FEASTS A Collection of Family Recipes Family of Singapore A Collection HERITAGE by Edmond Ho & Mervin Chua Photography Tan & Christopher Tully by Joyceline Text

HERITAGE FEASTS A Collection of Singapore Family Recipes Emily of Emily Heritage Heritage is the work of industry is the work veterans—including Feasts Heritage This project is supportedby: This project 30 prominent personalities who have, in different ways, made significant contributions to Singapore and 59 heritage recipes shared by them, by them, recipes shared and 59 heritage Singapore contributions to ways, made significant different in personalities who have, 30 prominent This cookbook focuses on how heritage food forms an indelible link between one’s sense of history and one’s sense of family. Through vivid life stories of vivid life stories of Through sense of family. sense of history and one’s one’s link between food forms an indelible heritage focuses on how This cookbook highlights that, by learning and passing on your own family’s treasured dishes, you too are helping to strengthen and extend the fine threads of threads and extend the fine strengthen helping to too are dishes, you treasured family’s own on your learning and passing that, by highlights Feasts history and family. table. In the dinner traditions of familial feasting around moments and continue new shared family to create also encourages the modern Feasts Heritage award-winning by all beautifully illustrated with sumptuous pictures dishes, Singaporean collection of true-blue invaluable will find an this book you the dry by her mother, soup oxtail Monteiro—the acclaimed jazz singer Claressa from family favourite These include a Ho. photographer Edmond for sambal recipe long-awaited homecoming, a rare criminal ’s the renowned mother whipped up for Anandan’s mutton curry which Subhas monodrama acclaimed Kon’s original inspiration behind playwright Stella Leng, the Poh notebooks of Mrs Seow the buah keluak, taken from A meaningful cookbook project commissioned in celebration of Miele’s 111th anniversary, 111th anniversary, in celebration of Miele’s A meaningful commissioned cookbook project , and a comforting tomato soup which filmmaker Eric Khoo enjoyed as a child. as a child. , and a comfortingEric Khoo enjoyed tomato soup which filmmaker Hill Emerald platform for the Chua—and is a rare and Mervin Ho and top lensmen Edmond Tan local food expert Christopher Tully, food magazine editor Joyceline culinary traditions. of Singapore promotion Heritage Feasts A Collection of Singapore Family Recipes

Editorial Director: Koh Yuen Lin

Editor: Annette Tan

Sub-Editor: Iori Chua

Writers: Joyceline Tully, Christopher Tan

Photographers: Edmond Ho (Jambu Studio), Mervin Chua (Aperture Ink), Lynn (Photograph on Page 22), Contents Justin Loh (Photograph on Page 24)

Designers: Ken Chin, Richard Tan 06 Miele: An Introduction Art Director: Alghani Soepono (Cover & personality profiles) Food Stylist: Prisia K 10 Milestones in Singapore Food History Recipe Tester: Dulcie Ng

Associate Publisher: Priscilla Tan 14 What is Singapore Food?

Published for Miele Pte Ltd by Ate Media Pte Ltd 20 Spring & Harvest 19 Carpenter Street #04-01 Singapore 059908 www.ate.bz 50 Birthdays

Copyright © Miele Pte Ltd 78 Feasts & Faith Text copyright © Joyceline Tully & Christopher Tan. Design copyright © Ate Media Pte Ltd. The recipes in this book are the copyright of the individual personalities. 118 Unions & Partings Photography copyright © Edmond Ho, Jambu Studio (Cover; Pages 6 - 9; 36 - 49; 64 - 77; 94 - 117; 132 -143; 146 - 157 & 170 - 207). Photography copyright © Mervin Chua, Aperture Ink (Pages 22 - 35; 52 - 61; 63; 80 - 93; 120 - 131; 144 & 160 - 169) 158 Comfort Food & Family Fare Some photographs have been published previously, and are reprinted here with the kind permission of the following: Pages 12 & 13, National Archives of Singapore; Page 22 © Lynn Chen; Page 24 © Justin Loh 208 Ingredients List

Special thanks to Salad, Schott Zwiesel, The Link Home and The Touch for the tableware and glassware featured on the cover; to Jenggala, Salad, Strangelets, Style Nordic, Wedgwood and Jambu Studio for the tableware and props featured on the 214 Index recipe pages; and to J's Salon for providing the location for Claressa Monteiro (Page 126).

