Home cooked Teochew Muay (rice porridge) lunch

Last Sunday we were invited by my elder sister to a home-cooked Teochew Muay (porridge) lunch at her place. What made her decide to host such an event was a call I made to her one day  to notify her during the airing of the TV program, Food Hometown 2 in which Chew Chor Meng 周初明, brought us from Singapore to China, 朝州，汕头，sampling and searching the origins of typical Teochew delicacy. Coincidentally another younger brother called her as well so that got her motivated. You see my elder sister Huang has been our family Sous-chef in our childhood days. She helped in the kitchen and learnt from our late paternal grandmother as well as our parents so she is an expert in many traditional Teochew dishes and Kueh (snacks). We grew up eating this comfort food for breakfast, accompanied by a lot of salty preserved dishes such as Salted Eggs, Fermented Toufu, Pickled Caixin, Pickled Mustard, Salted Fish. I guess the best compliment to the cook is the excitement and enthusiasm of the guests.

Ours is a big family of 10 siblings so she could only accommodate half the number which means about 15 guests altogether with the wives and kids tagging along. It came as a surprise that the kids (nieces and nephews) all acquired the taste for Teochew porridge as well. Most of us polished off at least 3 bowls of porridge. It was a really satisfying meal with family members.

The dishes brought back lots of happy childhood memories. Each dish connects us emotionally to the past with a story to tell. We relished the almost forgotten Pork Belly fried in Hay Bi Hiam (Chilli Dried Shrimp) and the Koo Chye (Chives) Omelette. These you rarely see them in the eateries. And there was the Salted Black Olive - something I've never touched for a long long time. It was the saltiest thing on earth.

Hay Bi Hiam Pork Belly

Koo Chye Omelette

Fried Garlic Chicken

We had Steamed Pek Tor (rabbit fish), Chinese Sausage, Stir Fried Sambal Long Beans, Stir Fried Cabbage, Steamed Fish Cake, Braised Pork with Taukua and Hard Boiled Egg. It seems nowadays you don't have to wait till Chinese New Year to get your hands on Pek Tor because it is being reared in fish farms. My sister specially included Fried Garlic Chicken for me even though this is NOT typical Teochew porridge fare, knowing it is one of my favourite. Not forgetting the all important condiments Vinegar Garlic Chilli sauce and Taucheo (fermented bean sauce). The porridge was of course cooked to perfection, the way it should be, not overcooked and with just the right amount of water in it.

Steamed Pek Tor (rabbit fish)

Stir Fried Sambal Long Beans

Stir Fried Cabbage

Braised Pork with Taukua

Some dishes we remember with fondness from the old days and not found at eateries are Dried Cuttlefish (thinly shredded) in Omelette, Prawn and Potato in Tomato Sauce, Starchy Green Peas with diced Chicken. The common one you'll normally find in teochew muay (porridge) outlets would be CaiPo (Sweet Pickled Radish) Omelette.

Happy faces. The chef is 3rd from right.

Old Singapore Airlines (SIA) TV commercial

SIA Stewardesses - "Singapore Girl" (credit: Wikipedia)

An early TV advertisement of Singapore Airlines (SIA) shot to promote its tag line Singapore Girl - 'A Great Way To Fly'. Singapore Girl was coined in 1972 when Pierre Balmain, a French haute couture designer, was hired by Singapore Airlines to construct and update the Malay "Sarong Kebaya" as part of the cabin crew's uniform. Since then, the uniform has gained worldwide recognition as part of SIA's recognizable signature branding. Stewardesses dressed in the distinctive "Sarong Kebaya" SIA uniform remains a prominent element of SIA's marketing. Scenes shot at Colleyer Quay, Boat Quay, Paya Lebar Airport, Orchard Road.

A visit to the railway tracks

Following an agreement between the governments of Malaysia and Singapore last year, railway operations at Tanjong Pagar Railway Station ceased from 1 July 2011. KTM's (Keretapi Tanah Melayu) southern terminus will be relocated to the Woodlands Train Checkpoint. Tanjong Pagar Railway Station was also called Keppel Road Railway Station or Singapore Railway Station.

Tanjong Pagar railway station was completed on 3 May 1932 and officially opened by Sir Cecil Clementi. I have lived in Clementi the last 30 years and I wonder if Clementi Road was named after him. The four marble statues at the exterior of the building represents the four pillars of the Malayan and Singapore economy - Agriculture, Commerce, Transport and Industry, with the initials FMSR (Federated Malay States Railways). 

The past month, particularly on weekends I've seen Singaporeans from all walks of life hiking along the Railway tracks. Groups of people were seen along the tracks at Stagmont Ring, near Hillview, Rail Mall and Bukit Timah Station near King Albert Park. Many articles have appeared on the newspaper and blogs, with many calling on the government to conserve the railway line. A group -“We support the Green Corridor”was formed by conservationists and nature experts to promote awareness in this respect. The stretches of lush greenery with it's fauna and flora provides a invaluable recreational space within our concrete jungle. The retention of the structures could serve as a reminder of our historical link with Malaysia.

I have missed the train so to speak but I told myself to at least join the bandwagon to experience the railway tracks and blog about it. What better way to have such an outing than to have canine companions. Two weeks ago I made the long overdue trip to the Bukit Timah Station. It is heart warming to see three generation families among the crowd of shutter bugs, nature lover and others there just out of inquisitiveness.

Three generation family

Bukit Timah Station

The doggies stole the show.