Stamp

It's good to have some "me" time this weekend. All work and no play does make a person very dull.

And just as I was about to take the Bishan MRT to go downtown, I was pleasantly surprised to see a young girl painting on the SingPost letter box. She was one of the 40 chosen from over 600 entries to turn Singapore's letter boxes all around the island into canvas for sports theme street art. STAMP as the project is called is a celebration of art, sports and Singapore's hosting of the first Youth Olympic Games in August 2010.

When I got back to the same spot about 3 hours later, the painting on the letter box was all ready. What inspired me today ? The talent and the energy of the young. Will definitely look around for more designs on the letter boxes.

Delicious

I love to collect cookbooks. Not necessarily to follow the receipes but more to be inspired by the freshness of the ingredients and to see how different cultures like to combine their spices and condiments.

Recently, I took a liking to Delicious, a monthly Australian food magazine published by the ABC network. Being an agriculturally rich country, Australia has no shortage of the freshest meat, seafood and vegetables and with immigrants from around the world settling down under, it has become a hotpot of cultures and colours.

Not only are the receipes and feature stories interesting, the food styling makes a statement in the most chic way. I hardly subscribe to magazines but I might make Delicious a regular monthly indulgence.

Curry and Sardine Puffs

Sardine Puffs before they are fried to a golden brown

A favourite snack among Singaporeans is the curry puff, a short crust pastry traditionally filled with potato and chicken curry. These had their humble beginnings when Malay housewives started selling them in their neighbourhood to supplement their household income. Then in the 70's, restaurants around Rex theatre such as Old Chung Kee and Selera started selling them with a quarter of a hard boiled egg added and it became an even bigger hit ! Old Chung Kee took it a step furthur and started mass producing them in their factories. The ubiquitous curry puff is now popular all over Singapore and over the years, the range of fillings have increased, from sardines and onions to even black pepper chicken and chilli crab.

Making them at home is fun and the whole family chips in. We actually started out using supermarket puff pastry which makes it crispy and flaky but recently, we attempted using my aunt's short crust pastry receipe. Two cans of sardines is sufficient to make over 60 little sardine puffs. Best of all, they can be stored in the freezer and fried when the hunger pangs strike.

A Home Cooked Meal

A prelude to a wonderful dinner !

One of life's simplest pleasures is to be surrounded by family and friends for a good home cooked meal. I love to host as well as be invited to a friend's place for lunch or dinner. A home cooked meal conveys sincerity and friendship more so than a meal at a restaurant. If one hasn't be able to keep in touch regularly due to work commitments, taking the time to plan a meal gathering at least once or twice a year over special occasions is important.

I was invited to a friend's place for dinner and was impressed all the way, from his table setting to his three course meals. Khir was really passionate about food and would go to great lengths to get the freshest ingredients. When he had dinner at my place a few months back, I had such a casual, laid back "serve everything at once" style that it was a fun and funny constrast ! My daughters said I even brought out the frying pan from the kitchen to place the food on the plate. Oh dear ! Mustn't do that again :)

Roti Jala

Today, my aunt showed me how to make Roti Jala, a lacy crepe/pancake that can be eaten with both chicken or beef curry. Making this requires a special mould which looks like the milk teats of a dairy cow and this can be found in shops that specialise in selling cake ingredients and equipment. A good place to find it would be in Geylang or Tanjong Katong. Once a ladleful of batter is placed in the mould, move over a non stick frying pan in a circular motion to create a random lacy pattern. Unlike Western pancakes, there is no need to turn it over once the top is done.

Put 2 lacy pancakes together and fold them into quarters. Here is the receipe for the batter

2 eggs

3/4 tin evaporated milk ( this helps to create pancakes that are soft and fluffy )

2 cups of flour

2 teaspoons of salt

Blend all with some water and pour batter out into a bowl

Then add some more water to blender together with 2 more cups of flour, blend and pour out into the bowl

Stir the mixture in bowl with a spatula and add some yellow colouring

Roti Jala goes well too with a sauce consisting of a blend of peanut, dry chillies and tomato sauce. This sauce can be spread over the top of hard boiled eggs and served together with the curry. Unlike prata, Roti Jala is not commonly found in eating places. Perhaps making this is too time consuming. Think they are best enjoyed as a dish for special occasions when one requires a change from eating rice or noodles. Yummy !

A little art corner in Arab Street

There is a growing artistic vibe in Arab street. Sandwiched among the shops selling woven baskets, carpets and silk are exhibition and art galleries as well as advertising agencies. Came across a quaint little staircase with a beautiful wrought iron design and this led me up to a photography exhibition called Chennai Chutney. I love the mixture of modern and old in Singapore.

Turkish corner

Singapore is ever changing. Familiar streets which I have visited frequently in the past have changed due to the popularity of certain businesses or the congregation of new immigrants who have set up their own unique enclaves.

The lorongs of Geylangs have now turned into a real Chinatown with Chinese from China setting up their own little eateries. Unlike Singaporean Chinese food which originated mainly from southern China, these new places feature food from the provinces of Northern China. Meanwhile, the little streets around Beach Road have sprouted a number of Lebanese and Turkish food joints. I haven't had the time to check out these restaurants but I do love the decor and new vibe that they give to the area. Took some pictures of the unusual wall paintings and lovely deco tiles surrounding these restaurants.