Paradise Pavilion: Beijing Roast Duck 101

Beijing Roast Duck $88

Don't you feel sometimes that life is more than just a series of random events happening just by pure coincidence?  Well, at least for me, I have always felt that there is an invisible hand guiding me onto the next subject to write about.

Recently I have been doing my own research into roasting chicken at home when I came across Heston Blumenthal's search for the perfect Peking Duck.  Heston is one of my favourite TV chefs.  He is the owner of "The Fat Duck" restaurant which is consistently rated as one of the top two restaurants in the world.  The thing that sets Heston apart from the other chefs is that he is more like a culinary alchemist who employs a lot of science in his cooking techniques which is something I find quite fascinating.  My wife complains that her kitchen has become my kitchen as it is now filled with all sorts of gadgets.  For instance, my range of thermometers include a handheld infrared one, oven thermometer, instant read digital thermometer and another instant read thermometer with an extension so that you can monitor the temperature of your meat throughout the roasting cycle. 

Shen Cheng Char Kway Teow: The last of the Char Kway Teow Men!

Char Kway Teow $2.50

My book, "The End of Char Kway Teow, and other Hawker Mysteries" will be published soon (mid Dec).  I have been working on the book for the last six months and now we are just putting the finishing touches on the cover.  The title of the book is derived from my previous post on Hai Kee Char Kway Teow where I lamented that I may not be able to eat a Char Kway Teow worth the calories in my retirement years. There really are only a handful of men left who can really fry Char Kway Teow, so I have renewed my efforts to seek the last of the Char Kway Teow men out.  I am hoping that I would be able to find a stall where there is a young and energetic next generation hawker who will be able to preserve this very Singaporean of dishes!

If you haven't realised it yet, Singapore Char Kway Teow can only be found here in Singapore!  Yes, we are talking about the type with cockles and sweet black sauce.   The ones in Penang are more savoury then sweet and are quite a different entity.  According to this uncle, this Teochew dish can't even be found in Swatow.  It is a dish which evolved out of what our Teochew forefathers could do with whatever produce they could find in Singapore.


Handful of Blood Cockles

And one of the things that you can find in Singapore Char Kway Teow are cockles. Cockles, or Si Ham as we call them here are ark clams whose unique feature is their bloody red colour.  As such, they are rightly called blood cockles and they actually contain haemoglobin, the same stuff that makes human blood red.  Cockles dwell in mud flats where the oxygen level is low, so that haemoglobin enables to cockles to survive in that environment where they feed on detritus and phytoplankton.  As food, they are a rich source of protein and iron.

Many hawkers nowadays buy their cockles already shelled.  So they simply have to open the plastic bag and the cockles are ready to use, blood and all.  So when I saw the bucket of cockles in this uncle's stall, it was a signal that we are looking at someone who is passionate enough about his char kway teow to want to spend the time to shell his own cockles.  According to him, cockles still taste better if they are freshly shelled.  Although I am not a big fan of cockles and would normally leave the cockles aside, much of the unique taste of Char Kway Teow still comes from the "blood" that they add to the Char Kway Teow during the frying process.  So whether you like it or not, without Si Hum, Char Kway Teow will lack that unique taste.


My finished plate of Char Kway Teow

Since Char Kway Teow is probably the Health Promotion Board's poster boy of unhealthy hawker foods, it is not something I eat that often.  When I do eat Char Kway Teow, I usually limit my consumption by sharing it with someone else.  But every once in a while, I manage to find one that is so addictive that I find myself finishing off the plate before I can come to my senses.  That is just my own indication that the Char Kway Teow is that good.

When I was a kid, we often bought Char Kway Teow that was fried by a lady in a coffeeshop opposite our block (229) of flats in Toa Payoh Lorong 8.  In those days, the hawker stalls were situated at the front of the coffeeshop and when I tarpau (buy home) Char Kway Teow, I often would wait in front of the wok watching the aunty fry her Kway Teow.  I wonder if younger readers actually know how Char Kway Teow is fried since most of the stalls are located at the back of the coffeeshops nowadays?  Anyway, the reason I am telling you this story is because the Char Kway Teow at this stall really reminds me of the one this Aunty used to fry.  The Kway Teow is sweet, fragrant and lively and the pork lard is crunchy and savoury.  Yes, it might be just lard, sweet sauce and cockle blood, but in the right hands, the combination is magic.  4.5/5




Conclusion

Here is another Char Kway Teow man whose Char Kway Teow legacy will end when he retires.  He has been frying Char Kway Teow for nearly 40 years since the time he was at Wayang St (Teochew St) but he has no son to take over his ladle.  Better enjoy it while he is still around frying it!

