Sui Gaw (水餃)

Dried sole is a crucial ingredient in sui gaw. It's grilled or roasted till dry and crisp, then pounded so that it's not too small (you wouldn't be able to taste it) nor too big (would be gritty). Added to the filling, dried sole gives sui gaw a unique toasty flavour. And if the stock is simmered with a few chunks of the dried fish, that's even better.

To make good "water dumplings", the prawns in the filling must be fresh. Ok, I know you know that. Here's a more useful tip: blot the prawns with plenty of paper towels after rinsing. If there's time, leave 'em in the fridge for a few hours, uncovered, so that they dry out a bit more. The drier the prawns are, the firmer they'll be after they're cooked.

Sui gaw filling must have lard or it'd be dry. Again, everyone knows that. What most people don't know is, we're NOT gonna keel over with a heart attack or stroke just because we eat lard every day. Don't believe me? Fine, go google for scientific studies that show there's a correlation between eating saturated fats and heart diseases, strokes, whatever. There should be heaps, right? Well, if you can find one, just one, I'll . . . bake you a LARDY CAKE!

When you cook a lump of minced meat, the proteins join together to form a tight, hard ball which is not very nice. The Italians overcome this problem by adding bread soaked in milk to their meatballs. The Chinese add other stuff like water, cornflour, tapioca starch, eggs, dried mushrooms and Chinese chives. Did you think water chestnuts are added only for their crunch? Well, now you know the coarsely chopped bits also help soften the meat filling.

Making good dumplings is only half the story. The stock can make or break sui gaw soup, so you need a good one. Before cooking the dumplings in the stock, blanch them in boiling water to wash away excess flour on the wrappers and also some of the lye. Lastly, add some veggies to the sui gaw soup. A bit of green on food is like a slick of lipstick on women.

Okey dokes, enough with the theory; here's the step-by-step how-to practical to help you make good sui gaw:

SUI GAW (水餃; WATER DUMPLINGS) (Recipe for 28 pieces, or 34 smaller ones pleated) 250 g minced pork 100 g minced lard 200 g prawns shell, keeping the shells and heads for making stock; devein, rinse and dry thoroughly with paper towels; cut pea-sized ½ tsp salt 30 g dried mushrooms break off stalks; soak caps in 3 tbsp water till soft, about 30 minutes; squeeze dry, reserving the liquid; chop roughly; stalks and liquid may be used for making stock 20 g dried sole, boneless tear into small pieces; roast at 180°C till brown, crisp and fragrant, about 20 minutes depending on the thickness; pound into 3-4 mm bits 120 g water chestnuts (6 pieces) peel, rinse and chop roughly into 3-4 mm bits 1 tbsp egg 1 tbsp light soya sauce 1 tbsp oyster sauce ½ tbsp Shaoxing wine ½ tbsp white sesame oil 28 or 34 sui gaw wrappers 1 beaten egg (add 1 tbsp to filling) if making crescent-shaped dumplings 1 litre chicken or pork stock, seasoned to taste 250 g green leafy veg, such as nai bai (奶白) or choy sum (菜心) rinse thoroughly; cut bite-sized 3 tbsp fried shallots ground white pepper Thoroughly mix minced pork, lard, prawns and salt. Gather mixture into a ball. Throw mixture back into the bowl, hard. Repeat 3-4 minutes. Add water chestnuts, mushrooms, sole, egg, light soya sauce, oyster sauce, wine and oil. Mix evenly. For unpleated dumplings, place 25 g filling on a wrapper. Smear some egg on edges of wrapper and fold to form crescent shape. Press edges to seal. For pleated dumplings, use 20 g filling per wrapper. Pleat as show in the video (2:21-2:37), then use water instead of egg to seal edges. To cook dumplings, bring pot of water and chicken stock to a boil. Keep stock simmering gently. Over high heat, blanch dumplings in the water till half cooked. Increase heat for stock to high. Transfer dumplings to the stock with a slotted spoon. Boil gently till cooked through. To test, place a dumpling in a spoon or ladle and press with chopsticks. Dumplings are done if hard. Transfer to serving bowls with a slotted spoon. Add vegetables to stock. Bring to a gentle simmer. Turn off the heat. Divide vegetables and stock between serving bowls. Top with fried shallots. Serve immediately, adding ground white pepper to taste before eating.

Buah Paya Masak Titek (Peppery Papaya Soup)

If I had a dollar for every bad recipe I come across . . . .

