*dimsumdolly* - the different morsels of the life of a foodie

Dog-earred

Are you a dog earer? Er, what's that you say? OK, let me come again - are you someone who dog ears your books? You know, you fold the corner of the page down to indicate that's the point at which you've stopped.

If you are, DON'T do that to my books if I should lend you any, 'cos I hate my books being dog earred. I just can't stand unnecessary creases on pages and whenever I see a page being dog earred, I have this compulsion, need, to undo the fold. It's like some obsessive compulsive disorder. I just can't stand it. I think the folds spoil the look of the book.

Being a book lover, I have a certain respect and reverence for books. I believe they, like humans, should be treated well. It annoys me when I see library books, which are public property, being abused and mishandled. People who treat books like that are inconsiderate as they are destroying information and knowledge that can be passed on to someone else.

Anyway, this rant came about because the book I borrowed from the library, Anthony Bourdain's The Nasty Bits had many pages that were dog-earred and it just irked me!!! The book, by the way, is great! I love Bourdain's brashness in his collection of essays. Am half-way through and can't wait to get till the end of it.

Bread In a Cup

I love going to Japanese lifestyle shop, Muji. To be more specific, I like their food section. All the Japanese snacks, teas and biscuits make me just wanna grab everything!

The biggest Muji outlet I've been to is the one in Tokyo which is near the station Yurakucho. That one was like a big warehouse and it also had an eatery. I had lunch there before I caught my flight back to Singapore and it was a pretty good one. Oh, how I miss Japan!

In Singapore we have mini Muji. I went to the outlet at Marina Square and came away with this bread-in-a-cup mix. That's my name for it anyway. You've just got to hand it to the Japanese for their ingenuity.

The tomato and cheese bread flour mixture looks like this on the outside.

Instructions are on the back – don't worry, there's an English translation. Each packet is sold for S$2.30.

Add water to the flour mixture and stir with a spoon or fork. After stirring, it will look like what you see above.

I decided to improvise a little and added slices of cheddar cheese into the mixture.

Put the mixture into the microwave for about 2.5 minutes at 500W and you'll get bread in a cup!

It actually tasted pretty good! Slightly sweet and savoury at the same time, and it was pretty soft. Just make sure you don't put it into the microwave for too long.

This is great for a quick snack and something useful to have in the house for the times when you want something to nibble on desperately!

Sweet Potato Buns

I love these steamed sweet potato buns I found at 一口味 the other day. I really like eating sweet potato so I usually like anything that has sweet potato in it. I liked the slightly sweet taste of the buns and I love that cheery orange colour! They were going for $2 for 2.

Go here to read more about this humble tuber.

Bittersweet

It suddenly came across to me that the word ‘bittersweet’ can be associated with the taste of food or moments you come across in books, plays, reel and real life.

When it comes to food, I like the bittersweet taste of dark chocolate, durian and matcha ice cream. I’m a bit of a chocolate snob – it’s dark chocolate for me or not at all. I don’t bother wasting calories on milk and white chocolate, which technically isn’t chocolate since it doesn’t contain any cocoa! Bittersweet dark chocolate is like a dark mysterious person – it’s more interesting. Instead of a flat sweet taste, the bitterness of cocoa dances on your tongue and stimulates your taste buds to savour more of its taste. As for durian, I like pulp that’s sweet with bitter notes. Matcha ice cream is the same. It's hard to find good matcha ice cream which strikes the right balance between the full-bodied bitter taste of matcha with the amount of sugar called for in the recipe. I'm still on that perfect matcha ice cream quest.

But when it comes to life, bittersweet moments often weigh more on the sad rather than happy side of the scale. There’s always an intense sense of poignancy to the moment, often accompanied by a tinge of regret and sorrow. Yet, one is also thankful for the experience, because you’ve matured and learnt from it, and now possess greater depth of character.

When bittersweet moments appear in reel life, you can’t help but let out a sigh and maybe find your eyes moisten at the poignancy of it all. It is often these films which leave you thinking and reflecting. It is also these films that have heart.