The publishers also wish to thank all contributors for their time and efforts.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, such as photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written permission of Miele Pte Ltd, Ate Media Pte Ltd and/or the copyright owners.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information and facts mentioned in this book is accurate and correct at the time of printing. Changes may have occurred since this book went to print. We will not be held liable for any damages, loss, injury or inconvenience arising in connection with the contents of the book.

ISBN 978-981-08-7400-1

First printed December 2010

Printed in Singapore

Heritage Feasts | 4 Heritage Feasts | 5 mountain climber & part of Singapore’s first Women’s Everest Team JOANNE SOO

“With every step we took, we learned a little more about ourselves. We didn't conquer the mountain; we conquered ourselves.”

It is peaceful, serene and stunning at the top of a mountain, but ask Joanne grew up on his signature dishes such as chilli crabs and chicken Joanne Soo what she misses when she is 6,000 metres above sea curry, all of which packed plenty of spice. “He always nagged me and level, and she’ll tell you it is home-cooked food, preferably spicy. “Once my elder sister to learn from him but unfortunately, we never did…It’s you get higher up in the mountains, all you would have is instant a great shame.” noodles, freeze-dried rations and energy bars,” she says. For festive occasions, especially during Chinese New Year, her That is exactly what she and her five team mates survived on during father would prepare yusheng (raw fish salad), restaurant-style, the last leg of their Everest expedition. In May 2009, they became which impressed his two young girls. Joanne recalls other favourites the first Singaporean women to reach the summit of Mount Everest, among her dad’s dishes: ayam goreng fried to crisp, juicy perfection; a phenomenal achievement that capped five years of planning and steamed egg with salted egg and century egg; and French beans with training. “With every step we took, we learned a little more about minced pork. It’s simple home-style fare, but for Joanne, they are the ourselves,” she recounts. “We didn't conquer the mountain; we ingredients of fond memories—of her father, family and her childhood. conquered ourselves.” “These days, my mother does the cooking. It is not the same, but I go For this tanned, athletic go-getter, the world’s highest peak was just back to eat with her. Home-cooked food is still the best,” she chimes. the beginning. Since the Everest expedition, Joanne has gone on other climbing trips and is in the midst of planning an expedition to Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, one of the famous Seven Summits and the highest mountain in South America. “Everest is the pinnacle of the climbing world. Now that I have climbed it, I want to use my experience to help others scale these peaks,” she enthuses.

Joanne’s family is supportive of her career, even though they didn’t understand it initially. Unfortunately, her father passed away six years Joanne's dishes: ago and never got to witness his daughter’s Everest success. “My father was the family cook, and a very good one,” she says. “He had Salt-Baked Chicken, page 144 worked as a cook for more than 10 years.” San Wei Zheng Dan (Three Varieties of Steamed Eggs), page 180

Heritage Feasts | 164 Heritage Feasts | 165 San Wei Zheng Dan (Three Varieties of Steamed Eggs)

Homey flavours were what Joanne Soo craved when she and her team mates undertook their successful climb to the summit of Mount Everest in May 2009. This humble dish of steamed egg ranks high as one of her favourite comfort foods, which her father used to prepare.

SERVES 4 - 5 AS PART OF A 1. Prepare the necessary equipment for steaming: ideally a large wok with a steamer attachment, filled MULTI-COURSE MEAL with enough water to generate steam. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Or if you have a steam oven, pre-heat it to 90 degrees Celsius.

