Korkor's food hero.

Late last year, I stalked bookshops in anticipation of the release of Cooking for the President, intended to be a birthday cum Christmas gift for my aunt. For those who know her, my aunt (or korkor as she's fondly known) is neither a woman of demands nor one of an extensive range of emotions, but she was near rabid as the day of the book's release drew nearer. "Girl, did the bookshops call you? You mean they didn't send a copy to your office?"
I don't know what it was about the book that drew her so; all I knew was that she really wanted it.

My cousin ended up gifting her with the book while I was away in Japan, but I'm having the last laugh as the official taster of the dishes korkor tries out. It's been nine months since and not a week goes by without korkor brandishing a new dish while declaring that the recipe worked perfectly. That's a tall order, for she never trusts recipes ("aiyah, chefs will never tell you everything), but the flawless instructions in the book has made the author Ms. Wee Eng Hwa a rock star (or "food hero", as we say in the magazine) in korkor's eyes.

Well guess what – last night, I met the rock star and tasted her cooking, at a birthday dinner Ms. Wee hosted for my ex-colleague turned very dear friend, Jo. No amount of egging would nudge korkor out of her shell to attend the party with me, but she did wait up to hear my blow-by-blow account of the food.

Cooking for the President is a tome filled with over 200 recipes compiled by the daughter of our former president Wee Kim Wee. Someone compared it to the Larousse Gastronomique equivalent for Nonya cooking, and I couldn't agree more.

Menu of the night

Jo and Ms. Wee

Pong towhu (Beancurd, prawn & pork meatball soup)

Sok Hiong's bungah pekkak tow eu kway (Star anise soya sauce chicken)

Chap chye (Nonya stewed vegetables)

Sambal udang (Prawns in chilli paste)

Itek sioh (Coriander braised duck)

Nonya noodles – a must for birthdays!

Curry chicken – we were hyperventilating by then

Pulot hitam (Sweet black glutinous rice porridge)

Final course! Pulot seri kaya (Egg coconut milk custard on glutinous rice cake)

And a snap for posterity.

WHAT A SATURDAY NIGHT! I'm humbled and truly honoured. :)

For more information or to purchase a copy of the book visit www.cookingforthepresident.com.