Staples
Tapioca
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Image taken from Navitalo website
Whenever I asked my interviewees about what they ate during the war, the answer would always be tapioca. Before the war, the staple carbohydrate in the meals of most locals was rice. But during the Japanese Occupation, when rice was rationed, people turned to tapioca. It grew easily in low-nutrient soil and could be harvested every two months, even though it took ten months to fully mature.
The tapioca root can be toxic when eaten raw, and its tough outer skin needs to be peeled before cooking. Some common food preparation methods would be steaming, boiling or pan-frying.
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Tapioca flour (also known as tapioca starch) could also be obtained from the tapioca root. The root would be finely shredded and the resulting pulp was washed and dried. The dried pulp is then ground into a flour. This flour could be used to make noodles, especially when rice flour was no longer easily obtained during the war. In the book Wartime Kitchen, Mary Lim recalled using tapioca flour to make kueh koci (rice cakes stuffed with coconut).
The leaves of the tapioca plant were also a common vegetable eaten during the war.
Tapioca Stories
Lim Heng Lee
Teo Geok Beng
Sulaiman bin Yahya
Father Michael Teo
Robert Chew
Kathleen Soh
Sweet Potato
Image taken from tcpermaculture.com
Sweet potatoes were another staple that often came up during my interviews. They were a wartime staple that grew easily in backyard gardens as long as there was good sunlight. In Singapore’s tropical climate, the fast-growing vine only required 2 months to produce the tasty tubers, with multiple tubers during each harvest. They can be grown either by planting cuttings or by burying a sweet potato tuber in the ground, allowing young shoots to develop from the tuber.
The leaves are edible, and were often cooked with sliced chilli padi or coconut milk during the war.
Sweet potatoes are a more nutritious carbohydrate compared to tapioca - it was a rich source of fiber and was an excellent source of beta carotene, vitamin C and potassium, along with trace amounts of other vitamins.
Sweet Potato Stories
Esther Zhou
Molly Ong
Rice
Image taken from Britannica website
Before the war, rice was an important staple in local households. Singapore was highly dependent on imported rice from Thailand and Burma (Myanmar), and the arrival of the war led to a severe shortage of rice. This shortage was due to a combination of various factors.
1. Disruption in shipping and trading routes.
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The Japanese military seized control of the shipping and train lines which were used to transport rice from Burma and Thailand. People and goods were subjected to strict security checks. Merchant ships were sunk or repurposed for the Japanese war efforts. Rice-growing patterns were also negatively affected by the war.
2. As a form of control by the Japanese Military
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In early 1942, the Japanese military administration took over the key dealers in essential goods such as Cold Storage. Japanese firms were created and given monopoly over essential food supplies like rice. The military war effort was given priority in the distribution of rice, and the officers in charge made additional profits for themselves by channeling rice to the black market, leaving little leftover for official traders and for locals.
People were only allowed to collect rice and other essentials with an issued ration card if they registered the members of their household. This allowed the Japanese to keep track of the local population.
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In addition, the Japanese offered rice and other essentials as payment for work. Locals took up work in the Japanese military administration in various roles such as labourers and technicians in order to keep their families fed.
The rice rations issued by the Japanese were very little, and this amount dwindled as the war came to an end. It started at 12kg a month per person but by the end of the war, the monthly allocation became 4.8kg per man, 3.6kg per woman and 2.4kg per child. White rice was a luxury - locals reported receiving rice with gravel, broken rice, decayed grains or slaked lime rice (slaked lime, also known as calcium hydroxide, was used to protect the rice from insects.)
Hence rice was never eaten on its own - it was often supplemented with other foods such as tapioca, sweet potatoes or beans.
Rice Stories
Image taken from DrAxe website
Coconut
Also known as “the tree of a thousand uses", the coconut tree was highly valued because every part of the tree could be utilised. When milk became unavailable during the war, coconut milk was used as a substitute in recipes. It was also a good source of fat, and various nutrients such as potassium and magnesium. It was used to thicken stews and was often used in Malay and Peranakan cuisine.
