Au Revoir, Singapour - Recipe: Steak Au Poivre

Against Singapore's striking skyline, a group of students cheer each other on at the Marina Barrage

When I look back at the year that has been "Sinning in Singapore", I am filled with a deep sense of gratitude. The circumstances that brought me across the causeway to make this country my new home were difficult, the reasons for staying rooted even more so, but I now know that I would not have had it any other way. Over the last twelve months, I've had to take a long, hard look at myself and what I want out of life.  By forcing me to acknowledge the mistakes of my past, I gained the invaluable experience of knowing myself better (the good, the bad and the ugly) and hopefully, with this knowledge, I can learn to be a better daughter, sister, friend, "mother" to Cooper, student. The last year gave me the opportunity to grow intellectually, emotionally and socially (too bad not economically) and to reevaluate my values and the principles that guide me.

Some of the oldest and most beautiful trees in Singapore can be found in Bukit Timah

Before I came here I was told that Singapore was not a nice place to live in - people told me that it would be too materialistic, too scripted, too sterile. I have to acknowledge that there are certainly some elements of truth there, but then again, all societies it would seem suffer from those traits, just in varying degrees. I have come to find Singapore quite charming (if only for the fact that it is refreshing to be in a country where things operate smoothly!). As I move my boxes and bags by the door and the clock ticks closer to this evening that will see me hop onto the plane to Paris, I am thinking about my most memorable moments of the year, inter alia:

• My brother and I struggling with my grocery cart full of wine and cartons of coke and 100 plus at Shop & Save at Westmall, and grunting as we carried our groceries to our shared apartment in the early days.
• My "secret" walks with S at the Botanic Gardens after economics and behind the library during night classes, when we just couldn't concentrate anymore.
• Saturday mornings at the Bukit Timah market, stopping to talk to the mutton, vegetable, and noodle sellers who often wondered whether I was feeding a family of ten.
• Running all around Singapore taking photos and having dim sum with KT and PC in Chinatown.
• Early morning breakfasts and walks with Cooper at the Botanic Gardens.
• The chaos, crowds...oh and hmmm, the food at Little India
• Watching the cars zip by along Dunearn Road with B on Sunday mornings
• Gal time with G - meeting at Robinsons, catching a rom-com at Plaza Sing and lounging by the pool during the weekends
• Having a quiet chat with TM and Z about relationships in a corner of the tree-lined, quaint BTC campus
• Getting my hands utterly smothered with chilly crab at East Coast Parkway
• Enjoying great conversations, facilitated by soggy fries and sauvignon blanc, at the Wine Company
• Driving through Singapore, just like the old days, with dad and mum to look for items for the house, stopping for chicken rice for lunch.
• Looking for the "elephant" of Linden Drive and talking late into the night with S, with Amby and Rover by our side
• Hyperventilating while driving through the narrow streets of Serangoon Gardens
• Watching the ships, tankers and the blinking lights of Sentosa while enjoying a glass (or two) at the Promenade
• Nighttime walks, especially after the rain, at Hillview
• Dancing at a concert at the Esplanade, even though I probably looked like a fool

Nothing says Gong Xi Fa Cai like a steaming hotpot

At the end of the day, life, I suppose,  is not one big thing, one big goal, one big moment, but a million different things all jumbled together. So much of what I associate Singapore with has revolved around the kitchen - having friends over for a dinner party, cooking half a cow for the brother, reuniting with my loved ones for Chinese New Year and Christmas. So, Au Revoir, Singapour - I will miss you.

To symbolize the move, I am presenting below, a recipe for Steak Au Poivre, a classic French sauce that is absolutely exquisite. I am also sharing some tips on cooking steak, a meal that I've always been a little afraid to serve because of how badly it can go. The recipe is per portion, but you can easily double or triple up if you're feeding a crowd.

Ingredients
1 rib eye steak, about 1-1 1/2 inches thick, weighing about 200g each
1 clove garlic, smashed lightly
1 stick of rosemary
Olive oil to drizzle
Fleur de sel and freshly cracked pepper to taste

For the sauce:
2 shallots, minced finely
2 tbsp Cognac
1/4 cup reduced brown stock
2-3 tbsp whipping or thickened cream
Freshly chopped parsley to garnish
Fleur de sel and coarsely cracked pepper to taste

First, prepare your steak. Place your steak in a bowl large enough to accommodate the whole piece. Pat dry with paper towels. Rub salt and some pepper onto the meat. Drizzle olive oil, about 1-2 tbsp over the steak on both sides. Rub the clove of garlic over the meat and give it a light whack or two with your stick of rosemary for extra flavour. Leave aside for about 1 hour - this helps to bring the meat to room temperature.

