The Little Teochew Cookbook: A Collection of Authentic Chinese Street Foods 9789814634274, 9814634271

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The Little

Teochew Cookbook

A Collection of Authentic Chinese Street Foods

ERIC LOW

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The Little

Teochew Cookbook

Copyright © 2015 Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited Published by Marshall Cavendish Cuisine An imprint of Marshall Cavendish International

All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Request for permission should be addressed to the Publisher, Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited, 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196. Tel: (65) 6213 9300 Fax: (65) 6285 4871 Email: [email protected] Online bookstore: www.marshallcavendish.com/genref Limits of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The Author and Publisher of this book have used their best efforts in preparing this book. The Publisher makes no representation or warranties with respect to the contents of this book and is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe in this book. While the Publisher has reviewed each recipe carefully, the reader may not always achieve the results desired due to variations in ingredients, cooking temperatures and individual cooking abilities. The Publisher shall in no event be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. Other Marshall Cavendish Offices: 99 White Plains Road, Tarrytown NY 10591-9001, USA • Marshall Cavendish International (Thailand) Co Ltd. 253 Asoke, 12th Flr, Sukhumvit 21 Road, Klongtoey Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand • Marshall Cavendish (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Times Subang, Lot 46, Subang Hi-Tech Industrial Park, Batu Tiga, 40000 Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia Marshall Cavendish is a trademark of Times Publishing Limited National Library Board, Singapore Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Low, Eric, author. The little Teochew cookbook : authentic dishes from South East China / Eric Low. – Singapore : Marshall Cavendish Cuisine, 2015. pages cm ISBN : 978-981-4634-27-4 (paperback) 1. Cooking, Chinese. 2. Cookbooks. I. Title. TX724.5.C5 641.5951 -- dc23 OCN908065324 Printed in Singapore by Times Offset (M) Sdn Bhd

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Contents Introduction 4 Street 7 Festive 31 Teochew Porridge 57 Comfort 73 Symbolic Sweets 83 Glossary 98 Weights & Measures 104

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Introduction Teochew cuisine is often described as one of the most underrated in the family of Chinese cuisine. In the 8 major schools of Chinese cuisine, Teochew cuisine is accredited as a sub division of Cantonese cuisine due to its geographical location in the Guangdong province. The cuisine is considered as the healthiest kind of Chinese food available due to its cooking philosophies and eating habits. Traditionally, Teochew cuisine embraces lighter cooking techniques of cooking like poaching, steaming and quick stir-fries. Seasonings are also sparingly used in order to enhance the natural freshness of ingredients during food preparation. As such, dishes are usually prepared with light and clean soup bases instead of complex and robust flavours. Street food is a strong element of Teochew cuisine history as it provides affordable cheap meals and is also readily accessible to all. If one looks closely at the homecooked dishes and hawker foods found along the streets and markets of Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Cambodia, we can see that theses dishes can be traced back to their Teochew roots found back in ChaoShan. In each of the mentioned countries, these Chaoshan dishes have been translated into local versions with their own unique touch of local ingredients and preferred way of eating. Most overseas Teochews communities around the world have kept the cuisine true to its roots back in Chaoshan except in South East Asia, where local spices and interracial interactions have led Teochew cuisine to adopt local ingredients like coconut milk, lemongrass, pandan leaves, ketchup, coriander and cumin spices to create their own blend of street food signatures. Teochew porridge can be classified into two different schools. One is a complete meal on its own that includes meat or seafood or both with vegetables and the other is plain white porridge cooked slightly softer and thicker to be appreciated with pre-cooked dishes and pickles such as salted pork and pickled Sichuan vegetables and the savoury omelette with white bait.

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The Teochews are also well known for their desserts, from the traditional favourites ah balling and tau suan to the likes of muah chee and sugar-glazed yam and sweet potatoes. One of the most unique attributes of Teochew cuisine is that it is the only cuisine in the world that uses a considerable amount of savoury ingredients for sweet dishes and desserts. From pork meat to pork lard, coriander leaves, spring onions, shallots, five-spice powder, fermented red bean curd, quail eggs and radishes, these ingredients are creatively integrated into dessert recipes to give flavour, texture and aromas. There is a growing concern that the younger generation of local chefs are not interested in learning and preparing their heritage foods. As such, I hope that the recipes in this book will truly inspire and encourage both chefs and readers alike to revisit their Teochew roots and embrace their unique Chinese heritages. The amount of support I have received from everyone around me has been extremely heart-warming and it has certainly spurred me on to learn even more about this amazing school of cuisine, and I am really happy to share all that I have learnt in this book.

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Street Chye Tow Kway 8 Or Luak 11 Shantou-style Bak Chor Mee Pok 12 Kway Teow Tng 14 Fried Beef Kway Teow with Sacha Sauce 17 Char Kway Teow with Preserved Radish 18 Ter Kar Png 21 Olive Vegetable Fried Rice 23 Spring Rolls 24 Longevity Noodles with Garlic Chives and Mushrooms 27 Mee Kia Soup with Bottle Gourd, Minced Pork and Dried Shrimp 29

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Chye Tow Kway Serves 4 While the dish is traditionally known as carrot cake, the batter is actually made from grated radish, which is known as bai luo bo or white carrot in English. Hence, the dish became better known as carrot cake instead. A childhood street favourite of mine, there are two versions available in Singapore, white and black carrot cake. The black version is also sometimes known as the market version with the addition of sweet dark soy sauce.

700 g carrot cake batter 50 ml oil or pork lard 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 60 g preserved sweet radish (tian chye poh), soaked in water for 30 minutes, rinsed and drained 4 eggs, lightly beaten 2 tablespoon fish sauce 2 tablespoon sweet dark soy sauce 80 g bean sprouts 40 g Chinese celery 20 g spring onions (scallions), cut into 3-cm lengths 4 tablespoon icing sugar

1. Prepare carrot cake batter. Combine rice flour and cornstarch with 300 ml water in a large bowl. Mix well.

CARROT CAKE BATTER

5. Allow carrot cake batter to cool and chill overnight until set.

175 g rice flour 35 g cornstarch 675 ml water 500 g white radish, coarsely grated 1 tablespoon salt 2 tablespoons fish sauce 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2. In a large heavy bottomed pot, place grated radish, remaining 375 ml water, salt, fish sauce and ground black pepper together. Bring to a boil. 3. Add rice flour mixture, passing mixture through a sieve to remove any lumps. 4. Cook mixture until it thickens into a paste. Transfer to a steaming tray and steam for 1 hour.

6. Take 700 g carrot cake batter and cut into 3-cm strips. Heat oil or pork lard in flat bottomed frying pan and fry carrot cake for 5 minutes. 7. Add chopped garlic, preserved radish and fry for another 2 minutes. 8. Add beaten eggs and scramble lightly. Season carrot cake mixture with fish sauce and sweet dark soy sauce. 9. Add bean sprouts, Chinese celery and spring onions. Stir-fry for 1 minute. 10. Divide cooked carrot cake into 4 serving portions and serve with icing sugar on the side.

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Or Luak Serves 4 Oyster omelette is a popular street food often found especially near Teochew street opera performances. The mandatory ingredient for this dish is pork lard which gives the dish its ultimate fragrance and taste. Good fish sauce as well as fresh oysters are a must too.

6 tablespoons oil or pork lard 120 g oysters, washed and drained 40 g spring onions (scallions), cut into 2-cm lengths 4 eggs 30 g coriander leaves (cilantro)

1. Prepare batter. In a large bowl, combine sweet potato flour and rice flour with water and salt. Mix well and set aside. 2. In a large flat frying pan, heat oil or pork lard until pan is hot. Add oysters and spring onions to batter and mix well.

BATTER

50 g sweet potato flour 20 g rice flour 200 ml water 1 /2 teaspoon salt DIPPING SAUCE

2 tablespoons fish sauce 6 tablespoons water a pinch of ground white pepper

3. Spread batter mixture all around frying pan, adding some extra oil or pork lard if necessary. 4. Allow batter to cook for 2–3 minutes over high heat until the sides turn crispy. Break eggs in and scramble around batter. 5. Flip omelette pieces over and fry until both sides are crispy. 6. Transfer omelette to serving dish and garnish with coriander leaves. 7. Prepare dipping sauce. Combine fish sauce with water and ground white pepper. Serve with oyster omelette.

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Shantou-style Bak Chor Mee Pok Serves 4 Local versions of mee pok have been adapted to local taste with the addition of tomato ketchup and chilli paste. Traditional bak chor mee pok calls for black vinegar and sesame paste as part of the sauce mix, and is still fondly remembered by the many older generations of Singaporeans who tried the authentic Teochew version in the 1950-1960s.

