Why diversifying your kids palate is a good idea

My first kid started as a picky eater and I've tried very hard to change that. My take has always been to encourage kids to be adventurous in eating. And there's many ways of doing so.

1/ Keep diversifying their tastebuds and introduce them to something new each week (sushi / indian food / chinese) It's one thing to blend their vegetables and hide it in the food but I think they should be exposed to eating different textures.

2/ Always keep the attitude positive. For example, on spicy food, never panic and say "Oh No its spicy!" instead, try a challenge "this is big people's food, when you are ready, you can try it." or you can use some imagination "It makes the mouth hot like a dragon! Too bad it only stays for awhile"

3/ Encourage wonderful food experiences in restaurants. growing up as a Singaporean kid, eating was our culture and we were exposed to a lot of different styles of eating: Dim Sum, South Indian food, Seafood, etc.

If your kids move from picky to adventurous eaters, you will be able to enjoy food adventures together as a family and not have to say "I can't go to xxx restaurant, Johnny can't eat xxx. It will also open the kids to different cultures and a wealth of life experiences.

Diversity won't hurt you, in fact I am a firm believer that it would benefit and sustain you.  

Natural Indian Snacks for School Lunchbox

My friend brought me to Madras Supermarket in Sunnyvale, California. I was impressed at the diversity of grains and spices in this supermarket. In the Western diet, we have grown so used to eating wheat that we forget that there is such a diversity of ingredients out there. Take flour for example...most Westerners are familiar with wheat flour and maybe they may have two or three other different flours in their pantry. The Indian diet incorporates so much different varieties of flour: sorghum, moong dal, chick pea, rice, soya bean, buckwheat, millet and the list goes on...

It has added oomph into my kid's snack box. Here are some ingredients that you can buy from your local Indian supermarket:

Pani Puri (Left of lunchbox)
Made of semolina, flour, salt, oil and water, this crisp puffy snack is perfect for schoolkids. Apart from a little salt, there's no other preservatives. I  serve it with a little tub of yoghurt of cream cheese on the side. This is my little one's favourite. (he can't get enough of it)

Namak Para (bottom right of lunch box)
Primarily made of wheat flour, this makes a great nibble for the kids

Boondi (top right of lunch box)
These salted fried chickpea flour puffs are nice to pick and snack on (the version I bought contains a little peanut but I'm sure if you try hard enough, you can find non-peanut versions)

Sesame Chikki (centre of lunch box)
It comes in a slab. It's like sesame brittle. Break it up with your fingers. It goes well with coffee (or in your child's snack box) Nice crunchy sticky texture and it's a good substitute to all those snacks with artificial colors.

Incidentally, my kids loved the box of Indian snacks I put together for them. The older one loved Boondi and the younger one loved Pani Puri.

Keep trying.

How to host a fabulous Winter Raclette party

There's nothing like melty cheese to warm the cockles of your heart in winter.  Most people are familiar with fondue but I think I also like the lesser known cousin...raclette.

Raclette is a semi-hard cheese that originates from Valais, Switzerland. Is is said that Swiss cow herders used to take Raclette cheese with them when they are out and about with their herd. Then they would light a fire and roast the cheese. These days, the cheese is warmed on a pan and scraped onto boiled potatoes. In Switzerland and the French Alps, it's a popular dish after a hard day's work of skiing.

I was hosted by my French friend recently; She threw a wonderful raclette party for 12. I realize that it's actually a nice fuss free way of entertaining. Your guests cook their own food and they're having so much fun in the process.

So here's three easy steps to get started with your raclette party: 

1/ Get one of these cool raclette grills. You basically melt the raclette cheese with your individual pans, that can be slotted into the grill. You can grill vegetables on top or cook crepe on the top of the raclette grill, but that's for another party! You can get one of these raclette grills on Amazon. 

(6 person raclette grill) 

2/ Besides the raclette cheese, you can put together a charcuterie plate of saucisson, cuts of meat like parma ham and bowls of olives and cornichons on the side.

If you're in the Bay area, you can order your raclette and a variety of dried cured meats from an artisan shop or Frenchery.com. Serve with a bowl of boiled baby potatoes and maybe even a salad. 

Easy. 

By the way, my French friend adds that you should be enjoying raclette with white wine. And end the meal with herbal tea. 