Oil was a rationed essential, so coconut oil was a good substitute as a cooking oil. It could be extracted by boiling grated coconut flesh and squeezing out the oil. The dried flesh left over from the extraction could be eaten as a side dish or used as a seasoning (tahi minyak)
Grated coconut flesh was often sprinkled on dishes and desserts to add texture.
Coconut shells could be used as a bowl or turned into a ladle by drilling a hole and attaching a stick. The husk could be burned to create an insect repellent, while its fibres could be woven to create brushes and mats.
Coconut Stories
Sago Palm
Image taken from BorneoPost website
Sago from the sago palm was often eaten during the war as it was a good source of starch and carbohydrates. The sago palm can often be found in swamps or tropical lowland areas. To this day, we often see it in the form of tiny sago balls in the supermarket.
Sago palms grow quickly and each palm produces 150kg - 400kg of sago. At 8-12 years of age, the sago palm stores a high amount of starch in its stem in preparation for flowering. Just before the stem flowers, it is cut off and harvested. The stem is split lengthwise and the pith is extracted. The starch is then obtained by washing and drying the pith, resulting in a powdery form.
When dried, the sago palm leaves could be used to thatch roofs. They can also be woven into baskets, bags and small cages.
Ragi
When wheat flour became an expensive item on the black market, ragi was a common substitute used to make bread. Ragi (also known as finger millet) is a cereal crop grown in Africa and parts of India and Nepal. It comes in the form of tiny red seeds and can be ground to make ragi flour, which is then mixed with other ingredients to make ragi bread. Ragi flour can also be cooked on a stovetop to create ragi porridge.
In the National Archives of Singapore (NAS) oral recounts, Chu Shuen Choo describes ragi ‘being cooked like sago’. She would “put scraped coconut on top of it and make it sweet, and eat it like a sort of cake to substitute rice. Otherwise we would be so hungry the whole day”.
Image taken from NaturallyYours website
Ragi Stories
Esther Zhou
Vegetables
Vegetables made up the bulk of the wartime diet and were often eaten with carbohydrates. One year before the Japanese arrived in Singapore, people were encouraged by the British to grow vegetables in their home gardens.
This was followed by the “Grow More Food” campaign led by the Japanese, which saw locals turning every available space into vegetable plots. Those fortunate enough to live near forested areas or fields would even forage for edible wild plants to supplement their diet.
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Brassicas
Image taken from NParks website
Brassicas are leafy vegetables that come from the wild cabbage family and were very popular in home gardens during WWII.
They required direct sunlight and could be harvested in 1.5 months after the germinated seeds were planted. The entire plant could be harvested, or the “cut-and-come again method” could be used by only cutting the leaves and allowing the plant to regrow.
Examples of commonly eaten brassicas would be Kow Peck Chye, Huang Jin Bai Cai (also known as Chinese cabbage), Nai Bai, Cai Xin (also known as “Flowering Chinese Cabbage” as both its leaves and flowers can be eaten), Chinese Mustard and Kailan. They could be eaten in stir-fries, boiled or even raw.
Spinach
Different varieties of spinach were grown in home gardens, two of the most popular being the water spinach (kangkong) and Chinese spinach (bayam).
Kangkong is a creeper plant which is easy to grow as long as there was direct sunlight. It also only takes 21 days for it to be harvested, and can be propagated using seeds or plant cuttings.
Identified easily by its red leaves, Chinese spinach can be grown under the same conditions as kangkong. By harvesting only the leaves and leaving the rest of the plant untouched, new leaves will regrow on both kangkong and bayam plants, allowing for continuously harvesting.
Image taken from NParks GardeningSg website
Gourds
Image taken from NParks GardeningSg website
Snack gourds, pumpkins, bitter gourds and cucumbers were the most common gourds grown during WWII. These gourds are climber plants that require a trellis to grow, and thrive best under full sunlight. Growing gourds requires patience - depending on the variety, it can take 2 - 4 months for the fruit to be ready for harvest.
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Pumpkin flesh is known for its sweet flavour when cooked, and it can be used in soups and desserts. Its seeds can also be roasted and eaten too.
Bitter gourd is harvested when it is green and immature. It is then sliced and used in soups. To reduce its bitter taste, it can then be marinated in salt and squeezed to remove the bitter juice.