2 hardboiled salted duck eggs, diced 2. Cover the bottom of a flat, deep-sided heatproof dish with an even layer of diced salted duck eggs, 2 century eggs, diced century eggs and sliced lup cheong. (Alternatively, you can divide it between 4 - 5 small dishes.) 1 lup cheong (Chinese waxed sausage), julienned 3. Beat the eggs with a pair of chopsticks. Combine with the stock (unsalted homemade chicken stock would be ideal). Add a pinch of salt to taste. Be careful with seasoning if you are using store- 2 large eggs bought stock. 400 millilitres chicken stock 4. When the mixture is well blended, pass it through a fine meshed sieve and pour it over the diced ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste) eggs and lup cheong. Hold the sieve as close to the base of the heatproof dish as possible. Pouring 1 teaspoon light soy sauce (or to taste) the egg mixture from a great height creates bubbles in the custard. Cover the heatproof dish with ½ teaspoon sesame oil (or to taste) aluminium foil. 1 tablespoon chopped spring onions 5. Steam the dish over high heat for 5 - 10 minutes, then reduce to a low-medium flame and steam for an additional 15 - 20 minutes. Alternatively, steam it in your steam oven for 30 minutes.

6. The length of time required will vary depending upon your equipment. The finished custard should be wobbly and set, but not hard.

7. Sprinkle some soy sauce and sesame oil over the finished custard as well as some chopped spring onions. Serve immediately.

Heritage Feasts | 180 Heritage Feasts | 181 playwright STELLA KON

“We are basically migrant people who came here and adapted...Just take our food for example–what is in it that is not borrowed?”

From the age of three, Stella Kon grew up in a sprawling mansion ancestral heritage,” says the soft-spoken 66-year-old whose family is named Oberon, under the watchful eye of her grandmother Polly, intimately tied to Singapore’s history and evolution. Her paternal great aka Mrs Seow Poh Leng. “We were a large extended family grandfather was Dr Lim Boon Keng, and her maternal great-great-great and grandmother ran the entire household,” says the celebrated grandfather was Tan Tock Seng, both men who played important roles in Singaporean playwright, who has also written musicals, novels, poems shaping Singapore’s early history. She acknowledges, “My family goes a and short stories. long way back in Singapore’s history…and I have a strong sense of our country’s search for identity, which has informed all my writings.” Stella looked on as a child and quietly filed away memories of her larger-than-life charismatic Peranakan grandmother, who gave lavish, For Stella, the Peranakans are characterised by their cultural adaptability memorable parties. She remembers grandma’s turn of phrase, her and their gathering of diverse influences. “We are basically migrant dress and the things that adorned the family home, including an old- people who came here and adapted…Just take our food for example— fashioned ice cream churn that the old lady used to make ice cream in what is in it that is not borrowed?” she asks rhetorically. She cites babi the 1950s. All of these memories became fodder for Stella's critically buah keluak as an example of a classic Peranakan dish that’s made up acclaimed monodrama Emily of Emerald Hill. This, she says, is her way of “borrowed influences”, that’s prepared with diverse ingredients, is an of “exorcising the memories”. acquired taste, and above all, has a unique character that’s all its own.

Exorcism or not, her grandmother remains in Stella's life. When the “Many aspects of Singaporean heritage are Peranakan,” she points out. old lady passed away in 1967, Stella inherited many of her private “The Peranakans have a very sensual enjoyment of food and that is possessions, including baju (clothes), chinaware, photographs and evident in the country’s love of food today,” she adds. “The Peranakan two well-worn notebooks filled with handwritten recipes such as culture is in some ways already ‘lost’. The language, for instance, is laksa, masak assam babi and sambal buah keluak. Kon has kept many dying out. If anything survives, it is its tough cultural eclecticism…and of these items over the years, and today, her home in Singapore is of course, its food.” decorated with grandma’s trinkets. Although she doesn't cook, Kon has also kept the recipe books filled with grandma’s dainty, cursive handwriting, and containing the original babi buah keluak recipe that later became Kon’s inspiration for the stage. (In her play, the character Emily shows the audience how to prepare the dish, her husband’s Stella's recipes: favourite, and sends it in a pot to him at his mistress’ house.) Sambal Buah Keluak, page 100 “I am not a dyed-in-the-wool Peranakan but I am very in touch with my Ikan Masak Assam, page 198

Heritage Feasts | 86 Heritage Feasts | 87 Sambal Buah Keluak

Recipe by Seow Poh Leng

This is one of the recipes found in the two notebooks Stella Kon inherited from her grandmother, Mrs Seow Poh Leng, who was the inspiration for the lead character Emily in Stella’s award-winning play Emily of Emerald Hill. Stella’s grandmother had carefully recorded many classic Peranakan recipes, including this one, in her girlish cursive script; Stella’s mother, meanwhile, indexed the notebooks and added her own recipes before passing them on to her.

