Food

Char siu marinated in gin / Barbecue pork with gin

My dad used to work in sales and his job required him to meet clients around Singapore. This also meant that he could arrange his schedule such that he could either pick me up from or drop me off at school when I was in primary school (depending on whether my classes were in the…

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Food

Asparagus gribiche toast

In Belgium, there is a certain bakery-cafe chain that claims that the tartine is a “signature Belgian open-faced sandwich”. I don’t understand what is characteristically Belgian about a piece of bread with various ingredients piled on top. If you ask me, a Belgian tartine looks like a Norweigian smørbrød or Russian buterbrod! Asparagus, green and white,…

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Food

Not quite char siu

There are some things in life that cannot be rushed – such as stretching in the morning, reading a poem… and making char siu 叉燒. When I was in primary school, my dad would pick me up after class and we would have lunch together. We often went to a nearby kopitiam where my cousin and her…

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Food

Fruitcake cookies with booze

I love alcohol-soaked fruits. My taste for boozy fruits started when I was a kid: Rum and raisin ice-cream was a regular treat after piano classes. Then came along brandied cherries, prunes in armagnac and pears poached in red wine as I got older. I like desserts that combine alcohol and fruits. For instance – black forest…

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