cashew & potato curry

Hi all! It's time for our monthly Nona Nona feature and this month's theme, chosen by me, is cashew nuts. It should be no surprise, if you've read my cashew milk post, which started the cashew craze in my kitchen. Biren of Roti n Rice and Tea Tattler, my blogger buddy, personal friend and Nona Nona partner as always, gamely agreed, though she admitted cashews were a stumper as apart from Indian cooking, you won't find them in many traditional Asian dishes, the few exceptions being Kung Pao chicken, or cashew cookies.

This month marks our ninth Nona Nona collaboration, and next month, when Biren takes the wheel, will be our first Nona Nona anniversary. For a peek at our past Nona Nona features, click on the link. I can't believe Biren and I have been at this for almost a year and I can't wait to see what she has simmering for us next month! 

sambal bendi (okra sambal)

Okra is a sadly misunderstood vegetable, the operative word being "misunderstood", because, as much as it is reviled by many, it is equally loved by Indian, Nyonya, Malay and Louisiana Cajun and Creole cooks. Did you ever wonder how a vegetable with a reputation for being as slimy as a snail trail, or as wooden as a Dutch clog, could possibly be loved by anyone in their right mind?

easy lemon pickle

About ten years ago, I fell, with a huge thud, head over heels in love with all things Moroccan. The colours and crafts, the food and architecture, the spare, haunting beauty of the almost lunar-like landscapes, even, the Moroccan sun. I know there's just the one sun, thank you. But, in Morrocco, it casts a different light, it just does, and everything looks more beautiful, under it. I decided that if I were destined to die unexpectedly, in a tragic and dramatic fashion, please, please, please, powers that be, let me be lost in Moroccan Sahara, and never again found.

I once made a  tall jar of Moroccan preserved lemons that believe it or not, still stands in my cupboard with some of the original contents from 2003. I had two lemons left and was curious about how long they could last, as I'd read that these preserved lemons, if made properly could last indefinitely or till Armageddon, whichever came first. Challenge accepted!

serundeng (spiced grated coconut)

One of the most pleasurable aspects of Asian food, for me, is the dizzying array of condiments and side dishes that often take up as much space on the dinner table, as the main dishes themselves. Like skilful use of punctuation, these little culinary accents, usually saturated with colour, flavour and texture, add just the right punch, in exactly the right places, to a meal and make it that much more memorable.

From amongst the wide range you will find in the south east Asian region, one of my favourites is serundeng, a side dish of spicy sweet and intensely aromatic fresh coconut shreds, that is unfortunately not prepared or seen as commonly these days, except around Hari Raya (Eid).

easy cucumber and pineapple achar

***************************THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED********************

Hi all! This is it! The Mum's Not Cooking Book Giveaway starts today 25 May 2012 and ends at midnight Singapore Time (GMT +8) on 4 June 2012 or noon EST ( GMT-4) on 3 June 2012.

All you have to do to win one of 3 copies, is to leave a comment after this post, telling me your favourite Singapore dish, if you have one. If you don't have a favourite dish or don't know any Singapore dishes, just say hello! If you like Singapore Shiok, please go to my Facebook page and gimme me some looove ;)

Only entries submitted between the given dates and times will be included in the draw to determine the winners, who will be chosen completely randomly.

Before you know it, you'll have this little red beauty in your hands. How easy is that?! Remember this is OPEN TO ALL MY READERS, ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD! May the best um, reader win!!!Yaaaaaaay!

kerabu kacang botol or spicy winged bean salad - a new collaboration

This is a special post, one that to me, celebrates friendship and proves you don't have to be in the same neighbourhood, town or even country to form meaningful bonds with someone. I first 'met' Biren in January 2010, when we were both  fledgling bloggers. I had dived head first into the deep end of the blogging pool, wide eyed, unknowing and wretchedly challenged in the ways of blog administration and networking, trying my best to helm my first blog.

Biren was one of the first fellow bloggers who made the food blogosphere feel less bewildering and more welcoming. Think virus attacks, snooty established bloggers, one crushing rejection after another from photo submission titans Tastespotting and Foodgawker. 

acar (mixed vegetable pickle)

The fact that my maternal Portuguese Eurasian grandmother was raised by her Chinese Peranakan stepmother,  and taught everything she knew, by her stepmother, sometimes gives me grief, when talking with fellow Eurasian or Chinese Peranakan foodies and friends.

Because of the early Peranakan influence in her life, my grandmother's cooking style evolved into one that was a hybrid of Eurasian and Nyonya cooking styles, and so it goes, that I too find that the way I cook at home is occasionally at odds with how many local Eurasians and Nyonyas cook. My Eurasian dishes tend to have Nyonya influences and vice versa - great for adventurous palates and truly, truly, I believe I have gained what I see as the best of both worlds.