The Weekend Chef team was just agonising over the lack of meal stories – the prospective chefs did not fit either the bill or our schedule – when Chin Chern Yen sent a batch of Rocky Road Slices. And with it, a complete meal story. I tell you, Fate has a strange sense of humour.
Chern Yen is the sister of TWC’s creative producer/photographer, Yan Sean. One would have thought that that would make her among the first contributors to TWC, but it was not the case. Bogged down by assignments and exams, Chern Yen graciously declined our requests to produce a meal, saying she would only do so when she could give her undivided attention to her creation. Finally, that day came. And all of us at TWC rejoiced. I mean, how often do you get Rocky Road Slices delivered to your doorstep?
We have yet to meet Chern Yen, though. The meal and photo shoot were conducted in the privacy of her home and this interview was conducted via email. But if she’s anything like her food and writing, the pleasure of that future introduction is already ours.
When did you discover your love for cooking?
At a very young age, probably during primary school. Growing up in a family of cooks – all my aunts, Grandma and Mom cook and bake – I was exposed to many different dishes and cooking techniques. I used to help out in the kitchen quite a lot, doing small tasks like sifting flour, cracking the eggs, cleaning and cutting vegetables. Mostly just nosing around, actually and in the process, fell in love with cooking. There is a lot of trial and error involved in cooking, but I absolutely love it!
What was the first dish you made?
Pancakes – a recipe out of a storybook. I was fascinated by the fact that my children’s book had an actual recipe in it and I asked my Mom if I could try it out. I have not looked back since!
What dish have you always wanted to cook and why have you not cooked it yet?
I have always wanted to bake a beautiful sponge cake, just like those you buy in a bakery. But the tricky bit is incorporating enough air in it, so it doesn’t collapse. I have not had the guts to try enough recipes to find one that works best! I attempted to bake a black forest cake with chocolate sponge layers many years ago, but it turned out rock hard. Perhaps that experience deterred me from trying out more such recipes, so the sponge cake has remained a dream for me!
I would also like to cook curries from scratch – buying raw spices, milling them and frying the curry paste myself. I have always used ready-made curry paste at home courtesy of my aunt and Grandma, so I have not had the chance to master the blend of spices for various curries.
Is cooking a form of therapy for you? How so?
Definitely! There is nothing more fulfilling than looking at a picture or reading the recipe of a dish that you would like to replicate, having it turn out perfectly and sharing it with your loved ones. The look of approval on their faces (or could it be relief that I did not give them food poisoning?) is the ultimate reward.
What do you look for when buying a cookbook?
A picture paints a thousand words, so illustration definitely plays a big part in motivating me to buy a cookbook, because it makes me want to try certain recipes. I must also have an idea of how the end result will look like, therefore the pictures become the ‘benchmark’ of my cooking.
What are your favourite cooking shows and why?
I adore Jamie Oliver’s shows because they are presented in his quirky down-to-earth style and most of his recipes are no-frills – good enough for entertaining, yet not too posh.
What inspires your cooking?
Cookbooks, cooking shows, and even street food! If I ate something I like from a hawker stall, I would try to get the recipe or replicate the dish with my own concoction of ingredients until I get it right. For instance, my sister loves nasi paprik, and one day I decided to make it for her, but I did not know how. So I searched for the recipe online, found several versions, compared them, chose the one that was most likely to yield the right result and modified it slightly.
What is the most versatile ingredient(s)? Why?
The potato. You can cook it in so many ways – baked, fried, mashed, gratin – and it can be used in starters, as a side dish, a snack and even the main course.
It is easier for a baker to learn to cook than for a cook to learn to bake. Agree? Why?
Agree. With cooking, you can be more flexible in terms of what ingredients to use and how much. With baking, it is absolutely crucial to measure each ingredient accurately. Baking also requires one to be well versed with the process and treatment of the ingredients, because one wrong move can affect the outcome drastically. For example, if you over-fold flour into a cake batter, you would risk over-stretching the gluten and deflating the air pockets inside, which are necessary for the cake to rise, and you’ll end up with a tough mass.
Which dish are you most proud of?
I can bake a mean chocolate cake!
If money was not a factor, would you want to pursue a professional career in as a chef? Why?
No. I cannot cook in large batches, and I definitely cannot produce good results under stress. The most I can do is cater to a small dinner party. This way, I can control the quality of my cooking.
What are your cooking quirks?
I wash my hands before handling each ingredient, I have the tendency to boss people around in the kitchen and I am anal about cutting everything just right and doing things my way. My sister can attest to that since she is now relegated to washing the dishes!
What is in your fridge right now?
Different sauces, sesame and olive oil, vinegar, eggs, vegetables, leftover food, fruits, shrimps, anchovies, Chinese mushrooms, chocolate. In my freezer – chicken breasts, a packet of nuggets.