Big news: PLANTASIA: A VEGETARIAN COOKBOOK THROUGH ASIA is officially a national bestseller in Singapore! This came as a complete surprise because vegetable-centric cookbooks have not performed well in Singapore historically. Also, being an independently published piece of work that has been largely sold through my website, making it onto the list has felt like an impossibility because only bookstore sales determine whether or not a book makes the cut.
Despite being a vegetarian cookbook, Plantasia was written with omnivores and meat-lovers in mind. As someone who has noticed how woefully small vegetable proportions in Singaporean meals are, my mission was to convert Singaporeans to the deliciousness of vegetables, so that we can all be inspired to incorporate more of them into our meals. So, for PLANTASIA to be a national bestseller and for so many readers to already begin cooking through the book barely three weeks since its publication is like feeling the first ripple of change 🌈
If you’d like to purchase the book, you can do so here (or view the list of stockists worldwide). The book tour continues this month with a couple of virtual and in-person events in Europe:
10/11: Virtual talk with National Library Board of Singapore. An exploration of how vegetables have become sidelined in Singapore and what we can do to reintroduce them into our eating culture. 7-8pm SGT. Free, but you’ll need a NLB membership to sign up for the session.
14/11: Plantasia at The Hood Paris in France. I’ll be sharing about the journey of writing Plantasia, taking questions, and signing books! The event is open to public and is happening at 1830-2000.
25/11: Plantasia at Store 317 in the Netherlands. Store 317 is a delicatessen located 10 minutes away from where I live that makes *the best* spice pastes. To celebrate the book, anyone who walks through the doors between 1100-1430 will get a free sample of spring rolls (vg) from the book. I’ll also be present to chat and sign copies (books available for sale).
28/11: Virtual event with Sibeiho. Sibeiho is a Singaporean food startup based in Portland, Oregon that has been a stockist of my first book Wet Market to Table. Thrilled to have them stock my second as well. We’re still ironing out details for this one, but mark the date and stay tuned for more details!
The days here in the Netherlands have been so cold and this girl from the tropics is struggling! Bumped into the two men who maintain our apartment block this afternoon and they said, “Just wait till it hits -10°C. There’ll be snow and you can even skate on ice.” I had no clue that it snows in the Netherlands! I’ve been piling on the Heattech (because, as Europeans like to say, there’s no bad weather, only bad clothes) and warming myself with lots of porridge, stews and soups.
A dish that I’ve been thinking about a lot since my recent trip to Singapore is 3-egg spinach. As its name suggests, it features spinach lightly poached in a broth that is flavoured with three types of egg - century egg, salted egg, and regular chicken egg. The traditional dish looks something like what you see on the left, but when I was in Singapore, my friend ordered something I’d never seen before at a food court - 3-egg spinach noodle soup (right). I thought it’s brilliant - the dish is typically enjoyed with rice, but it made sense to have noodles with this soupy dish.
The other intriguing thing about what my friend ordered was that the beaten egg was fried into a floss rather than being poached in the broth. I’m familiar with this topping because my favourite fish noodle soup in Singapore has it (bottom left) and I just love the way the egg sponges up the broth and imparts its aroma to the dish.
Egg floss is not too difficult to make at home. As if you’re making spun sugar, dip your fork into beaten egg and lightly drizzle it over the hot oil. Instantly, the strands of egg will puff and it only takes seconds before they turn golden and lightly crispy.
I made the rest of the dish the way that I typically do, but with a small amount of mince this time, inspired by the stellar 3-egg spinach at Canton Paradise (right). The little bit of mince provides so much flavour to the broth; it functions more like a seasoning rather than the star in the dish. Boiled some fresh Lanzhou noodles from the Asian grocer to best approximate my friend’s meal and it was perfect. Such a comforting bowl of noodle soup, with all the flavours of home.
3-egg spinach
Serves 1-2 generously with noodles, or 3-4 without noodles and enjoyed as part of a larger meal with rice