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Snake gourd is known for its long and twisted shape - it can grow up to 1 to 2 metres in length! Like bitter gourd, it is harvested when immature and green with white streaks. It can be eaten in a variety of ways, such as stewing or stir-frying.
With its high water content, cucumbers are known for its refreshing taste. They can be eaten raw or pickled.
Fruiting Vegetables
Fruiting vegetables refer to the fruits of food crops that are eaten as vegetables. Brinjal (eggplant), long beans, lady’s finger (okra) were some common varieties grown in gardens during WWII.
Easy identified by its long purple shape, the brinjal is also called the eggplant because the first variety which came to Asia produced a round white fruit that looked similar to an egg. It requires full sunlight, and after germination, the brinjal fruit takes about 4 months to grow. It is commonly eaten sliced and pan-cooked with aromatics.
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Image taken from SG Wetmarket website
The long bean plant is a climber plant that requires a trellis to grow. Upon germination, the long bean fruit takes slightly more than a month to grow. It can be eaten raw or cooked with aromatics like sliced bird’s eye chilli (chilli padi).
Okra is commonly known here as lady’s finger due to its long, tapering shape. Like the other fruiting vegetables mentioned here, it requires full sunlight and its fruit takes around 2-3 months to grow. It is harvested when it is green and immature. When sliced, okra produces a sticky residue which can be used to thicken stews. Washing the cut pieces before patting them dry or simply dry-frying it reduces the sticky texture.
Legumes
Image taken from tradefort website
Tempeh (fermented soya bean cake) was originally seen as “a poor man’s food” during the pre-war years, but its consumption increased during and after the war. When meat became a luxury, tempeh was eaten as a protein substitute. It was especially popular among Malay families. In the 1940s, the number of tempeh producers in a village at Jalan Haji Alias near Bukit Timah Road increased steadily, so much so that the village became known as “Kampong Tempeh”.
Soya beans were also used as a filling for pies, as seen in a recipe published by “The Syonan Shimbun” (31 Oct 1942). Soya bean cakes (tofu) were also eaten by locals - Constance Goh’s interview recorded in the National Archives of Singapore (NAS) mentions her family eating lots of them.
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Madam Zainab mentioned that green beans (also known as mung beans) were a wartime staple in her family’s house. Her family would cook them until they were soft, and season the dish with a bit of coconut juice and sugar.
Mung beans sprouts (also known as “tauge” in Hokkien and Malay) could be grown from mung bean seeds. Simply soak mung bean seeds in water overnight, remove them from the water, and leave them to spout on a damp cloth over the next few days.
Legumes Stories
Fiddlehead ferns (Paku paki/Pucuk paku)
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Pucuk paku (also known as paku paki or fiddlehead fern) is a type of fern consisting of long stems with small, circular fronds at the tip. The stems are thicker at the base but taper into thinner stems towards the tip. The fronds vary in shape, with some leaves uncoiling while others are twisted. Only the young and tender stems are eaten, along with the fronds.
Because it is a fern, it propagates by releasing its spores into the air. It is usually foraged from the wild rather than being farmed.
Image taken from NParks website
Fiddlehead Fern Stories
Wild Mushrooms
Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of fungi that appear above ground when conditions are right. They sometimes appear to sprout suddenly, usually after heavy rainfall. The main purpose of mushrooms is to reproduce by dispersing spores. Once this task is done, they will rot within days.
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There are multiple varieties of mushrooms that grow in the wild here. However, you will need prior knowledge of which varieties are edible or poisonous. Certain species look similar to each other, which may result in the unfortunate forager mistaking a poisonous mushroom for a tasty one. Doing so can result in illness and even death.
Wan’s family was familiar with the mushrooms which grew in the rubber plantations on Pulau Ubin, so they were able to safely eat them.
Image taken from Healthhub website
Wild Mushroom Stories
Fruits
Fruit trees were also popular in home gardens during WWII, with papaya and banana being two of the more common fruits. However, fruit trees took a long time to grow and bear fruit, so they served as a supplementary bonus to meals rather than a daily dish. There was also the risk of having the precious fruit stolen from your garden, as noted in a few interviews on this website.