3/ Don't forget to create an atmosphere - a winter lodge or swiss chalet feel. You don't have to do much to your table setting, as your ingredients will be the star of the table. Light a fire in the fireplace, put on some cool music and you're all set. 

Bon Apetit!  

  

Old Singapore - shophouses, coffeeshops and takeaway culture

Singapore is changing fast. Every time I visit this island, a new project is underway. This time round it was the National Art Gallery and the MCE tunnel (Marina Coastal Expressway). 

The latest wave of change in Singapore includes a host of artisan eateries and coffee shops.  Located in Jalan Besar, an industrial part of Singapore, Chye Seng Huat Hardware store is an unassuming shop front that hides a cool industrial cafe. Sipping on the gourmet coffees, one would think that coffee is a new introduction to the Singapore scene. 

However, Singapore's coffee and tea culture goes way back.

And every time I return to this island nation, I am drawn to the old Peranakan neighborhood of Katong where I grew up. I suppose beyond the confectionary colored shophouses and the food, I love Katong because there are still bastions that have stood the test of time...like Chin Mee Chin confectionary. 

With its 1950s decor still intact, Chin Mee Chin has stood the test of time. The confectionary is loved for it's 1950s style cakes and kaya toast. 

Prior to Starbucks, Singapore's take-away cups were in the form of these simple plastic bags. I remember drinking fanta and sprite on these at my school's tuck shop at recess. 

Another nostalgic takeaway cup with the takeaway tin. 

Local coffee can be enjoyed around the island at an affordable price. Coffee is still being brewed in pots with what locals popularly call the 'sock filter'. Muslin filter sieves out the ground coffee.  

Chin Mee Chin Coffee Shop
204 East Coast Road

8 things I discovered while cooking in a Mexican home-kitchen

1/ Tajin rules! Tajin is a wonderful spice mix made out of chilli peppers, lime and salt. The sour piquant taste is perfect  to flavor bland vegetables.  For example, Jicama! grate away the tough outside layer of the Jicama and slice it the same way you would slice carrot sticks. Sprinkle Tajin liberally on Jicama and I promise you, you won't stop eating Jicama! You can purchase Tajin at most supermarkets.

2/ Chipotle is not just the name of a food chain, it is a wonderful smoky hot sauce. For those that like it spicy, Chipotles is a smokey chilli sauce that would make a great accompaniment for your dishes.

3/ We discovered different vegetables and they were beautiful. We prepared Tomatillos for our enchilada sauce. Go out, bring a new vegetable home, and try them out.

4) Ceviche is easy to make and makes a good starter! It originated in Peru but it is popular in Mexico. We prepared Ceviche de pescado (fish ceviche) Use a firm white fleshed fish (never use an oily fish). We blanched ling cod in water with bay leaves, peppers, cloves, garlic, onions and salt. Remember not to cook too long as the fish flesh needs to be firm. We marinated the ceviche with lime juice, olive oil, diced onions in the fridge for 20 min to an hour and added vegetables at the end (avocado, tomato, cilantro and green olives or capers) 

We sprinkled tajin on our pescado

Serve in small glass cups for a nice touch

5/ Use orange juice to flavor your shrimp cocktail (Coctel de camaron)

Costco sells fresh ready-cooked shrimps to shorten your cooking process. Our shrimp cocktail was flavored with 1 cup fresh orange juice and 1/2 cup tomato ketchup (600g shrimp). Yes it does sound strange, but it was delicious! Mix with chopped tomatoes, avocados, cilantro, drizzle with olive oil and squeeze lime juice to taste.

6/ A good dose of Tequilla makes the cooking experience fun. Jose Cuervo Tequilla makes a great gift and beautiful pop artwork as well.

7/ It's easy and a fun activity to make empanadas at home with friends. Note: Not all empanada makers are equal. It's not so easy to shape the damn empanadas! Our empanadas were filled with chicken mole (shredded chicken cooked in mole sauce) 

Empanada filling: 

- Get ready-made mole sauce at Mexican supermarket (see bottom)

- Cook chicken breast in water, shred chicken meat

- Reserve chicken stock and combine with ready-made mole paste. Add shredded chicken 

Tip: Don't be greedy, put a smaller amount of filling for each pastry. But don't worry, they come out looking fine in the end. 

Trader Joe's makes great puff pastry that you can roll out and use for the empanadas. 

