Showing posts with label book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book. Show all posts

Friday, October 13, 2017

BOOK REVIEW: THE BRIGADIER'S DAUGHTER




As an avid reader, I’m always keen to explore different genres of reading material, be it books or magazines. When I was introduced to Paul Callan - author of The Brigadier’s Daughter - by Dato’ Rosemarie Wee of Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur, I had no inkling Paul was a published author of 3 novels.

I was pleasantly surprised when Paul emailed me to inform he actually left me a copy of his novel to be reviewed. The blurb on the back cover sounded intriguing from the get-go so I wasted no time in reading The Brigadier’s Daughter.

The story of Jin, a young Chinese boy with a penchant for art who became infatuated and fell hopelessly in love with Stephanie, a Eurasian girl and daughter of the titular brigadier was set in a small town in colonial era Malaya.

Recounted through a series of flashbacks, the poignant ‘coming of age’ and love story is interwoven with Jin’s present day circumstances as he grappled with his business and life challenges. I find Paul’s writing style pleasantly simple and makes for easy reading; each chapter rousing enough curiosity to spur readers like me fervently wondering if the star-crossed couple would find their happily-ever-after.

When I interviewed Paul for this book review, the author told me he penned The Brigadier’s Daughter to encourage more students especially teenagers and young adults to read. In the novel, Paul painstaking detailed Jin’s emotional state and feelings as an adolescent: his growing pains, his sexual awakening and constant yearning for Stephanie. Pertinent issues that should resonate with young readers and adults who may have forgotten their personal struggles dealing with puberty.

Paul’s extensive research on local history is evident in certain chapters of the book. His fascination with Malaysia and its people stemmed from his marriage to a Malaysian. Born in Dublin, Ireland, Paul Callan was a London-based businessman who turned to writing historical fiction of Southeast Asia.

According to Paul, “One of the great pleasures for me when writing is research.”
Todate, his three novels are The Dulang Washer (MPH, 2011), Shadows Beneath the Fronds (MPH, 2013), and The Brigadier’s Daughter (Epigram Books, 2017).

On his latest tome, Paul said: “Whenever I meet anybody new, I’d asked if they are from Johor. When I get a positive response, I’d expand by asking if they hail from Kluang. Alas, all those I met were too young to tell me anything about Kluang in 1957.”

Undeterred, Paul then made several trips to Kluang town where the story was set. “With the help of an acquaintance familiar with Kluang, and whom I acknowledge in the book, I met several elderly residents who could recall Merdeka Day vividly. It was these residents who told me Kluang had a stadium in 1957, and they readily shared how the whole town gathered there to celebrate Merdeka.”

Paul revealed they also told him how Indian estate workers were collectively driven to the stadium for the great event. “There was even a speaker system set up for everyone to hear the announcement of Merdeka. And yes, the party atmosphere included chendol being available.”

His research efforts are effortlessly interwoven into different parts of the book, in the form of anecdotes and nuggets of information. I particularly like Paul’s detailing of the erhu, a classic Chinese musical instrument and the preparation of Hainanese chicken rice. To understand these intriguing tidbits, you’d simply must read The Brigadier’s Daughter.

Paul Callan now divides his time between his homes in Kuala Lumpur and London. He’s currently writing his fourth novel. Now excuse me while I go hunt down his earlier books to tide me over.

Friday, February 27, 2015

NEW MEATOLOGY IN THE BOOK


 

Watching Chef Yenni Law showing off her art of flambé for Crêpe Suzette at the launch of her new Meatology book made me realised that table-side showmanship is so lacking in most modern restos today.


The owner of Boathouse Restaurant (soon to be renamed Meatology after her tome) at Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) is one of the few chefs I know that cherishes this skillful technique. It's something not to be scoffed at or taken lightly as one wrong move can jolly well leave the chef or waiter who's handling the flambé job with singed eyebrows or nasty burns at worst.

 
Essentially, Meatology is another milestone in Chef Yenni Law's culinary passage, detailing her initiation into the food world as a child helping out Mom in the kitchen and her eye-opening stint in Europe to taking up hotel management and becoming the chef and co-owner of Boathouse.



It took her 1.5 years to complete the book; a project that brings her collection of do-able recipes (she had over 500 actually but everything was in bits and pieces) into print. Law confessed that she finds running a resto is tougher than doing the book as the former involved human relationships with staff, customers, suppliers, etc. 
She divulged that the simplest recipe in Meatology has to be the Braised Black Mussels with Spicy Tomato Concasse. It was also one of the dishes we sampled during her book launch and everyone had nothing but praises for it. The mussels were tender and perked up with a bracingly zingy chunky tomato concasse that enticed some of us to lick our plates clean.
Law also admitted that she's rather old-school, resisting the idea of pictorial menus as she was formally trained in the rudiments of fine-dining. However, she's seriously considering it for her resto revamp into Meatology, a surefire attempt to please her customers.
Glasses of chilled Mixed Fruit Punch helped to stave off the afternoon heat the minute we arrived at the launch. We found charming bottles of flavoured olive oil on the table - meant as takeaways from the event, with little goodie bags provided for us to cart them home.