Bananas
Image taken from NParks website
There are multiple varieties of bananas trees that can be found in today's local backyard gardens, the most popular being the Blood Banana (named for the red splotches on its green leaves), the Pisang Raja Udang Merah, Thousand Fingers Banana (also known as the “Pisang Seribu” in Malay) and the Pisang Raja.
Bananas bear a large number of fruits at once. To harvest them all, you will need to saw off the entire comb. Otherwise, you can simply cut off a bunch and leave the rest to ripen.
The leaves of banana trees can be used as plates or to wrap food for easy transportation, adding fragrance to the dish. The banana fruit can be eaten raw, fried, or cut into thin pieces and sun-dried to make a crunchy snack.
Incidentally, the money printed by the Japanese during World War II was called “banana money” because the ten dollar note featured a picture of a banana plant. However due to excessive printing of notes, hyperinflation occurred, and the notes became worthless towards the end of the war.
Papaya
Image taken from Healthxchange website
Papaya was a versatile fruit that could be eaten in multiple ways. It can be eaten raw, or pickled and eaten with salt as Khatijun Nissa Siraj mentioned in an oral recount with the National Archives of Singapore (NAS) about her wartime experiences. She also added papaya slices to a dhal dish made by boiling lentil beans with ginger, garlic, salt and turmeric.
Chew Kong remembers buying unripe papayas and smoking them to eat as a side dish, as recounted in his National Archives of Singapore (NAS) wartime account. One dish he ate often was papaya soup made with a ripe papaya, pork bones and a fish tail, accompanied by half a bowl of rice. Locals would also stuff an entire papaya with meat and vegetables, then either steam or bake it to impart extra flavour to their food.
Papaya was also used to make jam during WWII. But because sugar was a rationed commodity, it was used sparingly and the fruit jams made during the war could not be kept for a long period of time.
Pineapple
Image taken from Gardernerspath website
The pineapple plant is a low bush with serrated leaves. Each pineapple plant produces a large flower head consisting of 100-200 florets. After fertilisation, each small floret produces a fruit, and because the fruits are so densely packed, they fuse together to form one collective fruit. This pineapple fruit can be identified by its scaly yellow exterior, and when cut, the flesh is bright yellow in colour.
Pineapples are usually eaten sliced as a snack or a dessert. They can also be used to make chutneys, pickles and jams. Pineapple is also used in rojak, a sweet and savoury salad made with a mixture of vegetables and fruits. Rojak Java was apparently sold by Chinese hawkers and was made with a combination of cucumbers, pineapple, sweet turnip (bangkwang) and bean sprouts seasoned with sambal belacan (shrimp chilli paste), sugar and sweet black sauce.
During WWII, Lee Kip Lee, in his National Archives of Singapore (NAS) interview, recalls attending a wedding banquet at the Southern Hotel that served Nam Boku (a locally made whiskey extracted from pineapple).
When Father Michael Teo’s mother was able to obtain pineapple, she would cook pineapple soup seasoned with dried shrimp.
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In pre-war Singapore, there were many pineapple plantations and pineapple canneries (factories which canned pineapples for export). Pineapple was such a profitable export that several businessmen made their fortune in it, most notably Tan Kah Kee, Lim Nee Soon and Lee Kong Chian. However, after WWII, the number of factories and plantations here in Singapore declined.
Pineapple Stories
Durian
Image taken from NParks website
Durian trees reach maturity between five and seven years and produce fruit only twice a year. After pollination, the melon-shaped fruit takes 3 months to ripen before falling to the ground.
Durians are easily identified by their olive-green colour and coarse rind studded with spikes. The spikes and thick shell protect the inner seeds from being damaged when the fruit from a great height. Durians are not plucked; rather, they are allowed to fall to the ground and are best consumed then.
The segments of the fruit house seeds are encased in yellow flesh, which are creamy in texture. However, the flesh emits a pungent smell.
The durian can be eaten fresh or used to make jams. During WWII, Wartime Kitchen reported that the very poor even gathered and boiled the discarded shells of durians and chempedaks (a fruit similar to the jackfruit).
In WWII, the "Syonan Shimbun" published an article on 6th Feb 1943, about making soap with a combination of coconut ash, durian ash, coconut oil and palm oil.
