Just Loaf-ing Around with Sourdough

By Anne Lise Tan I have a love-hate relationship with making sourdough bread. Last year, I started entirelyfrom scratch back home with my first sourdough starter. (Read: a sourdough starter is an active colony of wild yeast that is cultivated by combining flour and water and letting itferment – this follows a similar concept toContinue reading “Just Loaf-ing Around with Sourdough”

Beginner’s Choice: Fun Fast Food

The slow food movement is international, but some slow food is slower than others. Some traditional Asian cuisines were capable of keeping women gainfully occupied in the kitchen the whole day, and I can understand why. If curry pastes were made from scratch and every ingredient was cut, chopped, minced, grinded and pounded by handContinue reading Beginner’s Choice: Fun Fast Food

Beginner’s Choice: The Birthday Specials

Birthdays are not just to remind us that we are one year older. They are occasions to celebrate with some small detail and to give thanks. We celebrate with those closest to us and who are part of our life. Last week I went to the supermarket to buy pork knuckles. I asked for fiveContinue reading Beginner’s Choice: The Birthday Specials

Beginner’s Choice: Fruits and Flowers

It is particularly hard to write a post this week after following the news that shook a peace-loving country – the news of the abrupt ending of the lives of twenty-four toddlers while they napped. Some were still holding milk bottles in their hands. They left the world more silently than they had entered, andContinue reading Beginner’s Choice: Fruits and Flowers

Beginner’s Choice: The Pumpkin Story

A fruit or a vegetable Have you ever asked yourself if the pumpkin is a fruit or a vegetable, or if it should be served as a savoury dish or as a dessert? Some people might just think of it as a decorative item for Halloween. I googled “pumpkin” and found that it’s a cultivarContinue reading Beginner’s Choice: The Pumpkin Story

Beginner’s Choice: Mexican Dinner, Mocktail and More

Mexican Marvel When Carmen announced last week that she and Gen were going to cook chile poblano con queso, frijoles y mole (featured image) and quesadilla and to bake tarta de ricotta con dulce de leche I was very impressed! It was their cooking debut and it sounded very ambitious. For a start, they hadContinue reading “Beginner’s Choice: Mexican Dinner, Mocktail and More”

Beginner’s choice: First Steps in Baking and Cooking

It has been a busy week as usual, but I have had time to work on the Basics of Cooking Thai Workshop materials. Val’s sourdough delight While I was thinking of what I could feature for this week’s post, Val (of Val’s Amazing Lunchbox posts) sent photos of the sourdough bread she baked, with aContinue reading Beginner’s choice: First Steps in Baking and Cooking

Beginner’s Choice: Miang Kum Appetizer and Mango Desserts

Discovering lesser known Thai dishes When most people think of Thai Cuisine, the dishes which come to mind are usually: tom yum  goong (tom yum soup with prawns); som tam (papaya salad); pad Thai (Thai fried noodles); gaeng khiao waan gai (chicken green curry) and pad kra pao gai (basil leaf chicken). Khao Chae Recently,Continue reading Beginner’s Choice: Miang Kum Appetizer and Mango Desserts

Beginner’s Choice: Family, Friends and Food

Family time Cooking for the family is part family life. The family meal is often the time when the family meets, it’s the family get-together time. When the children help in preparing the meals, they take pride in the meal. Children can start helping from the time they are toddlers, like Ferninda’s boys who helpContinue reading “Beginner’s Choice: Family, Friends and Food”

Beginner’s Choice: Light meals – Breakfast, Brunch and Lunch

From breakfast to brunch In my first year at university, breakfast was served in the hall of residence on Sundays until it was replaced by brunch. Very few students woke up early enough for breakfast, and were starving by lunchtime.  Andrea calls her brunches “big breakfasts”, and they are simply scrumptious. From staycation to vacationContinue reading Beginner’s Choice: Light meals – Breakfast, Brunch and Lunch