生, 老, 病, 死 (Born, grow old, illness, death)

Chinese have a saying,  生, 老, 病, 死 (Born, grow old, illness, death) that points out that every human being is born into this cycle. It is, according to Quay Lo, similar to the western homily that "every man puts on his trousers one leg at a time". In other words, there are few exceptions regardless of station in life, whether rich or poor, religous or secular, evil or good, etc. My Quay Lo (husband) says that this view is too simple, and it is cynical. I think it is the great equalizer and tends to make all of us, in this respect, the same. We all know, we are going to live, and we are going to die. That is very fair isn't it?

What may not be fair is the way we have evolved,  which I have illustrated below.……LOL!

Birth through teen age years :

Have lots of energy but no money

Working Age:

Have money + energy but no time

Old Age:

Have time + money but no energy

Which stage are you? 

More to the point, we know that finally, if we are fortunate enough to go through all the above stages, it will be time to say goodbye. How about those of us who are left bereft? When we lose a loved one, do we remember their perfections or imperfections? Click on the link below and watch the video. See if you agree with what Mrs. Lee says in her eulogy for her husband. She reveals that his little imperfections made him perfect for her and her children. This video made me laugh and cry. Watch and see if it has the same effect on you. It is worth the time spent viewing it because it reminds us of an important point of view we all may tend to forget.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw0s4C0g5SM

The dish that I am going to share with you today is one that my Quay Lo and I love for its beauty, and its incredible flavors, which truly achieve "umami".  Yet the dish is minimalist simplicity. We had this dish at Xi Yan Restaurant in Singapore several times.  The last time we were there, I bought their cookbook and tried to replicate this dish at home. I managed to get the flavors and textures right but the appearance of my tomatos was disappointing.  During the peeling of the skin, small bits of the tomato flesh pulled away, leaving unattractive holes on the surface. If not peeled with extra care they will look like the tomatos in the following photo.

I wanted them to look perfect like these. (Here is a photo extracted from the cookbook.) Obviously I failed to do so.

No matter what angle I tried in various compositions, there was no way to avoid showing the inperfections. 

So, I have decided not to worry about it further but to go ahead and share the dish and the photos as is. To my Quay Lo and I, the little imperfections on the tomatoes reminded us that we are beautifully imperfect for each other now and forever! He was excited about the results because it was the taste experience we had before. He pointed out that the small imperfections tended to hold more of the exquisite wasabi sauce.  We are pleased that we can now enjoy this appetizer any time we wish to. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do. I also hope that you will find value in the little imperfections in life that reveal character. Much more than flaws, they are features, that we can grow fond of. 

Tips: 
Pick the very best, vine ripened and large tomatos you can find.
Be as exacting as possible with timing the hot water dip at the start.
Then, as  mentioned, peel very carefully. 

Chilled Green House Tomatoes in Wasabi Sesame Sauce
largely adapted from Xi Yan's Cook book with modification

For the Tomato:
Ingredients:
1 whole, large, fresh, vine ripened tomato for each diner. (Sauce recipe is based on 4-5 servings)

Method:
In a two quart pan heat approximately 1 1/2 quarts of water to scalding (but not a roiling boil).
Dip the tomatos in scalded water for 15 - 20 seconds.
Remove and place tomatoes in ice water as quickly as possible
Allow to chill, then remove peel carefully and refrigerate.

For the Wasabi Sesame Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup sesame seeds

1/2 cup light olive oil

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/2 tspn lemon zest

3 tbspns brown sugar
1 1/2 tspns wasabi
pinch of salt
1 egg yolk

Directions
Toast sesame seeds in a frying pan
Remove seeds and using mortar and pestle, grind the seeds into a paste
Add olive oil and blend until well combined.
Sieve into a mixing bowl (to eliminate any lumps)
Add remaining ingredients, blending well. Chill before serving.

Make a horizontal slice across the bottom of each tomato, taking just enough for the tomato to stand freely. Then slice vertically into quarters.
Plate on chilled plates in the center and poor sauce over the tomato generously so that it runs down on all sides and pools on the plate. Decorate with a bit of basil or mint leaf.

Enjoy, and if you have a few imperfections in the tomato's surface, no worry about it lah. They will hold a little extra sauce.