Who is it this time?

It's Sylvia Tan, whom I absolutely loathe because she's such a killjoy. She goes on and on about cutting out the fat from this, that and every other recipe. Biggest turn off ever, she is!

I used to have zero respect for Sylvia Tan, but that was before I saw her on TV. Believe it or not, she made skinless, low-fat (of course!) kong pao Chicken with sambal belachan! Did she think the people in Sichuan eat belachan? Or did she think it's OK to totally disregard the recipe's authenticity? After that awful, bastardized kong pao Chicken, my respect for her fell from a big fat zero into negative territory.

Sylvia Tan has hit rock bottom in my book. You might think that's the worst rating possible but the amazing woman has the ability to penetrate rocks. This time, it's the recipe for Papaya Titek in her cookbook, Modern Nyonya. Her stock for the Peranakan soup is made with the heads and shells of 50 g of prawns! For those who don't know, 50 g would be two prawns each about the size of a forefinger. According to her recipe, the heads and shells of these two small crustaceans boiled in one whole litre of water for 30 minutes would make stock for 4-5 servings. Le sigh . . . . She's considered an authority on Singapore cooking, you know?

Modern Nyonya is clearly a load of crap. The Best of Singapore Cooking, on the other hand, would have given me a very salty papaya soup. The recipe has a huge amount of salted fish bones and dried prawns, in addition to salt and a chicken stock cube.

The The recipe in Cooking for the President isn't ideal either. It's more like a stew than soup since there's more papaya than water. There aren't any fresh prawns, and it's less spicy than The Best Of. But I like the idea of dry-frying, then simmering the dried prawns.

In the end, I sort of combine the two better-but-not-ideal recipes. I don't use as much papaya as Cooking For, nor as much salted fish bones as The Best Of. I omit the salt and stock cube but there're fresh prawns, as well as dried ones dry-fried till very fragrant. Lastly, I go along with The Best Of's amount of white peppercorn and chilli.

The soup doesn't make me jump up and down with excitement, but I like the fruity sweetness of the papaya contrasted with the salty and mildly spicy stock. Le purr . . . . I'll definitely make Buah Paya Masak Titek again when I have a papaya that's too green for eating straight, and too ripe for pickling.

BUAH PAYA MASAK TITEK (PEPPERY PAPAYA SOUP) Source: Adapted from The Best of Singapore Cooking and Cooking for the President (Recipe for 6 persons) 350 g prawns peel, leaving tails on, devein and rinse; reserve shells and heads for making stock 80 g salted threadfin bones, rinse twice 900 ml water 40 g dried prawns (¼ cup), rinse and dry-fry till fragrant 12 g candlenuts (3 pieces) 1 red chilli 1 tbsp white peppercorns 80 g shallots, peel, wash and chop roughly 800 g half-ripe papaya (skin should be green with a hint of yellow) peel, rinse, quarter lengthwise, discard seeds, trim inner surface, and cut crosswise 1½ cm thick sugar to taste, about ½ tsp Bring prawn shells and heads, salted fish bones and water to a boil. Simmer gently, covered, for 5 minutes. Make spice paste whilst stock is simmering. Blend or pound dried prawns, candlenuts, chillies, peppercorns and shallots finely. Remove and discard prawn shells and heads from stock with a slotted spoon. Add ground paste. Continue gentle simmering for 10 minutes. Add papaya and bring back to a boil. Simmer till almost tender, 3-4 minutes depending on how ripe papaya is. Do not overcook or papaya would turn mushy. Turn off heat. Let soup sit 10 minutes, covered, to develop flavours. Reheat soup till gently simmering. Taste and season with sugar to taste, about ½ tsp. Add prawns and heat till just pink and opaque. Do not overcook. Serve Buah Paya Masak Titek hot, accompanied by sambal belachan and calamansi lime juice as a dip.

Kiam Chye Ark

When I was looking at recipes for Itek Teem, I was surprised at the number of ingredients used for the Nyonya soup. Various Peranakan adaptations of Kiam Chye Ark had pig's trotters, assam skin, brandy, nutmeg, and even sea cucumber. These were on top of the kiam chye (pickled mustard greens), ark (duck), pickled plums, and tomatoes found in every recipe, Nyonya or Chinese. It all seemed a bit over-the-top to me, adding so much stuff.

I also checked out some Chinese recipes, which widened the variety of ingredients used: ginger, garlic, wolfberries (!), dried dates, pork ribs (!), onions, white peppercorns, carrots and, as for Itek Teem, brandy.

