ALL THINGS BIG AND SMALL 2.0

A Simple Chinese Repast: Click on Images for fullsize and Details. It sure is comforting in these inflationary times to know that a nutritious dinner for two can cost only US$3.50. In Singapore, the Teochew Chinese [a dialect group from Guangdong] are famous for their Rice Gruel meal accompanied by a choice of dozens of small dishes. The accompanying dishes could be something as simple as boiled peanuts or tofu cakes, to dishes like braised duck or steamed Flower crabs. If you stick to the simple stuff, a Teochew porridge dinner for two, even in big-city Singapore costs less than the price of a Big Mac. My meal for two persons downing 3 bowls of rice gruel each @ 20 cents a bowl ( above pictures of the 3 dishes, and a bowl of rice gruel) was a delicious and healthy meal that cost me just US$3.50 at the current exchange rate. The dishes are (from second top picture): (1) Minced pork with black beans, (2)boiled Silver Fish with lime and fresh-cut red peppers (3) Salted Mustard Greens. (B...

The street food in Singapore reflects the multi-racial composition of its population. Chinese, Indian, and Malay food can be found everywhere, at all hours of the day. It is not uncommon for a Singaporean to have Indian food for breakfast, Malay food for lunch and Chinese food for dinner. Even to categorize Singapore food into Indian, Malay and Chinese does not do Singapore food justice. Among the Chinese, the various dialect groups from different provinces of China have very different cuisine. So too with the Indians and Malays. Indians hail from different parts of India with very different cuisine, and Malay food has different nuances depending on whether it is near to the Indonesian islands of Sumatra or Java, the Eastern or Northern parts of Malaysia. There is also the food of the Peranakan, as we call the descendants of immigrants who have inter-married with the indigenuous Malays. Peranakan cuisine is unique and refined. Of all the food available, I like home-style Malay food. It...