China Street Fritters: Four Colours, One Plate

Ngor Hiang

Ngor Hiang, or at least good, traditional, artisanal Ngor Hiang should be placed on the endangered red list.  It is a dying art with a rather bad prognosis at the moment.   Like Indian Rojak, Ngor Hiang's demise is a result of the efficiency of the modern food processing plants making it much more attractive for Hawkers to be traders rather than chefs.  I mean, why bother making all that stuff by hand when you can simply buy it ready made, deep fry them and sell?

Ieat's 3rd Makan Mission to Sandakan: Registration now opened

My recent interview with Desmond Wong on ieat's Mission to build Schools in Sandakan.

This year we have raised around $65K through the sale of books and makan sessions for our Sandakan school building project and so we are planning trip up in July to see how the new schools are progressing.

The kids in Sandakan live in the slum areas and all they really need are simple zinc roof shelters for them to set up classrooms.  The money we donated goes into providing materials for the villagers to build these shelters and Goducate then provides training and the syllabus for mothers in the village to start school.  We find that this works very well and very soon the kids are active in classrooms learning to read and write rather than running around aimlessly in the kampongs.  This year Goducate's target is to start schools in 100 such villages.  This is still a small number as there are 1 million displaced people in Sandakan, but it is a start.

Seng Huat Hokkien Mee: All good things........

All good things must come to an end.

So it is with a matter of urgency that I got an email about this 30 year old stall in Pasir Panjang whose owners are now planning to hang up the wok and spend the rest of their days shaking their tired legs and enjoying a bit of what life has to offer.

Those readers who live on the Western parts of Singapore always complain that I never head out West to blog. Well, there is good reason for this.  First, I live and work in the East, so it is a bit of a hike to go out West and secondly there are not as many good food places out West as there are in the East. So, when I got this particular email telling me about this Hokkien Mee Stall, I thought I'd better get my camera out West, especially since they might not be around anymore next year!

Sushi Files: Hikari Mono: Kohada, Iwashi and Aji

Kohada

If you are a Sushi newbie and have been aversed to fishy fish, then Hikarimono would probably be the last type of sushi you should try. Hikarimono literally means "Shiny things" in Japanese and refers to small pelagic fish which live in the water column near the surface of the ocean.  They often swim in schools and are forage feeders and their flesh is full of heart protecting Omega 3 fish  oils. This oil is what gives its flesh its soft and strong fishy flavour. In contrast, milder tasting, bottom feeding fish such as flounder and cod have very little fat the flesh as most of the oil is concentrated in the liver which is why we have Cod Liver Oil.  These small fish are shiny and blue in order to look like the shimmering water on the surface of the ocean so that they are camouflaged from predators like Tuna and Mackeral. They usually reproduce quickly and have short lifespans, so fish such as sardines are herrings are a great choice for those concerned about sustainability and the risk of mercury poisoning as they don't live long enough to accumulate mercury to a toxic level.

In general, the Hikarimono tend to have stronger fish flavour compared to the Shiromi-dane or white flesh fish and it is eaten precisely because of that.  Those people who are fond of fishy fish would usually love it but those like myself who are a little more averse to fishy fish might take a while to appreciate the taste.  While you may eat Shiromi-dane for its texture and subtle sweetness, many fish fanciers would usually want some Hikarimono towards the end of your sushi meal in order to enjoy the stronger flavour.  The exception being the Kohada which is sometimes eating at the beginning of the meal in order to see how good the chef's skills are.

Food Photography in Singapore makes CNN news!

This was the workshop we did last week at Sichuan DouHua restaurant. The newsclip first aired on CNN on 20 May 2011.

Here are some of the photos I took at the workshop:

Goldfish Dumplings

Wok Inn Fish and Chips: Best Value for Money Fish and Chips in Town!

Fish and Chips $5.80

Let me give you the bottomline right at the top.  This is the best Fish and Chips in town for under $6.  Actually, it is one of the most enjoyable fish and chips I have eaten, Full Stop.

OK, granted that they don't use Cod or Haddock and the chips come out of a packet, but when you have a craving for fish and chips and a few bucks in your pocket, this is the place to satisfy that need to feed.

Rong Xing Yong Tau Foo: At first there was One, now there are Two!

Yong Tau Foo Soup:  Younger Sister

If you love Yong Tau Foo and work around the Tanjong Pagar area, you would probably have visited Rong Xing Yong Tau Foo.  I first blogged about them back in 2007 and at that time you need to line up take a queue number and wait for your hot piping bowl of soya bean goodness.

If you head there nowadays, the queuing system is gone and the queue is noticeably shorter.  No, the standard hasn't dropped, the stall has just simply undergone mitosis and spawn a  2nd stall, three stalls down the row.  This newer stall is called Rong Xing Yong Tau Foo (Younger sister).  Yep, you guessed it, this is another case of a family feud resulting in two different stalls selling much the same thing.

ieat Forum Makan Session: Cafe de Hong Kong

Report by Joao, Photos by Cactuskit

If you attend multiple ieat makan sessions you may notice a few recurring faces.  For some reason, this group of diners always seems to be quick enough to register for makan sessions before registration closes due to overwhelming oversubscription.  How do they do it?!  It's as if they have some sort of mystical foreknowledge about when these makan session registrations will open!  Well, it's hardly a secret, but as it turns out, they do indeed have an early warning system — it's called the ieatishootipost forum.

