Sambal Telur – Happy Birthday!

The Straits Times front page headline was: 'Singapore is Out'. Actually, 'Singapore is KICKED Out' would have been more accurate because the Federation of Malaya had expelled Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew's reaction to the knee in the balls was one of pain. At the press conference held on 9 August 1965, after Tunku Abdul Rahman announced the expulsion, LKY was speechless for an eternity (or, to be exact, 27 seconds). And then he wept like a baby. Boohoohoo!

His words (my emphases):

'For me, it is a moment of anguish. You see, the whole of my adult life, I've . . . I have believed in Malaysian merger and the unity of these two territories . . . . It literally broke everything that we stood for . . . . Now, I, Lee Kuan Yew, as Prime Minister of Singapore, in this current capacity of mine do hereby proclaim and declare on behalf on the people and the government of Singapore that as from today, the ninth day of August in the year one thousand nine hundred and sixty-five, Singapore shall be forever a sovereign democratic and independent nation.'

Singapore was booted out of the Federation of Malaya by a unanimous vote of 126-0 because of its protests over the central government's pro-Malay policies. Unlike India or the US, the island state didn't fight for independence. What the hell, it didn't even want to be independent! Judging from the way LKY cried into his hanky, he probably thought it was the end of the world or, more importantly, the end of his political ambitions. Halfway through the televised press conference, he had to stop the recording because he was too choked up to continue.

If you watch the National Day Parade without knowing Singapore's history, you couldn't possibly guess at the 'moment of anguish' behind the ceremony filled with pomp and aplomb. The shattered dream has morphed into the most glorious moment in Singapore's history. The headline has been rewritten: Dream Come True! Gotta hand it to those politicians, I tell ya. If only I could celebrate my shattered dreams in the same style, with marchpasts, flypasts, fireworks, and lots of people in ugly costumes running around in a big field.



What's a birthday without some red eggs, eh? So here you go, eggs that are red (though not in the conventional way), along with well wishes from Mr Hock, Mr Lock and Mr Siew:

I made the Sambal Telur with a recipe from LKY's mother, Mrs Lee Chin Koon. She passed away in 1980 but since this is the seventh lunar month, she's also joining in the celebrations – in spirit, so to speak. See the book in the photo, The New Mrs Lee's Cookbook? The original version was written by LKY's mother in 1970-something. The book was right way up when I took the photo but it's upside down now! You know what that means according to Chinese customs? When something is upside down, that means it has 'arrived'. Brrrrr . . . spooky! What? You think I'm making it up? I swear it's true, hand on heart!

Many happy returns, Singapore! May all your moments of anguish turn into moments of glory.

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SAMBAL TELUR (EGGS IN CHILLI PASTE) Source: Adapted from Shermay Lee's The New Mrs Lee's Cookbook (Recipe for 6 persons) 1 slice ginger 12 shallots 1 clove garlic 1 tsp chilli powder 4 bird's eye chillies, or to taste 3 tbsp vegetable oil 4 tbsp tomato paste 30 quail eggs, hard-boil and shell ¼ cup coconut milk (squeeze from 125 g grated coconut) 1 tbsp sugar 1 tsp salt 2 tsp lemon juice Wash, peel and roughly chop ginger, shallots, garlic and chillies as appropriate. Pound or grind with chilli powder till smooth. Stir-fry spice paste in vegetable oil over high heat till fragrant. Add tomato paste and stir till mixed evenly. Add eggs and mix through. Add coconut milk and 4 tbsp water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Simmer till slightly thickened. Add lemon juice, sugar and salt. Stir through. Simmer till sauce clings to eggs. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve hot or at room temperature with steamed rice. Sambal Telur can be made with hard-boiled eggs that are deep-fried till lightly golden brown. The oil should be warm, not hot, if you don't want wrinkly eggs. After trying it, I don't think the frying makes much difference. Some people do though, so you might want to give it a try.

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