160 g pork loin, sliced 100 g pork liver 400 g fresh flat egg noodles (mee pok), divide into 4 portions 80 g bean sprouts 4 leaves lettuce SHALLOT OIL

300 ml oil 150 g shallots, peeled and thinly sliced DRESSING

2 tablespoons sesame paste 4–5 tablespoons hot water 4 teaspoon fish sauce 4 tablespoons black vinegar 6 tablespoons pork lard or shallot oil DUMPLINGS

200 g minced pork 15 g dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked and diced, stems discarded 10 g dried flat fish (tee poh), deep-fried until crispy and finely ground 1 teaspoon chopped garlic 2 tablespoons fish sauce 1 tablespoon cornstarch + more for sealing 12–16 wonton wrappers egg white, as needed

1. Prepare shallot oil. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry shallots until golden brown. Drain and reserve shallot oil. 2. Prepare dressing. Dilute sesame paste with hot water until a thick sauce is obtained. Combine with fish sauce, black vinegar and pork lard or shallot oil and divide into 4 portions. 3. Prepare dumplings. To make dumplings, mix minced pork with Chinese mushrooms, ground flat fish, garlic, fish sauce and cornstarch. Place 1 teaspoon meat on each wonton wrapper and fold into a triangle. Bring the 2 corners together and seal with some starch mixture or egg white. 4. Repeat until all wrappers are used up. 5. Bring 2 pots of water to a boil. In one pot, blanch pork loin and pork liver for 20–30 seconds until cooked. Set aside. 6. In the second pot, blanch dumplings in boiling water for 5 minutes until cooked. Drain and set aside. 7. In the same pot of water used for dumplings, blanch bean sprouts and each portion of noodles individually for 20–30 seconds. Toss each portion with prepared dressing and top with pre-cooked sliced pork, liver and dumplings. 8. Garnish with lettuce and serve.

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Kway Teow Tng Serves 4 A rice noodle dish that has similar toppings to hawker-style freshly blanched egg noodles but is often served with a soup base and not dry. The most famous district for producing good quality kuey teow tng in Chaozhou is Jie Yang district.

100 g pork loin, sliced thinly 80 g pork liver, sliced thinly 100 g fish cakes, sliced thinly 16 fish balls 20 g spring onions (scallions), diced 80 g bean sprouts 600 g flat rice noodles (kway teow) 10 g crispy garlic bits a pinch of ground white pepper dried flat fish (tee poh), deep-fried until crispy, as needed

1. Prepare soup broth. Combine soup broth ingredients except fish sauce in a large stock pot.

SPRING ONION-FLAVOURED OIL

6. Prepare spring onion-flavoured oil. Heat 4 tablespoons oil and add diced spring onions. Cook until oil is fragrant. Set aside.

4 tablespoons oil 20 g spring onions (scallions), diced SOUP BROTH

1.5 kg pork bones, blanched for 15 minutes 10 g ginger, slightly crushed 20 g preserved winter vegetables (tang chye) 3.5 litres water 2 tablespoons fish sauce

2. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 hours. 3. Drain and discard solids. Season broth with fish sauce. 4. Blanch pork loin and pork liver in prepared stock for 20–30 seconds. Remove and set aside. 5. Add fish cakes and fish balls to stock. Simmer for 10 minutes.

7. In a large pot of boiling water, blanch bean sprouts and rice noodles for 20–30 seconds. Divide into 4 portions. 8. Add pork loin, pork liver, fish cakes and fish balls to serving bowls. 9. Ladle hot soup broth over and add 1 teaspoon spring onion-flavoured oil to each bowl. 10. Garnish with spring onions, crispy garlic bits, ground white pepper and fried flat fish before serving.

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Fried Beef Kway Teow with Sacha Sauce Serves 4 I first experienced this dish in a Teochew restaurant in Hong Kong and found it to be an interesting alternative to the Cantonese version. Sacha sauce is popularly paired with beef in Teochew cuisine and is also the key dipping sauce for ingredients cooked steamboat-style.

8 tablespoons oil 600 g flat rice noodles (kway teow) 120 g kai lan, cut into 3-cm lengths 80 g bean sprouts 3 tablespoons sacha sauce 1 tablespoon sesame oil 50 ml water 1 /2 teaspoon ground white pepper 1 red chilli, sliced

1. Prepare marinade. In a bowl, marinate beef sirloin with ginger juice, light soy sauce and dark soy sauce.

MARINADE

4. Heat remaining 4 tablespoons oil and add rice noodles. Toss and fry for 1–2 minutes.

400 g beef sirloin, cut into 0.5-cm slices 2 tablespoons ginger juice 2 tablespoons light soy sauce 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1 tablespoon cornstarch

2. Add Shaoxing wine, sesame oil and cornstarch and mix well. Allow beef to marinate for 30 minutes. 3. Heat 4 tablespoons oil in wok and lightly sauté beef slices over high heat to seal in juices. Set aside.

5. Add kai lan and bean sprouts and return beef slices to wok. Stir in sacha sauce and toss all ingredients in wok evenly. 6. Season with sesame oil and add water to loosen noodles if it is too dry. Season with ground white pepper. 7. Cook for another 1 minute and transfer to serving dish. 8. Garnish with chilli before serving.

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Char Kway Teow with Preserved Radish Serves 4 Another version of Teochew-style fried kway teow, this dish is also considered the predecessor to Thai pad thai due to its similarity in ingredients and seasoning.

5 tablespoons oil or pork lard 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 60 g preserved salted radish (xian chye poh), soaked for 20 minutes and rinsed 600 g flat rice noodles (kway teow) 4 eggs 40 g Chinese sausage, sliced into 2-cm strips 120 g kai lan, shredded 60 g bean sprouts 2 tablespoons fish sauce 50 ml water 1 /2 teaspoon ground white pepper

1. Heat 4 tablespoons oil or pork lard in wok and sauté garlic and preserved radish until fragrant. Add rice noodles and stir-fry for 2 minutes. 2. Shift noodles to one side of wok. Add remaining tablespoon of oil or pork lard. Break eggs into wok and scramble lightly. Return noodles back to centre of wok over scrambled egg mixture. 3. Add Chinese sausage, kai lan and bean sprouts. Fry noodles over high heat. 4. Mix fish sauce with water. Season noodles with fish sauce mixture and ground white pepper. Mix well. 5. Dish out and serve.

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Ter Kar Png Serves 4 Pork trotter rice is definitely one of the most significant and memorable comfort foods for me especially during the years when I was cooking in Europe and the United States. Prepared every homecoming, this is one of the must-eat dishes, whether off the streets or cooked at home.

1 whole pork trotter (900 g–1.2 kg), blanched in hot water for 15 minutes 4 hard-boiled eggs 400 g cooked rice coriander leaves (cilantro), to garnish white sesame seeds, to garnish 160 g pickled mustard greens garlic chilli vinegar, as needed GRAVY

2 tablespoons oil 8 cloves garlic 10 g ginger, bruised 1 cinnamon stick 2 star anise 6 cloves 1 tablespoon white peppercorns 1 Tsaoko cardamom (cao guo) 200 ml light soy sauce 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce 1 tablespoon sugar 1 litre water

1. Prepare gravy. Heat oil in a braising pot and sauté garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add cinnamon, star anise, cloves, white peppercorns, cardamom and cook for another 2 minutes. 2. Place pork trotter into braising pot. Add light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar and water. 3. Braise trotter for 90 minutes until a chopstick can be inserted easily. Add hard-boiled eggs in the last 15 minutes of braising. 4. To serve, debone trotter and slice up meat and tendons. Divide cooked rice among 4 serving plates. 5. Place portioned trotter meat on each plate. Cut half-boiled eggs into halves and add to plate. 6. Garnish with coriander leaves. Sprinkle white sesame seeds on pickled mustard greens. 7. Serve pork trotter rice with pickled mustard greens and garlic chilli vinegar. If unavailable, pork trotters can be substituted with a similar amount of pork belly. The gravy can also be used to braise hard-boiled eggs, bean curd, peanuts and even radishes.

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Olive Vegetable Fried Rice Serves 4 One of the most memorable versions I had was prepared by a hawker in Bangkok’s Chinatown. She used pickled olive vegetable to flavour the fried rice and I have been hooked onto this ingredient since then. The unique flavour has no substitute and that to me is what vegemite is to Australians.

4 tablespoons oil 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped 120 g long beans, diced 200 g minced pork, blanched for 5 minutes and drained 2 tablespoons pickled olive vegetable 600 g cooked rice 1 /2 teaspoon ground white pepper 30 g dried shrimps (hae bee), lightly fried in oil coriander leaves (cilantro), to garnish bird’s eye chilli, thinly sliced, to garnish

1. Heat oil in a wok and sauté garlic until fragrant. Add long beans and cook for 2 minutes. 2. Add minced pork, pickled olive vegetable and cooked rice to wok. 3. Season with ground white pepper and fry over high heat for 5 minutes. 4. Dish out and garnish with crispy dried shrimps, coriander leaves and bird’s eye chilli before serving.

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Teochew Spring Rolls

Makes 20–25 large spring rolls

Teochew spring rolls are uniquely different from other spring rolls as they come with mung bean fillings. Yellow mung beans are steamed and cooked with mushrooms, dried shrimps, salted pork and fragrant Chinese leeks to form the filling. It is then wrapped with freshly made spring roll wrappers and deep-fried till crispy. Teochew spring rolls are usually eaten with kumquat oil as a dipping sauce.

25 large spring roll wrappers 2 tablespoons flour water, as needed oil for deep-frying FILLING

500 g dried yellow mung beans, washed and soaked for 6 hours or overnight 4 tablespoons oil 100 g Chinese leeks, sliced finely 70 g dried shrimps (hae bee), washed and drained 30 g dried Chinese mushrooms, washed, soaked and diced 150 g minced pork 3 tablespoons fish sauce 1 teaspoon five-spice powder 1 /2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 tablespoon sugar GARNISH

lettuce kumquat oil

1. Prepare filling. Steamed soaked mung beans for 30–40 minutes until softened. Check by tasting a few grains. 2. Heat oil in a wok and sauté Chinese leeks, dried shrimps and Chinese mushrooms until fragrant. Add minced pork and cook for another 2 minutes. Add steamed mung beans and toss evenly. 3. Season with fish sauce. Add five-spice powder, ground black pepper and sugar. Allow filling to cool before using. 4. Place 2–3 tablespoons filling on each spring roll wrapper and fold corners inwards. 5. Mix flour with water to form paste. 6. Roll up spring roll and seal wrapper with some flour paste. 7. Heat oil to about 160°C or when gentle bubbles form with a pair of bamboo chopsticks. Deep-fry spring rolls until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. 8. Serve spring rolls with lettuce and kumquat sauce.