Sheng Cheng Char Kway Teow
Blk 132 Jalan Bukit Merah
Open 12pm to 10pm
Closed fortnightly ad hoc
92736195
Thanks to Jingwen for the recommendation


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Punggol Noodles: Mighty Meatballs!

Fans of Punggol noodles might be wondering where they relocated too after the re-opening of Kovan Food Centre.  Well, they have just moved to the coffeeshop down the road....... in case you are really wondering.

With so many good Bak Chor Mee around, it is getting harder and harder for me to say something interesting about Bak Chor Mee since I have probably already said it in an earlier post, and I am not old enough to come across as a person who keeps repeating the same story again and again, either because I have simply forgotten that I have already said it or that I really have nothing new to say and so I have to do re-runs.

How long can you keep a McDonald's Cheeseburger and fries in the tropics?

McDonald's Cheeseburger and fries on left, ieat homemade burger and potato wedges on right.

I have been very intrigued by the urban legend that a McDonald's cheeseburger and fries can be kept indefinitely.  Of course, for a medical practitioner, our advise to the general public is that we should limit our intake of junk food, but the reason for it is that most fast food contain too much saturated fats, salt and sugar and should be taken in moderation only.  But over in the States, there seems to be quite a few people who are downright against the golden arches.  The arch enemy of good olde Ronald McDonald must undoubtedly be a guy named Morgan Spurlock who made a film called Supersize Me.  In the film he ate nothing but McDonald's for one whole month.  At the end of the month, his cholesterol levels was sky high and he gained around 11kg (total 95.5kg).  Considering the amount of sugar and fat in fast food, I find this quite believable. 

Le Chasseur: Surprising Name, Surprising Food

BBQ Live Prawns $8.50 for four

The first time I came across the name "Le Chasseur", I thought it was a French restaurant.  Then when I found out that it was serving local cuisine, I thought it was some French way of saying "The Char Siew".  Then I found myself standing right in front of the restaurant one day wondering what to eat.  I was thinking to myself that I had vaguely heard of name before but after peering inside the restaurant, I decided to cross over to eat at Central instead.  There really was nothing about the place that would really entice you to walk in.  It looked just like any other little eatery but with a weird French sounding name and there was certainly no Char Siew in sight.

ieat Beef Appreciation Session II: The aftermath

Photos by Holybro and Ariella - Many thanks!

Many thanks to everyone who came to join our beef appreciation session! 

We managed to learn all about grassfed, USDA prime, Australian grainfed as well as Wagyu beef as well as how easy it really is to cook your own steak.  Most people agree that the grassfed beef had a stronger beef flavour but when it came to taste, the Australian Grainfed and Wagyu were the winners!  One of the things I picked up from the workshop was that the USDA prime beef that we get in Singapore is not quite the same as the ones they have in the US.  That is because the AVA has a restriction on the age of the cattle at the time of slaughter.  So as a result our USDA Prime here lacks the flavour of a more matured animal.

Many thanks to ToTT and Huber's Butchery for organizing the session and for donating the proceeds to our ieat Community project to provide education for the kids of Sandakan!  ToTT is a wonderful kitchen wonderland where you can pick up anything from cookbooks to pizza peels, so if you love to cook, do make sure you pay them a visit soon!  If you are looking at great meats, Hubers is one butcher that you have to visit. The beef we had that day was excellent and they wet age their own beef before selling it so that the flavours are more developed.

If you missed the beef appreciation session, fret not!  The classes will be conducted regularly at ToTT.  You can check their schedule for the next class by clicking here.  In fact, if you are interested in a fascinating new way of cooking your steak, you should sign up for their Sous Vide cooking demo which is free!

Huber's online butchery will be ready in January. By then you can order your steak online and get it delivered to your doorstep.  Keep a lookout by visiting their website!


