Located virtually on the equator, Singapore offers a wide variety of fresh fruits year round. Although many tropical fruits are harvested year round, a small number of them are seasonal. When I lived in Singapore I used to follow these seasonal fruits like people in temperate climates follow changing season. Among the seasonal fruits, mango is the one I always eagerly anticipated. Its season starts at the end of the dry months, which is around July. Local mangoes start appearing in the market around August and continue to be available through October.
We braved the subzero temperatures last Wednesday night to view the lunar eclipse. It was too cold to spend much time outside, but we managed to witness the beautiful red moon at its peak. This beautiful sight made me ponder the moon’s place in Chinese traditions and lore. The moon’s round shape is very appealing [...]
I worked on a stir-fry technique post just before Chinese New Year, and was hoping to post it right after the banquet post. But the response to my red bean paste meringue dumpling, or Gao Li Dou Sha (高力豆沙), was so overwhelming that I decided to replace that post with a recipe for the dumpling instead.
I was rather surprised by the response to this sweet dish. My prior experience with serving red bean paste was not always very successful. Perhaps the manner it was served had something to do with it. The concept of fried dough is very familiar to the American palate. However, there is a surprise when one bites into it. The hot steamy center with earthy bean fragrance, plus the crisp elastic dough together create a completely new sensation.