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Longevity Noodles with Garlic Chives and Mushrooms Serves 4 Kucai char xiu mee is a simple street-style fried noodle dish. Teochew hawkers simply love to add garlic chives into any fried noodle dish as they believe that doing so not only enhances the garlicky fragrance of the dish, but also adds more colour to its appearance as well.

200 g pork loin, sliced into strips 1 tablespoon oyster sauce 1 tablespoon sesame oil 2 teaspoons cornstarch 400 g dried longevity noodles 6 tablespoons oil 2 eggs, beaten 35 ml fish sauce 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 30 g dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked and sliced, stems discarded 150 g garlic chives (kucai) 100 g bean sprouts 200 ml water a pinch of ground white pepper

1. Marinate pork loin with oyster sauce and sesame oil. Add cornstarch and set aside. 2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Blanch noodles for 5–6 minutes. Refresh in cold water, drain and set aside. 3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a non-stick frying pan. Season beaten egg with 1 teaspoon fish sauce. Pour egg mixture into frying pan and make a thin omelette. 4. Allow omelette to cool. Roll omelette and slice into thin strips. 5. Heat remaining 4 tablespoons oil in pan and sauté garlic until fragrant. Add marinated pork loin and cook briefly for 2 minutes. 6. Add Chinese mushrooms, garlic chives and bean sprouts. Mix well. Return noodles to wok and add water. Cook briefly, season noodles with remaining 3 tablespoons fish sauce and ground white pepper. Toss evenly and transfer to serving dish. 7. Garnish with omelette strips and serve.

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Mee Kia Soup with Bottle Gourd, Minced Pork and Dried Shrimp Serves 4 In the early days of Singapore’s history, old Clarke Quay and Robertson Walk were food havens for Teochew coolies. The bottle squash is one of the most affordable vegetables to cook with and in those early days of poverty, enjoying a bowl of noodles made with dried shrimp stock was simply heavenly and was also a strong comfort food for the coolies.

2 tablespoons oil 60 g dried shrimps (hae bee) 1.5 litres unseasoned chicken stock 200 g minced pork 400 g bottle gourd squash, cut into 2-cm cubes 4 tablespoons fish sauce a pinch of ground white pepper 480 g fresh fine egg noodles (mee kia) GARNISH

30 g preserved winter vegetables (tang chye) 10 g coriander leaves (cilantro) 2 sprigs spring onions (scallions), diced

1. Heat oil in a stock pot and sauté dried shrimps until fragrant. 2. Add unseasoned chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add minced pork and bottle gourd squash. Simmer for 20 minutes. 3. Season soup stock with fish sauce and ground white pepper. 4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Divide noodles into 4 portions and blanch each portion in boiling water for 20–30 seconds. Drain and transfer to serving bowl. 5. Ladle hot soup broth and ingredients over. Garnish with preserved winter vegetables, coriander leaves and spring onions. Fresh egg noodles can be replaced with fine vermicelli or flat rice noodles.

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Festive Soon Kueh 32 Png Kueh 34 Kucai Kueh 37 Chwee Kueh 39 Orh Kueh 40 Black Olive Minced Pork Longevity Noodles 43 Sweet and Savoury Glutinous Rice 44 Dumpling Soup 46 Steamed Meat Dumplings 49 Glutinous Rice Rolls 50 Ngoh Hiang 52 Sweet and Savoury Rice Dumplings 54

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Soon Kueh Makes 30 dumplings A great way to start breakfast, I simply love the combination of bamboo shoots and radish or bang kwang as we call it in Teochew. The crescent-shaped soon kueh with its delicate skin is also considered to be one of the three most significant Teochew dumplings.

sweet dark soy sauce, as needed

4. Mix extra 50 g rice starch with 600 ml water in a stock pot and add salt. Bring to a boil.

FILLING

4 tablespoons oil 50 g dried shrimps (hae bee), soaked and coarsely ground 30 g dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked and diced 500 g yam beans (bang kwang), grated 250 g winter bamboo shoots, finely sliced 100 g carrots, finely sliced 1 /2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon sugar 2 tablespoons fish sauce DOUGH

200 g rice starch 100 g tapioca flour + more for dusting 600 ml water 1 teaspoon salt 300 ml boiled water, cooled to room temperature banana leaves, as needed

5. Pour boiled water into rice and tapioca starch mixture. Mix flour quickly with a wooden spoon until a dough is formed. 6. Turn dough out onto a cool surface lightly dusted with tapioca flour. Dust hands with flour and knead dough for 15 minutes until smooth. Divide dough into 30 dough balls and cover with damp towel. 7. Fill each dough ball with 2–3 tablespoons of prepared filling. Fold dough over to obtain a crescent shaped dough. Repeat for remaining ingredients. 8. Crimp edges of soon kueh using fingers or a curry puff mould. 9. Steam on banana leaves or oil-brushed steaming trays for 10 minutes over low simmering heat. 10. Alternatively, pan-fry in a skillet until crisp.

1. Prepare filling. Heat oil in a frying pan and cook dried shrimps until fragrant. Add Chinese mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes.

11. Serve with sweet dark soy sauce on the side.

2. Stir in yam beans, bamboo shoots and carrots and cook for another 10 minutes. Season with salt, sugar and fish sauce. Set filling aside to cool completely before use. 3. Prepare dough. Mix 150 g rice starch and tapioca flour in a large bowl.

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Png Kueh Makes 30 rice cakes Png kueh is my personal favourite because of its unique combination of ingredients. It is essentially a complete dumpling recipe with rice, meat and vegetables fillings. The best way to eat this rice dumpling is to have it lightly pan-fried till crispy, then dipped in sweet dark soy sauce. The colour of the glutinous rice cakes can be pink or white depending on whether they are served during festive or funeral occasions.

sweet dark soy sauce, as needed FILLING

500 g glutinous rice, soaked for 6 hours and drained 3 tablespoons shallot oil (page 12) 8 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked, trimmed and diced 60 g dried shrimps (hae bee), rinsed and coarsely ground 150 g pork belly, cut into 2-cm strips 100 g Chinese leeks, sliced 30 g Chinese celery, chopped 150 g dried peanuts, soaked overnight and pressure-cooked for 20 minutes 2 tablespoons fish sauce 1 teaspoon ground white pepper 1 tablespoon concentrated chicken stock DOUGH

1 drop pink food colouring banana leaves, as needed oil, as needed

3. Lightly season pork belly and add to pan. Cook until pork is done and add Chinese leeks and Chinese celery. Remove from heat. 4. Flake steamed glutinous rice with a fork. Add steamed glutinous rice and peanuts to filling mixture. Season filling with fish sauce, ground white pepper and concentrated chicken stock. Set aside. 5. Prepare dough (page 32). Add pink food colouring together with salt according to step 5. 6. Dust png kueh mould with a little rice starch. Roll dough out and place loosely over mould. 7. Press 2–3 tablespoons of prepared filling into dough gently, then flip to cover top. Seal by pressing the top gently with your fingers. Turn mould over and press down on work surface. 8. Unmould kueh by gently knocking mould. Trim excess dough with a knife. 9. Line steaming tray with banana leaves and bring water to a boil.

1. Prepare filling. Place glutinous rice on a steaming tray. Add sufficient water such that amount of water is level with rice. Steam for 1 hour.

10. Arrange png kueh on banana leaves and steam for 15 minutes over low heat. Brush some oil on png kueh when cooked.

2. Heat shallot oil in a frying pan and add Chinese mushrooms and dried shrimps. Cook until fragrant.

12. Serve with sweet dark soy sauce on the side.

11. Alternatively, pan-fry in a skillet until crisp.

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Kucai Kueh Makes 30 dumplings Garlic chives or kucai as it is known in Teochew is one of the most beloved ingredients in this cuisine as it elevates the overall taste and aroma of many dishes with bland ingredients. Kucai kueh tastes even better when the has been pan-fried lightly. The high temperature of the pan-fry draws out more intense flavours of the garlic chives, making the dumplings more fragrant.

sweet dark soy sauce, as needed FILLING

4 tablespoons oil 50 g dried shrimps (hae bee), soaked and coarsely ground 30 g dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked and diced 150 g garlic chives (kucai), cut into 2-cm lengths 1 /2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon sugar 2 tablespoons fish sauce 1 /2 teaspoon baking soda DOUGH

banana leaves, as needed

1. Prepare filling. Heat oil in a frying pan and cook dried shrimps until fragrant. Add Chinese mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes. 2. Stir in garlic chives and cook for another 2–3 minutes. 3. Season with salt, sugar and fish sauce. Add baking soda and mix well. Set filling aside to cool completely before use. 4. Prepare dough (page 32). Roll each dough ball into a round piece. Fill each dough ball with 2–3 tablespoons of prepared fillings. Fold into round pieces and steam on banana leaves or oil-brushed steaming trays for 10 minutes over low simmering heat. 5. Alternatively, pan-fry in a skillet until crisp. 6. Serve with sweet dark soy sauce on the side.

