Mr. Bean of Singapore

Soyabeans - the presence of this product makes singapore totally "unique." A range of meals can be dedicated to this single bean! It's a total delight for vegetarians and has loads of health benefits attached to it.

*Soyabean oil - Rich in omega-6 fatty acids, helps to lower cholesterol

*Soyamilk made out of soyabeans is a very popular beverage here and is a hot favourite with the locals.

* Soya Sauce - Available in dark and light versions, this bottle of black beauty is a treasure in all our kitchens and makes its presence felt when we all crave for that tasty, tangy, sumptuous chinese meal

*"Tofu" made by coagulating soyamilk and then pressing the curds into blocks is quite an item here. Enter any foodcourt and you will find a wide variety of dishes using "tofu" (looks like the indian paneer). The best part of "tofu" is that it is extremely low in calories and high in its protein content. It's a totally power packed product. How does it taste?Lets say if you have NEVER tasted it - then you could either go northwards - go all ga ga over it or southwards - may just not like it. It is one of those products which illicit an extreme point of view. One either hates it or one loves it. The locals of course love it just like how indians love their paneer cubes. It took me sometime to develop a taste for "tofu" And I am totally bonkers over it now! I love simple fried tofu(fritters). I can gobble up dozens of these just like that ;-) It's hard to describe how it tastes - it's neither sweet, nor salty, nor bitter, nor sour - it's basically tasteless! It has no taste/smell/flavour of its own and hence needs to be marinated or needs an additional company to suit one's palate. I use it as a substitute for my palak paneer, especially when I run out of paneer and well........ even when I don't. I also use the silken tofu as a substitute for egg for chocolate eggless cake! I make veggies out of it, tofu - mattar pulao, tofu burgers, tofu sandwiches, bhurji, etc. In short, tofu's made a place in my kitchen slowly, firmly and steadily :-) There are two main kinds of tofu -
A) Fresh . The fresh version includes the soft/silken tofu (jelly like consistency), firm tofu and dried tofu.
B) Processed tofu.

Selegie Soya Bean and Mr Bean stores - Enter the world of soya. Currently there are two main brands which sell numerous soya-related products/beverages island-wide. Selegie Soya Bean was set up in 1998 and sells products like - soya bean curd, soya bean curd with ginko nuts/lotus seeds/pearls/grass jelly/almond syrup/gula melaka. They also serve soyamilk in a variety of flavours - with grass jelly/redbeans/peppermint and pearls/bandung and pearls (just like the indian faloodas ). For more about them read their site http://selegiesoyabean.com.sg/ they also give home delivery and provide catering services.
Mr Bean - was founded in 1995 and has 50 over stores in island. they go a step further by selling fruity and veggie versions of soya milk . For eg - celery soyamilk, carrot soyamilk, ginger soyamilk, fruits like watermelon, papaya and honeydew are used for a more frutier version. For a more desserty feel - almond soya milk and ice mocha versions are also available. They also serve roasted soyabeans which is my personal favourite. But the dish that deserves all the oomph is the one with "rice balls in soyamilk."It comes only for $ 2.20 and tastes like heaven. Soft rice balls with two stuffings - peanut and black sesame and tastes gorgeous. It sooooo delicious, the rice balls just melts in your mouth. The stuffing is out of the world. It's an absolute MUST taste if you ever visit singapore.

For all these reasons, soyabean deserves the crown of "Mr. Bean of Singapore."

Chinese Temples - an experience in opulence

Since the time I have stayed in Singapore, chinese temples have always intrigued me endlessly. These temples are a photographer's delight. Decorative carvings, motifs, murals, golden dragons entwined in pillars, intricate chinese designs on the altars, opulent chandeliers, the works. One enters a different world altogether. A world never seen before. These mostly have a boat shaped motifs on the outside showcasing its rich and magnificent cultural heritage. Just like the hindus they have a god for everything. A god for fertility, a god of wealth, a god to motivate children to study well, to find a life partner etc. The one in this picture is called 'Chong Ghee Temple' Very close to my house - there are three temples in a row - a taoist chinese, a buddhist and a hindu temple ( one of a kind of a temple in SG this temple has no walls and two entrances). The Chong Ghee temple was moved from jalan kayu to Senkang in 2001. It was officially opened on 27th june 2004.