After considering the alternatives, I decided to stick to my mother's recipe using only kiam chye, ark, pickled plums, and tomatoes. Yup, just the gang of four which everyone else had; and nothing else, unlike everyone else. I didn't want to dilute the taste of the duck with pork, or mask it with the pungence of ginger, garlic or onions. Nor did I want to tone down the full blast of the salted mustard greens with dried dates, nutmeg, and whatnots. I wanted the soup salty and sour with no hint of sweet or bitter. Sea cucumber was a no-no because it would have absorbed rather than enhanced flavours (which is why it's usually braised with flavourful ingredients, such as dried mushrooms). I didn't need peppercorns since my mother's Kiam Chye Ark was always served with a good dash of ground white pepper. The only candidate left was brandy. Hmm, maybe . . . .

After 90 minutes of patient simmering, my soup (and kitchen) was full of gamey sweetness from the duck. And there was a salty, sourish tang from the pickled mustard greens. The pickled plums and tomatoes were accents in the background, rounding off the robust, bold flavours. It was the hearty soup I grew up with, the Kiam Chye Ark that tasted of kiam chye and ark, unadulterated.

Growing up, it never occurred to me that my mother's Kiam Chye Ark might need any extra ingredient. Now, after pondering over it, I don't think it does. I wouldn't change anything . . . save for maybe a tiny shot of brandy to add a bit of 'oomph'. To me, Mom's Kiam Chye Ark is still the best in the world.

KIAM CHYE ARK (咸菜鸭, DUCK SOUP WITH SALTED MUSTARD GREENS ) Source: My mother (Recipe for 6 persons) 220 g 咸菜 (kiam chye, salted mustard greens) ½ duck weighing about 1.1 kg, or 950 g after trimming 2 big pickled plums (30 g; use 3-4 pieces if plums are small), crush or cut to break the skin 1 medium size tomato (120 g), rinse, trim and cut into 6 wedges 1 tbsp brandy, optional ground white pepper, to taste There're two types of salted mustard greens. One is more sour, less salty, and has leaves as well as stems; the other is more salty, less sour, and has only thick stems. Some people refer to both as 咸菜, but the sour one with leaves is actually 酸菜. Rinse kiam chye thoroughly and cut bite size, slicing thicker leaves at an angle to make thin slices about 2 mm thick. Add enough hot water to just cover. Soak 5 minutes and drain (don't squeeze dry), reserving the water. Chop off duck's rear end if it's still hanging around. Trim skin and fat but leave less fatty skin on the drumstick, thigh and wing. Chop into six pieces (drumstick, thigh, wing, and 3 pieces of breast meat). Blanch in boiling water. Rinse and pluck out any lingering feathers, with a pair of tweezers if necessary. Put duck, plums and 180 g kiam chye in a pot, tightly packed. Add enough water to cover by 5 cm, about 7½ cups (1.8 litres). Bring to a boil. Simmer very gently, covered, for 45 minutes. Taste and, if not too salty, add remaining kiam chye to taste. Tuck tomato pieces around the pot. Continue simmering very gently till duck is tender, another 45 minutes or so. There should be enough liquid to cover duck and vegetables by about 3 cm. Add more water as necessary, or increase heat to boil rapidly, uncovered, till soup is reduced to desired level. Taste and adjust seasoning with reserved kiam chye water if necessary. Add brandy if using, then cover and simmer 1 minute. Serve with ground white pepper to taste.

Udang Masak Nanas

It's another Mrs Wee Kim Wee recipe today: udang masak nanas. This is the fourth recipe I've tried from Cooking for the President. It's a classic Nyonya soup made with, as its name says, udang and nanas – or prawns and pineapple for those who don't speak Malay. It's great for whetting the appetite 'cause it's slightly tangy and a wee bit spicy. And prawns are, for me, always a treat.

Udang masak nanas is an easy soup whether you masak as in cook for real, or masak-masak as in play at cooking. Just gather all the ingredients in a pot and simmer away – kid stuff!

My mother made a dish very similar to Udang Masak Nanas but, instead of prawns, she used a small fish called kekek (ponyfish). The president's wife sometimes used the wonderfully tasty fish too. That's not surprising since the basic recipe is quite common and adaptable. You know what's surprising? Mrs Wee made omelettes with pig brains on Sundays as a treat, just like my mother! Her daughter, like me, had to clean the brains with toothpicks. And the two cooks' recipes were practically the same, not that one could vary a Chinese style omelette much.