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Chwee Kueh Serves 4 The simplest form of rice cakes with a savoury topping. I love chwee kueh primarily because the simple rice cake can be eaten with any topping and ingredient. As a kid, I would have this every weekend with extra preserved radish topping and I love the rustic idea of having chwee kueh wrapped in cellophane coated brown wrapping paper.

1 tablespoon sesame seeds spring onions (scallions), as needed

1. Prepare rice cakes. In a bowl, combine rice flour, cornstarch, wheat starch and salt together. Add 600 ml water and mix well.

RICE CAKES

350 g rice flour 40 g cornstarch 15 g wheat starch 1 teaspoon salt 1.3 litres water RADISH TOPPING

8 tablespoons oil 20 g minced garlic 60 g shallots, finely diced 200 g preserved salted radish (xian chye poh), diced and soaked in water for 20 minutes 20 g dried shrimps (hae bee), finely grounded 2 tablespoons light soy sauce 11/2 tablespoons sugar

2. Bring remaining 700 ml water to a boil. 3. Add 700 ml boiled water to starch mixture. Whisk until mixture is smooth. 4. Pour starch mixture into individual steaming cups. Steam for 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely. 5. Prepare radish topping. Heat oil in a pan and sauté garlic and shallots until fragrant. Drain preserved radish and add to pan. Cook briefly for 5 minutes. Add dried shrimps and mix well. 6. Cook preserved radish mixture for 10 minutes. Season with light soy sauce and sugar. Cook for another 10 minutes. 7. To serve, steam cooled rice cakes for 5 minutes over low heat. Unmould with a bread knife and serve with prepared radish topping. 8. Garnish with sesame seeds and spring onions before serving.

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Orh Kueh Serves 10 It has always been difficult to accredit these yam cakes to either Cantonese or Teochew cuisine. Over the years, I have been looking for the right balance between cake and sauce. I finally found the inspiration after tasting it from a hawker from Bukit Mertajam which is a Teochew enclave up north in West Malaysia.

YAM CAKE

200 g rice flour 50 g cornstarch 1.25 litres water 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon five-spice powder 250 g Thai yam, shredded or diced 1 teaspoon alkaline water SAUCE

2 tablespoons sesame paste 200 ml hot water 300 g sweet bean paste 4 tablespoons sesame oil 2 tablespoons shrimp paste (hae ko) TOPPING

4 tablespoons oil 70 g dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked and diced 100 g dried shrimps (hae bee), coarsely chopped and rinsed 250 g dried Chinese sausages, diced 4 sprigs spring onions (scallions), finely diced toasted sesame seeds, as needed fried shallots, as needed red chillies, sliced thinly, as needed

1. Prepare yam cake. In a large mixing bowl, combine rice flour and cornstarch together. 2. Add water and season to taste with sugar, salt and five-spice powder. Add shredded or diced yam and alkaline water. Mix well. 3. Bring starch mixture to a boil and transfer to steaming mould. Steam for 45 minutes until cooked. 4. Allow yam cake to cool down slightly before removing from mould and slicing into serving sizes. 5. Prepare sauce. Mix sesame paste with a small amount of hot water until smooth. Gradually add the remaining hot water in and mix well. 6. Add sweet bean paste, sesame oil and shrimp paste. Mix well. 7. Prepare topping. Heat oil in a pan and sauté Chinese mushrooms, dried shrimps and Chinese sausages until fragrant. Spoon over yam cake and garnish with spring onions, sesame seeds, fried shallots and red chilli. 8. Serve with prepared sauce.

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Black Olive Minced Pork Longevity Noodles Serves 4 My Italian inspired version of ‘Teochew bolognese” is flavoured with salted native black olives, otherwise know as ou lam. I have chosen to pair it with thicker rice noodles and fresh cucumber and carrots garnish, an inspiration taken from zha jiang mian or Beijingstyle noodles with minced pork topping.

500 g longevity noodles MINCED MEAT SAUCE

70 ml oil 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 500 g minced pork 50 g black olives, diced 50 ml light soy sauce 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce 500 ml water 1 tablespoon sugar cornstarch, as needed

1. Prepare sauce. Heat oil in a wok and sauté garlic until fragrant. Add minced pork and cook briefly. Stir in black olives and cook for another 2 minutes. 2. Add light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and water. Bring to a boil and simmer briefly. Season to taste with sugar. Adjust consistency of sauce with cornstarch if necessary. 3. In a large pot of boiling water, blanch noodles and divide into serving bowls. 4. Top each bowl with minced meat sauce and garnish.

GARNISH

200 g cucumber, sliced finely 100 g carrots, shred finely 60 g compressed bean curd with pickled mustard greens and peanuts (page 59) coriander leaves (cilantro), as needed

Minced meat topping can also be stir-fried with long beans and steamed tofu or paired with cucumbers and lettuce in wraps and served as quick snacks.

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Sweet and Savoury Glutinous Rice Serves 4 A recipe faced with the threat of extinction as many older generation of hawkers have decided to retire. The Teochew version of this dish has an intriguing combination of both sweet and salty. The savoury portion is often differentiated with the sprinkling of peanuts, crushed fried shallots, garlic and pork cracklings.

600 g white glutinous rice, soaked for 6 hours and drained 1 teaspoon salt 100 g peanuts, soaked overnight and pressurecooked for 20 minutes oil for deep-frying 10 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped 4 tablespoons fried shallots 4 tablespoons pork lard cracklings, coarsely chopped 4 tablespoons sugar water, as needed

1. Divide glutinous rice between 2 steaming trays. Add sufficient water such that amount of water is level with rice. 2. Add salt and peanuts to 1 tray. Steam both trays of rice for 1 hour. 3. Melt sugar with some water and add to the other tray of rice when cooked. Mix well and set aside. 4. Heat oil for deep-frying in a wok. Fry garlic until fragrant and crisp. 5. To serve, combine both sweet and savoury glutinous rice side by side on serving plate. 6. Garnish savoury portion with fried garlic, fried shallots and pork lard crackling. Serve.

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Dumpling Soup Serves 4 While many may consider Teochew and Cantonese dumplings to be similar, Teochew dumplings stand out by replacing their meat fillings with bamboo shoots and mushrooms and also the addition of fried flat fish. Paired with a clear sweet broth, Teochew dumpling soup is also vastly different from the Cantonese preference of using rich meat bones to flavour their soup.

24 wonton wrappers 1.5 litres unseasoned chicken stock 2 tablespoons concentrated chicken stock 4–8 lettuce leaves 20 g dried seaweed 40 g bean sprouts, blanched for 20 seconds 15 g preserved winter vegetables (tang chye) dried flat fish (tee poh), deep-fried until crispy, as needed

1. Prepare filling. In a mixing bowl, combine minced pork and Chinese mushrooms with bamboo shoots and ground flat fish.

FILLING

4. Bring unseasoned chicken stock to a boil and season with concentrated chicken stock.

500 g minced pork (70:30 lean to fat ratio) 30 g dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked and diced 150 g winter bamboo shoots 15 g dried flat fish (tee poh), deep-fried and ground 3 tablespoons fish sauce 1 /2 teaspoon ground white pepper 1 tablespoon sesame oil

2. Add fish sauce, ground white pepper, sesame oil and mix well. Spoon 1 tablespoon mixture on each wonton wrapper and fold to seal sides. Make 24 dumplings with prepared fillings. 3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Blanch dumplings in boiling water for 5–7 minutes.

5. Divide lettuce, seaweed and blanched bean sprouts among 4 bowls. Add blanched dumplings and preserved winter vegetables. Ladle hot soup over. 6. Garnish with deep-fried flat fish. Alternatively, this dish can also be served dry. Simply toss the dumplings in the same dressing ingredients as the Shantou-style bak chor mee (page 12).

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Steamed Meat Dumplings Makes 24 dumplings White dumpling skins are preferred for Teochew steamed dumplings and it comes with a simple filling of meat, mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Unlike Cantonese versions, the Teochews prefer to top their meat dumplings with salted egg yolk instead of crab roe.

FILLING

500 g minced pork (70:30 lean to fat ratio) 30 g dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked and diced 150 g winter bamboo shoots, chopped 15 g dried flat fish (tee poh), deep-fried and ground 3 tablespoons fish sauce 1 /2 teaspoon ground white pepper 1 tablespoon sesame oil 24 wonton wrappers GARNISH

cooked salted egg yolk, coarsely diced

1. Prepare filling. In a mixing bowl, combine minced pork and Chinese mushrooms with bamboo shoots and ground flat fish. 2. Add fish sauce, ground white pepper, sesame oil and mix well. Spoon 1 tablespoon filling on the centre of each wonton wrapper. Gather up the sides of the wonton wrapper and leave centre open. Make 24 dumplings with prepared fillings. 3. Steam dumplings over high heat for 15 minutes. 4. Garnish with diced salted egg yolk before serving.

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Glutinous Rice Rolls Serves 4 Glutinous rice rolls, also known as kwang jiang, are hardly available in restaurants and hawkers these days and can only be found in the home kitchen. There are a few variations for the stuffing, from yam shreds to peanuts or glutinous rice. This makes for an excellent snack and is often one of the popular items for festive occasions like Chinese New Year and temple celebrations.