SERVES 4 1. Start preparations for this dish, preferably, a day in advance. Wash and scrub buah keluak thoroughly and soak in water for 2 days, or overnight.

8 buah keluak (black nuts or opium fruit) 2. Use a meat mallet to bash open the shells and scoop out all the black flesh and transfer to a bowl. Discard the shells. (Throw out any buah keluak that has a foul smell. One rotten nut ⅛ + ½ teaspoon salt will spoil the entire dish.) ¼ teaspoon sugar 1 tablespoons tamarind paste ½ 3. Add ⅛ teaspoon salt and sugar to the paste and mix well. Set aside. 2 cups water 4. To make tamarind juice, soak tamarind paste in water for 10 minutes. Strain and reserve 500 grams prawns liquid. Set aside.

For rempah: 5. To prepare prawns, remove the prawn heads and wash thoroughly. Transfer prawn heads to a saucepan and cover with 1 cups water. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for 15 - 20 6 red chillies ½ minutes. Strain and reserve stock. 1 tablespoon belacan (fermented shrimp paste) 5 buah keras (candlenuts) 6. Wash the rest of the prawns, trim the legs and leave their shells on. Set aside. 300 grams shallots 7. To make rempah, place chillies, belacan, buah keras, shallots, kunyit and lengkuas into a 2-centimetre piece kunyit (turmeric) food processor or mortar and pestle and grind to a fine paste. 2-centimetre piece lengkuas (galangal) 8. Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat. When it starts to shimmer slightly, add rempah and lemongrass and fry for 8 - 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Lower heat and fry for a 3 tablespoons cooking oil further 6 minutes, then add tamarind juice. 3 stalks lemongrass, white part only, smashed 9. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce to a gentle simmer, about 10 minutes. 2 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced

¾ cup fresh coconut milk 10. Add prawns, buah keluak, prawn stock, kaffir lime leaves, coconut milk and salt and allow to come to the boil gently.

10. Cook until the prawns are cooked through, about 8 minutes. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Serve hot.

Heritage Feasts | 100 Heritage Feasts | 101 managing director of International Relations,Temasek Holdings, & former diplomat CHAN HENG WING

“Heritage is something that you pick up; it’s the little nuances that you see and learn as a child, it’s the things you absorb unknowingly.”

Growing up in 1950s Singapore was a very exciting and delicious further explored his interest in the culinary arts and gained a new time, says former diplomat Chan Heng Wing, who served in several appreciation for Singapore’s local food. capacities in Singapore's Foreign Service: first as part of Singapore’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, then as Consul General in “What all really miss when they are away is their Hong Kong, Ambassador to and most recently, as Singapore's hawker food,” he observes. “I learned to prepare all the dishes, but Consul General in Shanghai before retiring from the Foreign Service. the one thing I could not replicate was mee rebus. Spaghetti is a poor It was a time in Singapore when restaurants were still a novelty and substitute; you need fresh wheat noodles for that.” During their time the dining scene was almost exclusively dominated by Cantonese abroad, Heng Wing and his family also picked up new family traditions restaurants. “There was Da Dong, Spring Court, Xin Ji Yuan and more… such as Thanksgiving. “We lived for many years in the States, but it Then there was Cathay, who launched their restaurant on the 12th floor was only upon my return home that we celebrated Thanksgiving with of their building, then the highest in Singapore, and brought in four our friends,” Chan explains. “It has become traditional for us to prepare super chefs from Hong Kong,” he recounts. and enjoy the meal together.”

Born to a Cantonese family that appreciated their food, Heng Wing It is a tradition that he hopes his two daughters will continue. “After all,” accompanied his parents and three siblings to these celebrated eateries he smiles, “we can always give thanks.” for lunches, weddings and birthdays. The experiences he gathered shaped his young palate and cultivated his interest in food.