Our rumbling tummies were soon silenced with the arrival of a fresh, green salad - a simple but delicious combination of Beef Porsciutto with Rocket & Apple. A little vinaigrette was all that's needed to pull the whole ensemble together.
Just as we were wondering how anyone could possibly deal with three mains at one go, warm plates decked with sampling portions of Grilled Lamb Cutlets with Aubergine Gremolata, Smoked Duck with Risotto & Ceps and Baked Roulade of Chicken Breast with Brown Mustard Cream appeared.
Murmurs of appreciation were heard as we tucked into the delicate but ample servings. The lamb cutlets were nicely pink in the centre, with a notable crust of panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), cheese, parsley and butter giving it a lightly crisp outer layer.
Its deliciousness was closely rivalled by the delectably creamy risotto, suffused with subtle earthiness of ceps and the smoked duck's faintly smoky brininess. 
Despite us not being partial to chicken breast, the roulade left us happily satisfied and replete thanks to its moist juiciness enlivened by some mellow zesty mustard cream.
Interest piqued again with the arrival of dessert - Poached Pear with Cream Cheese & Smoked Turkey Breast Stuffing. Never mind if the fruit was a little undercooked, our attention was drawn to the unusual filling of savoury cream cheese and bits of smoked turkey that punctuated the attendant cinnamon-scented syrup.
Having looked through the book, most of the recipes seem okay for home cooks to replicate. There are detailed explanations with photos to guide us through the different preparations so if you want to try your hand at cooking Western-style dishes for your family, Chef Yenni Law's Meatology is the 'go-to' cookbook.

Priced at RM39.90 per copy, you can buy Meatology at MPH and major bookstores. For information on the book, call Ms Lilian Ng, 03-7960 7334 x 119. 

Boathouse Restaurant is located at 16, Lorong Rahim Kajai 14, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, KL. Tel: 03-7727 4426.

Monday, March 04, 2013

DELICIOUS PAGE TURNER

Author Kim Inglis was given the enviable task of taking passionate foodies on a gastronomic journey in print to YTL Group's hotels and resorts. The project entailed delicious forays that took her to Malaysia, China, Japan and Europe, documenting signature recipes of each property and the group's culinary 'wok stars' led by Corporate Executive Chef Wai Look Chow. Danish shutterbug Jacob Termansen captured vivid insights of the different luxury hotels and resorts under YTL.

According to Dato' Yeoh Soo Min, Executive Director of YTL Corporation, the tome published by Talisman Publishing features recipes that were conceived to ensure avid cooks can recreate the plethora of dishes in their own home kitchens.


To give guests at the book launch delicious snapshots of the recipes found in the book, we were whisked off to the Third Floor Gallery at JW Marriott Hotel KL for a sumptuous dinner.

 Shook! signature amuse bouche of Stir-fried Prawns with Hot Mayonnaise Sprinkled with Honey Glazed Walnuts was the night's befitting curtain-raiser. Springy and succulent, the crustacean's natural sweetness was enlivened by a light coating of buttery mayo dotted with crushed honeyed walnuts.

From Gonbei San, crispy chunks of Soft Shell Maki and Kaki Agebonoyaki; an artful layering of contrasting textures but harmonious flavours lulled us into believing we were in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Reeling us in after that was the prized catch of Steamed Fillet of Saltwater Barramundi with Bird's Eye Chilli, Roasted Baby Eggplant and Pumpkin Sauce from Fisherman's Cove. It was a showcase of subtle, delicate nuances occasionally punctuated by the fieriness of tiny chilli bits. Nice and memorable.


I couldn't decide if the Pressed Chicken Sauteed with Grilled Asparagus, Jasmine Rice and Lime-Coconut Veloute by Shanghai could be pigeonholed into a specific cuisine. There were Indian, Chinese and Continental nuances all rolled into the creation that left my palate a little confused.


Gariguette Strawberries in A Crunchy Pastry with Light Vanilla Cream was my favourite dish by far that night but heck, I'm a sweet-toothed mama so this really hit the spot for me. Paired with a glass of chilled Italian prosecco, it was enough to send me up to cloud nine.


We went home happily replete, totting a goodie bag filled with a comp copy of A Perennial Feast. For those who are keen to lay their hands on a copy, find it at Kinokuniya, Borders, MPH Bookstores, Times the Bookshop and WH Smith. It's priced at RM125 per copy.

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