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My parents were my first cookery teachers and our little kitchen was my classroom. I, being the eldest, often pitched in to help with food preparation, eventually learning to cook at a fairly young age. The food of my childhood is humble and simple, yet hearty and wholesome. Some, like Hiang See Poong (Salted Black Bean Rice), Ang Zhao Mee Sua (Rice Wine Vermicelli Soup) and Fish Cake Rolls, you will not find in food centres or restaurants, others are much better tasting home-cooked versions of popular Teochew favourites such as Soon Kueh (Turnip Rice Cake), Braised Duck, Hae Chor (Prawn Balls), Lor Bak (Braised Belly Pork) and Oh Nee (Yam Pudding). Then there are also the Malayanised dishes of Hae Bee Hiahm (Spicy Prawn Floss), Hiahm Bak (Spicy Pork) and Assam Prawns. To these I have added a few of my own creations, including Roast Turmeric Chicken and Dory with Curry Leaves. In this book, I share with you the recipes for these dishes and many more passed down by my parents, uncles, aunts and grandparents. They are recipes which I have used countless of times in my own kitchen for my own family. We all have an emotional connection to food. Thus, I decided that I had to do more than just pass on our family recipes. I had to write of the times my grandparents and their children lived in, and when I was a little girl. So, I have written about food that evokes powerful memories – of sights, smell and tastes that can, in an instant, transport us to another time. I have invoked for you a past that is part of our children's inheritance. One of those rare folks who can draw on both science and tradition to explain the whys and how-tos of cooking, Jo Marion Seow's recipes are full of flavor and feeling. Whether you want to replicate her dishes or just gather fodder for social conversation, Jo's book is a delight. — Tan Shee Lah Soya and Spice is a cookbook after my own heart, full of reminiscences of her family and the past. Food history is hard to come by and when a writer such as Jo Marion Seow delivers it with such warmth and flavour, it is a treat. The food she writes about, mostly wholesome home cooking, also raise happy memories of the Teochew side of my family and I love her leisurely accounts of how to make well-loved dishes such as Teochew ap, Hae Chor and yes, Oh Nee, that sweet sticky yam dessert. — Sylvia Tan
