Malay Heritage Sweets

Kuih apam is steamed cakes, made in a variety of colors.

Pasar tani means farmer’s market in Malay.

One can always find a big variety of fresh ingredients and food at such an event, which is held throughout Malaysia.

The last pasar tani that I visited was in Larkin, in the state of Johore.

In line with my interest, I was mostly drawn towards the traditional or heritage food.

One was the circular-shaped sweet snack called deram deram. It is made from rice flour and palm sugar which gives it the rich caramel color. There is an art to frying deram deram. The oil has to be at just the right temperature for the rings to be slightly crispy on the outside, while maintaining a soft texture on the inside.

Another favorite is kuih apam, which is steamed cakes. They are usually eaten for breakfast.

I remember my grandmother used to bring home these cakes from her early morning rounds at the Geylang Market. The cakes come in different colors, and as a child, I was attracted to the brighter ones, and would try to grab the pink one for myself.

Kuih apam is often served with grated coconut. As an adult, I realize that much of the enjoyment of this sweet is in the simultaneous play of contrast and complement. The pristine white of the grated coconut contrasts with the bright colors. A pinch of salt is usually added to the coconut, and this little bit of salty tang brings out the sweetness of the cakes.

Deram deram is a popular traditional sweet snack.

There is an art to frying deram deram.

Peanuts are universally popular snacks.

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Book Launch in California

This amazing cake was made to replicate my book and my childhood home that was on the cover of my book (see sidebar).

I’m very lucky that my book “Kampung Memories, A Life’s Journey Revisited” has been able to “travel” and present itself on both sides of the Pacific; and more importantly, has enabled me to share memories and insights with diverse people and readers.

“Kampung” means village in Malay, and the book revolves around the urban villages in Singapore before they were demolished for redevelopment. I grow up in such a kampung, and in the book, I weaved my memories with that of the people who used to live there.

I launched my book in Singapore in June this year, and recently, the first book launch/event in the United States was held in Santa Clara, northern California, at the Kababs and Curry’s Restaurant.

It was the brainchild of my friend Khir Johari, who is considered by his many friends as a Renaissance man. He and members of the Singapore and Malay communities in the San Francisco Bay Area took care of all the details of the event: everything was done elegantly, and all I needed to do was to show up.

There was batik to decorate the tables, a spread of Malay dishes prepared by the talented ladies from the community, and wonderful chai from the restaurant. One of the highlights was a chocolate cake, made to replicate my kampung house that was on the cover of the book.

Faridah, who made this amazing cake, said she took a few days to complete it. She decorated it with coconut trees and little pots of flowering plants made with brightly colored fondant. There was even a tiny replica of a sepak raga (a traditional Malay ball made of bamboo and rattan).

So on that Sunday afternoon in fall, we sat down in that cosy room, sharing and listening to stories that follow a path to our heritage and roots. There were also other Americans of different ancestry in that room. I hope, and I suppose I imagine this, that the book brings to their minds a dusty road where their fathers or grandfathers used to cycle, or all the strong women of their childhood, the ones who nurtured and held the families in their seemingly simple, humble ways.

Thank you to everyone who helped organized and showed up for the launch.

The author Sharifah (left) with Khir, the event’s creator, listening to the stories and ideas shared by the guests.

A group photo. The banner, handmade by Salizah, was pretty impressive.

I’m carefully cutting the cake with Faridah, who made the extraordinary cake.

Mee siam, a specialty noodle dish of Singapore Malays.

Kuih keria, Malay doughnuts made with sweet potato.

Playing Malay heritage games (left) batu serembat or five stones, and the congkak, a board game.

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It Takes a Village….

The road to publishing my book has been a fulfilling journey.

There is the often quoted African proverb “It takes a village to raise a child.”

I think it may also be quite true to say that it takes a village to self-publish a book. I have had so much help along the way to the publication of “Kampung Memories, A Life Journey, Revisited”, a book that is very important to me, that I will try to thank as many people as I can.

I would like to thank:

• Authors who have shared their experiences. Throughout the whole journey, I read many blog posts and books where self-published authors share their experiences and insight. This was valuable information for me, and I, in turn, would be happy to share with anyone whatever I have learnt.

• My family and friends who have helped and supported me in countless ways.

• Everyone who came to the book launch and the reading/discussion events.

• Everyone who has read my book, or any part of it. The reward and wish of every writer is that his work is read and shared. Feedback is also much appreciated. At one of the readings, a guest thanked me for writing the book as he grew up in the years after the kampungs (villages) were gone from Singapore’s landscape, and he has little idea of life in that time.

• Everyone who helped me with practical advice on marketing, especially Isrizal and Sharifah, an aspect which was a rather steep learning curve for me.

• Ibrahim of Wardah Books and Dan of Select Books for their belief in, and support of independent or indie writers.

The author, Sharifah (left) after signing a book at the launch. We are dressed in baju kurung, the traditional Malay costume.

Meet the author session at Select Books. Click on pic for more photos.

Links to:

Post in a heritage Singapore blog

Radio interview on “Kampung Memories”

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Book Launch Invitation

Saturday,June 30 2012: If you are in Singapore, I would like to invite you the launch of my book Kampung Memories.

The venue is in the heart of the Malay district where you can explore an array of food and shopping places. Hope to see you there.

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