Silky Smooth Silk Squash

When it's cooked, a young silk squash truly lives up to its name. It's so smooth and silky that it just slides down your throat, leaving a lingering sweetness in your mouth. If you like your food 'slippery', you would love silk squash.

An old silk squash, on the other hand, is something else altogether. If you have the misfortune of eating one, the first thing you'd notice is the seeds. They're not noticeable in a juvenile squash but grow quite prominent in an old one. As you try to chew 'em up – whilst pondering if they should go down or go up – it's obvious the silk squash isn't soft and succulent. In fact, it's rather fibrous and not at all silky. Gross!

Then, there are the zombie squashes. These are the dead ones with only stiff, bone dry fibres. Some people use them as scrubs. I hear the English like those with handles for spanking.

There was a time when I was tender like a young silk squash. No longer, I'm afraid. Time's like a conveyor belt with equal treatment for every living thing. We all come to the same end whether we're humans, plants or animals.

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Boomz Char Siu Bao (叉燒包)	Scrumptious Wonton Soup	Almond Biscotti for Dunking	Tall, Dark and Hansome Chocolate Soufflé

Celery, Pepper and Pork Stir-Fry – Three's a Party

A few days ago, Anonymous left a comment for my post on shark's fin syndrome. Whilst chastising me for being a meat eater, he said, quoting from Vegetarian Society Singapore's (VSS') website:

Indeed plants do have life. However, their nervous systems are very much simpler compared to that of animals and humans. Their capacity to feel pain and fear is so much lesser, which is not surprising since they are unable to react to them in the way humans and animals do. For us, fear and pain are basic survival instincts which enable us to fight or flight. For plants, fear and pain serve no purpose.

After reading the comment, I feel I should speak up for the plant community. Vegetarianism is fine and dandy for those who are so inclined. But it shouldn't be based on unproven statements or a gross misunderstanding of how plants live and function.

Does pain really serve no purpose for plants, as VSS says? Of course it does! Plants are sensitive to physical sensation as a warning that something is doing them harm. That's what pain is, isn't it? Plants may not say 'ouch!' but there's no doubt they react to touch, which is a prerequisite for the perception of pain. Mimosa and Venus fly traps, for instance, respond to touch with (almost) lightning speed. Sicyos tendrils can detect a fine hair weighing 0.00025 mg. That's eight times more sensitive than human beings.

Equipped with such sensitivity, plants don't just sit around passively and do nothing when they're touched. Plants that are touched regularly grow faster, according to Professor Janet Braam, a plant geneticist from Rice University of Texas. (Click here for BBC's article on her research.) When the touch represents a threat to the plant's survival – i.e. the plant feels pain – it swings into defence mode. For instance, when an animal starts ripping off the plant's leaves, it responds by making its leaves toxic:

Plants talk to one other, and they talk to other species. When plants are threatened by pests, they call for help. They release chemicals that attract predators that eat the pests or their eggs. Other plants also pick up the signals, and secret chemicals to protect themselves before they're attacked by the pests. How clever is that?! (Click here for more information from the Ontario Science Centre.)

Did you know that plants have memories? Plants can remember stimuli and tell one form of stimulus from another. They even respond to electrical signals with movement, just as frogs do! Did you know that plants can be anaesthetised? And that plants can 'see', and they depend on riboflavin for their sense of vision, just like humans? (Find out more from The Secret Language of Life by Brian J Ford. There's a very good synopsis of the book here.)

Do plants feel fear? Here's a video on Clive Baxter, a polygraph scientist, doing some very interesting experiments:

Plants can't run. Nor do they bleat, bleed or convulse violently when they die. They don't, to quote VSS, react 'in the way humans and animals do'. But why should plants react in the same way? They're not humans or animals! But that doesn't mean 'their capacity to feel pain and fear is so much lesser', as VSS claims. Plants have their 'plant way' of reacting, which we perceive very little of because of the limited abilities of our sensory organs. We're blind and deaf to their reaction when we yank them out of the ground and chop them up. However, with the help of scientific equipment, we're starting to understand their complex defence mechanisms and strategies. As Brian J. Ford says, 'Plants have many of the senses possessed by humans . . . . No longer should science regard a green plant as a simple organism which endures what it must, and adjusts like a chemical system. We owe plants respect . . . . They are not our subjects; plants are our cousins.'

