Southeast Asia nas always called to tne senses: tne balmy breezes of Pacific islands the thriving cities:and the rice fields, and above all the exot carray of flavors. In the days of trade missions and colonial power, many people were lured by the spices. The Portuguese Arab. British, and Dutch merchants, wno discovered 'the sweetscented treasure trove of the Padific Ocean transformed these islands into fragrant oases.ShoWy after, the Chinese joined in and took control of trade between the sands Indians in search of work came in the hope of finding wealth and happiness from cultivating peppercorns, nutmeg, and cloves. Today, ingredients from many different ocal cuisines are stirred together inside the cooking-pots of th s fasc hating region
Abbreviations and quantities
Instructions for use
Foreword
Map of Southeast Asia
Singapore
Introduction
Chinese Cuisine in Singapore
Dim sum to gladden the heart
Overview 18
Breakfast in the Coffee Shop
Egg jam 21
China Tea
Tea and the seasons 23
Utensils for the preparation of tea 25
The traditional way of preparing tea 25
Special teas (Overview) 25
Naturally Healing -- Healing Herbs
Overview 26
Exotic Remedies (Overview) 28
Pleasant and useful -- Soup as Medicine
The most popular herbal soups 30
Winter melon and other Soups
Noodles
Cutting, coiling and deep-frying 34
Eggs
Overview 36
Choosing hen's eggs 37
Storing hen's eggs 37
The Spring Roll- Poh piah
Pie tee 38
Soybean
Soybean sprouts 40
Dou ban jiang 41
Dou chi 41
Meat from the fields --Tofu
Soy milk products 43
Tofu recipes for every taste
Soybean sauce
Oyster sauce
Sesame
Condiments
Overview
Vegetables
Overview
Shiitake, Cloud-ear mushrooms,
and other cultivated mushrooms
From Chaozhou
From Fujian
From Szechuan
Peking Duck- from Beijing
Peking duck and the weather 63
How to serve Peking duck 65
From Canton -- Two versions of Cantonese
Smoked Duck 67
Hainanese Food
Hunanese Food
Peranakan
Buah keluak 72
Eurasian Food
Chinese Cooking utensils (Overview)
Fish cookery
Shark Fins and other Exotica.
You have to climb high enough -- Birds' Nests
Cooking in unglazed pots
Suckling pig
Central heating for the winter months --Mongolian
hotpot or Steamboats
Desserts
New Year
The Return of the Gods 95
Pomelo
The symbolism of taste -- Symbolic foods
Chinese Festivals
The Dragon Boat Festival
Festival of the Hungry Spirits
Mid-fall Festival (Moon cake Festival)
Restaurant
Before the meal 102
A Chinese table setting 103
Chopstick etiquette 103
Vegetable artefacts as elegant as carved ivory -- Food Art
Wine
Overview 106
Singapore Sling
Tiger Beer108
Malaysia
Indonesia