There are three deities in this temple - 'Kwang Tek Kong' (main deity), 'Seng Yong Kong' and the third deity is a goddess for fertility. The main deities are prayed to bring in prosperity in business and generate wealth. Just like any other place of worship - mass prayers, chantings, celebrations on holy days etc are conducted on a regular basis. For eg on 25th December every year the temple holds prayers and chanting session for the 'Prayer Rituals for Confucianism.' A taoist priest leads students in prayers for blessings, enlightment for wisdom, progress in their studies and to achieve highest levels of their education. It also is the birthday of the god 'Kong Zhi' which motivates students to reach their highest potential.

I couldn't help noticing that one of the disciples had offered 'guinness' beer to one of the gods! The chinese too are not too strict about leaving one's slippers outside the main premise.

What stunned me is this sight of 60 old men sitting in a row! A lady in the temple told me these are called as the 'God of Stars' known as 'Tai Shui.' These god protect who are in bad luck, bad health etc. For more on chinese temples in singapore please read http://chinesetemples.blogspot.com/

Exotic Cooking

When it comes to food, m a hooligan. I love to eat and therefore, I like to create something different, something new everytime. I love exotic cooking - what is exotic cooking? exotic cooking is a phrase coined by me, right now which describes, 'my' kind of cooking. It is also called detour cooking or alternative cooking. Well, for me it means cooking with a twist. A tyrst with my my culinary skills. This especially happens on weekends. I try taking a different route. A path less travelled. I try my hands at homemade naans(with wholemeal flour and maida) and navratan korma, vegetarian tofu burgers with mini buns, potato chips (baked), eggless cakes, cornmeal upma, left-over food makeover, etc. Exotic cooking could also mean trying the same cooking reciepe with a twist. Or cooking an age-old reciepe which only our mothers or mother-in-laws can do with an ease and finesse that can only and only come to them :-) Want to know more? Watch out for this space......

The Singapore Life

Well, this section is to introduce everyday living in Singapore. Singapore has given me a lot. I came to singapore 9 years back (yeah, almost a decade!) in search of a career. Found my husband here, earned double masters degree, the kids followed thereafter and life is more or less comfortable - for now atleast. A decade is a long time. This section is to share my decade long singapore experience with you all. And most important to freeze these 'singaporean' memories forever. The quaint kampongs, quiet lanes, boulevards, rich foliage, hdb living, community spirit, singapore rains, teh-si, foodcourts, the different places of worships - the chinese temples, our indian temples, mosques, even gurudwara, etc; All the things that make Singapore unique. All the things that touched my core, my heart and my soul. Watch out for this space......

Creative Workshops with Kids

I love creating crafts. Paper crafts to be precise. This is something I learnt about myself not too long ago. A wonderful book called 'Roots and Wings' written by Raksha Bharada inspired me to do that. With all wonderful ideas packed in my kitty, my good friend Priyadarshini and I decided to wear our 'creative hats' and off we set our ball rolling....

We kickstarted these classes @ my house in Senkgang (north-east part of Singapore) for the june 2010 holidays! And gosh, what an experience it was....... The workshop was targeted for kids aged 4 - 10 yr olds and the theme was 'paper crafts.' We also danced, made sandwiches, told stories and played puzzles over a period of two weeks! We created pom poms, paperchains,watermelon baskets, lanterns, flower, ballon paper marche, paper marche penstands, greeting cards, pinwheels, glitter slippers, wall decor items and a host of origami items. Simple and fun activities to keep young minds occupied.

The kids enjoyed themselves to the tee. Priyadarshini and I were truly, creatively satisfied and the workshop eventually led me to create my own blog......For me it was therapeutic experience. To see the kids engrossed and lost in their artwork as if deep,deep in meditation.