“Heritage is something that you pick up; it’s the little nuances that you see and learn as a child,” says the 64-year-old. “It’s the things you Heng Wing's recipes: absorb unknowingly.” Thanks to his father’s influence, food was to play an important part in Heng Wing’s life. When he worked in Singapore’s Eight Treasures Duck, page 146 Foreign Service and lived for extended periods overseas, Heng Wing Turkey Stuffed with Wild Rice, page 148

Heritage Feasts | 122 Heritage Feasts | 123 Turkey Stuffed with Wild Rice

Recipe by Chan Heng Wing

According to former diplomat Chan Heng Wing, there are two meals that count as special get-togethers for his family. The first is, of course, the Chinese New Year reunion dinner. The second is the American tradition of Thanksgiving, which the family first picked up during their stay in the US. “While we don’t celebrate on the fourth Thursday of November since it’s a working day for us in Singapore, the following weekend is a good time to bring friends and family together, especially American friends who are away from their families.”

SERVES 6 - 8 1. A day before making this dish, place turkey in the fridge to thaw.

2. Cook wild rice and water in a rice cooker for about 20 - 25 minutes. 1 turkey (about 2 - 4 kilograms) 1 cup wild rice 3. Fluff rice with a fork to separate the grains and allow to cool. cup water ½ 4. Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius. 3 tablespoons olive oil 5. To make stuffing, heat olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the cooked rice, raisins, nuts, bacon, dried ¼ cup raisins apricots, green apple, water chestnuts and ½ teaspoon of salt. ¼ cup walnuts, almonds or pistachios 4 bacon rashers, sliced 6. Stir-fry for 6 minutes, or until everything is evenly par-cooked and well combined. 7 dried apricots, diced small 7. Rub remaining 1 teaspoon salt and pepper all over the turkey and in its cavities. 1 green apple, cored and chopped

6 water chestnuts, peeled and chopped 8. To help the bird retain its moisture while cooking, stuff chopped onions, spring onions and watercress into its top and bottom cavity. Then stuff with the hot rice stuffing. ½ teaspoon + 1 teaspoon salt teaspoon ground black pepper ½ 9. Place the turkey in a roasting tin and drizzle the thick dark soy sauce over the bird, coating it well. ½ cup chopped onions Then drizzle honey over and rub into the bird. 2 sprigs spring onions 10. Cover the wing tips and drumsticks with foil and roast for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 180 degrees 2 bunches watercress Celsius and cook for a further 15 minutes for every 450 grams of the bird’s weight. 2 tablespoons thick dark soy sauce 2 tablespoons honey 11. Remove foil and roast at 200 degrees Celsius for a further 10 minutes. 1 cup chicken stock or water 12. Remove from oven and transfer turkey to a serving platter and allow it to rest for at least 10 minutes.

13. Meanwhile, deglaze the roasting pan. Place the pan over medium heat and add water or chicken stock. Bring to a boil while scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen the crisp bits. All this will add intensity to the gravy.

14. Simmer and allow the gravy to reduce and thicken slightly. Remove from heat and transfer to a gravy bowl.

15. To serve, remove onions, spring onions, celery and watercress from the bird’s cavities.

16. Spoon out rice stuffing into a serving bowl.

17. Carve turkey and serve with gravy.

Heritage Feasts | 148 Heritage Feasts | 149 senior consultant, , KhattarWong

“Heritage is about who you are and where you come from. For me, food is part of it. A lot of things change, but these are the things that stay the same.”

