Makan: Recipes from the Heart of Singapore

by Elizabeth Haigh

Overview

'It's impossible to pinpoint a certain specific cuisine to one region, so when people ask me what type of food is Singaporean, I simply reply with “the delicious type”. Southeast Asian cuisine is a proud mix of migrants and influences from all across Asia, which fuses together to create something even greater than the original.'

Meaning 'to eat' or 'dinner time' in Malay, in Makan, rising star Elizabeth Haigh draws together recipes that have been handed down through many generations of her family, from Nonya to Nonya, creating a time-capsule of a cuisine. Growing up, it was through food that Elizabeth's mum demonstrated her affection, and the passion and love poured into each recipe is all collated here; a love letter to family cooking and traditions.

Recipes include:
Nonya-spiced braised duck stew pickled watermelon and radish salad beef rendang
Singapore chilli crab fried tofu with spicy peanut sauce spicy noodle soup nasi goreng (spicy fried rice)
Miso apple pie
… and many more!

Adapting these traditional recipes to ensure ingredients are easily sourced in the West, Elizabeth brings a taste of Singapore to your own kitchen.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472976505
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	07/13/2021
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	7.70(w) x 9.70(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Elizabeth Haigh was recently fourth in the Observer Food Monthly ones to watch list and named 'Chef to Watch' by Restaurant Magazine. She is currently working on her own project, Kaizen Food, developing culinary residencies, building her presence on YouTube and collaborating on pop-up events, and in 2019 she opened her first site in Borough Market – Mei Mei. Elizabeth's influences come from her Singaporean background and the food of her family, and she documents her foodie adventures on themodernchef.co.uk. Elizabeth was accepted to take part in MasterChef 2011. She became Head Chef at Pidgin in Hackney in 2015. @kaizenldn / @the_modernchef

Editorial Reviews

05/17/2021

In this ambitious debut, Singaporean-born and U.K.-raised chef Haigh collects and adapts Singaporean recipes in hopes of preserving them. Haigh depicts what she calls “Nonya” cuisine as a “unique fusion food” that combines Chinese with other Asian and European influences, citing nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice), which is spicier than its Chinese counterpart, and her sweet and sour pork, which uses Worcestershire sauce, a British staple. She also delves into an assortment of traditional dishes, such as mee soto (spiced chicken noodle soup) and asam ikan pedas (fish curry), but home cooks will find locating some of the recipes’ ingredients—such as fresh banana leaves and black moss—to be a daunting task. Fortunately, there are several options with more accessible ingredients that take a short time to prepare, including spicy green beans with chilli and garlic, eggplant and pork mince stir-fry, and prawn and pineapple curry. A chapter devoted to sweets goes heavy on twists—including banana fritters with miso caramel, and Eurasian mess (a riff on the classic British dessert Eton Mess)—to nicely round out the volume. Skilled home cooks who have experience with Asian cuisine will value this book; beginners may want to step aside. Agent: Martine Carter, Sauce Management. (July)

Publishers Weekly

Makan ... has brought - and continues to bring - me so much joy ... and I just delighted in the wonderful melting pot of Singaporean cuisine, in which Chinese food is rambunctiously fused with Malay, Indian, Thai, Indonesian, Dutch, Portuguese and, yes, English cuisine... I want to cook everything in the book.” —Nigella Lawson

“This book offers much more than recipes, from family photographs and stories to insights on Singaporean culture. While Haigh describes it as 'a home cookbook to be used and bruised in the kitchen', the Nonya principles could be of use to any professional chef looking to break out of the rigid confines of classical cuisine.” —Caterer

“There seems to be no limit to Haigh's talents and her debut cookbook doesn't disappoint. She's taken on the intimidating task of distilling Singapore's eclectic foodways into accessible recipes and does it brilliantly. Many favourites are here but do not die before trying her Nonya-spiced braised duck stew.” —FT

“Beautiful photography and Haigh's recipes for fried Hainanese chicken rice and Hokkien noodles will take you straight to the food-loving city state.” —Delicious Magazine

From the Publisher