It's a pity my mother has passed away. Otherwise, she'd be really tickled to see that she and the ex-first lady share a recipe as esoteric as pig brain omelette.

UDANG MASAK NANAS (PRAWNS IN SPICY PINEAPPLE SOUP) Source: Cooking for the President, Wee Eng Hwa (Recipe for 8 persons) 2 kg underripe pineapple, tart and not too juicy Rempah kuning 30 g candlenuts 80 g galangal, wash, peel and grate 8 g turmeric, scrape off skin and wash 2 dried chillies, soak in warm water till soft, about 30 minutes 30 g large red chillies, wash and trim 100 g shallots, peel and wash 20 g belachan, toast and grind/pound . . . or 8 tsp belachan powder 2 stalks lemongrass, lower part only, wash and crush 2 large turmeric leaves . . . wash, tear from main vein 2.5 cm wide, and snip off fibrous ends 4 pieces tamarind skin sugar to taste, about 8 tbsp salt to taste, about 4 tsp salt 4 litres water (I used only 2 litres) 1 kg large or medium prawns, 16-32 pieces, trim, devein and wash 50 lemon basil leaves Dip 4 red bird's eye chillies, rinse and crush 2 tsp dark soya sauce 4 tbsp light soya sauce 2 calamansi limes rinse, halve and combine juice and peel with all other ingredient Peel, core and rinse pineapple. Cut into chunky, bite size slices. Reserve core for making soup. Pound or grind ingredients for rempah kuning till very fine. Put all ingredients (including pineapple core) except sliced pineapple, prawns and lemon basil in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 10 minutes, covered. Add sliced pineapple and top up with water if necessary to cover by about 1 cm. Simmer gently till soft, 10-15 minutes depending on how ripe the pineapples are. Discard pineapple core and tamarind skin. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. If soup lacks 'oomph', increase heat and reduce by boiling rapidly. Set aside till ready to serve. 'This is a classic Nonya soup with well-balanced sweetness, sourness and saltiness. The sugar sweetness is just enough to counter the tartness of the pineapple, but is not dominating . . . . The soup has character and substance, yet is not thick. It should be easy to drink.' Wee Eng Hwa When you're ready to eat, bring soup to a boil. Add prawns and poach till just cooked, stirring and turning as necessary to ensure even cooking. Transfer everything to a serving bowl immediately, arranging prawns on top. (Don't hide prawns underneath pineapple or leave them in the pot. Otherwise, they would overcook in the residual heat.) Sprinkle with lemon basil. Serve with chillies, dark and light soya sauce, and lime juice and peel combined as a dip.

Herbal Mutton Soup

My mother cooked just about everyday, and not once did she cook mutton, lamb or goat anything – not once. Hence, my knowledge of cooking anything that goes 'Meh-eh-heh!' or 'Baa-aaa!' is pretty paltry. I learn on the job which is, if you ask me, a fun way of learning.

I cooked some lamb chops once. Said chops were marinated with pineapple juice, fresh rosemary and salt, then pan-fried till medium-rare. The chops were delicious but I had a small problem. You know how lamb chops have bones that are curved? I couldn't brown the curved part which had no contact with the pan. Lamb chops served in restaurants are completely seared though, as far as I can remember. How do they do it? Grilling or roasting wouldn't work because the meat would be overcooked by the time the bit which curves inward is brown. The only way I can think of is with a blow torch! Or maybe frying with lots of oil, like almost deep-frying?

My second encounter with mutton, lamb or goat anything at home was goat milk. I had two bottles delivered from Hay Dairies because some channel 8 program said goat milk was nicer than cow milk. Hah! Don't believe anything you see on TV! The first mouthful was indeed rich and milky but it was only for a few nanoseconds. The aftertaste hit me in the face with the unmistakable stench that only goats and sheep are capable of. 'Eeeeeeew!'
Hmm, what to do with two big bottles of goat milk less one mouthful? I made some yogurt, thinking the sourness might disguise the goaty smell. Big mistake! Not only was the stench not lessened by the fermentation, it actually became more concentrated. Double 'Eeeeew!'

Last resort: I heated up the remaining milk, poured the whole lot in a plastic basin, and plonked my feet in it! As me poor, weary feet luxuriated in Cleopatra style, I could hear a goat mama somewhere sobbing, 'You rob me of my milk for this?!' I hung my head in shame, and . . . . Hey, my feet are silky smooth!