Heat a non-stick pan over high heat until it begins to smoke slightly. Take it off the heat and add steak to the pan. Sear for 3-4 minutes on one side. Reduce heat to medium-low, turn steak over and cook for another minute or so for rare, or 3-4 minutes for medium. At this stage you can test for doneness by pressing the steak with your thumb. It should feel rubbery and make a slight dent (like putty) if its medium and rather firm (like a just ripe mango) if its well done. When steak is cooked to your liking, remove to a serving plate and tent with aluminum foil.

In the same pan, brown your shallots, scraping the bottom of the pan. When shallots are wilted, add Cognac and let most of it boil away. Add reduced brown stock to the pan, crank up the heat a little and simmer for another 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add cream and a generous handful of coarsely cracked black pepper. Add salt to taste and garnish with parsley. Pour sauce over the steak and serve immediately.

Coming Home - Recipe: Shepherd's Pie

If you've been wondering why there has been a dearth of meat dishes in the last few weeks, well, that's because my two main "customers", as my father jokingly refers to diners at my imaginary restaurant, have been away. I do like traveling myself - it's always a fascinating experience for me to take in the sights, sounds and smells of  the street life and to learn about the cuisine and the culture of foreign lands. I've noticed that I generally go through three phases when I travel: the first lasts for about 2-3 days where I am like a kid in a toy store and everything is charming and exciting and wonderful. The second phases comes at around day 5, where I realise that my paradise isn't as perfect I imagined - perhaps the people are starting to seem rude, or I get caught in the rain without an umbrella and I'm cold and miserable. The third phase is toward the end of the trip, by which point I have memorised the room service menu and I start to dream about my dog. Having eaten out for more than a week, I was glad to finally be able to potter around in the kitchen yesterday. For me, there's nothing that says "Welcome Home" better than a warm home-cooked meal. 

Shepherd's pie is real comfort food- a rich, hearty meat stew topped with a layer of buttery, fluffy mashed taters. These days I tend to dispense with the minced meat and opt for chunks of beef or lamb. There are two modifications in particular that I do -I've discovered that adding bacon and smoked sausage brings out a lovely, smoky flavour to the stew. The other is adding a glass of red wine to the dish which adds richness to the sauce.

A forkful of pie

Serves 3-4, or 2 manly men (or gals)

For the stew:

2 tbsp butter

500 g sirloin beef, cut into small cubes (Substitute with leg of lamb if desired)

4 rashers streaky bacon, chopped 

2 large smoked sausages (such as bratwurst), sliced 

1 large brown onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 large or 2 medium carrots, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

200 g brown or white mushrooms, sliced thinly

A handful of fresh herbs, such as thyme and rosemary

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp plain flour

1-2 tsps Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup red wine

1 cup beef or lamb stock

Freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt to taste

In a large, heavy bottomed skillet, melt your knob of butter over medium-high heat. Add bacon and fry until lightly brown and the fat begins to render. Add sausage and fry until lightly brown. Add beef or lamb to the pan, working in batches, and fry until meat changes colour slightly. Add onion, garlic, carrots and celery and mix everything around well. Fry for about 5 minutes until vegetables are tender. Add mushrooms and herbs, several cracks of your black pepper grinder and a pinch of sea salt and fry until mushrooms have just released their liquid. Add tomato paste and fry for 1-2 minutes. Add flour and fry for an additional minute or so. Add in Worcestershire sauce, red wine and stock and bring the stew to a simmer. Adjust seasoning. Simmer, covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Top up the pan with stock as necessary so that your meat has adequate liquid to simmer in. It will take about an hour for the beef to become fork tender,  or 30 minutes if using lamb. 

Pour stew into a lightly greased baking dish.

For potatoes:

600g russet potatoes

2 tbsp butter,  at room temperature

1/2 cup cream, at room temperature

Sea salt and white pepper to taste

Dash of nutmeg if desired

Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Place potatoes in a large pot of water, add a pinch of salt and bring to a low simmer. In the meantime, preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Boil for about 10 minutes. The potatoes are done if they break apart slightly when pricked with a fork. Drain and return potatoes to the pot. Add butter, nutmeg (if using), salt and pepper to taste. Don't over-mash or the potatoes will be soggy rather than light and fluffy. Add cream and mix well. Top dish with the potatoes and run fork over the top to make a pattern. 