So what’s your favourite bittersweet food and your best bittersweet moment?

Fresh Honey

For the first time in my life, I tried honey fresh from the comb yesterday. This situation came about by accident.

Those who know me well know that I paddle a lot as a form of exercise. I either dragon boat or outrigger canoe depending on the competitions my team is preparing for. I'm pretty hard core about paddling as I like to train to paddle competitively. After all, where's the fun in training when there's no goal to work towards? OK, some people don't enjoy and can't understand the joy of being competitive, but I do.

But I digress. So I outrigger canoe in Sentosa and our club has a boat shed there. One of my teammates was cleaning the shed yesterday and to our horror, we discovered that under one of the black boxes we had left lying face down in the corner had become home for a hive of bees! One brave guy went to destroy the hive and soon bees were buzzing around everywhere. There were also a few slabs of fresh honey combs which contained larvae and fresh honey! Some of us, including me, couldn't help but run our fingers along the comb to get a taste of the fresh honey.

And boy did it taste good! That molten gold honey was so pure and so sweet. Free of preservatives. It was, quite possibly, one of the best I've ever tasted. Anyhow, while it was nice to be able to taste fresh honey, I don't wish to have the same situation again. It was actually kinda scary having all those bees buzzing about!

Vintage India

Sometimes there are perks to be considered a 'food blogger'. I got a lunch invitation to go to Vintage India, a restaurant serving North Indian food at Dempsey Hill. I seldom, if ever, get such treats so I jumped at the opportunity. To be honest, I was prepared to eat rather bad food 'cos why would a good restaurant need to invite a kuching kurak (that's 'small fry' in Malay) blogger like me? But I was obviously not going to pick an argument about that. Heehee. I also took good friend monoceros with me. So on a lazy Tuesday afternoon, us two girls made our way to Dempsey Hill while the rest of our high-flying executive friends were busy battling the lunch crowds downtown. Honestly, I could – but I can't – get used to this. :p

The interior of Vintage India looks very grand, perhaps a tad austere for day time. If you prefer something more private, you can request for a private room. It's not really a room per se, but rather they separate you from the rest of the diners by drawing the curtains, which to me works just fine.

You can also dine alfresco but it's not something I'd recommend on a hot and humid afternoon. I would imagine it would be pretty nice at night though. There are also nice couches to the right side of the area where you can sit around and have drinks.

The requisite papadum and dip to stimulate the palate. This was crispy and nice with a slight bitterness to it.

We were served two Indian mocktails which were extremely refreshing on a hot afternoon. The green drink was lemon juice with mint and the yellow drink was lemon juice with ginger. Monoceros and I liked the lemon juice with mint better as it had more zest and kick to it.

For starters, we each had a tiger prawn stuffed with crab meat, a lamb chop and a helping of salad. The tiger prawn with crab meat was delicious as was the lamb chop which was grilled to such perfection. It wasn't overcooked and the mix of spices that was used to marinate it was very tasty.

Look at the lovely pink centre of the lamb!

Clockwise from left: Stuffed tomato curry, butter chicken, sea bream curry

The stuffed tomato curry was something I hadn't had before. The stuffing was made up of other ingredients like chickpeas, potatoes and raisins. It was very tasty and was one of my favourite dishes of the spread. There was also butter chicken and sea bream curry. I thought the chicken was a little dry but really enjoyed the sea bream curry. The fish was cooked just right, so kudos to the chef for that. I think one of the litmus tests of any restaurant is to see how well fish is cooked. It's all too easy to overcook fish so to be able to cook it just right shows a chef's skill.

We also had saffron rice and lentils.

Tomato curry stuffing

Something I must always have when eating North Indian food is garlic naan!

I'd also recommend the mango lassi which was very rich and tasty. Drinking lassi is good for people who can't take spicy food. Sugar actually helps to get rid of the burning sensation on the tongue.

