Global Culturrrrreeeeeee
Chawanmushi - How I fell in love
Growing up in a predominantly sweet-toothed family, custard is ALWAYS sweet - from egg tarts to rice pudding, everything is sweet. This would be a blessing for most families, but not for me. As a kid, I had a weird aversion to sweet things; chocolate burnt my throat and sweets got stale really quick. As a whole, sweet foods never caught my attention. Another interesting fact about me is that I love soft foods - porridge, soups and other watery delights. However the thing about these foods are that they're normally really bland or lack substance. This left me in a state of confusion; eight years in and I never discovered my favourite food. Nothing I could call my own. So, one could imagine the feeling of ecstacy - trying out a curious little cup of Japanese steamed eggs my dad had bought me. It was mind blowing: surprising me with a burst of flavor, softness and even some chew in the form of chicken meat. It was as though tailored for my palate and crafted for my very being, as I gulped cup after cup, an amalgamation of everything I wanted in a snack. Since that day, my taste buds were captured by the soft boiled egg custard. I have been completely obsessed and ten years later, I eat it so often that my family finds it dangerous. I have met my culinary soulmate and I'm thankful for being able to live in a multicultural society which has allowed me to encounter my favourite food. So thank you Japan and whoever invented the chawanmushi, you have my eternal gratitude.
Tom Yum - How it defines me
It's a type of hot and sour Thai soup. That's how I see myself as well - hot and sour. Hot as in aesthetically and temperamentally, sour in terms of attitude and emotion. Tom Yum has a lot of ingredients in it: lemongrass, carrot, shrimp, spices. All these ingredients are like the life-bullshit thrown at me! That will eventually make the hot and sour Thai soup, like me. Although Tom Yum is hot and sour, the spices and condiments used in it produce a subtle sweet taste. So Tom Yum isn't all about hot and sour, it has a sweet side too. As for me to reveal my sweet side, it takes the right person or thing to hit the right spot. That right person/thing are like the condiments that give Tom Yum the sweet taste.
Pani, Spicy just like me, Puri bland just like school
This snack is incredibly easy to find anywhere in India; North, South, East or West. Although I came here 17 years ago, I have it every single time I go back in December. The 'Pani' is made from water and water-soluble spices, and believe me, these spices are not for the faint-hearted. The tongue-searing flavours unravel a whole new world of emotions in the soul and the fiery fierceness makes the eater relish it more. Once the consumption starts, it never stops.
The hot flavour is symbolic of me as an individual in real life. Going back to the point of the snack not being for the faint-hearted, the same could be said about me. People around me share similar opinions; just ask.
Puri, on the other hand, is the bland crisp which helps to, to a small extent, reduce the spice. Relatably, it is symbolic of my school life. This sentence is pretty much self-explanatory.
Asam Pedas - what's in it? Ayam or Ikan
Hot (always like me) and sour (sometimes just like me). I am patient in making rempah, but not so patient in waiting for it to cook! A dilemma in my head always happens between the two, Ayam or Ikan, but at the same time I love both. I am like Asam Pedas, simple but yet complicated.
Aglio Olio - Versatile stuff
Apart from the quotidian spaghetti, Aglio Olio can also be cooked with other types of pastas such as Farfalle, Shell, Campanelle, Angel Hair, Gnocchi, Orecchiette, Penne and Ravioli. To make it even more versatile, we could fuse the Western recipe with Asian ingredients. Substituting the pasta with local noodles such as Bee Hoon, Laksa Noodles, Mee Pok, Hokkien Noodles and Mee Sua. By using local noodles, not only does a pasta become versatile, but also makes a homesick person feel at home. Nowadays, fusion food is the trend, so break out from the norm and explore new fusions to have a twist in the usual.
