“When I was approached to introduce my fare to The Weekend Chef, I searched my mind for suitable recipes. They had to be special. Something people would be dying to try with a certainty they would enjoy it. After all, the greatest pleasure of cooking is in the eating! I also wanted to give people another reason, besides lunch and dinner, to have company over. I finally settled for tea. The tea time treats would be my chilled durian cheesecake and for a more subtle accompaniment - tau fu fah.

The durian cheesecake was an accidental success. A friend had given me a recipe for lemon cheesecake, but after a couple of bites, my family deemed it too ordinary. I mused that I should perhaps experiment with other fruits and we tossed around a few possibilities. Then someone suggested durian. My husband, who’s a diehard durian fan, immediately pounced on the idea and insisted I give it a shot. So I did. You can guess the rest!

I found the tau fu fah recipe in one of my many cookbooks. A word of caution beforehand - tau fu fah is the perfect example of how looks can be deceiving. This seemingly simple dish involves exact measurements of every ingredient, especially water. A little less or a little more and all you’ll get slush. When I first started making it, the mixture also had to be poured into the pot from a certain height for it to set well. Today, soya bean curdling powder has answered my prayers! Tau fu fah can also be made using beans other than soy like black beans (which produces a greenish texture). Just be sure the beans are fresh or the tau fu fah won’t set properly.

These two dishes may not qualify as a meal in the literal sense, but after you’ve had a few slices of pie or bowls of tau fo fah, it’ll sure feel like one! But before you roll up your sleeves, there’s something you need to do first. Pick up the phone and call your favourite friends for an impromptu tea party tomorrow evening!”