Pickles and Tea Blog

Marvin of Burntlumpia tagged me for a meme aeons ago but better late than never, eh? 

Here goes:

What were you cooking/baking 10 years ago?
10 years ago, I had just graduated from college, was still unmarried and living at home with my parents in Singapore. Hey, don’t laugh, hardly anyone moves out until they get married–it’s too expensive!!

What were you cooking/baking one year ago?
A year ago, I was cooking roast chicken with herbes des Provence, toad in the hole, jambalaya, teriyaki chicken, spaghetti with anchovies and chilies, my mum’s spam mac and cheese and banana bread. Yup, before I started working on my cookbook and this blog, I hardly cooked Asian food (OK, maybe a stir-fry or two). I guess I’m spoiled, my mum lives 10 minutes away.

Five snacks you enjoy:
1. lumpia (the Indonesian kind with bamboo and ground pork)2. Krupuk (Indonesian prawn crackers)3. Fruit (boring X2)4. Wasabi peas5. Kroket (potato, chicken, vegetable balls, breaded and deep fried)Do we really only get 5??

Five recipes you know by heart:

1. spam mac and cheese
2. jambalaya
3. bakmi (noodles with chicken and mushrooms)
4. cabbage and eggs
5. Whatever is in the fridge a la Pat

Five culinary luxuries you would indulge in if you were a millionaire:

1. My own sustainable farm, including organic free-range chickens, pigs and for my husband, cows.
2. Monthly trips to every country in turn I’ve never been to plus a knowledgeable culinary tour guide
3. Start my own food and culture magazine
4. Two decked out kitchens–one indoor one outdoor with all the accoutrements
5. My own bakery that churns out my favorite breads and pastries when I want them

Five foods you love to cook/bake:

1. banana bread
2. jambalaya
3. spam mac and cheese
4. Spekkuk cheesecake
5. clafoutis

Five foods you cannot/will not eat:
I’m game to try just about anything as long as it’s not a bug and doesn’t smell too foul.

Five favorite culinary toys:

1. Microplane grater
2. My new Staub 6 quart Dutch (or is it French?) oven with a rooster knob
3. My red hand-held mixer (I haven’t been converted to a KitchenAid) and matching bowls 
4. My yogurt maker (it’s just a vacuum flask but it makes perfect yogurt, well, most of the time)
5. OK, this is lame but I’m not gadgety–my colander collection?

Five dishes on your “last meal” menu:

1. My husband’s pancakes (that’s about the only thing he makes but at least it’s made with lots of lurve!)
2. My mum’s pastel panggang (kinda like a shepherd’s pie)
3. My mum’s fried chicken
4. My mum’s es teler (avocado, coconut, jelly etc in a sweet milky drink)
5. My mum’s chocolate pudding (it’s actually more of a jello-like consistency) with custard

Five happy food memories:

1. Christmas dinner with my friend Anna and her family in the Dolomite Mountains, Italy. First time I had baccala … mmm … washed down with Fragolino … mmm …
2. Dinners at Pig Finca, a Mediterranean restaurant in Kingsbridge, the next town over from where we were living in Dartmouth, UK for 2 years.
3. Making mini cupcakes (kue manggkok) with my mum when I was a little girl.
4. All my meals at Chomp Chomp hawker center in Serangoon Gardens, Singapore, the neighborhood I grew up in. In my teenage years, this was my favorite hangout with friends. The food was/is fabulous–barbecued stingray, fried Hokkien Mee, fried carrot cake, ice jelly cocktail, the list goes on …   
5. Squatting on the floor and eating durians on newspapers when I was growing up. My dad would only bring home two to three small ones and we’d have to share (sheesh, what a concept!).

I’m passing this meme on to Jon, Andrea, Jess, and SweetRosie but no one should feel obligated. If anyone else wants to particpate, please join in the fun!