By Christine Salins.
Elizabeth Haigh feels it was only natural that she should become a chef, given her family’s preoccupation with food.
“We talk about food constantly, from what we are going to be having for dinner while eating breakfast, or what my mum will be making this week. It’s almost like living in a chaotic restaurant,” she said.
Progressing quickly through the ranks, Haigh was only 27 when the London restaurant she was head chef of, Pidgin, was awarded a Michelin star in 2016. “Straight away this gave me the drive and energy to focus on my own projects and ideas leading towards what I had neglected – my heritage.”
Haigh decided she wanted to open a kopitiam, a coffee shop that also sells food, similar to those in Singapore, where she was born. The heart of Singapore, she says, is in its belly and she is immensely proud of its cuisine, which she throws the spotlight on in her recently published book, Makan: Recipes From The Heart of Singapore (Bloomsbury, $49.99).
Writing in the introduction, she says: “Peranakan Chinese and Straits-born Chinese are the descendants of Chinese immigrants from the southern provinces who settled in Malaysia and Singapore. Intermarriage resulted in a distinctive culture of Straits-Peranakan whose language, clothing, art and cooking are celebrated to this day. The unique fusion food combines Chinese with influences from Malay, Indian, Thai, Indonesian, Dutch, Portuguese and, of course, English cuisine. It’s simply the definition of island cuisine.”
Peranakan men refer to themselves as ‘Baba’ (Uncle), while women are ‘Nonya’ (Auntie). It’s no surprise the cuisine is called Nonya after the women: the matriarchal recipes are passed down from generation to generation and every woman is expected to master them.”
Haigh grew up in England and trained as a chef in classical French cooking but it was to her family’s repertoire of Asian meals, developed over the years and married with what’s available seasonally, that she wanted to focus on in the book.
“Compared to my classical French cookery training, Nonya cooking feels very sensual, because it’s a dash of this, a splash of that – very much from the heart and taste buds rather than following a written recipe,” she says.
“When people move and mix together, food just gets better. I’m proud that this collection of recipes is inauthentic, but they have the same satisfying effect as eating back home.
“They are authentic to me because they are my history, my journey and the reflection of my family as it has grown and developed over the years. Deliciousness is an undeniable benefit of migration and that’s exactly what my family has achieved.”
Aubergine (Eggplant) and Pork Mince Stir-fry
This recipe makes a quick and easy dinner. The key is to cook the aubergine properly, making sure it is softened before adding the sauce. If you need to increase the cooking time for the aubergine, add more water to the wok to help it ‘flash-steam’ through.
Serves 4
4 tablespoons cooking oil
400g minced pork
1 aubergine (eggplant), cut into 5cm batons about 150ml water
1 teaspoon cornflour, mixed with a little water to make a slurry
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
For the sauce:
3 tablespoons Chicken Stock
1 teaspoon miso paste
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
¼ fresh red chilli, finely sliced (add more if preferred)
10 sprigs of coriander, leaves
picked and stalks finely chopped caster sugar
salt
To make the sauce, mix together the stock, miso paste, garlic, chilli and chopped coriander stalks in a bowl. Adjust the seasoning with sugar and salt to taste.
Heat the cooking oil in a wok on a medium-high heat. Add the pork mince and stir-fry until it starts to brown. Add the aubergine (eggplant) with the water and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes or until the aubergine has softened.
Add the sauce to the wok and stir through before adding the cornflour slurry, white wine vinegar and sesame oil and stirring again. (This is known as ‘velvetting’, to make the sauce rich with a velvet-like texture.) When the sauce has thickened, it’s ready to serve, garnished with the remaining coriander leaves.
From: Makan: Recipes From The Heart of Singapore, by Elizabeth Haigh. Published by Bloomsbury, $49.99.
