MCS 135 ¢ Laureen Ong-Tam served as President of the General Conference Women’s Society of Christian Service (GCWSCS) from 2000 to 2008. She is a fifthgeneration Peranakan cook, a mother of three and a grandmother of two. She teaches Peranakan cooking and healthy cooking in the community. / Photos courtesy of WSCS
Simply Good HEALTHY FAMILY MEALS Why did you, Gnanamany and Lai Keng write Simply Good? We wanted to help families plan and prepare healthy meals in a short time, as many find home cooking challenging and resort to convenience food, which may not provide a balanced and nutritious meal. We also hope that this cookbook will encourage more families to enjoy the benefits of cooking at home, and enjoying the pleasure of eating, sharing and connecting with each other.
This book, written by Laureen Ong-Tam, Gnanamany Philip and Chan Lai Keng, was produced as part of the MCS 135 celebrations to raise funds in support of MWS’s Eat Share Connect campaign. It will be available from MWS and local churches. Laureen Ong-Tam, one of the books behind Simply Good
What was the process behind the co-writing of the cookbook? I worked with [Dr Teo] Li Bee and Lydia [Sng] to produce the cookbook—Li Bee cast the vision, Lydia managed the provisions and I worked with the team of passionate cooks and with God’s grace we made it happen. The challenge was in choosing which recipes to include. We received more than 70 recipes! They were all very interesting but we had to, together with the Working Committee, whittle it down to 30 recipes that would capture the interest of the reader.
What’s so special about these 30 recipes? They are nutritious, delicious, simple to cook, and the ingredients cost under $10 for four people. Gnanamany, Lai Keng and I worked on Chinese, Indian, Malay and other recipes that are familiar favourites. These traditional recipes have been streamlined for fuss-free preparation and were tested by friends to ensure they work. A dietician, Liow Min Choo, and a nutritionist, Ralph Ong, verified that the recipes are nutritious and healthy. We also had invaluable inputs from Eck Kheng, our producer from Landmark Books.
Which is your favourite recipe, and why? The sweet sour chicken: the ingredients are easily available; it looks great on the plate; and it’s such an incredibly tasty dish that’s good for you—even children love it! And it’ll take you just 40 minutes to get it on the dining table.
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