additionally provide the moist appearance while at the same time still bearing the delicate taste derived from the shellfishes – that sensation of “sweet meatiness”. The result is a more refined dish that suits local taste buds as they are accustomed to stronger flavors.

The use of ingredients found in rivers and estuaries e.g. clams, oysters, and river shrimps attempts to reinforce the regional origin of the dish once again as they are the treasures from the network of rivers running through the region and the estuaries at the coast. These ingredients would be expected to feature dominantly in its local cuisines. Freshness of these ingredients is of paramount importance as they will help to elevate the value of the dish. As such, dried prawns and other low-value dried goods are not used. The use of more vegetables, vegetable oil, and the omission of belly pork would help to address the health concerns of today’s diners.

One of the secrets of success in the preparation of this dish lies in the preparation of the clams. Usually, clams contain some sand in them and give an unpleasant gritty feeling in the mouth. Ridding them of sand is so important that it can make or break the dish. In addition, there are a wide variety of clams available. Knowing how to use them to advantage would also be important.

So, how to rid clams of sand? And, what are the varieties of clams available and their uses?

I would appreciate these nuggets of knowledge. Why don’t you share them with me?