![I found this cookbook at mum’s last week. It’s one of those gems that’s useful but full of amusing things that result from time-sensitive writing. And look at that lovely typography.
The book is full of tips and recipes for the kitchen novice. Great for someone getting started or perhaps as an addition to a glory box (though perhaps picking up these skills beforehand would make you more marriageable…).
There are descriptions of what a balanced meal is, what vitamins we need (and what foods have them) and why milk and rice are important. There’s also a section on nourishment for ‘Special People’ like babies, pregnant women, the elderly and the ailing. Oh and a suggested three day meal plan.
Unit conversions are provided (thankfully) since a lot of the recipes refer to things measured in kati[1]. There are approximations for using Chinese spoons as measuring spoons[2]. And did you know that one cigarette tin is just under a half pint (two gill)?
The only one they don’t describe is what “a bowl” equates to. This one has driven me insane for years. I know it’s one Chinese bowl. But they do come in many sizes. And strangely, I don’t actually have any standard Chinese bowls in my kitchen… As an aside, I should probably rectify this.
What I love most is how recipes ask for “5 cents of celery” or “10 cents of bee hoon”. They really weren’t thinking of inflation when they wrote this. For people using the book now, it’d probably also end up being Cookery for Intermediate Users since there’ll be a lot of agak-agak going on.
Mum wants me to try the recipe for Sambal Udang but I’m more interested in the one for Seri Kaya. I also found a hand-written recipe for “Sponge Cake (extra rich)” that was a favourite of my grandfather’s. It uses 15 egg yolks (!!!) and tinned butter (it’s meant to taste better). Unfortunately mum didn’t write down how long to bake it for and at what temperature[3] so she and my brother suggested I look up temperatures for other sponge cakes and I’ll have to do more agak[4].
Another recipe that entertains me is the one for milk. It requires a half pint of warm water and one tablespoonful of milk powder. Mum tells me Cowlac was the best brand.
[1] One kati = 16 tahils ~ 20 ounces.
[2] One heaped Chinese spoon is about 1 ounce/1 tablespoon for things like flours. One level Chinese spoon is about 1 ounce/half tablespoon for things like butter.
[3] A lot of mum’s hand-written recipes are like that. Ingredients and preparation method are there, baking instructions nicely omitted. And since she wouldn’t have made any of them for years, she’ll tend to have forgotten what these important details are meant to be.
[4] agak or ‘cooking by feel’: The beauty of the cooking history of our parents’ (and their ancestors’) generation, and the bane of ours.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kt4of5bQF41qz86zko1_500.jpg)
I found this cookbook at mum’s last week. It’s one of those gems that’s useful but full of amusing things that result from time-sensitive writing. And look at that lovely typography.
The book is full of tips and recipes for the kitchen novice. Great for someone getting started or perhaps as an addition to a glory box (though perhaps picking up these skills beforehand would make you more marriageable…).
There are descriptions of what a balanced meal is, what vitamins we need (and what foods have them) and why milk and rice are important. There’s also a section on nourishment for ‘Special People’ like babies, pregnant women, the elderly and the ailing. Oh and a suggested three day meal plan.
Unit conversions are provided (thankfully) since a lot of the recipes refer to things measured in kati[1]. There are approximations for using Chinese spoons as measuring spoons[2]. And did you know that one cigarette tin is just under a half pint (two gill)?
The only one they don’t describe is what “a bowl” equates to. This one has driven me insane for years. I know it’s one Chinese bowl. But they do come in many sizes. And strangely, I don’t actually have any standard Chinese bowls in my kitchen… As an aside, I should probably rectify this.
What I love most is how recipes ask for “5 cents of celery” or “10 cents of bee hoon”. They really weren’t thinking of inflation when they wrote this. For people using the book now, it’d probably also end up being Cookery for Intermediate Users since there’ll be a lot of agak-agak going on.
Mum wants me to try the recipe for Sambal Udang but I’m more interested in the one for Seri Kaya. I also found a hand-written recipe for “Sponge Cake (extra rich)” that was a favourite of my grandfather’s. It uses 15 egg yolks (!!!) and tinned butter (it’s meant to taste better). Unfortunately mum didn’t write down how long to bake it for and at what temperature[3] so she and my brother suggested I look up temperatures for other sponge cakes and I’ll have to do more agak[4].
Another recipe that entertains me is the one for milk. It requires a half pint of warm water and one tablespoonful of milk powder. Mum tells me Cowlac was the best brand.
[1] One kati = 16 tahils ~ 20 ounces.
[2] One heaped Chinese spoon is about 1 ounce/1 tablespoon for things like flours. One level Chinese spoon is about 1 ounce/half tablespoon for things like butter.
[3] A lot of mum’s hand-written recipes are like that. Ingredients and preparation method are there, baking instructions nicely omitted. And since she wouldn’t have made any of them for years, she’ll tend to have forgotten what these important details are meant to be.
[4] agak or ‘cooking by feel’: The beauty of the cooking history of our parents’ (and their ancestors’) generation, and the bane of ours.