Some people say plants don't feel pain or fear because they don't have brains or nervous systems. That's a daft comment – daft, arrogant and conceited. Must everything be viewed from man's perspective? We eat with our mouths but plants don't. They still 'eat' though, don't they? Plants don't have brains but they have the same electrical signals that active animal brains have, so that the roots can communicate with the leaves, and one leaf with another. Just because plants don't have a throbbing, walnut-shaped thingy doesn't necessarily mean their nervous systems are simpler than those of human beings and animals. Neither does it necessarily mean they don't mind being a part of our dinner. Everything a plant does says it wants to live and propagate. And when its life is threatened – by a predator, the weather or lack of nutrients, water, etc – it puts up a hell of a fight. Just like animals. Doesn't that show that plants fear death? Do they fear death as much as animals? Who knows? Is it necessary to compare? Is it even possible?

Ok, anyone ready for a recipe? What the hell are we supposed to eat? Heheh, the dish I'm offering today is very flexible. It's a stir-fry of celery, bell pepper and pork with soya sauce and garlic. If you're vegetarian, leave out the pork. If you're vegetarian and buddhist or taoist, leave out the pork and garlic. If you're against eating vegetables, leave out the celery and garlic. If you're against preservatives, leave out the soya sauce. If you're on a diet, leave out the oil . . . . I think only the bell pepper enjoys universal appeal. It's a fruit, and no one objects to eating fruits . . . yet. Of course, if you're into raw foodism, don't cook the bell pepper.

Half the world is starving, and the other half is worried about what not to eat. It's crazy, eh?

Related articles in The New York Times:
'Sorry, Vegans: Brussels Sprouts Like to Live, Too', by Natalie Angier
Click here for 760 comments to the above article.
'A Farmboy Reflects', by Nicholas Kristof

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Stir-Fried Eggplant with Chicken	Homely Bitter Melon Soup with Chicken	Pickled Cucumber with Osmanthus	Stir-Fried Tomatoes with Eggs

CELERY, BELL PEPPER AND PORK STIR-FRY (For 4 persons) 70 g pork, washed and cut into thin strips (about ½ cm wide) 250 g celery 1 small yellow bell pepper (about 100 g, trimmed) 4 tsp oil 1 clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped 4 tsp light soya sauce ½ tsp corn flour Marinate pork with ½ tsp light soya sauce and corn flour whilst preparing vegetables. Wash celery and trim leaves. Cut each stalk slightly in the middle, crosswise. Snap into 2 pieces with your hands. Veins are now hanging from 1 piece. Peel and discard. Cut celery stalks into thin strips about 5 cm (2 inches) long. Wash and trim bell pepper. Cut into thin strips like celery. Heat wok till very hot. Add 1 tsp oil and heat till smoking. Add garlic and stir till lightly golden on high heat. Add pork. Stir till colour changes. Add ½ tsp light soya sauce and mix quickly. Transfer pork to a plate. It should be about 80% cooked. Add 2 tbsp water to the wok. Swirl and deglaze the wok. Add the water to the pork. Clean wok and reheat till very hot. Add remaining 3 tsp oil and heat till smoking. Add garlic and stir till lightly golden on high heat. Add celery and bell peppers. Stir till heated through. Add remaining 3 tsp light soy sauce and 2-3 quick stirs. Add liquid from pork and and another 2-3 quick stirs. Add pork and a final 2-3 quick stirs. Taste and quickly adjust seasoning if necessary. It shouldn't be too salty or the sweetness of the vegetables would be overwhelmed. Turn off heat. Plate. Serve.