Our Sponsors


ToTT
596 Dunean Road (BMW Showroom)
Singapore 589472
www.tottstore.com




Huber's Butchery
122 Upper Bukit Timah Road Singapore 588175
18A Dempsey Road Singapore 249677
www.hubers.com.sg


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Gobi Desserts: Still as Petit

Macaroon Snowman

Can't believe how time flies.  I first wrote about Gobi Dessert back in 2007, since then, they have opened a store at Central where they were for 3 years and now they are back in the Katong area in a shophouse in Joo Chiat!  I have been looking at Gobi Desserts again because someone wanted my photo of "Between the Sheets" and when I had a look at the original shot again, it was not quite up to scratch. Its no wonder, back then I was using a Canon EOS 350D and I have since upgraded my camera twice.  My current Canon EOS 5D MK II takes photos which are 25mb in size, whilest back then, my photos were only 3mb.  It is amazing how much digital cameras have advanced in just a few years.  Even the latest Canon EOS 550D is a vast improvement over the EOS 350D.  The white balance and picture quality have improved tremendously.  As I said, so much can happen in four years!

Featured in Timeout Singapore: Plus news of my upcoming book!

 
 To read the article please visit Timeout Singapore website


Timeout Singapore just ran a feature on my upcoming book which will be published in early December! 

The title of the book is now finalized.  It is going to be called ieatishootipost:  The End of Char Kway Teow and other Hawker Mysteries.  Aside from my picks of the best hawker stalls around Singapore, the book will include the hawker stories which I have accumulated from the last five years of speaking to various Hawkers.  I hope to introduce the reader to stories of how Chilli Crab came to be, how Bak Kut Teh originated and why Char Kway Teow's future looks bleak.... hence the title.

We will be planning several events following the launch of the book, so I do hope to get your support!

We are looking for sponsors and venues for our various events, so if you can help in any way, please write to leslie.tay@gmail.com.

Heart Bistro: An Introduction to Wellness Dining

Review and Photos by Joao

Pickled Tea Leaves with Ripened Tomatoes and Mung Beans $12++

We Singaporeans love our hawker food.  Char kway teow (extra hum), laksa (again, extra hum), chicken rice (with the skin on of course) — these are just a few of our guilty pleasures.  Even though a part of us knows that we shouldn't, we do.  And sometimes, we overdo.  There's a Hokkien phrase that we love to use to assuage our guilty consciences: gu gu jiak jik bai — to eat once in a long while.  So on Monday we indulge in a plate of greasy chai tao kway ("Gu gu jiak jik bai!"), on Tuesday we indulge in a big bowl of bak chor mee ("Gu gu jiak jik bai!"), on Wednesday we feel a little guilty so we eat poh piah... followed by kaya toast because we're not full ("Gu gu jiak jik bai!"), etc etc.  All the "once in a long whiles" add up and that's bad news for our health.  The sad truth is that most hawker food is high in the stuff that's bad for us and lacks the stuff that's good for us.

No Name Nasi Padang: Cheap and Good!

Ayam Merah

For those who would like to debate as to whether Hong Kong or Singapore is the real food paradise, I have only two words to say:  Nasi Padang.

Ok, so you might argue that Nasi Padang is really Indonesian cuisine, but here in Singapore, Nasi Padang just means Malay/Indonesian style dishes that is eaten with rice. When you eat Nasi Padang in Indonesia, what they do is to flood your table with all the different dishes and you just pick which one you like to eat.  If you don't touch it, they don't make you pay for it.  It's like how we used to sell satay in the past where they just gave you a whole lot of satay and you pay for whatever you consume.  I guess the rest of the uneaten satay ends up on the next party's table.

Union Farm Eating House: Of Spock, Chee Pow Kai and an old Enterprise

The original Chee Pow Kai (Paper Wrapped Chicken)

My recent blog about paper wrapped chicken in JB prompted a search for the deep fried version I remember as a kid known as "Chee Pow Kai".  I had just picked up Sylvia Tan's, Singapore Heritage Foods, and came across the origins of Chee Pow Kai and discovered to my surprise, that the restaurant that invented them are still in existence.  Amazingly, this dish, whose heyday was in the 70's, was crown one of the World's Famous Foods by the now defunct World's Famous Restaurants International.  Little is known about this organization, but it seemed liked an organization which went around the world recruiting members to join their ranks.

As I googled for more information on Union Farm, I came across the reviews on hungrygowhere.  Most of them were scathing reviews complaining of bad service, bad food and exorbitant prices.  They got an overall rating of only 3.7/10!  Now, how does a restaurant survive for 58 years with a rating of 3.7?  Wouldn't you be curious enough to investigate?

Tip Top Curry Puffs: Yes this is the one for me!