And then there was the time when I tried my hand at mutton stew (post here). It was delicious, my neighbour said. 'Woooof! Woof! Wooof!' When am I cooking mutton again? That's the neighbour, btw. 'I just did but sorry, you're not getting any this time.'

I hate to disappoint my furry neighbour but the herbal soup with mutton ribs is too good to, um, go to the dogs.

HERBAL MUTTON SOUP (For 4 persons) 500 g fresh mutton (sheep or goat) ribs 15 Chinese dried red dates (红枣), seeds removed 20 g slices liquorice (甘草) (6 big slices) 20 g radix astragali (北芪) (6 big slices) 2 tbsp goji berries (枸杞, aka wolfberries) 10 g American ginseng beard (人参须) salt to taste, about ⅛ tsp 1 tbsp roughly chopped Chinese parsley 1 tbsp julienned ginger ground white pepper, to taste Some mutton smells; some doesn't. The key to a good soup is fresh meat that's clean tasting. Trim membranes and excess fat from ribs. Chop into chunky pieces. Blanch in boiling water and rinse thoroughly. Simmer gently with dates, liquorice and radix astragali in enough water to cover by about 2 inches. After 1 hour, add ginseng beard and goji berries. Bring back to a boil and simmer gently for another 30-45 minutes. Ribs should be soft and tender when done, with enough soup to cover by ½ inch or so. Increase heat or top up with a bit more water as necessary. Remove and discard liquorice, ginseng and radix astragali. Season soup with salt. Transfer to serving bowls. Sprinkle with Chinese parsley, ginger and pepper. Serve immediately. Don't simmer the ginseng heard and goji berries for more than 1 hour. Overcooked ginseng beard tastes 苦 instead of 甘, i.e. the herbal bitterness is flat and unpleasant. Overcooked goji berries may turn sour.

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Brain Food – For the Brave

Pig brains used to be a popular food for Chinese. The practice has died out more or less, but I thought it would be nice to have a record of how traditional Double-Boiled Pig Brain Soup is made. And also Pig Brain Omelette, which is the photo on the left. Doesn't look too bad, does it? The other photos, however, are a bit gruesome, to be honest. So, if you're squeamish, you should not read this post. Did you get that? Repeat:

GO AWAY IF YOU'RE SQUEAMISH!

This post is for those who are brave, or those who have a bit of Hannibal in them. If you think you're one of them, please continue reading. Or come back later if you just ate.

Don't blame me if you're going 'Aaaaargh!' or 'Eeeeew!' I did warn you. This is what a pig's raw brain looks like. What did you expect? See the bit of bone fragment on the left? Nice, eh?

I don't know if other tribes eat the membrane surrounding the brain but my tribe – 'Ooonga oonga!' – doesn't. To remove the blood vessels, you stick a toothpick into the web, then twirl. All the red stuff would wind itself around the toothpick.

This is what it looks like after it's done. The twirling takes a couple of minutes.

After a thorough rinse, the brain is ready for the pot. Yes, it's soft, and slimy after it's washed.

Make a double-boiled soup with some lean pork and Chinese herbs such as ginseng, dang gui or cordyceps. Add a couple of Chinese dried dates for sweetness.

Or make an omelette, which doesn't look scary at all. No one would know what's in it unless you tell them. The brain doesn't taste nasty, just soft and creamy. If you say it's beancurd, it's totally plausible.

Judging from the price – 50 cents each – I guess the brain isn't the most treasured part of the pig now. In the old days, they were extremely popular around exam time. My mother had to go to the market early in the morning to make sure she got one. Like many other Chinese mothers, she believed pig brains improved intelligence, and ginseng provided an energy boost. So, I had double-boiled brain and ginseng soup faithfully waiting for me once or twice a week, just before going to bed. Only when school exams loomed, mind you, to make sure I scored well. Rest of the time, we had Pig Brain Omelette occasionally on Sundays. It was a treat, believe it or not, and the 'brainy' bits were the most coveted. Ah yes, those were the days . . . .

