18 Mar, 2022 | Events
BY GOH KAIXUAN
The order of numbers goes 1,3,2. Is that right?
You, attentive reader, may realise that MasterChef Yang Episode 3: Nasi Lemak and Ondeh Ondeh aired before Episode 2. What gives? Originally, MasterChef Yang Episode 2: Char Kway Teow and Tau Huay was slated to happen on 10th February 2022, which would put it in the proper lineup. However, due to a COVID-19 exposure incident, we had to postpone Episode 2 (a re-run if you will) to the 3rd March 2022. After weeks of sitting in the oven, we finally got to prepare the long-awaited Char Kway Teow and Tau Huay.
Both Char Kway Teow and Tau Huay are local favourites of Chinese origin, and Chef Priscill (from TaiTai Chef Academy) spared no expense in procuring the ingredients for us. With the plentiful ingredients ranging from Halal Chinese sausage to Lala clams and even eggs flown in from Ukraine, Chef Priscill hoped to simulate the type of ingredients we could get overseas. This is, of course, not forgetting staples in Char Kway Teow such as yellow Hokkien noodles, kway teow and bean sprouts!
For the Tau Huay, which is a beancurd pudding made from soybeans itself, Chef Priscill pre-soaked the soybeans for 24 hours for them to absorb water and hydrate. To achieve the pudding texture, coagulants were needed. However, in the interest of health, Chef Priscill swapped out those with chemicals for a safer alternative, agar-agar.
So let the work begin! First things first, we had to blend our soybeans with water to obtain the soya milk ourselves.
Unbeknownst to us, Chef Priscill had intended for us to put in some elbow grease to obtain the clear soya milk ourselves. Working those muscles, everyone had to squeeze the milk and bean grounds mixture through a coffee sock, to force out the soya milk. Trust me, this was tougher than it looked and definitely called back to the past of having to make soya milk by hand.
After we were done, we got our soya milk! But that was still far from the end-product we desired. You might also be wondering, ‘wah Tau Huay so high effort, there must be an easier way…’ and you’re right! Chef Priscill added that we could use canned soya milk in lieu of preparing the soya milk from scratch. It was then time to put our agar-agar powder into our hot soya milk!
You may be wondering, why was this green? Tau Huay ain’t green. Well, there was a little mishap that led to some tables using green-coloured agar-agar powder instead, infusing their Tau Huay with a different personality altogether, perhaps giving the illusion that it could be pandan-flavoured Tau Huay instead. With that, the Tau Huay was left to cool and set! Onto the main star of the day.
With so many fresh ingredients on our hands, we began to prep them. Chef Priscill went straight into it, showing us various knife skills which would definitely prove useful in the future. Her bubbly and engaging nature stole the show as she taught us seemingly mundane concepts and techniques with her own twist.
Surely, we could prepare the ingredients as we cooked the Char Kway Teow to save some time…? Wrong! Char Kway Teow is a stir fry dish, meaning that the ingredients would be tossed in relatively quick succession with little to no time between to tend to something else.
Starting with the aromatics, Chef Priscill continued to add ingredient after ingredient. She highlighted to cook the noodles first in the garlic-infused oil to enhance the texture of the noodles. Then, a combination of sweet sauce and light soy sauce was added to give the dish the distinctive dark colour of Char Kway Teow, with the participants adding different amounts to get the “darkness” they so desired.
Stirring in the rest of the ingredients, the shredded carrots, eggs, Lala clams, fishcake and Chinese sausage, in their pantry and a few minutes of stir-frying later, the participants have whipped up their very own Char Kway Teow! You could tell from the smiles on their faces that they were proud (and salivating) of their dishes!
With that, we concluded our 3 episode journey to tackle 3 different local cuisines, and we hoped that MasterChef Yang has indeed egged people on, in learning to cook. What will you cook up on your OFYP or OGEM? If you do prepare any of these dishes, do tag us on Instagram @cnyangscholars from wherever you are in the world!
We would like to sincerely thank Chef Priscill for her liveliness and for making cooking lessons fun and simple. Do drop her a follow (@taitaichef on Instagram) if you would like to see what else she teaches (you will be surprised by the sheer variety!)
Photos courtesy of Chef Priscill.
Check out the recipes here.
1 Mar, 2022 | Events
BY TANG LENG ZE
What does it mean to be an inclusive society? What is life like for someone with special needs? What shall we do if close to us has special needs? These are just some of the questions Seet Ynn tackles in her Brown Bag Session, which took place on 17 February 2022. Being a caretaker to her brother, who has moderate autism, she has personal experience living with a family member who has special needs. Together with her friend, Elgin, who is diagnosed with autism at the age of four, they aim to raise the awareness of the special needs community and hope people look upon their caregivers with kindness, compassion and tolerance.
