Today was a day of introspection. A medical school classmate passed on; we knew he had been ill for a while and our hearts ached with his family’s in these couple of years of the nearing inevitable. He is the first of our class to pass on and his passing was a salutary reminder of … More Instant Pot Bak Kut Teh
The first time I stepped into an American supermarket I was gobsmacked. Firstly the trolleys were almost twice the size of our trolleys back home and similarly the aisles were wide and uncluttered (which is why shows like Guy’s Grocery Games don’t have contestants getting jammed into little corners or knocking down displays). And the … More Instant Pot Corned Beef
There are some really ugly dishes. And they look ugly because the ingredients look pretty gross. Yesterday I was in the wet market and snooping around a dried food stall when I spied some preserved vegetables and the craving for Hakka Mui Choy and Pork Belly came on me. I am a Hokkien Chinese but … More Instant Pot Mui Choy Pork Belly
My grandfather was a typical Chinese man who loved his pork. One of my clearest memories as a child was of him enjoying his braised pork belly or pig trotter stews at our weekly Saturday night family dinners. My dad’s family lived in Malaysia and we used to faithfully brave the Causeway traffic every Saturday … More Instant Pot Braised Pork Belly
It’s been several months and I finally confess…I’m a yogurt-holic and I need help. Truth to tell I’ve never been terribly fond of yogurt and I always thought that yogurt was too high in carbs for me. In fact, last year I was on a family trip to Greece and I had pooh-poohed the tour … More Instant Pot Greek Yogurt with Strawberry Compote
I’ve been watching Masterchef Australia and been constantly amazed by the artistry of plating, the innovative use of ingredients and the inspiration from childhood food memories that the contestants seem to excel at. I would never be able to survive a single pressure test or to be able plate the way these guys do. But … More Instant Pot Beef Rendang
I actually enjoy cooking for crowds. Well. Not huge crowds, but optimally the number of people that can sit comfortably around my table, which with a little squeezing would be 12 people. At my last house move I insisted that my table went along with me. This table was previously custom made at a time … More Crispy Pork Carnitas and Pico de Gallo
There are some foods that evoke memories. Meatloaf is one dish that immediately brings me back to memories of the kitchen in Fort Lee, New Jersey. I was on a 2 year postgraduate fellowship in Columbia University and had dragged my 3 year old son and infant daughter to the US. With 2 young children … More Instant Pot Low Carb Meatloaf
I’ve grown up in an amazingly rich food culture. Singapore is known as one of the food capitals of the world. But I remember a humbler and simpler past. Singapore’s colonial past meant that Western food was part of the culinary offerings available even when I was a child, but local chefs had given these … More Instant Pot Hainanese Oxtail Stew
One of the biggest disservices to health has been the fast food movement. Or perhaps the instant food culture we live in. The memory of instant noodles has somewhat dimmed for me – I can’t believe I used to eat that for breakfast or for quick meals. I always knew that the high salt content … More Instant Pot Curry Chicken Noodles
Still Feeling Peckish 