I also tried the pistachio and saffron lassi. I've never had this flavour before and found it really interesting. The slight orange colour is due to the saffron. Pistachio nuts are blended into the yogurt as well as sprinkled on top of the drink. This has a lighter taste than the mango lassi and is probably a better accompaniment to the main meal as it's not as overwhelming. Mango lassi can actually serve as a dessert for me.

Dessert came in the form of deep-fried cottage cheese with vanilla ice cream. I try – I really do – but for some reason I just can't seem to like Indian desserts no matter where I go. I always find it too sweet for my liking and this one was no different. It's just me. Really.

To end off what was a very long and filling lunch, we had Masala tea. The tea was very fragrant but by this time I was so stuffed that I couldn't even stomach any fluids. Oh, I forgot to mention that Vintage India has an extensive wine list so wine lovers might want to give a couple of bottles a try.

Vintage India does serve up good food but I think what's preventing the crowds from coming is its location. There was no lunch crowd at all. I guess North Indian fine dining is also a little heavy for lunch. But if you're in the mood for Indian food, you might want to pop by for a visit.

Vintage India
10 Dempsey Road
#01-21 Dempsey Hill
Singapore 247700
Tel: 6471 3100

Living a Song

I watched the film La Vie En Rose last night and was impressed by Marion Cotillard's portrayal of the legendary French singer.

In one scene, a young Edith Piaf is admonished by her mentor Raymond Asso for not living the song she was singing. He picked on her bad articulation, her stiffness and her lack of emotion. To be a good singer, he told her, one had to live the song; to be able to put yourself in the mind and soul of the song. If you haven't actually experienced the situation depicted in the lyrics, you would have to be an actress and think like the character.

I was then led to think of the msn conversation I had with monoceros the day before. She had emailed me a very beautiful song by Linda Eder called Why Do People Fall In Love. She told me she had found her eyes turning moist while listening to the song. This sad song with a tinge of hope had the same effect on me.

Ten years ago, we wouldn't have had this reaction to the song. But with age and the life experiences that come with it, we could identify with it. The lyrics and the emotion put into the song by Eder resonated with us. Eder lived the song. One can feel the emotions flowing through in the cadence and lilt of her voice accompanied by the simple tinkling of the piano keys and strains of violins in the background.

There are songs which can only be sung by people who have passed a certain age or have been through particular situations. It's because it is only with age and experience that the songs come alive. I can understand when the judges on American Idol comment that a contestant has picked a song that is 'too old' for him/her. Most of these teenage contestants lack the life experience that many of the songs they choose to sing are trying to depict. Their youth is no fault of theirs – it's just that it prevents them from bringing out the pain and emotional depth of the lyrics. The delivery may be technically perfect, but the song still feels empty.

Edith Piaf eventually came to realise what her mentor meant and went on to become one of the greatest French singers. Her tumultuous and tragic life added much emotional depth to her voice and delivery of her songs. I guess that is why her audiences were mesmerized. When a singer or musician is able to do that, it's akin to a sorcerer at work where a spell is being woven round the audience who are bound captive by this magic. I would be a willing prisoner in such situations.

Why Do People Fall In Love

Lyrics: Jack Murphy

Why do people fall in love?
Don't we know love is full of dangers?
Letting loose our foolish hearts
In this world full of perfect strangers
Maybe this time you will find
The moon will treat you kinder
Yes, I'm sure that I recall
That's the reason people fall...

Love is needing to belong
Right or wrong, when you feel the fire
Love is living in mid-air
Young and rare, on a sky-high wire
Hoping this time it will last
You feel your heart beat faster
Yes, I'm sure that I recall
That's the reason people fall in love
Taking chances you would never take
When wide awake, you risk it all
Half afraid he'll only break your heart
Still you will close your eyes and simply fall

Why do people fall in love?
Are we fools with no hope of winning?
Or perhaps we always see
One last chance for a new beginning
Holding on and letting go
But never really knowing
Well, I guess that after all
That's the reason people fall in love

Un-PC Career Advice

I went for an interview recently for an adjunct teaching position at an educational institution here. Basically the job involved delivering a programme set out to help students preparing to enter the workforce by teaching them to write CVs and conduct themselves during a job interview.