500 g glutinous rice, soaked for 6 hours and drained 2 large sheets bean skin wrappers oil for cooking 1 sprig coriander leaf (cilantro) FILLING

3 tablespoons shallot oil (page 12) 8 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked and diced 60 g dried shrimps (hae bee), rinsed and coarsely ground 80 g Chinese sausage, diced 30 g Chinese celery, chopped 150 g dried peanuts, soaked overnight and pressure-cooked for 20 minutes 2 tablespoons fish sauce 1 teaspoon ground white pepper 1 tablespoon concentrated chicken stock

1. Place glutinous rice on a steaming tray. Add sufficient water such that amount of water is level with rice. Steam for 1 hour. 2. Prepare filling. Heat shallot oil in a saucepan. Add Chinese mushrooms, dried shrimps, Chinese sausage, Chinese celery and cook until fragrant. Remove from heat. 3. Flake steamed glutinous rice with a fork. Add steamed glutinous rice and peanuts to filling. Season filling with fish sauce, ground white pepper and concentrated chicken stock. Set aside. 4. Cut bean skin wrappers into 9 x 9-in sheets. Place 5–6 tablespoons fillings on each sheet and roll into a spring roll. 5. Steam rice rolls for 15 minutes. Allow rolls to cool completely before handling. 6. Slice rolls into 1.5-cm slices. Pan-fry in hot oil until golden brown. 7. Garnish with coriander leaf and serve hot. As the cheaper bean skin wrappers can be rather salty, be sure to wipe both sides of wrapper with a damp cloth before using to remove excess salt on the surface.

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Ngoh Hiang Serves 8–10 Hokkien or Teochew? My take is that this dish was adapted from Hokkien cuisine and refined by Teochew chefs. The Teochew version of this dish has a more balanced meat to yam ratio. Some recipes call for the meat rolls to be pre-steamed if made in large batches. Meat rolls of a smaller size can be deep-fried directly without going through the steaming process, which results in a slightly more moist texture.

oil for deep-frying potato starch or cornstarch, as needed 2 sprigs coriander leaves (cilantro), to garnish MEAT ROLLS

1 kg minced pork, coarsely ground 3 tablespoons corn starch 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons five-spice powder 3 tablespoons concentrated chicken stock 60 g Chinese celery, diced 200 g yam, diced 200 g water chestnuts, coarsely diced bean curd sheets for wrapping DIPPING SAUCE

6–8 red chillies, coarsely minced 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 2 tablespoons sugar 4 tablespoons calamansi lime juice 1 rojak flower (bunga kantan), chopped 150 ml water

1. Prepare meat rolls. Combine ingredients for meat rolls except bean curd sheets in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Cut sheets according to preferred size and remove excess salt with a clean damp cloth. 2. Place enough filling on each sheet and roll outwards, tucking in the sides. Keep meat rolls refrigerated until ready to use. 3. Prepare dipping sauce. Using an electric mixer, blend all ingredients for dipping sauce together. Allow sauce to mellow for 1 hour before serving . 4. Heat oil for deep-frying in a wok. Dust each roll with some potato starch or cornstarch and deep-fry until golden brown. Drain excess oil on paper towels and slice meat rolls into serving sizes. 5. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with prepared dipping sauce.

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Sweet and Savoury Rice Dumplings Makes 12–15 dumplings The main difference between Teochew rice dumplings and other rice dumplings is the balance of sweet and salty together with rice that is not tainted with dark soy sauce. Teochew cooks love to add red bean paste or lotus seed paste, both of which are sweet and work well to complement the savoury fillings of the dumplings.

30–35 bamboo leaves FILLING

500 g pork shoulder collar, sliced 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons five-spice powder 300 g red or yellow bean paste (tau sar) 100 g pork caul fat 400 g lotus seeds 100 g dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked and cut into halves, stems discarded 200 g Chinese sausages, sliced thickly 200 g dried shrimps (hae bee), soaked RICE

4 tablespoons oil 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 700–800 g glutinous rice, soaked in water for 6 hours

1. Prepare filling. Marinate pork shoulder with dark soy sauce, salt and five-spice powder. 2. Soak bamboo leaves in cold water overnight or blanch in boiling water for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool, then wipe dry. 3. Divide bean paste into 12–15 portions. Wrap each ball of bean paste with a small piece of pork caul fat. 4. Prepare rice. Heat oil and fry garlic until fragrant. Add to pre-soaked glutinous rice. 5. Divide glutinous rice into 12–15 portions. 6. Take 1 broad bamboo leaf or 2 bamboo leaves and fold from the centre to form a cone. Line sides of bamboo leaf cone with 2 tablespoons glutinous rice. 7. Spoon assorted fillings over rice, pressing down to pack tightly. Ensure that each dumpling contains both sweet and savoury fillings. Top with more glutinous rice. Fold leaf over. Tie dumpling tightly with raffia string. 8. Tie dumplings in groups of 10 and boil in rapidly boiling water for 3–31/2 hours. Test doneness by unwrapping one dumpling to check if glutinous rice is cooked. Continue to boil dumplings for another 30 minutes if they are not ready before checking again. 9. Hang dumplings for 1–2 hours after cooking to drip dry.

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Teochew Porridge Compressed Bean curd with Pickled Mustard Greens 59 Salted Pork with Pickled Sichuan Vegetables 60 Long Beans with Black Olives 63 Stuffed Compressed Bean curd with Black Bean Sauce 64 Kai Lan with Crispy Flat Fish 66 Omelette with White Bait 69 Poh Leng Tau Kwa 70

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Compressed Bean curd with Pickled Mustard Greens Serves 10 The inspiration for this dish came from my experiences travelling to various cities of China where restaurants serve little plates of cold appetisers. These appetisers not only tease the palate before the start of a meal, but are also a great accompaniment to plain porridge as the key ingredients complements the bland nature of Teochew muay.

60 g pickled mustard greens (gong chye) oil for deep-frying 2 pieces compressed bean curd (tau kwa), cut into 2-cm cubes 100 g whole peanuts, soaked overnight and pressure-cooked for 30 minutes 2 Japanese cucumbers, cut into 2-cm cubes 1 red chilli, sliced 2 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds DRESSING

2 tablespoons sugar 4 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 2 tablespoons chilli oil 3 tablespoons sesame oil TEOCHEW PORRIDGE

300 g jasmine rice, washed 1.5 litres water + more if desired

1. Drain pickling juice from pickle mustard greens and place them in a large mixing bowl. 2. Heat sufficient oil for deep-frying in a wok. Deep-fry compressed bean curd until golden. 3. Add deep-fried bean curd, peanuts, cucumbers and red chillies to mixing bowl. 4. Prepare dressing. Combine all ingredients for dressing in a bowl and stir well. 5. Pour dressing over peanuts, bean curd, cucumbers and chillies. Toss evenly and allow salad to chill for 1 hour. 6. Garnish salad with sesame seeds and serve chilled with Teochew porridge. 7. Prepare teochew porridge. Place washed rice in a large stock pot. Add water and bring to a boil. 8. Simmer for 20–30 minutes depending on preferred texture of grains. 9. Add extra water as desired as plain porridge should be served with extra gruel. The flavours of the salad would be further developed if it was chilled in the refrigerator for a day before consuming. The salad can also served as a topping over chilled somen noodles.

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Salted Pork with Pickled Sichuan Vegetables Serves 4 This dish gets its unique flavour from pickled Sichuan vegetables and besides being a regular favourite with Teochew porridge, is also used as fillings for steamed buns.

400 g pork loin, sliced into strips 2 tablespoons fish sauce 1 teaspoon sugar 2 tablespoons sesame oil 2 tablespoons cornstarch 4 tablespoons oil 10 g chopped garlic 60 g pickled Sichuan vegetables, soaked for 20 minutes and cut into strips 1 red chilli, sliced 15 g spring onions (scallions), cut into 2-cm lengths toasted sesame seeds, to garnish

1. Marinate pork loin with fish sauce, sugar, sesame oil and cornstarch. 2. Heat oil in a frying pan and sauté garlic until fragrant. Add marinated pork loin and pickled Sichuan vegetables. Cook briefly. When pork is almost cooked, add red chilli and cook for another minute. 3. Garnish with spring onions and toasted sesame seeds and serve with Teochew porridge (page 59).

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Long Beans with Black Olives Serves 4 Great contrast of textures against porridge or rice, this dish which contains crunchy long beans cooked with salty black olives are one of the best accompaniments for Teochew porridge and can also be used as a topping over rice vermicelli noodles as well.

4 tablespoons oil 10 g chopped garlic 100 g minced pork 300 g long beans, cut into 1-cm lengths 2 tablespoons black olives 1 teaspoon sugar a pinch of ground white pepper fried garlic bits, to garnish bird’s eye chilli, to garnish

1. Heat oil in a wok and sauté garlic until fragrant. Add minced pork and cook for 1 minute. 2. Stir in long beans and add black olives. Cook briefly. 3. Season with sugar and ground white pepper and mix well. 4. Garnish with fried garlic bits and bird’s eye chilli and serve with Teochew porridge (page 59). Long beans can be substituted with Kenya beans or sugar snap peas.

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Stuffed Compressed Bean curd with Black Bean GravyServes 4 Hakkas have a slight influence on Teochew cuisine as there is a huge enclave of Hakka settlers who were traditionally northern Chinese people at the west of the border with Guangzhou. I love the idea of stuffing the meat into the delicate bean curd and lightly panfrying or deep-frying them before cooking them with Teochew fermented black beans.

