He is the purple chili man, our neighbourhood lau soo Mr Choo who, together with his mum and son, were our model family when we initiated our community project HandMeDown’s Great Cook-Off.
The Choo family happily played “guinea pigs” and welcomed us into their kitchen in Pek Kio (behind Pek Kio CC) where the ah ma made her famed ngoh hiang.
Ah Ma told us she knows one thing – that as a grandmother, her main job is to “sayang soon” (love your grandchildren).
Her son Mr Choo said his mum’s ngoh hiang “sometimes good, sometimes not so good”.
Mr Choo’s son, master Choo, immediately corrected his dad, “No, sometimes it is good, sometimes very good.”
Score 100 for Young Man Choo, way to go, lad, who luvs ya? Ah Ma!
Ah Ma runs one of the oldest TCM shops, started by grandfather in the Albert Street/Selegie area, decades ago, but they moved shop to Pek Kio, and although business isn’t like what it used to be, the Choo family keep the shop open because “just to see our mother’s face smile” is enough.
Friends come and go and stop to chitchat with Ah Ma who has a couple seats outside, in fact, next time you have cough, cold, or leg pain, she has a healing potion for you.
Back to the purple chili, Mr Choo grows them in pots, which used to be in front of the shop, but people kept stealing them, so now the pots have moved indoors.
We hope to share with you the secret of Mr Choo’s purple chili, can Singapore Purple Chili Curry be far behind?

The kitchen is the most important room in the house (or building).
And we had the complimentary use of three of the best CC kitchens islandwide.
Braddell Heights CC, Jurong Green CC, Marine Parade CC.
(For the two semi-finals and the finals.)
We’d like here to give a shout out to the people who led us to the free use of those wonderful kitchens, who knew your friendly neighbourhood CC would be equipped with such great amenities?
So thanks hor! The People’s Association (PA), Family Life (FLC), the very helpful and very nice Ivy Wong (BH), Kwok Kar Peck (JG), R Kanapaty (MP).
And to Mr Seah Kian Peng, MP Marine Parade GRC and advisor Marine Parade GRC & GROs, for his help towards the $500 cash voucher prizes from NTUC FairPrice Co-operative Ltd.
And to our friends Priscilla Soh (Cerebos), Jeffrey Goh (Fonterra), Grace Yeo (LamSoon), and Michelle Chew (L’Oreal/Kiehl’s) for their generous contribution to the goody bags.
All deeply appreciated.
We have left out a couple names because they don’t really need to have it spelled out, but you know who you are, Hock Soon and Jeremy!!
And not forgetting our co-operative taste arbiters Matthew Yim, Eric Neo, Baba Jolly Wee, Koh Chieng Mun, Violet Oon.
Sylvia Toh only sat in so she could be first to eat.

We give you $50 for the ingredients, you can dirty someone else’s kitchen, you can show off what you can whip up under fire, and you can bring your family and friends to make a lot of noise.
Now, what could make for a more perfect weekend?
So wake up, use your mouse – no need to use much brain one here – and join us for the next round of HandMeDown’s Great Cook-Off.
Any three-member group can play, as long as you belong in three different age groups, the whole idea is to bond with each other, old learn new things from young, young learn to care for old and share with elders.
Your grandchorkong, your neighbour auntie, your foreign talent friend who wants to take part in local activities, your domestic helper, godchild, all can take part.
Simply bring a recipe, as long as one in the three can cook, the other two can try to help or havoc.
As long as it smells like team spirit!
Then you can win prizes, appear on online television and have your own youtube moment, and who knows, your treasured recipe could end up in a cookbook.
If you care to preserve your heritage, share your traditions, and pass on family values,
you will find it all here.

Madam Saedah said to her daughter-in-law Nora, dry lah the lettuce leaves, I told you before, otherwise when you put the rendang prawns (S E D A P sekali) sure wet.

Aiyeee, Nora nangis over the nasi pelangi!

Stop camera, lights, got real mudder-dotter action here.

Nora dried her eyes, and the lettuce – hello, with the same tissue?! And they went on to win. Lagi more tears.

Caption Here

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Sure, but first he has to learn how to wear an apron properly, he’s tied it like a bib, expecting Ah Ma to feed you issit LeoBoy?

That was no phone call, this is not So You Want To Be A Millionaire, it was Martin Yan warning Leonard not to steal his turf, this TV ain’t big enough for two Chinese cooks!

Actually Leonard was listening to Lady Gaga.
As long as the dish doesn’t make us go gag, gag…..
Why does Leonard Chua wear his apron – yo, it cost us almost 20 bucks okay – like a toga? We’ve heard of “when in Rome, do like the Romans,” but Leo, this is Braddell Heights mah!

Not a single man among the three competing teams in Jurong Green!

Alamak, men, where are you? Aren’t you guys supposed to be tied to the proverbial apron strings?

Sunday in Jurong Green and all three team families were women!

Madam Saedah with her rainbow rice, Madam Alice and her tau ewe bah (I insist on Penang spelling for OUR dish), Madam Fong Kit and her abacus beads (not counting, not praying, just for eating).

Watch how Simon Lim and Kelvin Kai performed in Braddell Heights

Kelvin Kai, secret samurai, have you seen his knives?

Whoa, like serious, Kai’s knives come in all shapes and sizes and are packed in their own special bag. Banzai!

Another guy who should get a medal for getting on with his mum-in-law Madam Soon and daughter Hui Zi.

Their bonding exercise is as thick as his knives, plus his porridge recipe is equally bonding, in the nicest sense.

As the recipe is passed down, with each generation, an ingredient is added, what a loving touch, it touched us. And of course we also got to taste it. A lot of love, Kelvin. Maybe a pinch of salt though. Read More

Madam Alice’s granddaughter Andrea Chua, 7, is the prettiest little girl in Jurong Green. But Andrea refuses to let a smile crack across her lips.

The schoolgirl is intent on peeling her bowl of hardboiled eggs, and in record time too – five eggs in half an hour, let’s hear it for Andrea! Another 30 minutes and she can feed the family already. Read More

Oh what a painful truth!

The men actually do it better. In the kitchen.

Simon Lim, Kelvin Kai, take a bow, wow, you guys are good.

First, everybody, please petition the Istana, Simon Lim deserves an award – for duty towards his country.

Simon has five daughters and a son, I mean, who has six children these days, BRAVO, Simon Lim family, you truly stand up for Singapore, man.

As if that’s not enough, Simon, with all hands on deck from mother Madam Cheong and daughter Giselle, the interactive team bar none produced Lotus Stuffed Duck that should have Tung Lok banging down his door.

An excellent dish, and an extraordinary bonding with family, with asides from wife calling “siew sum ti” (careful) and “garnish!” “lift first then cut!”

Simon, you and your family are stars. Read More