One of the questions my interviewer asked was how I would motivate unmotivated students. After all, I'd only be seeing them once and it'd be difficult to get to know them. Well, of course I said the politically correct thing. That is, talk and reason with them like adults, get them to see that this is for their own good, and try as much as possible to share my own experience.

The real answer swimming inside my head was, 'Sod them'. Ha. I'm only interested in helping people who want to learn and help themselves. Anyway, the young and impetuous will learn the folly of their ways in time to come. The lessons from the School of Hard Knocks will be the best ones they'll ever receive and the ones they'll remember for life. Some things have to be learnt and not taught.

But if they wanted career advice, here's what I have to say. If you want the money, go into finance, banking, business or accountancy. There are no other pots of gold to be found at the end of other rainbows.

For the girls, if you want easy and good money, take to the skies - be the Singapore Girl. Put on the kebaya which clings to the body like cellophane, coif your hair, slap on the hedious peacock blue eyeshadow and fire engine red lipstick, and then zip around the world. While you're at it, find some high-flying jetsetter executive husband who works in an MNC. Then at the end of your five-year tenure, get a nice bonus payout and retire to be a taitai.

Boys, don't despair. If you aspire to be the male version of a taitai, start taking up dance classes. Not just any dance class mind you. It has to be latin or ballroom dance. Master those steps and keep yourself looking fit and trim, and soon you'll have mega-rich taitais knocking on your door, asking you to dance the Argentinian and horizontal tango with them.

And don't tell me you don't want a desk-bound job 'cos it's so boring. I'm sorry to tell you that whatever you're going to do (unless it's one of the two vocations above) at executive level and above, there's always going to be some part, if not all, of the job that's going to be desk-bound. There's always going to be a need to be seated in front of a computer and there's always going to be paperwork to be processed in some form or another.

As you may have guessed by now, I didn't get the job. Hahaha.

Q 感

I've been hearing the term 'Q 感' a lot when I watch Chinese programmes about food. Literally translated, it means 'Q feel'. I don't know who came up with this 'cos I had no idea that a single alphabet could now be used to describe food.

People interviewed at the food places keep saying, '它吃起来很Q' or they go '它很有Q感' – It tastes very 'Q' / It has a lot of 'Q feel'.

From what I can fathom based on the food these people are using the term to describe, Q 感 is used to describe something that's rather chewy and springy in texture when you bite into it. Think foods like 汤圆 (tang yuan or sweet glutinous rice dumplings) where a good one has skin which contains a hint of springiness. Another example I can think of is muah chee or in Japanese mochi. Can't think of others at the moment...maybe you might want to let me know what others you can think of.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong in my definition, but honestly, can we like use proper words and adjectives already???

Buddha Jumps Over the Wall 佛跳墻

I like reading and knowing about the origin of dishes. With that added knowledge, I always feel that it gives extra meaning and depth to what I'm eating. Unfortunately with Chinese cuisine, such information is lacking in the English language which I find easiest and quickest to read. So I now have to reactivate that part of the brain which sat through years of Chinese lessons.

I came across this article about the famous Chinese dish Buddha Jumps Over the Wall 佛跳墻 on a Chinese website about Chinese food history and thought I'd translate it after trawling through some websites in English and finding that they don't have this information on its history.

It is said that the dish originated in the Qing Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Daoguang who ruled China from 1820 to 1850. There are 18 main ingredients and twenty-odd types of seasonings that go into making the dish. The main ingredients include chicken, duck, pig stomach, pig trotters, tendons, Chinese ham, chicken and duck stomach, shark's fin, sea cucumber, abalone, dried scallops, fish maw, pigeon egg, Chinese mushroom, Chinese bamboo etc.

There are several stories with regards to the origin of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. The first is that it was invented by a guild of beggars who went begging everywhere with their elms bowl. At the end of the day, they would put all the food they had collected into a big pot.