To finish:

2 large handfuls of grated cheddar cheese

Top the dish with cheese. Pop the pie into the oven. Wait in gleeful anticipation. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the dish is bubbling and the top is brown. Stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Falling in Love over Pasta - Recipe: Spaghetti & Meatballs

As a child, I loved Walt Disney cartoons. They have a way of appealing to basic human sensibilities. I still tear when I rewatch The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas,  and Mulan. I'm such a sap. Whenever I think of Spaghetti and Meatballs, I remember renting Lady and the Tramp on vcr. Pah, what can I say. It has a great story about love that defies the odds, dogs and Italian food all rolled into one. There's something incredibly comforting about pasta - it's the sort of meal that is meant to be shared and enjoyed with people that you love. 

Here's my version of this Italian classic.

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:
350 g ground beef
350 ground pork
2 tsps Worcestershire sauce
1 egg, beaten lightly
1 red onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs, seasoned lightly
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 tsp dried Italian herbs
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix beef and pork and Worcestershire, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, onion, garlic and herbs. Season to taste. salt. Don't overmix. Roll into meatballs the size of golf balls. Refrigerate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Pasta:
500 g spaghetti

For the sauce:
2 tbsp good quality olive oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (add extra if you like your sauce spicy)
2 Italian sausages, sliced
1 large brown onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
1/2 red or green capsicum, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
200 g fresh button mushrooms, sliced
2 bay leaves
2 sticks of fresh thyme
1 tsp Italian herbs
1/2 cup red wine such as Chianti
4-5 tbsps tomato paste
2 x 400g cans whole plum tomatoes in their juices
1/2 cup beef stock or water
Handful of fresh basil, chopped
Salt, pepper and sugar to taste
Handful of freshly grated Parmesan

To serve:
Basil and flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
1/2-3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Method:

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When hot, add meatballs, in batches, and brown on all sides. Remove to a separate bowl with a slotted spoon. When you have browned meatballs, add Italian sausage and red pepper flakes,  fry for about 3-4 minutes until the lightly brown. Add onion, carrots, celery, capsicum and garlic, lower heat to medium and saute for about 5-10 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Add mushrooms, bay leaves, thyme and Italian herbs, and season lightly with salt and pepper. When mushrooms have released their liquid, add tomato paste and stir around for about 1-2 minutes until it darkens. Raise heat a little, add red wine, and reduce to about half the amount. Add canned tomatoes, beef stock or water and bring to boil. Return meatballs, along with their pan juices. Cover the pan, and simmer over low heat for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add additional water if necessary. 

When your sauce is almost done, bring a large stockpot of water to boil. Add a pinch of sea salt, a lug of olive oil and cook pasta according to package instructions.

As your pasta is cooking, the tomato sauce should be thick and fragrant by this point. Adjust seasoning, adding sugar to balance the acidity if necessary. When the sauce has reached the consistency desired, throw in basil and Parmesan, stir well.

Drain pasta and return to the stock pot. Add sauce and toss well. Serve immediately, garnished with additional basil and flat-leaf Italian parsley, and Parmesan.

Recipe: Japanese Beef Curry/Kare

Curries are indispensable throughout much of Southeast Asia. Our history as part of the larger European spice trade introduced into local cultures a host of different aromatics and spices which are now used daily in most home kitchens. This recipe is for the Japanese version of meat curry, which is a rich, hearty dish with hints of apple and cinnamon. You can use beef, pork, chicken or even tofu. For this dish I used the store-bought curry roux which is pretty good.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp butter
500 g stewing beef, such as chuck (substitute chicken thighs, pork cubes, or tofu if desired)
2 medium brown onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2 carrots, cubed
3 medium potatoes, cubed
About 1 cup beef stock or water
1 box Japanese kare roux (also known as Vermont Curry mix)
1 tsp honey (optional)
Black pepper to taste

Heat non-stick skillet and add vegetable oil. Brown beef in batches on all sides, about 5-7 minutes, and remove from pan, reserving juices. Lower heat slightly, add butter. When bubbles subside, add in chopped onions and garlic and fry till aromatic. Return beef to pan, add stock and bay leaf, and bring to boil. Cover, lower heat and simmer for about 1 -1 1/2 hours until beef is fork tender. Add kare roux, stirring constantly until dissolved. Add potatoes and carrots, cover with additional water or stock and boil over low heat for about 20 minutes. Add honey and black pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Recipe: Black Pepper Beef

I absolutely love gravies. I think it's a Southeast Asian thing. In Malaysia, if you go to a roadside mamak stall, you can order your rice or roti "banjir" (translation: flooded) with gravy or sauce. I never learn. Just yesterday I took one spoon too many of the gravy from the claypot tofu dish we had at a restaurant in Petaling Street, which was essentially MSG with a couple of dashes of pepper. I spent the rest of the night drinking copious amounts of water just to neutralise the effect.