DOUBLED-BOILED PIG BRAIN SOUP (Recipe for 1 person) 8 slices dang gui, or 15 slices American ginseng 1 pig brain, cleaned as described above 100 g lean pork, rinsed 2 Chinese dried red dates, rinsed Put all ingredients in a small bowl or ramekin that can hold 300 ml (1¼ cups). Add ½ cup water. Cover the bowl or ramekin, with aluminium foil if it doesn't have a proper cover. Double-boil with gently simmering water for 3 hours. If you like, remove the herbs and dates, which are not eaten. Serve hot. Typically, pig brain soup is taken just before going to bed so that it's not eaten with other stuff that might negate the benefits of the brain and herbs. Anything acidic such as oranges is a big no-no till the soup is digested and absorbed! As are salt and pepper in the soup for the same reason. PIG BRAIN OMELETTE (Recipe for 4 persons) 1 pig brain, cleaned as described above, and cut into small, bite size pieces 2 eggs 2 tsp light soya sauce couple of dashes ground white pepper ½ tsp Shaoxing wine small pinch of sugar 3 tsp vegetable oil 1 tbsp roughly chopped Chinese parsley I like to add 1 tbsp milk/water/stock per egg when making omelettes but not for a 'brainy omelette' because there's quite a bit of water in the crevices. Beat all ingredients except oil and Chinese parsley till thoroughly combined. Heat wok or frying pan (18 cm would be just right) till very hot. Add 2 tsp oil and heat till almost smoking. Add egg mixture. Fry over medium heat till bottom is lightly golden, pushing edges to the middle so that the omelette cooks evenly. When eggs are 75% set, cut omelette into 4 pieces with a spatula. Turn each piece over. Add Chinese parsley. Drizzle with 1 tsp oil. Fry till the second side is also lightly golden brown. Plate and serve

Pear Sweet Soup (银耳雪梨糖水) – Cantonese Health Food

Cantonese sweet soups or 糖水 are usually served as a dessert, but they're not like desserts in any other culture. Everyone regards desserts as an evil temptation that they should avoid as much as possible, except the Cantonese. To them, desserts aren't indulgent or sinful but a necessary health tonic for the body. That's right, desserts are a health food! Isn't that an awesome idea?! Forget the nasty stuff like wheatgrass and flax seeds. Heath food Cantonese style is what you want!

In Hong Kong, there're many restaurants that serve only sweet soups. A lot of these specialty eateries are packed with people even late at night. Do the customers feel guilty when they're tucking into something sweet and yummy, sometimes just before going to bed? Not at all! Why would anyone feel bad about eating health food? If they're feeling listless and tired, a bowl of red bean soup would give 'em an energy boost. Having an acne breakout? Red wouldn't be the right colour. Instead, go for green bean soup which is also good for eczema and lowering cholesterol. Looking for smooth, milky white complexion? That'd be almond milk or steamed custard. Been coughing lately? Sea-coconuts and pears to the rescue. Does black glutinous rice with coconut milk and mangoes sound good? I hear it improves digestion. Worried about hair turning grey? Forget coconuts; black sesame soup would do the trick . . . .

I haven't come across a sweet soup that cures cancer but there's something for just about everything else!

I had two bowls of Pear and Snow Fungus Sweet Soup (银耳雪梨糖水) after dinner. My throat, which been quite dry for a few days, feels ok now. Worked like a charm, and it was a light and refreshing dessert to boot.

Who says you should avoid desserts? When it's a Cantonese sweet soup, you should have a second helping!

PEAR AND SNOW FUNGUS SWEET SOUP (银耳雪梨糖水) (Recipe for 4 persons) 1 piece dried snow fungus (雪耳/银耳), about ½ palm size or 10 g 2 big or 3 medium Chinese or Japanese pears (about 550 g) 1½ tbsp Chinese bitter almonds (北杏), rinsed 1½ tbsp Chinese sweet almonds (南杏), rinsed 10 Chinese dried red dates (红枣), rinsed and pits removed rock sugar to taste, 70 g or so (or light brown sugar if not available) Soak snow fungus in water till soft, about 20 minutes. Trim dirty, tough ends and discard. Rinse thoroughly and tear into bite size pieces. Rinse, peel, core and quarter pears. Cut each quarter into 3-4 chunky pieces. Put all ingredients except rock sugar in a pot with 6 cups water. Bring to a boil. Simmer gently, covered. Check after 45 minutes. There should be enough water for ingredients to just float freely. Top up if necessary. Or increase heat slightly if there's too much. Simmer another 15 minutes if you like snow fungus crunchy, or 30 minutes if you prefer it soft. Season to taste with rock sugar. If you like, discard pears which would be quite tasteless after the long simmer. Serve hot, chilled or at room temperature, as dessert, afternoon tea or supper. It's up to you. May be stored in the fridge for 2 days.