One day, a rice merchant smelt the nice aroma of food as he was walking on the street. He found that the inviting smell came from a broken pot which had Chinese wine and leftover food cooking in it. This rice merchant then realised what he could do with the mixing of various ingredients and wine, and Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was thus invented.

The second story is, to me, more interesting. In the olden days, the Fujian people had a tradition called 试厨 (shi chu) which literally means a cooking tryout. According to this tradition, a new bride had to be in her new home (her husband's family's residence) on the wedding day, return to her own family on the second day of marriage, and on the third day return to her new home. The challenge on the third day was that the new bride would have to demonstrate her culinary skills to her new family. It was the litmus test of a new bride's capability to run a household.

There was once a very pampered girl who didn't know how to cook, thus she was very anxious about the upcoming shi chu as she was about to be married. Her worried mother decided to help her by wrapping the household's best ingredients individually in lotus leaves, and instructing her repeatedly on how to go about cooking the food she had packed. But the bride forgot all her mother's instructions in her state of nervousness the day before she was to cook!

At night, she went into the kitchen and unwrapped all the packs of food that her mother had packed. She laid everything on the table and had no clue where to start. Just as she was at her wits end, she heard her mother- and father-in-law walking in the direction of the kitchen. As the new bride was afraid they would pick on her for messing up the kitchen, she hurriedly dumped all the food into a wine vessel that was sitting beside the table. She then used the lotus leaves that were used to wrap the food to cover the mouth of the wine vessel, and left the vessel on a stove that still had some remaining embers. Daunted by the thought of the task that lay ahead of her, she quietly slipped back to her parents' home.

The next day, this new daughter-in-law was nowhere to be seen when the guests arrived. The parents-in-law went to the kitchen and found the wine vessel on the stove, and to their surprise, it was warm! On opening the lid of the wine vessel, the nice smell of the simmering food filled the place. The guests loved the dish and it soon became known as Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.

Another story goes that the dish originated in the reign of Emperor GuangXu of the Qing Dynasty who ruled from 1875 to 1908. A government official in Fuzhou hosted a banquet and invited a minister called Zhou Lian. One of the government official's servants was a very good cook and she put the chicken, duck and pork to cook together with Shaoxing wine. When Zhou Lian tasted the dish, he couldn't stop singing its praises. He then told his house cook Zheng ChunFa to learn how to make the dish. Zheng got the recipe but modified it by using more seafood and less meat and named it 坛烧八宝 (A Stove's Eight Treasures).

Apparently, 坛烧八宝 was later known as 福寿全 (Abundance of Luck and Longevity) and eventually 佛跳墻. There's yet another story about how 福寿全 became 佛跳墻. When the dish became famous as a delicacy, many famous literary men came from afar to have a taste of the dish. After eating a sumptuous and delicious meal, the sated men would often break out in song and poetry, one of which was 坛启荤香飘四邻，佛闻弃神跳墙来. This is to say that the aroma of the food was so wonderful that even Buddha would be tempted by the food of the mortal world. Another story goes that the nice smells permeated the walls to the temple next door such that even the monks were tempted into disregarding the rules of the tonsure and asked to be invited to the feast.

For those interested in reading the original Chinese text, go here. The writing in Chinese is much more elegant than my translation, but I hope you learnt something from it nonetheless!

Thousand Layer Cake 千層糕

I love eating 千層糕 or what is literally translated as Thousand Layer Cake. It's one of my favourites as far as dimsum is concerned. Unfortunately, I've never been able to find it in Singapore. Thus every time I'm in Hong Kong or Sydney, I get my 千層糕 fix.

千層糕 is a steamed cake which has layers of salted egg yolk and coconut lotus paste in between the layers of steamed flour. The saltiness of the egg yolk is a good complement to the sweet paste. A good 千層糕 has to have the right balance and be neither too sweet nor salty.

Go here for the recipe (in Chinese) and do let me know if you know where to find this in Singapore!

