Book Revew: CHILLI PADI

Chilli Padi  by Adeline Foo

Mention Adeline Foo and the Amos Lee series, her bestselling books, comes to mind. Chilli Padi is a book from another series written by the same author. While the Amos Lee series deals with the issues faced by schoolchildren in Singapore, the series comprising of The Beaded Slippers, The Kitchen God, Chilli Padi and The Amulet aims to share the Peranakan culture with our children.

The story of Chilli Padi is a simple one: the main character, Puteh, a girl brought up in a Perankan household, lost her temper during the preparations for the Tang Chek (winter solstice) celebrations but it was her servant boy, Itam, who had to bear the consequences of her actions. Puteh regretted her actions when she saw what her actions led to and the rest of the story describes how she tried to make amends for them.

It is a short and sweet story, encompassing the value of self-control and why we should always try to keep a hold on our temper. However, Chilli Padi goes beyond that. As the reader reads about the antics of Puteh and Itam, they will also learn about customs of the Peranakans, the descendants of Chinese who came to the region hundreds of years ago and remained here, marrying the local women, and eventually, producing a unique culture found in the region.

In Chilli Padi, Adeline focuses on the rites and rituals a Peranakan family observes when they celebrate Tang Chek. It is interesting to note that some of the old ways are still around. For example, up till now, many Chinese and Perankans still eat tang yuan (the Peranakans call them kueh ee), glutinous rice balls, during the winter solstice. Of course in the old days, they were homemade but nowadays, because many mummies are also so with work, we can get them readymade from NTUC! ;)

At the end of the book, there is a short factual segment that explains certain Peranakan terms and describes the celebration of the winter solstice. It even touches on the use of chilli in the local culture. An informative read for young children.

I must also mention the excellent illustrations in the book done by Lee Kowling. The pictures are colourful and whimsical, transporting the reader into a world of days gone by. And beautifully detailed when it comes to showcasing the Peranakan artefacts such as the famed Peranakan tableware.

Lovely Peranakan tableware!
Sadly, they can mostly be seen only in museums these days.

Personally, I enjoyed her exquisite depictions of the various kebayas worn by the Peranakan ladies, the Nyonas. Mummies, if you are interested in fashion, you should definitely check out this book.

A collection of gorgeous kebayas.
Pardon the quality of the picture.
I'm not very tech-savvy and am still grappling with how to use a digital camera.

Sadly, Chilli Padi is not available on Amazon (although books from the Amos Lee series are) but the good news is that you can definitely get them at local bookstores like Popular or Kinokuniya. Or borrow them from the library. A story with a moral peppered with interesting nuggets of information about the Peranakan culture and accompanied by beautiful illustrations – this book would be a worthwhile addition to your bookshelf.

Rating: 4.5/5

Recommended for children 5 and above


By TCC