Singapore: The Island that Introduced Me to Periplus Mini Cookbooks

My older sister lives in Singapore. Singapore is one the greatest places in the world to eat your face off. Basically the Chinese run the show in Singapore with large populations of Malay, Indian, and, of course, transplants from Europe, America and Arab nations who want SE Asia for Beginners or got transferred there for a job. Also middle-class and up people have maids in Singapore—and most of them are from the Philippines. What does all this mean? It means the food is damn good and diversified and that creative chefs take a little from every thing to make something new and exciting. It means that in Singapore you eat your face off everyday and can’t wait for your next meal. Anyways, the only other reason to visit Singapore is for medical tourism or because you need a stable, malaria-free place to stop/recuperate/start yourself off slow while traveling through SE Asia. I know someone who went there for an operation and loved it. Maybe it was because he told the Malay nurse that he couldn’t sleep without beer and she got him one. Yep, tolerant folks those Singaporeans. Anyways in general the island is a bit boring—unless you smuggle in drugs in which case they hang you. Public hanging occur on Friday mornings.

But let’s get back to food. So I have been to Singapore a few times and always come back excited that I will be making laksa or some other dish that tasted delicious to me while there. And then I go to one of the markets on Clement, buy supplies and make a few wildly awesome meals and then just drop it. But on one trip my sister pointed out some mini cookbooks that she said were fantastic. I got a few and then later found out I can buy them easily online from Tuttle Publishing, which turns out to be the largest English-language book publishing and distribution company in Asia.

The great thing about these books is two-fold: it informs/instructs but is also fun. Like school is for English majors versus Bio-Chem people. First they are easy intros into a new type of cuisine you may have never made at home or even tried at a restaurant or friend’s house. Second the way the books are written all of the basic ingredients are described in detail at the beginning of the book and give off an authoritative, but not condescending air—they inspire confidence. One of my books opens with “All of our recipes are thoroughly tested in the Periplus test kitchen. Standard metric measuring cups are used throughout, and all cup and spoon measurements are level. We have used medium (60g, grade 3) eggs in all recipes.“ We all know that cup measurements need to be level, but they openly state it and it creates a sense of security that all has been thoroughly checked. That tone is quick, it’s swift, it means business. I can therefore cook something outside my comfort zone. These guys will help me.

Plus it is a cheap way to make some excitement in your life or someone you care about. Is your bestest gay friend down because he can’t make it to the Beirut gay scene this summer? Then pick up the intro to Lebanese cuisine and make him a nice dinner. He might still be down, but at least he won't be hungry and sad.

The books point out any ingredients which may be difficult to find if Whole Foods or a specialty store aren’t close to you, but they often suggest alternatives that work quite well.

What’s The Deal?
Get some spark back into your kitchen and eat your face off like a Singaporean with some kick-butt recipe books that are easy to follow and mostly cost about 10 bucks a piece. Purchase the titles in the “made easy” series if you aren’t so artful or apt in the kitchen or if you just don’t deal with things like chopping up full animals or fish parts as some of the recipes are old school and will have you cutting up a whole chicken—which as we know makes some people happy like the Husband in Meadowlands, which is another book everyone should own.


Disclosure: In the Japanese Homestyle Favorites I found one mistake where an ingredient is listed but never then integrated into the recipe’s instructional text which made me feel like “aha!” more than “argh!”