A COOKBOOK featuring recipes of the former president's wife, Mrs Wee Kim Wee, was unveiled yesterday and it raised $1.2 million in charity proceeds. The book, Cooking For The President, was launched by President SR Nathan at the Raffles Hotel ballroom.

It was written and self-published by Mrs Wee's daughter, Ms Wee Eng Hwa, who also photographed all the dishes. Local publisher Epigram was the publishing consultant. Ms Wee, 68, the fifth of seven children, told The Straits Times: 'My father always had in his heart the desire to help the underprivileged and the less fortunate, and my mother and I felt the launch of the cookbook would be a good opportunity to follow in his footsteps and raise funds for charities.

About 400 guests attended the book launch, including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's wife, Ms Ho Ching; and former Indonesian president Suharto's daughter, Siti Hutami Endang Adiningsih 'Mamiek'. The 544-page cookbook boasts 230 recipes, including dishes such as mee siam (rice vermicelli in spicy gravy) and kueh ko swee (steamed rice flour cakes flavoured with palm sugar) that were served to guests hosted by the late Mr Wee during his years as president, from 1985 to 1993. The book, which took Ms Wee, a lawyer, 21 years to put together, will be available soon at leading bookstores for $115.56 (including GST).