Starting off with the history of special needs education in Singapore, Seet Ynn explained that before 2004, the education of people with special needs was segregated from mainstream schools. However, 2004 was a watershed moment, stronger government initiatives were enacted to integrate those with special needs into mainstream schools. Practical changes included the implementation of the Allied Educators tutors and a series of Enabling Masterplans. There was also a greater push to understand and develop the Special Education (SPED) Curriculum. On top of academics, physical education and sports, and the arts, SPED also focuses on Daily Living, Social-emotional and Vocational domains. The SPED serves to provide early support to children with special needs, and gradually encourages independence by the end of their education.
In the second part of the session, Seet Ynn had incorporated excerpts of her interview with Elgin, where he shared about his life, from being diagnosed with autism at the age of four, to his experience in the SPED Curriculum. Elgin has hobbies in collecting and understanding mechanical clocks and table tennis, the former of which drove him to pursue Mechanical Engineering in NTU.
In the last segment, Seet Ynn shares her experience as a caretaker to her brother, Sean. Although he is non-verbal and does not understand speech, Sean is very affectionate towards his loved ones, often expressed through physical gestures. He enjoys going out and helping with chores, likes sewing and arts and crafts. He currently works at the Enabling Village and The Art Faculty, making cloth masks. Through her lens as a caregiver, Seet Ynn shares the do’s and don’ts when interacting with persons with special needs and their caregivers. Always remember to be caring, patient, gentle and understanding towards them. Always include them in activities, never side-eye and treat them as a monolithic group.
Want to better understand persons with special needs? Elgin encourages you to find avenues to interact and even take care of persons with special needs. The process could help you to broaden your horizons and become more inclusive.
We hope that you find the summary of the sharing meaningful. The world would definitely be a better place, should we all be more sensitive to others, and extend our empathy and care to all. We would like to thank Seet Ynn and Elgin once again for sharing about the topic of Special Needs in Singapore. Do keep a lookout for our next brown bag session!
Check out the slides shared here.
1 Mar, 2022 | Events
BY FELICIA LEE YAN HUI
Shortly after the first session of MasterChef Yang, we welcomed Chef Priscill (@taitaichef on Instagram) back to conduct our third session, MasterChef Yang Episode 3 (wonder why we’re missing Episode 2? Stay tuned to find out!). This time, our session featured 2 other local dishes, Nasi Lemak and Ondeh Ondeh.
Although Nasi Lemak seemed like a rather easy dish to make, Chef Priscill emphasised that the ingredients and spices that constitute the dish were extremely essential to bring out the rich flavour. She went on to talk about the history of the different spices that she was going to use as well as other alternative spices. Particularly, instead of using real cinnamon for Nasi Lemak, she chose to use cassia, also known as “fake cinnamon” as it is more price-friendly and does not differ much in taste. This was definitely an eye-opener for participants which will allow them to make this dish even when the main ingredients cannot be found, especially when recreating this dish overseas on their exchange or OFYP.
To start off the cooking, Chef Priscill first did a demonstration on how to prepare the fragrant rice of Nasi Lemak. As highlighted by Chef Priscill, it is crucial to make sure that the spices were sizzling on the frying pan, so that the flavour of the spice can be totally released and infused into the oil and the rice later on. Finally, the signature ingredient of Nasi Lemak, coconut cream, was added to the rice before allowing the rice to boil for a period of time.
While waiting for the rice to cook, Chef Priscill started preparing the dessert of the day – Ondeh Ondeh. Originating from Indonesia, Ondeh Ondeh is an extremely popular traditional dessert in Singapore, with its characteristic green glutinous rice ball infused with gula melaka (also known as palm sugar). Many people in Singapore would be familiar with Ondeh Ondeh, but did you know that the preparation of this dessert includes the boiling of glutinous rice balls?
Even though a single Ondeh Ondeh ball could be as small as a 50 cent coin, the effort behind each ball cannot be neglected. Other than ensuring that the mixture of glutinous rice flour and water is the optimal ratio, one must use their discretion to determine how much gula melaka to include in each Ondeh Ondeh. This is to ensure that the Ondeh Ondeh will not “explode” before boiling it into the water. After many times of trial and error, all the participants seemed to get the hang of the “magic ratio” under Chef Priscill’s guidance. Finally, participants were given freshly steamed coconut shavings to coat the Ondeh Ondeh, giving its classic look.
After all the participants were done with their dishes, Chef Priscill gave each participant ikan bilis, peanuts, a boiled egg and sambal chilli (which she was busy preparing before the session and smelled wonderful) to complement their Nasi Lemak. Besides, participants also managed to cut up their own cucumbers and tomatoes to help plate their dishes attractively.
To mark the end of the session, Chef Priscill distributed certificates of completion to all participants to congratulate them on successfully creating these dishes. Participants were extremely excited to savour their fruits of labour, especially since they were surrounded by the fragrant smell of Nasi Lemak and sweet-smelling Ondeh Ondeh throughout the 2-hour session.
All in all, this was once again an extremely engaging cooking session held by Chef Priscill. We hope that the participants will be able to recreate these dishes and share the joy of food with their family and friends. Besides, stay tuned for our next and last session of MasterChef Yang, which will feature two other very interesting local dishes.
Check out the recipes here.