2 large pieces compressed bean curd (tau kwa) 200 g minced pork or beef 40 g water chestnuts, diced 2 tablespoons fish sauce 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1 tablespoon cornstarch 2 tablespoons oil BLACK BEAN GRAVY

10 g garlic, diced 10 g fermented black beans, diced 200 ml unseasoned chicken stock 2 tablespoons Puning fermented bean sauce (tau cheo) 1 teaspoon sugar 2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 4 tablespoons water 1 red chilli, sliced thinly 10 g spring onions (scallions), cut into 0.5-cm lengths 10 g Chinese celery, diced

1. Cut each piece of compressed bean curd into 4 triangles. Make a slit in the middle of each piece on the longest side of the bean curd. 2. Combine minced pork or beef with water chestnuts in a bowl. Season with fish sauce, sesame oil and cornstarch. 3. Stuff a small portion of meat into each piece of bean curd via the slit. 4. Heat oil in a wok and deep-fry bean curd until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and set aside. 5. Prepare black bean gravy. Reheat wok and sauté garlic until fragrant. Add black beans and unseasoned chicken stock. Bring to a boil and add fermented bean sauce and sugar. Return deep-fried bean curd to braise in sauce for 5 minutes. 6. Thicken sauce slightly with cornstarch and add red chilli, spring onions and Chinese celery. Mix well. 7. Serve with Teochew porridge (page 59). Minced meat stuffing can be substituted with ground fish or shrimp.

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Kai Lan with Crispy Flat Fish Serves 4 The slightly bitter taste of kai lan cooked with crispy flat fish gives the dish a distinctive aroma that tones down the raw green taste of the vegetables. The light seasoning of fish sauce adds that much needed umami and helps to bring out the unique flavour of the dish.

3 tablespoons oil 10 g ginger, sliced finely 250 g kai lan 2 tablespoons fish sauce

1. Heat oil in a wok and sauté ginger until fragrant. Add kai lan and fry briefly. 2. Season vegetables with fish sauce and sugar. Toss in crispy flat fish pieces and cook briefly.

1

/2 teaspoon sugar 30 g dried flat fish (tee poh), deep-fried and cut into 1-cm pieces

3. Serve with Teochew porridge (page 59).

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Omelette with White Bait Serves 4 This dish is just one of the many variations of cooking omelettes in Teochew cuisine. Fine dried white bait is mixed into egg batter, which is then fried in pork lard to achieve the ultimate fragrance. This dish is a great accompaniment with both rice and plain porridge.

80 g dried white bait 8 tablespoons oil or pork lard 10 g garlic, chopped 6 eggs, beaten 1 /2 teaspoon ground white pepper 1 sprig spring onion (scallion), diced

1. Rinse dried white bait. Soak in water for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside. 2. Heat 4 tablespoons oil or pork lard in a wok and fry garlic until fragrant. Add white bait and cook briefly. Transfer mixture to beaten eggs. 3. Mix well and season with ground white pepper. Mix in diced spring onions. 4. Heat remaining 4 tablespoons oil in wok. Pour half of egg batter and fry until omelette is golden. Drain on paper towels and set aside. 5. Prepare second omelette with remaining egg batter. 6. Serve omelette with steamed rice or Teochew porridge (page 59).

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Poh Leng Tau Kwa Serves 4 For many years, Puning has been well known for soybean related products. Fermented bean sauce and tau kwa are just two of the key items. The bean curd made here is generally softer, less salty and smoother than those made elsewhere. It also has a distinctive soybean note due to the quality and amount of beans used to make it.

oil for deep-frying 4 pieces compressed bean curd (tau kwa) GARLIC CHIVES DIP

20 g garlic chives (kucai), cut into 0.5-cm lengths 100 ml water 1 teaspoon fish sauce

1. Heat oil for deep-frying in a wok. 2. Cut bean curd horizontally into halves and cut diagonally to obtain 8 triangles. 3. Prepare garlic chives dip. Combine garlic chives with water and fish sauce. Set aside. 4. Deep-fry bean curd in hot oil until golden brown. Serve with garlic chives dip. 5. Serve bean curd with Teochew porridge (page 59).

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Comfort Opera Porridge 74 Oyster Porridge 76 Fish Porridge 79 Heng Sway Muay 80

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Opera Porridge Serves 4 As the name implies, hee pair muay was sold in hawker stalls during the heyday of Teochew street operas. The hawkers would travel with the performing troupes around the island and business was brisk as good performing troupes could easily attract large audiences. This porridge makes an ideal supper treat as the opera performances often end quite late in the night.

1.5 litres unseasoned chicken stock 10 g ginger, sliced finely 25 g small dried scallops, rinsed 100 g minced pork 100 g fish cakes, cut into thin strips 20 g dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked and sliced thinly, stems discarded 80 g flowering chives 20 g pickled winter vegetables (tang chye) 80 g prawns, peeled 320 g cooked rice

1. Bring unseasoned chicken stock to a boil in a pot. Add ginger and dried scallops. Simmer for 15 minutes. 2. Add minced pork, fish cakes and Chinese mushrooms to stock. Cook for another 5 minutes. 3. Stir in flowering chives, pickled winter vegetables, prawns and cooked rice. Cook briefly and divide among 4 serving bowls. 4. Serve garnished with Chinese celery, fried garlic bits and fried flat fish pieces.

GARNISH

30 g Chinese celery, diced 10 g fried garlic bits 30 g dried flat fish (tee poh), deep-fried and cut into small pieces

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Oyster Porridge Serves 4 Local oyster porridge is almost non-existent as the most affordable supply of oysters from the Muar river in West Malaysia has gradually dwindled over the years. Fresh imports from other countries were too expensive to be used and many hawkers began selling other types of food. This dish is still available in some Teochew restaurants but is often overshadowed by the more popular fish porridge.

30 g dried seaweed 30 g coriander leaves (cilantro) STOCK

500 g pork or chicken bones, blanched 30 g dried shrimps (hae bee) 20 g old ginger 2 sprigs spring onions (scallions) 3 litres water PORRIDGE

200 g minced pork 30 g pickled winter vegetables (tang chye) 500 g cooked rice 200 g fresh oysters, rinsed 100 g chrysanthemum leaves (tang oh chye) 40 g dried flat fish (tee poh), deep-fried and cut into small pieces fish sauce, to taste ground white pepper, to taste

1. Prepare stock. Place pork or chicken bones, dried shrimps, ginger and spring onions in a large stock pot and add water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hours. Drain stock and discard ingredients. 2. Prepare porridge. In a large pot, bring stock back to a boil. Add minced pork and pickled winter vegetables. Cook briefly. 3. Add cooked rice to stock and bring back to a boil. Add oysters, chrysanthemum leaves and crispy flat fish pieces. Season to taste with fish sauce and ground white pepper. 4. Serve porridge hot with seaweed and coriander leaves.

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Fish Porridge Serves 4 Fish porridge, or herr muay, is one of the most significant porridge in local Teochew cuisine today that is cooked with fish fillets or chopped up pieces of fish head. This porridge can be cooked in the kitchen or sometimes on the dining table with a steam boat. Commonly used fishes for this porridge include pomfret, garoupa, threadfin, Bombay duck and striped Spanish mackerel.

30 g dried seaweed coriander leaves (cilantro), to garnish STOCK

500 g pork or chicken bones, blanched 30 g dried shrimps (hae bee) 20 g old ginger 2 sprigs spring onions (scallions) 3 litres water PORRIDGE

10 g ginger, sliced finely 30 g pickled winter vegetables (tang chye) 40 g cherry tomatoes, halved 100 g bean curd, cut into cubes 400 g cooked rice 300 g fish fillets (pomfret, garoupa, threadfin) 100 g chrysanthemum leaves (tang oh chye) 40 g dried flat fish pieces (tee poh), deep-fried and cut into small pieces fish sauce, to taste ground white pepper, to taste

1. Prepare stock. Place pork or chicken bones, dried shrimps, ginger and spring onions in a large stock pot and add water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hours. Drain stock and discard ingredients. 2. Prepare porridge. In a large pot, bring stock back to a boil, add ginger, pickled winter vegetables, cherry tomatoes and bean curd and cook briefly. 3. Add cooked rice to stock and bring back to a boil. Add fish fillets, chrysanthemum leaves and crispy flat fish pieces. Season to taste with fish sauce and ground white pepper. 4. Serve porridge hot with seaweed and coriander leaves.

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Heng Sway Muay Serves 4 Win or lose porridge, or more commonly known as heng sway muay, often amuses many who are not familiar with the name. The reason behind its unique name is that the general custom of serving this porridge requires individuals to take their own servings of the porridge. As the act of stirring the pot for better ingredients is perceived to be rude, you are essentially entitled to only one scoop, hence the name win or lose porridge.

30 g Chinese celery, diced STOCK

500 g pork or chicken bones, blanched 30 g dried shrimps (hae bee) 20 g old ginger 2 sprigs spring onions (scallions) 3 litres water PORRIDGE

20 g ginger, sliced finely 20 g dried cuttlefish slices 30 g pickled winter vegetables (tang chye) 20 g dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked and sliced thinly, stems discarded 400 g cooked rice 200 g minced pork 2 fish cakes, cut into 1-cm pieces 200 g canned braised peanuts 20 g dried flat fish (tee poh), deep-fried and cut into small pieces fish sauce, to taste ground white pepper, to taste

1. Prepare stock. Place pork or chicken bones, dried shrimps, ginger and spring onions in a large stock pot and add water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hours. Drain stock and discard ingredients. 2. Prepare porridge. In a large pot, bring stock back to a boil, add ginger, dried cuttlefish, pickled winter vegetables and Chinese mushrooms. Cook briefly. 3. Add cooked rice to stock and bring back to a boil. Add minced pork, fish cakes, peanuts and crispy flat fish pieces. Season to taste with fish sauce and ground white pepper. 4. Serve porridge hot with diced Chinese celery.