Singapore Flyer

So the Singapore Flyer officially opens today. I don't know about you, but I'm really not that excited about it. I wouldn't pay $29.50 to go on it for 30 minutes. If I wanted to have a good view of Singapore, I'd rather go to Equinox or New Asia Bar in Swisshotel. I mean, at least I get to have a drink!

But seriously, I don't know what's there to see. There aren't any world famous landmarks to see unlike going up the London Eye where you can spot Big Ben, the Gherkin, St Paul's, Tower of London etc.

I just feel like it's going to be another white elephant once the novelty has worn off. Perhaps I would feel differently about it if I were a tourist. But as someone born and bred here, I would rather spend $29.50 having a good meal.

Am I the only one who feels this way?

Hot Chocolate

The ideal hot chocolate is made with the finest cocoa powder or solid chocolate or both. The resulting beverage should be neither too thin for serious satisfaction nor too thick to refresh; neither too bitter to produce the childlike enjoyment we seek, nor so sweet and simple as to insult the intellect. The harsh flavour and gritty texture of cocoa powder and the soft fattiness of solid chocolate should be blended so that neither can be distinguished. As a general rule, one's first swallow should induce a long interlude of silence.

~ Jeffrey Steingarten in It Must Have Been Something I Ate

Hot chocolate is one of those things which I mentally file under 'Comfort food' or perhaps more accurately 'Comfort drink'. It's best enjoyed on a cold winter's day or at a time when you need a sugar rush. You can also somehow convince yourself that it's healthy 'cos hey, it's milk after all, and milk is supposed to be healthy, right? But perhaps that reasoning can only be applied to hot chocolate that is more English- or American-style.

The hot chocolate that you find in Italy and Spain is like molten chocolate. It's thick and viscous and flows down your throat like molten lava. I like this version when I'm feeling I need something REALLY sinful. It's rather heavy-going and I know some people who can't fathom how anyone could gulp down something so thick and viscous. They can't, but DSD can!!!

In Singapore, I haven't found a place which does hot chocolate Italian or Spanish style. Admittedly, I haven't tried ordering it in an Italian or Spanish restaurant here. OK, I shall make that my next mission the next time I go to one. But if any of you know of any place which serves it that way, please let me know. Just don't tell me to go to a chocolate fountain at some buffet, 'cos that just ain't the real McCoy.

As for the normal hot chocolate, I like the one served in Canele. So far, it's the best one I've had in Singapore. Other recommendations are welcomed!

Going the Distance For Food?

An article that appeared on the ChannelNewsAsia website reported that 56 per cent of Singaporeans are willing to travel an hour or more to their favourite eateries, according to a study by a group of students from Meridian Junior College.

However I'm highly sceptical about the accuracy of this study because one of the paragraphs writes: 'The students asked more than 100 Singaporeans a list of food-related trivia questions.'

Maybe this could be a case of bad journalism, but seriously, does 'more than 100 Singaporeans' tell you anything about the sample size and hence accuracy of the study? I hate it when I read such phrases in news articles, i.e. more/less than x number. It hardly stands for accuracy which is something of utmost importance in journalism.

So what's 'more than 100 Singaporeans' supposed to mean? 101 people? 200? 1000? 10,000? Someone please enlighten me. I think such writing is sloppy. I would rather the word 'about' be used. At least it gives readers a more approximate idea of the numbers we're looking at.

With that scepticism already in place, I go on to read that 'the study also found that the eastern part of Singapore is a food-lover's paradise, with the highest concentration of acclaimed eateries in East Coast, Changi Village, Bedok and Geylang.'

Hmm...does anyone out there want to beg to differ? I wouldn't call myself a Miss Know-It-All when it comes to food in Singapore, so I'd really like to know what these 'acclaimed eateries' are and what critiera must it have to become 'acclaimed'?

Anyway, if the study is to be believed, I'm not in the 56 per cent 'cos I'm too lazy. Having to spend that amount of time to get somewhere in a small place like Singapore just means it requires too much effort. And if I did do it, that food had better be damn good!