I remember the days when a Chicken Curry Puff was still 40 cents. (Yes, if you remember then cheaper than that you are older than I am) I used to buy them in this coffeeshop just next to the Emporium in Toa Payoh each time I visited Toa Payoh library.  It was something I look forward to eating every time my library books were due to be returned.

Of course, this type of curry puffs are now readily available at Old Chang Kee outlets all over our island.  But somehow, I only ever ate the Old Chang Kee curry puffs at some Cell Group meeting when someone else bought them.  They are not bad, but the thought that they are mass produced one good reason why I conserve my calories by avoiding them.  Nowadays I try only to use my calories for food that are great, rather than just good in order to avoid becoming too horizontally endowed.



Every time I talk Curry Puffs, the name Tip Top seems to be always mentioned by someone somewhere.  So when I chanced upon Tip Top while I was bringing the kids out for lunch one day, I just had to buy one to try.  Luckily I still had my Canon Powershot S95 compact camera in my pocket that day and managed to use that to take these photos. (Amazingly, there is quite a nice bokeh (blur) that can be produced by this little compact)

These Curry Puffs are exactly like the ones I remember eating as a kid!  The crust was nice and buttery and the filling was fragrant without being overly spicy.  There was of course the slice of hard boiled egg in it and that tasty chunk of chicken which is like finding the toy in a cereal box!  Yes, if I had to spend some calories eating Curry Puffs, this is where I would go buy them! 4.5/5

Conclusion

I like these.  Best Curry Puffs I have eaten in years!

Tip Top Curry Puff
Blk 722 Ang Mo Kio Ave 8
#01-2843
Hiap Wah Coffeeshop
9.30am to 9.30pm
Closed sometimes on Wed

Balmoral Bakery: I found the my Chicken Pie at last!

Chicken Pie $1.30

If I mention the words "Chicken Pie" to you, what image would you have in your mind?  I think for guys in my generation, they might just imagine the round domed pies which we used to be able to get in most bakeries thirty years ago.  Nowadays, chicken pies come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, so Gen Yers might not even know of these iconic ones.  Yes, to me, this is THE Chicken Pie and I have been looking around for it for the longest time.

So when I found out about Balmoral Bakery, I just had to go get my Chicken Pie fix.  Balmoral Bakery was previously located in Holland Village before they relocated to Sunset Way. They are basically still selling the same stuff that they have been selling for the last 40 years.  There was a time when pastries in Singapore were an interpretation of what you can get overseas, unlike nowadays where globalization means that we actually get the real deal.  So we are talking about cakes using butter cream instead of fresh cream and custard puffs that are filled with custard that has hardly any cream or eggs in it.  For me, these are comfort food which I grew up eating.  Of course I welcome the fresh cream cakes and the luscious cream puffs filled with fresh cream and laced with real vanilla seeds, but these classic favourites are great in their own right.

Canon Power in Your Hands Seminar: Early birds get free Hippo ride Tickets!

I will be speaking at the Canon Power in Your Hands Seminar again this year on 27 November 2010 along side Mediacorp star Desmond Koh, DJs Jean Danker, Bukoh Mary and Canon professional Cliff Lim.  Together we will be sharing our experiences using the Canon Powershot compact cameras.  This is a great opportunity for you to pick up some tips on how to take photos with your compact camera.

You Zha Kueh: Why You Char Kways come in Pairs?

Ever wondered why You Char Kway always come in a pair?  I mean it would be quite easy to make them as a single stick right?  Why are they always paired?

Ah, the answer to this conundrum does not lie in the practicality of making sure that the You Char Kway doesn't keep rolling around in the cauldron of boiling oil, although, I suspect that this might be the real reason.  The answer actually lies in Chinese folklore where they represent the treacherous Chancellor Qin Hui and his wife who plotted the death of the great General Yue Fei.  As a result, they made these dough sticks in the shape of the human form in pair and dunked them into hot oil to torture them. (sounds like Voodoo doesn't it?)  This is the reason why they are also known in Cantonese as Yao Char Guai (oil fried "Hui" which sounds like "ghosts" in Cantonese) as a sort of curse on the treacherous couple.

The ieat Beef Appreciation II: Now Bigger and Juicier!

Thanks for the overwhelming support! Registration is closed!

OK, a lot of kakis have been asking me to organize another beef appreciation session because they couldn't get in on the last one.  So here it is!  The Registration for the ieat Beef Appreciation Session II is now opened!