He wears a defibrillator courtesy of three heart attacks and suffers from appetite had shrunk,” he recounts. “My mother was so sad because a string of medical conditions that require him to pop several pills a day. I simply could not eat that much any more.” It was, nevertheless, a But in typical Subhas Anandan spirit, he is fearless, bold and enjoys delicious homecoming for Subhas and his family and it remains his his curries with gusto. Singapore’s most respected and well-known most memorable meal. criminal lawyer knows exactly what he wants and likes, and he is not afraid to enjoy it. These days, however, he concedes that his wife Indeed, mealtimes have always been important for his close-knit family. watches over his diet carefully, and that his indulgences take place in “We all enjoy our food tremendously,” says Subhas of himself and his measured doses. Subhas, who turns 63 this Christmas, says, “Every four siblings. His parents migrated from , to Singapore, and new day is a blessing.” his mother brought with her many Keralan recipes including curries, which were prepared with yoghurt instead of coconut milk. Before she Frail health has not diminished the fighting spirit and sparkle of the man passed on, the old lady entrusted her recipes to her two daughters and who grew up in the British Naval Base where his father worked as a her daughter-in-law. “I remember my mother through food, through the clerk; who set up his first law firm with $500 borrowed from his sister; cooking of my sisters and my wife,” affirms Subhas. A simple pairing and who survived his first heart attack at the age of 31 in 1978. Today, of rice and mutton curry, like his mother used to cook, remains his Subhas still spends most of his days in court, meeting his clients and favourite meal. doing research for his cases. “I like what I am doing,” he says. “It gives me an opportunity to help people.” Several of his cases have been pro “Heritage is about who you are and where you come from,” says this bono and include the island’s most infamous ones such as the Huang legal eagle, who was voted best lawyer by his contemporaries in 2001. Na and One-Eye Dragon () cases. Subhas’ philosophy on “For me, food is part of it. A lot of things change, but these are the such cases is straightforward: “Just because a person is poor does not things that stay the same.” mean that he should not get good counsel; and if he is going to hang, he must be given a fair trial. There must be fairness in the system.”

It is a matter close to his heart. In 1976, Subhas was framed and incarcerated for nine months. Campaigning by supporters and ensuing Subhas' recipes: evidence later led to his release. The evening he returned home from Queenstown Remand Prison, his mother cooked up a spread that Fish Head Curry, page 98 included his favourite mutton curry. “I had lost 35 pounds and my Dry Mutton Curry, page 152

Heritage Feasts | 124 Heritage Feasts | 125 Fish Head Curry

Recipe by Mrs Vimala Anandan

When it comes to his favourite foods, curries are first among equals for Singapore’s top legal eagle Subhas Anandan. This recipe was specially created by his wife Vimala, who has also learned many recipes from her Keralan mother-in-law.

SERVES 4 AS PART OF A ½ teaspoon fennel MULTI-COURSE MEAL 3 pods cardamom, peeled and seeds crushed to a powder (or ⅓ teaspoon ground cardamom)

1 large red onion To garnish: 10 shallots 2 bunches coriander leaves, coarsely chopped 6 cloves garlic 1 medium red onion, shredded and fried to a crisp Thumb-sized piece ginger 1 large tomato, cut into eighths 6 dried chillies 6 lady's fingers, both ends cut off and discarded, pan-fried 2 tablespoons + 2½ cups water 110 grams tamarind paste ------

½ cup cooking oil 1. Blend onion, shallots, garlic, ginger and dried chillies with 2 tablespoons of water till smooth. 1 whole kurau (threadfin) head Set aside.

2. Soak tamarind paste in 2 cups water for 10 minutes. Strain and reserve the tamarind water. Frying spices: ½ 2 sprigs curry leaves 3. Heat oil in a large pot or a wok over medium-high heat and add all the frying spices. Fry for about 3 minutes, or until they start to release their fragrance. ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds

½ teaspoon vaindium (fenugreek) 4. Add all the ground spices and fry for a further minute. 4 cloves 5. Add blended ingredients and continue to fry over medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring often. ½ stick cinnamon

1 star anise 6. Pour in tamarind water and stir. Allow to cook for a further 15 minutes. 4 moormulaga (yoghurt-dried chillies) 7. Gently place fish head into the pot and cover with a lid. Leave to stew for about 20 minutes or until the fish head is cooked. Ground spices: 1 dessertspoon ground coriander 8. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the coriander leaves, fried onion, tomato and lady's fingers. 2 dessertspoons chilli powder 1 teaspoon crushed black pepper 1 teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon cumin

Heritage Feasts | 98 Heritage Feasts | 99 award-winning jazz singer & radio deejay CLARESSA MONTEIRO

“I believe in passing down recipes to my children and keeping traditional Eurasian cooking alive,” she chimes.