Rambutan
Like the durian tree, rambutans bear fruit only twice a year. When planted from seed, it takes 5-6 years to grow but a grafted plant takes only 1-2 years. The word “rambut” is derived from the Malay word for hair, a reference to its hairy exterior. The exterior is usually red but some varieties are yellow. Cutting it open reveals its sweet white flesh, which encases a single woody seed.
It is often eaten fresh. During WWII, it was used to make jams when available.
Image taken from NParks website
Jambu (Jambu Air)
Jambu is known by several names, including “jambu air” which means water apple in Malay, water rose apple, or simply rose apple.
It can be identified by its red, bell-like shape. A tree takes 2-3 years to fully mature and bears fruit twice a year. Cutting it open reveals crisp white flesh. The skin of the jambu is rich in vitamin A.
Sliced jambu can be eaten fresh or dipped in dark sauce. It is also sometimes added to rojak (a local fruit salad drizzled with a dark, tangy sweet sauce).
Image taken from NParks website
Meat
Meat was a luxury during the war. Most of the meat was controlled by the Japanese and could only be obtained on the black market. Locals with sufficient backyard space resorted to raising their own poultry, such as chicken and ducks, as mentioned by a few of the interviewees. Chicks and ducklings could be bought from street peddlers or from peddlers who travelled from village to village, as recalled by Tan Kia Meng. Pigs were also raised in Tan Kia Meng’s backyard farm.
Chew Kong, in his National Archives of Singapore (NAS) oral interview, recalled dogs being abducted for their meat. One store in particular which sold dog meat was named “San Liu” which means “three six” in Chinese. It was understood to be “nine” which sounded like “dog” in Chinese dialect - a roundabout way of saying that the store sold dog meat.
Wild boar, previously considered a poor man’s dish, was elevated to an exotic game meat during WWII. It was said to be very tough.
In addition, the Japanese authorities encouraged people to rear rabbits and guinea pigs, claiming that they were cheap to maintain and tasty. These were sold by dealers at Rochor Road at fixed prices. Father Michael Teo reared guinea pigs in his backyard, and recounts how he was in charge of raising and ultimately preparing the guinea pigs for dinner.
Because meat was so precious, it was usually only eaten on festive occasions, such as during the New Year celebrations. Every part of the animal, as far as possible, was utilised in cooking. The bones were used to make soup stock, and the fat was used to cook other dishes, like vegetables. Father Michael Teo’s mother even used the leftover blood to make a tasty dish with the texture of tofu.
When there was absolutely nothing left in the larder, Father Michael Teo would dig for worms, which his mother would fry with soy sauce and other seasonings. He described the dish as a “delicacy”
Meat Substitute Stories
Seafood
The supply of fish was controlled by the Japanese. Fishing boats had to be “approved” by the local Japanese government, and fishermen could only sell to appointed dealers. High-quality and more expensive fish, like pomfret and tilapia, were reserved for the “kumiai” or food distribution centres. Locals were left with smaller varieties like ikan tenggiri (Spanish mackerel), ikan kurau (threadfin), ikan parang (wolf herring), and ikan bilis (anchovy). Here, you can read about Pearl Lin’s experience working at the Japanese Fish Association.
Several villages located in Punggol, Pasir Ris and Pasir Panjang continued to engage in fishing. These consisted mostly of Malay fishermen. Madam Zainab and Mr Sulaiman share their fathers’ fishing experiences - the former was part of a fishing kelong community, while the latter fished just to sustain his family.
Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong were two such kampungs where the local Orang Pulau inhabitants relied on the sea for sustenance. Both are islands located a short distance offshore from mainland Singapore. In his story, Wan from Wan’s Pulau Ubin Journal talks about what his relatives on Pulau Tekong and Pulau Ubin ate during WWII, including cooking sea anemone in coconut milk.
Common Fishes
Image taken from Shoreangler website
Most of my interviewees would generally mention common methods for cooking fish rather than specific methods for certain types of fish. Hence, I have classified fish as one ingredient rather than break them down by species.
In addition to the small fishes mentioned in the previous section, ikan kembong (Indian mackerel) and ikan selar (yellow tail scad) were commonly eaten by locals during World War II. Zainab and Sulaiman bin Yahya mentioned their fathers catching ikan tamban (striped round herring) when they went out to sea.
