The Secret Ingredients

There's no doubt that the best things in life (to eat or otherwise) are those offered to you with love, kindness or plain generosity, where the term of barter is merely an unspoken understanding, or at most, a sincere word of thanks. Along with these wonderful gifts come the revelation of their secret ingredients that make the offerings exclusively and unmistakably theirs.

Mama Chow's Curry Chicken, a very special treat, yet predictable in its ability to uplift the soggiest homesick spirits. Her secret ingredient: A dollop of belacan! This was prepared and consumed at the tail end of my extremely short but gratifying weekend home in Penang.

Riz's Vegetarian Chilli. I was presented with this, thoughtfully packed by Riz and Hui when we met up at Sid's after a long day at work gone horribly wrong. I was swooning in gratitude, even more so when after downing 3 pints of cider, I had this to heat up and devour when I got home! His secret ingredient: Peanut butter! This provided the tomato-based stew with a lot more heart and body, coating each morsel of fresh diced vegetables, beans and mushroom. Ambrosia at midnight.

Beatrice brought to work on her last day an Apple Pie she'd baked. Her secret ingredient: Custard! The buttery, crumbly short crust pastry she made from scratch was the perfect accompaniment to the cinnamon explosion of the apple filling. Her baking prowess, along with her presence as part of the team, will be sorely missed.

In observation of Dumpling Festival today, Lee came to work armed with a truckload of his Mom's dumplings for everyone. He'd painstakingly taken pre-orders to make sure everyone got exactly the dumpling they wanted, from a list Mrs. Lee's choice ingredients: Belly pork, Chinese mushroom, Mung beans, Chestnut, Onions, dried shrimps and Preserved egg yolk. I had two, and they packed a mighty homemade punch! My Inner Dumpling is appeased for the year.

A thoughtful (albeit non-edible) gift from Mei Shean - my very own Breadou, looks like a bun, smells like a bun, feels like a bun, but a bun it ain't! It's a computer wrist-rest and stress-reliever made from foam, designed to be ergonomic and to whet the carbo appetites of those committed to spending pretty much every waking hour in front of the laptop. Mei Shean got this from Action City in Singapore; also comes in the shape of other baked confectionaries.

The best gift of all is to be let in on the secrets that lie embalmed at the heart of these offerings. I can only say thanks in so many ways and someday, I hope to be able to return all these wonderful favours.

Homemade Apple Pie, Dinner at MS'

Over the weekend, MS finally committed to donning her apron, seeing as it was almost time for me to pack up to move back to KL. After months of her teasing with aiya-maybe-nexttime-probablys, I was beside myself with joy. Partly because I couldn't remember the last time I was invited over to a friend's place to be entertained and fed but mostly, from what I've heard, this girl can cook.

We arrived and the table was all set, the house enveloped in a heady aroma screaming "there's some good grub in here!"

Table all set for a rollicking good feed.

She dished out two types of dip with slices of French loaf and garlic tortilla, guacamole and salsa. One gorgeous, the other heavenly. Loved the guacamole, could've eaten this as the main course. But of course, there were basic table manners to contend with and 'sides, plenty more was in store!

Something to dilute all that wine that kept finding its way down my throat - water flavoured with mint, cucumber and lemon slices.

While we chomped on bread and dip, MS whipped up the starter like she was a veteran on the set of a cooking reality show. Seafood sauteed in garlic and herbs on a bed of greens, a neat and fresh little starter that got our appetite really going without filling us up too much.

I am a horrendously picky eater and MS was accommodating enough to work her recipes around my many culinary derisions. Her Carrot & Pumpkin Soup minus the cream turned out lighter and pulpier than the original recipe, and it was just as nice and hearty, if not better.

The main was chicken, yet another homage to the scant and no doubt, oppressive list of what I DO eat. The chicken thighs were lemon infused, oven roasted to tender perfection and served with sauteed vegetables on a bed of mash. I was overjoyed with this and cleaned my plate rather too quickly, only to then proceed to stare forlornly at Fat Tulip polishing off his extra piece of chicken, which I didn't get. I had been sternly made aware of the need to space-save for dessert so this was a wise move, I suppose.

Dessert was finally revealed, after my futile attempt to look for it in the fridge, behind the cupboards and in the kitchen drawers - apple pie! I have always been a huge fan of apple desserts but had pretty much stayed away from store-bought pies in recent years. Nothing quite cuts it like apple pie homemade from scratch and unfortunately I've not met many people who can be arsed with all that work.

After the reveal, there was a brief (painful) wait for the pie to be heated up in the oven, which led to more wine bottle emptying and impatient pacing back and forth the table and the kitchen. Get on with it, I ordered MS snottily.

Finally, ting! went the oven. MS cut into the glorious golden dish and served it up with vanilla ice cream. The crumbly, buttery crust broke into a moist, lustrous apple and cinnamon filling. My first bite made me think of butterflies, ferris wheels and toffee apples - every thought an apple pie ought to invoke. It broke my heart to not be able to stomach another helping so I had to kidnap the rest of the pie back home. I can't think of much else that could've ended the evening's ravishing meal quite as beautifully.

My sincerest thank you to the gracious hostess for such a wonderful evening, and here's hoping there'll be many more to come!