Award-winning jazz singer Claressa Monteiro declares, “Eurasian food family to tuck into a simple supper of oxtail soup, then open presents is food that brings the family together in conversation and laughter after midnight. “The last Christmas Eve I spent at home before my through a riot of flavours.” The second generation Eurasian (“mum dad died, I bought him the complete box set of Nat King Cole. He put is Eurasian English, while dad is a Portuguese mix”), who is herself one of the CDs on and danced all night with my mum in our living married to an American, says, “Food to an Eurasian is very important. room, just the two of them in their own magical world,” she recalls. “I Every Eurasian family has its own recipe for devil curry, feng, captain remember that I sat eating my oxtail soup, watching them and hoping curry and many more. Some families actually guard their recipes fairly some day I would find someone who’d love me as much as my dad jealously. I think that food plays a huge part in maintaining the identity loved my mum. It was very special.” of the Eurasian community.” Asked which profession she would have gone into if not music, For the singer-songwriter, who won the COMPASS Artistic Excellence Claressa answers, “It would always have been music in my life, one Award in 2009 and was the musical director of the Sun Tent at the way or another. The music I choose to sing is steeped in history and Singapore Sun Festival in 2009 and 2010, food is certainly a family tradition so heritage is hugely important to me.” Yet for her, heritage affair. Her grandmother began training her young protégé from the age also means the multi-faceted cuisine of the Eurasian community, of 10, so not surprisingly, some of Claressa’s earliest memories of her something very close to her heart. family revolve around the kitchen. “My dad and I used to have the most amazingly good-natured arguments about what went into a dish and “I believe in passing down recipes to my children and keeping at which point all the time,” she recalls fondly. “Mum used to chase traditional Eurasian cooking alive,” she chimes. me out of the kitchen when she was cooking but I’d always come back and sit down at the table to chat.” Now a mother herself, she has trained her two teenage boys well in the kitchen. “My sons are now proficient enough that they could make dinner for the family without my assistance.” Claressa's recipes:

Claressa’s most cherished memory of her family similarly involves Edna Monteiro's Oxtail Soup, page 110 food. On Christmas Eve, it is a time-honoured Monteiro tradition for the Claressa's Summer Grill Seasoning, page 154

Heritage Feasts | 126 Heritage Feasts | 127 Edna Monteiro's Oxtail Soup

Recipe by Claressa Monteiro

It is a time-honoured Monteiro family tradition to serve Eurasian oxtail soup at Christmas, commemorating Christmas. Says singer-songwriter Claressa Monteiro, “It is a Christmas must-have. the birth of Jesus Christ, is one We actually have friends who would get upset if they don’t get invited because of the most significant annual they’d miss out on Mum’s oxtail soup! My brother (Cultural Medallion winner festivals for Singapore’s Christian Jeremy Monteiro) also includes himself, his family and closest friends to our community. Families often Christmas guest list for Mum’s oxtail.” gather on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day for lavish meals, though as with many festivals these days, these are SERVES 4 1. Using a mortar and pestle or a food processor, grind garlic, as likely eaten out or catered ginger, and onions to a fine paste. rather than home-cooked. American and British Christmas 4 cloves garlic 2. Heat oil in a large pot and fry kayu manis, star anise, cloves, culinary traditions have been 4-centimetre piece ginger and the garlic paste over medium-high heat till fragrant. enthusiastically adopted by 2 large onions restaurants and hotels, many of 3. Add oxtail pieces and fry till the meat is browned on all sides. 4 tablespoons cooking oil which offer take-home meals centred on roast turkey, chicken 1 kayu manis (cinnamon stick) 4. Add enough water to immerse the oxtail pieces and bring to or beef, with all the trimmings. a boil. 3 star anise

2 cloves 5. Lower heat to a vigorous simmer and cook for 2 hours. Add 1.5 kilograms oxtail, sliced about potatoes and carrots. 5 centimetres thick 2 carrots, thickly sliced 6. Cook for another hour or so and then add dark and light soy sauce and sugar. 2 potatoes, cut into chunks

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce 7. Allow to cook for another hour before adding bread slices to 2 tablespoons light soy sauce thicken the gravy. 1 teaspoon sugar 8. Add cabbage and tomato (if using). Cook till the cabbage is 2 slices white bread soft, about 10 - 15 minutes. 1 small head cabbage, leaves separated 9. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve hot. 1 tomato, quartered (optional)

Heritage Feasts | 110 Heritage Feasts | 111