Black pepper beef is popular stir-fried dish in Malaysia. The trickiest thing about beef is in the slicing. You want to make sure that you slice the beef across the grain into wafer thin slices. Otherwise, it's pretty straightforward.


Ingredients:
250 g of beef fillet, sliced
1 small red onion, sliced into quarters
1/4 head cauliflower, separated into florets
1/2 carrot, cut into desired shapes
3 dried mushrooms, soaked until soft and sliced
1/4 red or green capsicum, cubed
2 stalks spring onions, cut into 3-4 cm pieces
2 slices young ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
2 tbsps. vegetable oil
About 2-3 tbsp of water


Marinade:

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

A few dashes Maggi seasoning

1 tsp Shao Xing or Chinese rice wine

2 tbsp water

1 tsp corn flour

Sesame oil

Sauce:

1 tsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp Premium oyster sauce

1/2 tsp thick soy sauce

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp pepper

100ml fresh chicken stock or water

1 tsp corn flour 

Marinade beef for about 1 hour. Just before stir-frying, add a couple of dashes of sesame oil and mix thoroughly. 

Heat oil in wok on high. When hot, add in beef, stir around for a few minutes until semi-cooked and dish up. Add ginger, garlic and stir fry until fragrant. Add in onion, cauliflower, mushrooms, carrot and capsicum, sprinkle in water. Lower heat, cover and simmer for a few minutes until vegetables are tender. Add in sauce ingredients, beef and spring onions and mix well.  Add freshly cracked black pepper to taste. When the mixture comes to boil, turn off heat and serve immediately.

Recipe: Beef and White Carrot Soup and A Story of family feuds & Old School Food

My father reckons he knows the best places in Kuala Lumpur to eat. The criteria for selection goes beyond just tastiness to include the authentic. His curry laksa place, for example, is located under an old tree in the heart of Pudu . He tucks his handkerchief to the front of his shirt, much like you would at a lobster restaurant, and proceeds to tuck in. Funnily enough, he always seems to get some laksa onto his shirt. But he is a happy man. We have tried to introduce him to new places to eat, that we have discovered on our own. But he usually tells us that our restaurants serve "young people's food," thus, they are not authentic. To him, his "best eats" places have sentimental value - he's been going there for years and years, and has seen the business pass from one generation to the next. I guess you can't put a price tag on that.

There is a famous chain of chicken rice shops that are now found in almost every mall in KL. I don't need to reveal the name here, but according to my father, the original was founded many years ago in Petaling Street. The story is that there was a family feud and one of the brothers (or uncles, I can't remember) decided to leave the family business and start his own stall, two or three shops down. The latter's stall eventually became the chain that we see in malls today.

I remember the joint being stuffy, hot with sticky tiled floors. But on most Sundays, we would go there as a family for lunch, where my father would order the same thing - half a chicken, a bowl of choy keok (or chai boey as it is known here) and unlike other chicken rice stalls which give you MSG-laden chicken broth with a couple of spring onions floating in there, this place serves you white carrot soup with beef chunks. I once asked my father why we couldn't just go to the other stall which at least appeared cleaner and had air conditioning. He said simply, "that one not authentic."

I was thinking of that old chicken rice stall the other day and wanted to recreate the soup which we as a family once shared on Sundays. Here is my approximation.

Ingredients:

1 beef shin

300 g beef tendon (optional)

1 white carrot, cut into chunks

1 3 inch slice of ginger

1 small slice of dried squid

A handful of red dates, soaked before hand to soften

1 tiny piece of tangerine peel (optional)

1 litre beef stock

Salt and pepper

Chinese parsley (optional)

Skimming the scum of the soup produces a clearer soup

Blanch the beef shin and tendon in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside. In a deep pot, bring the beef stock to boil together with the beef shin and tendon. Boil on high heat for ten minutes, skimming off the scum from the surface. Lower heat, cover and boil for about an hour. Using a pair of thongs, take out the meat and when cool enough to handle, slice into large chunks. Return the meat to the pot and add all your other ingredients, season, and boil over low heat, covered for an additional 45 minutes to an hour.

Garnish with Chinese parsley leaves, if desired, and serve hot.

This one is for you, dad.