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Preserving
Appears in
By Christopher Tan and Amy Van
Published 2018
In times past, most large Chinese households here would have made their own pantry staples, such as rice wine, chilli condiments, pickled and salted vegetables and spice mixes. With the decline of space and time, these have largely been supplanted by ready-made versions. However, certain items are still easy enough to make at home, such as simple vinegared pickles, yellow glutinous rice wine, five-spice powder and chilli-based seasonings.
In southern China, salted, smoked, cured and air-dried meats and seafood are traditionally made by households during the winter. Chinese Singaporeans, mostly of southern descent, share this affection for cured meats, although these are now usually purchased, as Singapore’s very humid climate renders them impractical to make at home.