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Rustic Garlic Bread

I've finally found a rustic baguette, or baguette à l'ancienne, in Singapore. Compared to the regular loaf, the rustic, traditional version is given a much longer fermentation. This gives the crust a darker colour and a rich, nutty aroma. It also makes the crumb – the white part of the bread – soft, chewy and really flavourful.

When I was living in Paris, I used to stroll to Champs-Elysées most Sundays – took me all of five minutes – and grab a baguette a l'ancienne for breakfast. Most bakeries in central Paris were closed on Sundays but the really touristy areas had the odd one open. The one I went to was Chez Paul, which was obliquely across the road from the gigantic Louis Vuitton mothership (which also sells baguettes, though not the edible type). Some of my French friends sniffed at Chez Paul scornfully. I guess the bakery and bistro chain had no snob value since it was anything but exclusive. But I quite liked it, and was their regular customer not just in Paris but also in London. Besides the baguette, I was very fond of their salade de carottes râpées, a humongous salad with carrots, green apples, roast chicken, raisins and walnuts. Note to self: time to recreate Chez Paul's grated carrot salad?

A freshly baked baguette with lots of homemade jam, good butter and a big pot of tea makes for a charming breakfast. Tartine's the French equivalent of kaya toast, isn't it? But what if it's too late for breakie after buying the bread? French loaves are best eaten the day they're bought because they dry out very quickly. In fact, French bakeries make baguettes twice a day, in the morning and early afternoon, to make sure customers get super duper fresh bread for both lunch and dinner. Sigh . . . . The French have bread to die for, in addition to tonnes of holidays, no retrenchment, a sexy language, one shower once a year or so . . . . If there's reincarnation, I want to be French in my next life, ok? But please don't make me a baker 'cause running a bakery is really hard work . . . unless I'm the big boss with shops and workers spread across the country continent world!

Ok, back to eating bread. Freshly baked baguette au naturel with wads of good butter is quite delightful. Want something better? How about slices of French loaf that are soaked with garlic butter, crispy and crunchy outside, and soft and chewy inside? Turning delight into sublime takes just a few minutes. When the bread emerges from the oven, the golden hues are a feast for your eyes. Even before you take a bite, wafts of fragrance from the mix of garlic and butter surrounds your senses. Mmmmm . . . . Seriously, I could eat just garlic bread and nothing else as a meal. And I bet I'm not the only one. I've never met anybody who doesn't like garlic bread . . . . Not counting Count Dracula, that is. But I've never really met the count, so he doesn't count . . . ?

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Apricot Jam	French Toast	Lemon Curd	Cream Scones

Simple, Scrumptious Samosas

I always make samosas the lazy way. To me, sloth is the greatest virtue possible. Hard work, as the Hong Kongers say, is for the cows in the New Territories. Have you ever seen a rich and famous cow? Neither have I. So, don't ever make samosa pastry from scratch. Cows would mix flour with water, then knead and roll it out. Humans – lazy but smart humans – make samosas with spring roll or filo pastry. It's not authentic but who cares?! Authenticity is as overrated as hard work.

Sloth is the mother of all inventions, because slothful people have to work smart. In the kitchen, working smart means making good use of leftovers. When I have chicken curry from the previous day, I debone the meat and mince it. If there isn't enough, I add some chopped up boiled potatoes, steamed eggplants or frozen peas and viola! I have the filling for samosas without breaking a sweat, whilst the frozen pastry is thawing. There's no shortcut for wrapping and frying, though. Still, saving two out of four steps is not bad. It gives me more time to watch funny commercials, like this one for instant noodles:



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Prawn Tom Yum Soup	Sichuan Spicy Kung Pao Prawns	Prawns with Salted Egg Yolks	Prawns with Red Fermented Beancurd