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Pork Maw Soup

There're two schools of thought when it comes to cleaning the pig's stomach. You could use an acidic cleaning agent, such as lemon, lime, vinegar or even coke. This is the quicker and easier method, and one that my mother always sniffed at because the acid is usually too strong. It removes not only the yucky smell but also the good, making the maw rather tasteless. She always used the physical method which is somewhat like a . . . sort of facial, with exfoliation and a peel-off mask!

My mother's method has lots of coarse salt rubbed on the maw which is turned inside out. That's the exfoliation. Next comes the deep cleansing. The maw is dusted generously with corn flour which, unlike other masks, requires no waiting time at all. It's peeled off immediately, using a method that you should never try on your face. The maw is seared, briefly and without oil, so that the flour and all the nasty stuff it's mixed with is stuck to the wok/pot. Isn't that brilliant?! In a matter of minutes, the slime is all gone and the maw clean and ready to cook.

When it comes to eating offal – or "spare parts", as I like to call the "nasty bits" – there're also two schools of thought: those who don't and those who do. Obviously, I belong to the latter group and I'm damn proud of it. I grew up eating not just the pig's stomach but also intestines, blood, heart, spleen, liver, tongue, kidneys and brain. No lungs though because that was too much work, even for my mother. I also love the 'odds and ends' on the outside, like the ears (crunchy) and snout (spongy)!

Some people think offal is eaten by those who are poverty stricken, or uncivilized, or both. Unless it's foie gras, of course, then it's a different story. Besides the famed goose liver, the French eat an awful lot of offal, such as andouillette (pig colon sausage), boudin (pig blood sausage), tête de veau (calf's head) and duck gizzard salad. In fact, you can buy chicken gizzards in little plastic tubs in French supermarkets, clean and ready to cook. And at the Sunday market in the Marais, you can find rows of pig snout displayed proudly. I tell ya, that was an awesome sight that warmed my heart! If anyone knows about food, it must be the French. If they think offal is cool, it can't possibly be awful, right?

I had watched my mother clean pork maw lots of times but never did it myself until today. It wasn't as tedious or yucky as I had thought. Now that I know it's a 10-minute job, I'm gonna make pork maw soup more often. I heart pork maw soup. Om nom nom nom . . . .

PORK MAW SOUP (Recipe for 4 persons) 1 pork maw 3 tbsp coarse salt 3 tbsp corn flour 4 tbsp white peppercorns, or to taste 1 big chicken breast (about 500 g), cut into 8 pieces, blanched in boiling water, then rinsed light soya sauce to taste, ½ tsp (not much needed if stock is robust) ground white pepper to taste, a few dashes 1 tbsp roughly chopped coriander Make a cut 7-8 cm (3 inches) long in bottom end of maw. Turn maw inside out through the cut. Make sure creases in top end are completely turned out. Rinse thoroughly under running water. Drain. Sprinkle with salt all over, about 2 tbsp. Rub thoroughly. Rinse well under running water. Drain. Sprinkle with corn flour all over, about 3 tbsp. Make sure maw is completely covered. Sear over medium heat without oil, in a wok/pot that's not non-stick, till flour sticks to the wok/pot, or sticks to the maw and is cooked/hardened. This takes maybe ½ minute each side. Remove and rinse under running water. There may be stubborn bits of flour that stick to the maw. Scrape 'em off with a scissor blade. Rinse again. Maw should now be completely free from slime. Rub 1 tbsp salt all over. Rinse and drain. If you want a more peppery soup, crush peppercorns and toast till fragrant. Otherwise, leave 'em whole and untoasted. Gently simmer maw, peppercorns and chicken in 4 cups water, covered. Maw is done when it's tender, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Snip off a small bit and have a taste. When ready, remove maw to cool down. Check if there's enough soup, about 3 cups for 4 servings. You should if your pot is tightly covered. If not, top up with more water and simmer for another 10 minutes. Remove chicken to cool down. When cool enough to handle, cut maw on the slant into thin, bite size slices. Tear chicken into shreds. Cover till ready to serve. To serve, bring soup and shredded chicken to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes to moisten chicken. Season with light soya sauce and ground white pepper to taste. Place maw in serving bowls. Add soup and chicken. Garnish with coriander. Serve piping hot with some light soya sauce or sambal on the side.