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Symbolic Sweets Crispy Noodle with Vinegar and Icing Sugar Dip 85 Sugar-glazed Yam and Sweet Potatoes 87 Longevity Noodles in Sweet Broth with Hard-boiled Eggs 89 Ah Balling 90 Muah Chee 93 Tau Suan 94 Lotus Seed Suan 94 Cheng Tng 97

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Crispy Noodle with Vinegar and Icing Sugar Dip Serves 4 My grandfather served this in Old Hung Kang restaurant in the 1960s. The popularity of this dessert has dwindled to a point where it can hardly be found due to the stiff competition it faced from other local noodle dishes.

6 tablespoons oil 50 g flowering chives, cut into 1.5-cm lengths 250 g fresh fine egg noodles (mee kia) 200 ml unseasoned chicken stock DIPPING

icing sugar, as needed red vinegar, as needed

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok. Stir-fry flowering chives until fragrant. Set aside. 2. Heat remaining 4 tablespoons oil in a nonstick frying pan. Divide noodles into 2 batches. Add 50 ml unseasoned chicken stock to each batch and pan-fry until crispy. 3. Serve noodles with icing sugar and red vinegar dips.

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Sugar-glazed Yam and Sweet Potatoes Serves 4 This sweet treat has managed to retain its popularity over the years and the dish is still popular with both the young and old. Sweet potatoes and yam are pre-fried and cooked in a sugar syrup infused with browned spring onions. Gingko nuts can also be added as garnish as well.

oil for deep-frying 300 g yam, cut into large pieces 300 g sweet potatoes, cut into large pieces 200 g sugar 300 ml water 2 pandan leaves, knotted 3 tablespoons spring onion-flavoured oil (page 14) sesame seeds, to garnish

1. Heat sufficient oil for deep-frying in a wok and deep-fry yam and sweet potatoes until slightly golden brown. 2. Bring sugar, water and pandan leaves to a boil in a heatproof bowl. Cook sugar syrup until consistency is slightly thick. 3. Transfer deep-fried yam and sweet potatoes to syrup. Cook for 5–10 minutes. Remove pandan leaves. 4. Drizzle spring onion-flavoured oil over yam and sweet potatoes and garnish with sesame seeds. 5. Serve hot.

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Longevity Noodles in Sweet Broth with Hard-boiled Eggs Serves 4 This dish is prepared for birthdays and on special occasions. It is customary that the noodles are served sweet with two hard-boiled eggs. The bubbles in the sweet broth are due to the alkaline used when making the noodles.

1.5 litres water 120 g sugar 2 pandan leaves, knotted 300 g longevity noodles 8 hard-boiled eggs

1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add sugar and pandan leaves. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove pandan leaves. 2. Add noodles to boiling water and cook for 20–30 seconds. 3. Divide among 4 serving bowls. Add 2 hardboiled eggs to each bowl and serve.

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Ah Balling Makes approximately 24 dumplings The strange name of this dessert, ah balling, was given because the glutinous rice dumplings resembled duck eggs in terms of size and colour. It is also a dish that signifies reunion and the flavour of the broth is either cooked traditionally with ginger or pandan leaves as adapted by local Teochews.

SYRUP BROTH

1.2 litres water 8 slices ginger 10 g dried white fungus, soaked and trimmed 250 g sugar 20 g red dates 20 g dried persimmon, sliced 40 g fresh lily bulbs DUMPLINGS

450 g glutinous rice flour 150 ml boiling water 300 ml water 2 tablespoons oil 40 g ready-to-use red bean paste 40 g peanut fillings (page 93)

1. Prepare syrup broth. In a pot, combine ingredients for syrup broth except dried persimmons and lily bulbs and simmer for 20 minutes. 2. Add dried persimmons and fresh lily bulbs, cook for 5 minutes and set aside. 3. Prepare dumplings. Mix glutinous rice flour with boiling water, water and oil. Knead into a dough and divide into 24 balls. 4. Flatten each dough ball with a rolling pin and fill with desired filling. 5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Lower dumplings into water and poach until dumplings are cooked. 6. Serve dumplings with syrup broth.

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Muah Chee Serves 10 Also known as lor tng chee in Teochew, these little nuggets of cooked glutinous rice dough are tossed in ground roasted peanuts and toasted sesame. Coriander is served on the side as a garnish. This is also one popular street food found alongside travelling opera troupes.

boiling water, as needed 250 g glutinous rice flour 300 ml water oil, as needed 100 ml shallot oil (page 12) coriander leaves (cilantro), to garnish PEANUT COATING

300 g ground roasted peanuts 2 tablespoons toasted black sesame seeds 4 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds 6 tablespoons sugar

1. Prepare steamer with boiling water. Combine glutinous rice flour with water. Line bottom of steamer tray with oil. Pour rice flour mixture into steaming tray and steam for 1 hour. 2. Allow steamed dough to cool until warm. Transfer to a pastry mixer. Reserve some shallot oil and use a dough hook to mix remaining oil into dough at low speed. 3. Rub reserved shallot oil on beaten dough. 4. Prepare peanut coating. Combine ingredients for peanut coating together. 5. To serve, cut dough into bite-sized pieces and toss with crushed peanut coating. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

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Tau Suan Serves 4 Yellow mung beans are steamed and cooked with a starchy gruel made from sweet potato flour and sweetened with orange or brown sugar. Tau suan is served with dough fritters and is a popular dish eaten during breakfast or supper.

120 g split mung beans, soaked overnight 2 pandan leaves, knotted 1.5 litres water 80 g orange sugar 50 g dried mandarin orange, coarsely ground 40 g sweet potato starch 120 ml water 80 g ready-to-eat gingko nuts 2 dough fritters (you tiao)

1. Steam pre-soaked mung beans for 30 minutes until cooked. Allow to cool. Check that mung beans are thoroughly cooked by tasting a few grains. 2. Bring 1.5 litres water to a boil in a pot with pandan leaves. Add orange sugar and coarsely ground dried mandarin orange. 3. Dissolve sweet potato starch in water and add to pot. Remove pandan leaves. 4. Return beans to thickened syrup. Top with gingko nuts and serve hot with dough fritters on the side.

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Lotus Seed Suan Serves 4 Often served as an alternative to tau suan, this is another popular starchy sweet gruel cooked with lotus nuts. Lotus seed suan also often served in traditional Teochew banquets.

100 g dried lotus seeds, soaked for 6 hours and drained 120 g brown sugar 600 ml water 30 g sweet potato starch 2 dough fritters (you tiao)

1. Steam rehydrated lotus seeds for 1 hour. 2. Combine brown sugar, water and sweet potato starch in a pot. Bring to a boil. Add lotus seeds to thickened syrup. 3. Serve hot with dough fritters on the side.

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Cheng Tng Serves 4 Commonly known as six-flavour soup, the sweet broth remains clear despite the myriad of ingredients used. The list of ingredients is quite flexible and can include red dates, dried longans, white fungus, candied winter melon, dried persimmons and a seaweed known as pong tua hai, found in traditional Chinese medicinal shops and dry grocers.

8 red dates 40 g lotus seeds 40 g dried longans 30 g gingko nuts 1 /2 dried whole tangerine, sliced thinly 40 g candied winter melon, chopped 1 dried white fungus, soaked and cut into smaller pieces 1.2 litres water 3 pandan leaves, knotted sugar, to taste 80 g fresh lily bulbs

1. Combine all ingredients except fresh lily bulbs in a soup pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Add lily bulbs and simmer for another 5 minutes. 2. Season to taste with sugar. Remove pandan leaves. 3. Serve hot or chilled.

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Glossary CHRYSANTHEMUM LEAVES (TANG OH CHYE)

Black Olives

BLACK OLIVES Not to be confused with pickled olive vegetables, salted black olives pack a more robust punch and goes well with meats and stir-fried vegetable dishes. Thai cuisine commonly uses black olives for their signature fried rice dishes and Teochews love nibbling on them with plain porridge.

A must-have steamboat vegetable, chrysanthemum leaves have a slightly bitter flavour that goes well with soupy seafood dishes. It is a seasonal vegetable and is usually available only during the cooler months of the year such as during the Chinese new year period.

Dried Tangerine Peel

DRIED TANGERINE PEEL Dried Black Fungus

DRIED BLACK FUNGUS

Brown Sugar

is sometimes also added to the filling when making dumplings to give the dumplings a signature fragrance. To reduce the fishiness and coax out the full flavour of the dried flat fish, deep-fry in oil before use.

Reconstitute in water and trim off any hard bits before using. Dried black fungus has little flavour of its own, but it is used to add texture to dishes and is popularly used in cold dishes and stir-fries.

Made from drying tangerine peel or skin, the musky citrus notes of dried tangerine peel pairs well with red beans and is traditionally used in double- boiled soups, both for aroma and medicinal purposes.

BROWN SUGAR Less sweet than white sugar, brown sugar has a slight musky toasty aroma that lends a more subtle sweetness and rich colour when used.