Brush with egg batter, sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake empanadas in an oven @420F

The empanadas were filled with chicken cooked in mole sauce. Mole sauce can be bought pre-prepared in Mexican supermarkets. Make sure your mole sauce is not watery. It should be nice and thick. 

8/ And when life gives you Trump, you make ceviche and coctel de cameron. 

God Bless America!

You can get your Mexican products at Mi Pueblo Food center (Mexican Supermarket): 40 S Rengstorff Ave, Mountain View, CA 94040

Discovering new ingredients at a Vietnamese Supermarket

So here I am at Vietnam town, San Jose. I brought a group of moms to Maxim Supermarket (995 Mclaughlin Ave) to familiarize them with vegetables and sauces of an Asian kitchen.

My favorite part of the Vietnamese supermarket is the herb section. Herbs are essential in Vietnamese cuisine.  The varieties of mint, basil and coriander are different to the Western variety. Notice the banana blossoms on the top left corner

This is the Saw Leaf Herb, named because of the jagged edges. It is usually served with Vietnamese Beef Pho. 

Galangal or Blue Ginger, is used extensively in South-east Asian cooking, especially curries. 

Saw Leaf Herb on top of my beef pho

Vietnamese Basil in the foreground and Rau Ram in the background, a herb that is used in South-east Asian cooking, known for its aromatic scent

And of course, navigating the sauce section can be tricky and confusing for the first-timer. 

 Here are some of my inputs:

Fish Sauce - Thai or Vietnamese? The Thai version is stronger in flavor and the Vietnamese version is slightly more delicate. So if you're cooking Vietnamese, definitely go for the Vietnamese brand but if you prefer more robust flavors, reach for the Thai version.

I love the seafood section. There's so much variety. And they gut, clean and scale the fish for you. 

And my last word of advice, EXPLORE and be ADVENTUROUS! Go, bring home some herbs and incorporate into your cooking.

On your way to the perfect Kebab or Sheftalia

In a foodie household, my husband and I usually have competitions to see who can come up with the better dish. Now his specialty is kebab. It's the don't touch category (you can never come close, so don't even try) So I did a little research to see how I can "up" the game.

I dug out a recipe from Falling Cloudberries, a beautiful recipe book featuring a collection of Cypriot, Finnish and South African family recipes by Tessa Kiros. Now technically, the recipe I am using is a recipe for Sheftalia, Cypriot meat parcels. It's basically minced lamb and beef (the original was minced pork and beef) with minced parsley and red onions; wrapped in caul fat.

What is caul fat? 
Caul fat is a membrane of fat (usually beef or lamb) that is used to encase your minced meat. You can get this at a specialty butcher. It is thin and stretchy and looks like lace or a spider's web. You'll have to soak the caul fat in warm water and juice of 1/2 lemon for 30 minutes. Cut the lace-like membrane into square shapes and wrap the minced meat mixture in the caul fat.

I followed the recipe but I also added a few touches. Here are 3 tips to getting the perfect kebab or sheftalia

Spice it up
Cumin is indispensible, freshly grounded coriander works wonders and don't be afraid to salt the kebab generously.

The right Texture
Add sparkling water or soda water to get a more bouncy consistency (about 1/2 a cup for 2 pounds of meat)

Fatten it up
Use minced meat with maximum fat. And if you want them extra juicy, try the caul fat.

Think Mezze!

Being married to a Middle Eastern, I am constantly being exposed to mezze-style food. I like this concept immensely. Mezze actually just means appetizer. But the Middle Easterns have perfected the practice of whetting your appetite. Typically, in a Turkish, Lebanese or Israeli restaurants, a mezze serving would consist of small plates of dips, morsels of deep fried food, grilled seafood, cheese and salad. This probably influenced the 'small plate' tapas culture in spain.

A Mezze serving looks impressive to serve at a party. It's a feast for the senses as it is made up of a variety of delectable food. It's the perfect accompaniment to drinks - to be enjoyed slowly with good friends. This Mezze was served for breakfast in Israel as part of an Israeli breakfast.

It's so easy to create your own mezze dish at home. Think mediterranean ingredients and add color and texture on your plate. Contrast fresh salads with grilled veges, fried items or even pickled items.
This mezze plate consists of (from top going clockwise) tomato and olive salad, fig with parmesan cheese, zucchini fritters and char grilled shishito peppers.