Happy Autumn Festival, everyone! Tomorrow, the column in Sing Tao starts again, and it will run every other week. To kickstart the column, we have Maggie, our Malaysian friend's favourite Nonya recipe for Laksa Lemak.
Nonya food has always been a favourite for many of us, and through James's postings on this website, we discover he is fluent with Malaysian food as well. I now look forward to many exchanges on this hot topic.
In the early '90s, I made a special trip to Singapore to learn 'Nonya' cooking from my friend Anne Holloway's aunt's maid, Maid Mountain. I have always been fascinated with Nonya food with its cross-cultural influences producing exotic dishes like chili crabs and Hainan chicken, to name but a few. In fact, one of my parting creations from my stint with Cathay Pacific Airways was Hainan Chicken, solving the problem of serving the chicken in-flight without a gamey and 'fridge' taste. Adapting Maid Mountain's authentic Hainan Chicken Rice recipe -- the proper way to treat the chicken, to prepare the rice and the condiments -- I am proud to report that those who have sampled this dish on board rank it amongst the best in-flight meals they have ever had. Now, you too can unravel the secrets behind this ever-popular favourite.
Basics (8)
