Pulut Hitam Thosai with Kerabu-inspired Salad

A few weeks ago, I was approached to work on a social media video series for Singapore Tourism Board by Viddsee Original Productions. It was for a series – Memories on a Plate, which is about recollections and stories behind dishes that are part of the culinary narrative of Singapore.  It was fantastic experience working…

Step-by-step, No grind Thosai (Dosa)

Growing up, thosai and idli with chutney, thuvaiyals (thick stoneground chutneys) or sambhar was a breakfast staple. I’d never seen a cereal box until I was a school-going, 7 year old girl! In the 80s, my maternal grandparents sold thosais and chutneys. So, everything was made-from-scratch because it was cost effective and practical as the…

Pork Rib Vindahloo

It was 7pm, Thursday. My husband and I were ravenous after exploring Old Goa. We were on our first trip exploring Goa and despite a weeklong adjustment to local time, our tummies were still operating two hours ahead in Singapore time. Pinto’s, a small family-run restaurant in the heart of Panaji, was where we’d planned…

Chettinad Pepper Chicken Masala (Kozhi Milagu Masala)

  “Necessity is the mother of all, if not most, inventions.” -Someone Nope. By no means did I invent this dish. The people of Chettinad from South India did. This necessity was more like desperation.On a said Sunday, at noon, we felt the need for a very South Indian fix. Not the so-called British Indian…

Jaggery Banana Bread with Cashew Crumble

I’ve never had a fondness for banana bread because I find them bland, not worth the calories and unexciting. It seems completely contradictory to begin a post about banana bread and then declaring that I don’t fancy any. There’s an explanation for that. Most Asians, and that includes me, have a predilection for lighter, sponge-like,…

Seafood Mamak Mee Goreng

Wat’cha goreng about ? Mee Goreng translates simply as ‘Fried Noodles’ in Malay and Bahasa Indonesia. When the Chinese traders sailed to these shores, they introduced the wok and noodles. Soon after, came the myriad of street food dishes, which are still popular today in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. In Malaysia and Singapore, the more…

Hot Smoked Salmon Kedgeree

The Anglo-Indian Kedgeree is a one pot dish that’s dead easy to make and infinitely versatile. Originally a vegetarian rice and lentil dish ,Khichari, hailing from India, the Anglo-Indians brought it to Britain and adapted the dish to include fried onions, fish and hard boiled eggs as it was served for breakfast. According to Lizzie…

Tomato Chicken Masala (Thakkali Kozhi Masala)

In February this year, we made our very first trip to Tamil Nadu. We were mainly in Karaikudi, an area known as the land of the Chettiars – Chettinad. Chettiars are a mercantile community who made their wealth overseas in the early to mid-twentieth century and returned to their ancestral homeland to build palatial homes….

Spiced Skillet Roast Chicken

It was our second holiday as a couple. We’d intended to celebrate Christmas away from the crowds and so we decided to have a simple meal in our serviced apartment. I’d never cooked for him before and had no idea what we were going to cook together.  A short walk to a supermarket in Bukit…

Everyday Egg Masala

If you haven’t heard, eggs have taken over the Instagram world. Tags like #yolkporn and #eggporn and open face sandwiches with molten yolk centres have invaded social media. The simple reason why eggs have become the superstars of the food instagramers is that they’re easily available, cheap, nutritious and beautiful to look at. I love…