Fermented Black Beans

FERMENTED BLACK BEANS Dried Flat Fish

DRIED FLAT FISH (TEE POH)

Chrysanthemum Leaves

Made from drying sole fish whole with skin, flesh and bones intact or with the skin and most of the flesh removed. Dried flat fish is a key ingredient in many stir-fries and soups in Teochew cuisine. It

Teochew fermented black beans have an intense aroma and are different from the more common Cantonese variety that comes packed in salt. Look for the fermented black beans that come from Shantou

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eggs and wheat flour. These noodles must be kept chilled or discolouration will take place if not properly stored.

Fish Sauce

FISH SAUCE It was the Teochews who introduced fish sauce to Thai and Vietnamese cooking. Fermented from anchovies, the rich umami of fish sauce comes from the high protein content of the fishes. The fish proteins are broken down during the fermenting process and the liquid collected is filtered and processed into fish sauce. Because of the high level of glutamate, which makes fish sauce more flavourful than soy sauce, Teochew cooks prefer to use fish sauce to season dishes and soy sauce as a dipping sauce.

GINGKO NUTS Essentially used in many Chinese dessert recipes. It is believed that gingko nuts have functional properties of improving memory and mental alertness for wellbeing. They can be bought ready pitted to be used. For fresh ones, the centre bitter tasting pith must be removed before cooking.

Flowering Chives

FLOWERING CHIVES These flowering chives have a milder flavour and sweeter aroma compared to green garlic chives. The upper stems and flowers of the plant are tender and crunchy when cooked while the bottom half can sometimes be fibrous and slightly bitter. Eaten as a vegetable, flowering chives are often stir-fried with Chinese sausages and bean curd.

Kumquat Oil

KUMQUAT OIL Despite its name, kumquat oil is actually a syrup and not the oil extracted from the kumquat fruit. Kumquat oil is often used as a dipping sauce to accompany dishes cooked with sweet and sour sauces.

Garlic Chives

GARLIC CHIVES (KUCAI) Fresh Egg Noodles

FRESH EGG NOODLES (MEE KIA/MEE POK) Similar to Cantonese egg noodles, fresh egg noodles of the best quality are made with 100%

Highly perishable and mainly available in the cooler months of the year, these mildly pungent chives lend a sweet garlicky fragrance to noodle dishes and soup stocks.

Longevity Noodles

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LONGEVITY NOODLES Often used during festive offerings and symbolic birthday events, these noodles are often sold in bundles regularly but maybe packed and bundled elaborately into auspicious offerings to deities and gods on special festive occasions.

sour mustard greens, but it can be easily differentiated from the latter as it is made using fresh big head mustard vegetable without the leaves.

Chinese cabbage and the pieces tend to open up when cooked.

Preserved Salted Radish

Pickled Olive Vegetable

PICKLED OLIVE VEGETABLE

Old Ginger

OLD GINGER Commonly used in marinades, spice pastes and desserts. Old ginger packs a more robust punch than its younger counterpart and is often paired with vegetables, meats, seafood and fruits. The Chinese believe that ginger has functional benefits in healing flatulence, indigestion and motion sickness.

This preserved condiment is made by curing shredded mustard leaves and black olives in oil. There is no substitute for its unique fragrance. It goes well with bland ingredients and is often enjoyed with porridge. Black olive vegetable is sold in jars and is available in most Asian grocery stores.

PRESERVED SALTED RADISH (XIAN CHYE POH) Made from chopped Chinese white radish, preserved salted radish is often used as a filling for steamed dumplings. It is sometimes also mixed with the sweet variety of preserved radish to balance out the saltiness in omelettes and toppings. Soak before use to remove some of its saltiness.

Preserved Sweet Radish Preserved Winter Vegetable

PICKLED WINTER VEGETABLE (TANG CHYE) Pickled Mustard Greens

PICKLED MUSTARD GREENS (GONG CHYE) This umami-rich pickled vegetable brightens up many dishes in Teochew cooking, the most popular being Teochew steamed fish. This pickle is sometimes confused with salted

This is another ingredient rich in umami, and often used to enhance the flavour of soups, stocks and meat dishes in Teochew cooking. This is another ingredient that is sometimes confused with preserved salted or sweet radish, but pickled winter vegetable is made from

PRESERVED SWEET RADISH (TIAN CHYE POH) Similar to preserved salted radish, but sweet, this ingredient can be used without the need for soaking. It is a key ingredient in omelettes and fried carrot cake, and also the topping for steamed rice cakes.

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Puning Fermented Bean Paste

PUNING FERMENTED BEAN PASTE (TAU CHEO) One of two famous soy bean products from the Puning district, these fermented beans are used to provide depth of flavour to a wide variety of dishes in Teochew cooking. It can also be mixed with chopped garlic, chilli and lime juice and used as a dipping sauce.

Salted Mustard Greens

SALTED MUSTARD GREENS This ingredient is sometimes confused with pickled mustard greens, but looking at the ingredient will help differentiate the two. Salted mustard greens is made using vegetables from the Shanghai cabbage family and the long, dark green leaves are left attached to the stems.

Shaoxing Wine

SHAOXING WINE This aromatic Chinese rice wine (or huang jiu) is traditionally produced in Shaoxing province in Zhejiang, China, hence its name. It is used as a condiment in Chinese cooking and can be added to the dish when cooking or used to finish a dish.

Sesame Paste

SESAME PASTE

Sacha Sauce

SACHA SAUCE Available in cans or jars, this lightly spicy sauce is made from milled down dried seafood and spices like garlic, chilli and cumin. This dark brown sauce is primarily used as a dipping sauce for steamboat meals, and goes well with lamb, beef and pork dishes.

Although similar in texture to Middle Eastern tahini sauce, sesame paste is made by roasting the sesame seeds before grinding, and is thus a lot more fragrant and flavourful compared to the latter. If unavailable, the closest substitute for sesame paste would be peanut butter.

Tsaoko Cardamom

TSAOKO CARDAMOM (CAO GUO) Also known as Indian cardamom, this spice is more readily available in traditional chinese medicine shops than regular supermarkets and provision stores. It has a sweet smoky aroma, making it a wonderful spice for soy-braised dishes.

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Weights & Measures Quantities for this book are given in Metric and American (spoon and cup) measures. Standard spoon and cup measurements used are: 1 teaspoon = 5 ml, 1 tablespoon = 15 ml, 1 cup = 250 ml. All measures are level unless otherwise stated. DRY MEASURES

LIQUID AND VOLUME MEASURES Metric

Imperial

American

Metric

Imperial

5 ml

1

1 teaspoon

30 grams

1 ounce

10 ml

1

1 desserteaspoonoon

45 grams

11/2 ounces

15 ml

1

1 tablespoon

55 grams

2 ounces

60 ml

2 fl oz

1

70 grams

21/2 ounces

85 ml

21/2 fl oz

1

85 grams

3 ounces

90 ml

3 fl oz

3

100 grams

31/2 ounces

125 ml

4 fl oz

1

110 grams

4 ounces

180 ml

6 fl oz

3

125 grams

41/2 ounces

250 ml

8 fl oz

1 cup

140 grams

5 ounces

300 ml

10 fl oz (1/2 pint)

11/4 cups

280 grams

10 ounces

1

450 grams

16 ounces (1 pound)

3

375 ml

/6 fl oz /3 fl oz /2 fl oz

/4 cup (4 tablespoons) /3 cup /8 cup (6 tablespoons) /2 cup /4 cup

12 fl oz

1 /2 cups

435 ml

14 fl oz

1 /4 cups

500 grams

1 pound, 11/2 ounces

500 ml

16 fl oz

2 cups

700 grams

11/2 pounds

625 ml

20 fl oz (1 pint)

21/2 cups

800 grams

13/4 pounds

750 ml

24 fl oz (11/5 pints)

3 cups

1 kilogram

2 pounds, 3 ounces

1 litre

32 fl oz (1 /5 pints)

4 cups

1.5 kilograms

3 pounds, 41/2 ounces

1.25 litres

40 fl oz (2 pints)

5 cups

2 kilograms

4 pounds, 6 ounces

3

2

1.5 litres

48 fl oz (2 /5 pints)

6 cups

2.5 litres

80 fl oz (4 pints)

10 cups

OVEN TEMPERATURE Very slow

LENGTH

°C

°F

Gas Regulo

Metric

Imperial

120

250

1

0.5 cm

1

/4 inch

150

300

2

1 cm

1

Moderately slow 160

325

3

1.5 cm

3

350

4

2.5 cm

1 inch

370/400

5/6

Slow Moderate

180

Moderately hot 190/200 Hot

210/220

410/440

6/7

Very hot

230

450

8

Super hot

250/290

475/550

9/10

/2 inch /4 inch

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An award-winning chef, Chef Eric received his training at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). He is the chef-owner of Lush Epicurean Culinary Consultancy. Chef Eric is an active member of the executive committee of the Singapore Chefs Association. In 2011, he was part of a team of local chefs that hosted 20 internationally renowned chefs to provide insights to Singaporean cuisine during the second run of the Singapore International Culinary Exchange (SPICE) programme, jointly organised by International Enterprise (IE) Singapore, SPRING Singapore and Singapore Tourism Board. Chef Eric appears often on television and in newspapers and magazines, and is a familiar face with home cooks and food aficionados both in Singapore and abroad.

OTHER TITLES IN THIS SERIES

Little Indonesian Cookbook ISBN 978-981-4561-25-9

The little Teochew cookbook p1-104 21 may.indd 104

Little Singapore Cookbook ISBN 978-981-4484-08-4

Little Thai Cookbook ISBN 978-981-4516-52-5

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