Garlic Linguine With Black Truffle - A Tribute to Mr. Chiam See Tong

On Sunday morning, Mr Chiam See Tong was no longer an elected Member of Parliament, and that in itself, was a sad event, for he has served an unprecendented 27 years as an elected Opposition MP.

To Mr Chiam, who contested in my GRC this year, I was both moved and inspired by his courage and sincereity, two factors that contributed to his immense popularity in Potong Pasir all these years.

After my dish on polling day, on Sunday, I was inspired to do a dish to commemorate Mr Chiam's years in Parliament and for his efforts to bring an alternative voice to the people of Singapore.

For this reason alone, I decided to do a simple pasta dish, simple because Mr Chiam is at heart a really simple but heartfelt man. He may not be perfect, but he certainly was truthful and brave to the core.

Whether he elects to continue his career in politics or chooses to retire, I hope all Singaporeans will remember his contributions to Singapore and be remembered as a key figure in Singapore politics in time to come.

To begin, cook some linguine pasta until al dente and rinse in cold water and set aside. Slice about 10 garlic (the more the better).

In a pan, saute the garlic until they are aromatic and fragrant. Pour in some white wine and let it reduce under very high heat.

Chop some fresh parsley. Once the wine has reduced by half, add in a knob of butter to thicken the sauce and give it that nice velvety consistency. Once the butter has created an emulsion under the high heat, turn the heat to low and add in the parsley.

Add in some salt and pepper and stir thoroughly. Toss the linguine in the sauce until the pasta is well coated with the sauce.

Plate it and shave some fresh black truffle on top of it to give it that luxurious finish. The black truffle can be obtained at NTUC Finest for about S$40 a bottle.

So my simple dish is a homage to his roots, and the black truffle at the end serves to symbolise that after all these years, even a simple man like Mr Chiam can really be a treasure after all.

Make that a national treasure. This dish is for you, Mr Chiam.