CHICKEN AND POTATO SAMOSAS (Makes 18 pieces) 6 big sheets spring roll pastry, thawed under a damp towel or in a plastic bag leftover chicken curry, deboned and minced, or: ...300 g minced chicken ...2 big waxy potatoes (about 150 g each), peeled and washed ...3 shallots, peeled and washed ...2 cloves garlic, peeled and washed ...2 tsp vegetable oil ...2 tbsp curry powder ...1 tsp salt (or to taste) some beaten egg for sealing pastry oil for deep-frying If making chicken curry, cut potatoes into 1-cm (½-inch) cubes and cook in boiling, salted water till tender (about 5 minutes). Drain and set aside. Whilst potatoes are cooking, dry-fry curry powder over low heat till aromatic. Add to minced chicken and mix well. Mince onions and garlic. Heat oil in a non-stick pan till smoking. Add onions and garlic and fry till lightly golden over high heat. Add minced chicken and stir well so that mince is not lumpy. Add potatoes and salt. Stir and mash potatoes slightly. Add 2 tbsp water. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Mixture should be quite dry. Turn off heat. Remove curry to a plate to cool down. Separate spring roll pastry. Cut each sheet into 3 strips. Wrap with about 2 tbsp of filling: Seal pastry edges with a dab of beaten egg. Fry in hot oil over moderate heat. Drain and serve piping hot.

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Jealous Little Tigers

Since the last post featured Mac, this post must give the limelight to Mel (above) and Motor (below). I have to treat all 12 legs sort of equally. I say sort of, not exactly, because Mac thinks she's the alpha cat and deserves more privileges. Hence, she has a post all to herself but Mel and Motor have to share. Mac gets into a really foul mood if I don't give her first priority. She must have her head rubbed and chin tickled before Mel and Motor, or she'd snarl and spit and scratch. When I give Mel and Motor a treat, I have to give her one first. I can't ever leave her out even though she's f-a-t.



I have a few empty shelves in the living room. They're empty 'cause Mac keeps shoving everything on the shelves to the floor. Yup, some of the things went clang! She loves nothing more than perching on the shelf right at the top. Cat shrinks say alpha cats feel happy and secure when they can survey and lord it over their subjects from a high, lofty position. Well, whatever makes the queen of the house happy. But I mustn't ignore Mel and Motor completely either. Otherwise, they get upset and start peeing all over the house. It took me a while to figure out all this, I tell ya. Makes me wonder how Muslim men who have multiple wives manage!

By the way, The Cat Welfare Society and Post-Museum have lined up a week-long Tiger Show during 21-28 February. There's an exhibition, bazaar, workshop on cat welfare, cat show, singles' party for animal lovers and cat yoga performance. I must say the last two sound rather intriguing. Why not do something for the little cat since this is the year of the big cat? You can combine charity with entertainment and education. Click here for details.

Check these out:

LOL	Mac's Evil Eye	Hello, Kitties!	Hungry Tiger

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Haa . . . ppy Year of the Tigress and V-Day

Mustn't forget Valentine's Day, of course. Happy V-Day, everyone! Here are two very funny commercials to tickle your funny bone amidst the feasting, drinking and canoodling:





Check these out:

Prawns with Red Fermented Beancurd	Sticky Lemon Coke Chicken Wings	Stir Fried Crocodile	Fried Onion Rings

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Teochew Braised Duck (潮州滷鸭) – Pièce de Résistance

Teochew Braised Duck (潮州滷鸭) was my mother's pièce de résistance. She always had a dark, glistening duck for the dinner table on Chinese New Year eve. It was a fantastic complement to our steamboat dinner, something that we could eat whilst the raw stuff was cooking. To us, Chinese New Year, Mum and 滷鸭 were all one and the same thing.