Besides sea fishing, locals would catch fish from drains and rivers. Tan Kia Meng would occasionally catch gourami, snakehead fish and catfish from ditches in rubber plantations as a child, and would buy fish hooks to catch loaches and mudfish in longkangs (local colloquialism for drains).
Cheng Siew Kee recalls her brother risking his life to catch fishes at Bendemeer River, where there was quicksand.
Locals would stretch their food supplies by using the fish bones to flavour their soup stock. Fish could also be preserved by drying and salting them for future use. Johnnie Ang’s family lived on salted fish and meagre portions of rice during their escape from Malacca to Singapore.
One unusual fish mentioned during my interviews was puffer fish. Puffer fish contains a colourless and odourless toxin called tetrodotoxin, which is lethal even in small amounts. However, Kathleen Soh’s Peranakan grandmother knew how to remove the toxins and to safely prepare the dish.
The Orang Laut (an ethnic group of seafarers who lived along the Straits of Singapore and in certain parts of Malaysia and Indonesia) consider puffer fish a traditional delicacy and serve a spicy version of it cooked with chili, pepper, garlic, kangkong (water spinach) and lemongrass.
Fish Stories
Ikan bilis (Anchovies)
Ikan bilis (anchovy) is a very small type of fish that is usually boiled or steamed, and then left to dry. The resulting dried fish is very salty. It is often used as a seasoning in soups or porridge, and can even be used to make a fish-based soup stock. They can also be pan-fried with aromatics and eaten as a side dish.
Image taken from talkaboutfish website
Ikan Bilis Stories
Pearl Lin
Shrimp
Image taken from marketfreshsg website
Shrimp could be sun-dried and used as a seasoning in dishes. Hae bee (which means “dried shrimp” in Hokkien) was often sprinkled over porridge or dishes for added texture and flavour, as seen in Father Michael Teo’s vegetable dish with hae bee.
Dried shrimp was also used to make belacan (shrimp paste), which was then used as a base to make hae bee hiam (spicy dried shrimp) and sambal belacan (shrimp paste with chilli).
Belacan was produced locally in factories and in fishing communities along the Malayan coastline, so it was still accessible to the public. Belacan was normally used as a cooking ingredient or as a condiment in Peranakan, Eurasian and Malay dishes.
Shrimp Stories
Father Michael Teo
Shellfish
Shellfish could be foraged from the beaches or in mangrove areas. Common varieties included gonggong (local colloquialism for pearl conch snail) and lala (local colloquialism for clams). Wan’s family would use their parang to sieve through the sand for mollusks or dislodge them from rocks.
Hunting for shellfish seemed to be a popular pastime for many interviewees when they were children. Kathleen Soh mentions using her hands to dig for clams and then cooking them over an open fire along the beach. Molly Ong would hunt for them with her friend and bring them home to be prepared.
Image taken from vitaminseafood website
Shellfish Stories
Other Misc Seafood
Some of the seafood caught by local fishermen included sotong (Malay for “squid”) and small crabs, as mentioned by Mr Sulaiman.
Sotong could only be caught at night as a light was required to lure them. Small crabs, like flower crabs, could be caught by net fishing, as mentioned by Mr Sulaiman. Popular ways of cooking them included barbecuing them or cooking them with aromatics like chilli and asam.
Wan, from Wan’s Pulau Ubin journal, mentioned that his family on Pulau Tekong would hunt for carpet sea anemones, which they would cook with lemak (coconut milk).
Image taken from wildsingapore website
Unique Seafood Stories
Seasoning
Sugar and salt were rationed by the Japanese authorities - individuals were only allowed to purchase up to 1 kati (600g) of sugar per month. This led local housewives to look for alternative ways to season their food. Traditional aromatics were grown in home gardens as they thrived with minimal fertilising. Examples included limes, chilli, ginger, turmeric, serai (lemongrass), lengkuas (greater galangal or blue ginger), krachai (lesser galangal or finger root) and limau perut (kaffir lime). Others, like asam pods and pandan leaves, could be gathered from the wild.
The rationing also led factories to use substitutes when producing table sauces, such as a soy sauce substitute made using coconut milk, peanuts, potatoes, and starch.
Gula Melaka
Gula Melaka is a type of palm sugar made from the sap of flower buds found in the coconut palm. Several slits are cut in the bud, and the dripping sap is collected in a pot tied underneath. The sap is boiled until it thickens and then poured into bamboo tubes, where it solidifies into cylindrical bricks.
To make gula melaka syrup, the bricks are broken into chunks and then boiled in a pot with water. Pandan leaves can be added to make the syrup fragrant. This syrup can then be drizzled over snacks like kueh or added to beverages.
Image taken from wildnfreediary website
Chillies
Chilli was often grown in home gardens. It could be used in a multitude of ways: as a spicy topping on dishes when freshly sliced, as a marinade, or as a cooking ingredient when pounded into a paste.
Image taken from NParks website
Pandan Leaves
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Image taken from NParks website
Pandan refers to the Pandanus amaryllifolius plant, whose leaves are used as a flavouring in foods and drinks, particularly in Malay and Peranakan cuisine. Pandan is not commonly known to flower or fruit, but it is propagated through stem cuttings.
The leaves can be used to wrap around or as a base for kueh when steaming to impart a delicious fragrance. They can be tied into a knot and cooked with coconut milk or rice, along with other flavourings like turmeric.
Pandan leaves can also be crushed and pounded to create a flavored green food dye. Kathleen Soh’s grandmother used this method to make food dye for her chendol.
Pandan leaves are also used as an insect repellent by simply placing them around the house.
Lemongrass
Image taken from Harvesttotable website
Loved for its distinctive citrusy scent, lemongrass is a common cooking ingredient in Malay and Peranakan cuisine. Like pandan leaves, it can be grown in home gardens or gathered from the wild, as Wan’s family did in Pulau Tekong.
Out of the entire stalk of lemongrass gathered, only the thick white stem at the lower part is used. The top half, with the leaf, is cut and discarded. To prepare it, housewives bruise the thick stem with a heavy object to release its aroma and then add it to their cooking.
Alternatively, the middle part of the lemongrass can be used. This involves cutting and discarding the lower thick stem and upper leaf, leaving only the thin middle part. Strip away the fibrous outer layer to reveal the tender inner section. Slice or finely dice this slender white inner section before cooking with it. The inner core can also be pounded with a pestle and mortar to create a base paste for cooking.
Tamarind (Asam)
Tamarind (locally known in Malay as 'asam') can be obtained from the pod of the tamarind tree. The pods are split open to reveal seeds wrapped in soft brown pulp. The brown pulp can be soaked in hot water to make asam water, which is then used for cooking. Asam is often used in Malay and Peranakan cuisine. Mr Sulaiman’s family would simply harvest what they needed and use it as a cooking ingredient when the pods were ready to be plucked.
Image taken from TimesofIndia website
Tamarind Stories
Sulaiman bin Yahya
Others
Red Palm Oil
Image taken from Orifera website
Before the war, groundnut oil was the most common oil used for cooking by the Chinese. However, the ingredient used to make it (i.e., groundnut cake) became a controlled commodity under the Japanese. In its place, people turned to coconut oil and red palm oil.
In pre-war Singapore, red palm oil was originally used for lighting lamps. The oil was extracted from the mesocarp of the oil palm fruit. Its bright red colour is due to its high beta-carotene content, which is converted into Vitamin A in the body and used to fight beri-beri.
However, food cooked with it turned an unnatural bright red color. The smell of the dishes was also unpleasant, and they had a sharp, sour taste. Teo Geok Beng’s family would wash away the oil before serving the noodles.
Red Palm Oil Stories
Teo Geok Beng
Milk
The Japanese authorities seized control over all the dairy and meat farms in Singapore and Malaya, making fresh milk virtually impossible for the average person to obtain. By March 1942, condensed milk rations were sold only to infants under one year old and the sick. To purchase it, parents had to produce the infant’s birth certificate. Retailers were required to puncture the tins when selling them to prevent resale on the black market.
Housewives were still able to purchase unsweetened evaporated milk at a controlled price of 40 cents per tin. Coconut milk was also used as a substitute when possible.
Image taken from Roots.gov.sg : link