One day, Mum wasn't around anymore. She left us just before Christmas, and as Chinese New Year loomed, I thought we were going to have the reunion dinner without 滷鸭. But I was wrong. My brother, the new head of the family, gallantly undertook the onerous task of braising a duck with caramel and dark soya sauce. His first attempt left much to be desired, to put it mildly. We all picked at the 滷鸭 half-heartedly. No one said anything about the tasteless duck. In fact, no one said anything at all. Everyone kept their heads down and ate in silence. Usually, we would be chattering about, oh . . . whether the fish was oversteamed by three nano-seconds or there was enough belachan in the chilli sauce. For that first reunion dinner without Mum, even my youngest nephews and nieces were quiet though they were mere toddlers at the time.

Time passes, and our reunion dinner is now jolly and lively again. We attack my brother's duck with great gusto 'cause it has improved by leaps and bounds. His Braised Duck now has the wonderful fragrance of caramel that was the trademark of Mum's 滷鸭. It took him several attempts to get the balance of ingredients and flavours just right. I think I should – ahem! – take some credit in reengineering the recipe. I remember Mum saying 'two and three'. It was either two tablespoonsful of salt and three tablespoonsful of sugar. Or it might be three tablespoonsful of salt and two tablespoonsful of sugar. Always heaped, never leveled. Very helpful, right?

The special ingredient in my mother's recipe is caramel. The duck is basted with a mix of caramel and dark soya sauce for 15 minutes before it's braised. This gives her duck the trademark dark, glistening sheen which is rarely seen on those that are not home cooked. To let the wonderful caramel flavour take centre stage, my mother's recipe doesn't use any spices like star aniseeds or cinnamon. There's plenty of galangal though, which is indispensable for Braised Duck.

One of the purposes for having this blog is to record my mother's recipes. With Chinese New Year just round the corner, there's no better time than now to share her Spring Festival pièce de résistance: Teochew Braised Duck. Hope you like it as much as we do. Happy Year of the Tigress! Roar!

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Sesame Duck	Claypot Fish Head	Kou Shui Ji (口水鸡)	Crispy-Skinned Chicken

Suan Pan Zi (算盘子) – Calculators Can't Compare

Sometimes, calculators just can't compare with abaci. Calculators aren't edible, nor do they bring you wealth and good luck . . . . Of course, you can't eat an abacus either but you can make Abacus Beads, aka Suan Pan Zi (算盘子). These little discs which look like their namesake are a delicious Hakka noodle that's served stir-fried or in a soup. They come with a feature that no calculator could ever have. If you eat Suan Pan Zi during Chinese New Year, your abacus will be click-clacking non-stop in the new year, counting the amount of money you will have! Yup, hand on heart, that's absolutely true.

Suan Pan Zi's magical power benefits not just mercenary adults. My Hakka sister-in-law's mother swears that kids who eat Suan Pan Zi during Chinese New Year will turn into maths wizards overnight. Needless to say, my little nephew's maths exam scores have always been very impressive. So, fire the maths tutor and make your kids a plateful of Suan Pan Zi!

As far as noodles and pasta go, Suan Pan Zi is pretty nutritious. The mashed yam has lots of vitamine B6, which helps lower the risk of heart disease. And lots of potassium which helps control blood pressure. And fibre! Who doesn't need more fibre?!

Chinese New Year feasting and drinking is all about auspiciousness, and Suan Pan Zi fits the bill perfectly. Don't forget the other CNY goodies such as pineapple (旺來) tarts, which brings us prosperity, lettuce (生菜) which brings wealth, hair moss (发菜) which brings more wealth, and dried oysters (蚝豉) which brings everything good.

Last night, the most popular search on Yahoo Singapore was 'Pineapple Tarts', followed by 'BMI Calculator'. I thought that was quite funny. CNY comes but once a year, people. Let's eat, drink and be merry. We want to count money during CNY, not BMI!


Other Chinese New Year dishes:

Crispy Spring Rolls (Popiah)	Ayam Sioh (Chicken with Tamarind & Coriander Seeds)	Prawns with Red Fermented Curd	No-Steam Lor Bak Ko