On the Hot Seat with Mr Will Xavier on 938live

This is my interview with the indomitable Mr X who put me in the Hot Seat on 938live. The program was first aired on 10 May 2011 at 8.10pm. During the interview we talked about a whole range of topics from how I became a doctor to how I started the food blog to my philosophy in life.

It is such a privilege to be interviewed by Mr X as I consider him to be the most distinctive voice of Radio today! The interview was supposed to last an hour but we ended up talking for more than 2 hours on a whole range of other topics. The guy really is very interesting!

The Hot Seat airs every Tuesday from 7pm to 8pm on 938live.


Part 1:  We talked about how and why I went into medicine.

Parts 2 to 4 follows:

The Lion King with pre-show Dinner at db Bistro Moderne

Photo courtesy of MBS

When I first watched The Lion King Musical in London 8 years ago, my first thought after the show was that I must somehow bring my wife to watch the spectacle. 

Fast forward 8 years and thanks to the development of the integrated resorts, I have the opportunity of not only bringing my wife but my two kids to watch the musical.  They loved it and couldn't stop talking about it after the show.  We are all of course familiar with the story line, characters and the songs.  The kids were humming along the familiar tunes of "Hakuna Matata" and "Can you feel the love tonight" and the African themed music was just fantastic even for a non-musically inclined person like myself.

Homebaked Dough: $5.50 Ramen plus our latest Hawker Hunks

Ramen Soup $5.50

I have always wondered why a bowl of Ramen costs $15 while a bowl of Bak Chor Mee soup costs $3.   Well, the long and short of it is, we've been had.  Yes, hoodwinked, taken for a ride, kena ketoked, pian gao gong gong. 

Don't believe me?  Go down to Tanjung Pagar and order a bowl of Ramen for $5.50.  Ok it can't beat the really good ones that use Kurobuta pork cheeks...... yet, but for $5.50, it's giving some Ramen-yas a run for their money. 

Sushi Appreciation Workshop: Hokkaido Sushi

Registration is closed!  Thanks for your support and interest!

After months of preparation, I am glad to announce that registration for our very first Sushi Appreciation Workshop is now opened!

If you have always felt a bit shy about sitting at the Sushi Counter, then this workshop is for you!  After the workshop you will be able to:

1. Sit at the counter and order your sushi and not look like you are a Sushi newbie ripe for a killing.

2. Be able to converse with the itamae on which of the three different species of Bluefin Tuna he is serving and whether they come from sustainable stock.

3. Tell whether the Tai you have been served is wild Madai or some lesser Tai.

4. Describe the process of ikejime to the potential boyfriend/girlfriend and act as if it was something you knew all along.

5. Ask the waitress why you are paying so much for Shima Aji when it is obvious that you have been given the cheaper Hamachi.

We are also arranging to demonstrate the cutting of a whole block of Tuna so that you get to see where the Otoro, Chutoro, Akami and Shimafuri comes from!

Here is the list of Seafood we will be covering:
Akami dane: (Red Fish) Honmaguro, Chutoro, Akami, Bachi Maguro
Shiromi dane:(White Fish)  Hamachi, Kampachi, Shima aji, Hirame, Tai
Hikari mono:  (Silver skin fish) Aji, Nama shime Saba
Hokano mono: (Misc) Hotate, Hokkaido Aka Uni, Sake, Mekajiki, Tamago yaki
Nimono dane: (Braised items) Anago
 
There will be a slideshow showing the different fish and you will get to sample the different fish one at a time so that you can learn to discern the difference in taste and texture

Details:
Date: 28 May (Sat)
Time: 2.30pm
Venue: Hokkaido Sushi, M Hotel Level 9 (Anson Rd)
Price: $100 per pax
(Hokkaido Sushi has kindly offered to donate a portion of this to our Sandakan School Building Fund, which will be doubled through the dollar for dollar matching by MHCAsia)

To register, please write to ieatishootipost@gmail.com.  In the Title write Sushi Workshop.  In the body write:  Name, Hp Number, Number of Pax

You can sign up to 4 pax.

If your place is confirmed, please make every effort to find your own replacement if you cannot make it to the session.  Once we reserve your seat, we consider it sold.  With your co-operation, we can continue to make this a simple process and not require you to pay in advance which will incur extra cost.









Our school building fund is supported by
 www.mhcasia.com

Whampoa Fish Head Steamboat: Why women do all the work while men sit and enjoy life?

Fish Head Steamboat

Let's face it.  It is a man's world.

Ladies, please don't get me wrong, I am just stating this as an observation, not promulgating it as a value.  Just consider the two Fish Head Steamboat places that I have blogged about who incidentally are both known as "Whampoa".  Over at Whampoa Keng Fish Head Steamboat, the golden haired Mr Keng is often seen sitting at the counter collecting money while his two wives run up and down making sure that everything is running smoothly.  If you go down the road to Whampoa market, you will see the boss sitting down arranging some numbered clothespegs while the Lao Ban Niang runs back and forth delivering the steamboats with a perpetual grimace on her face due to the flames leaping up from the fiery steamboats.  And ok, I admit it, my wife does most of the household chores like shopping, finances, looking after kids homework, etc etc while all I have to do is to tend to the garden.  A job which I have now outsourced to the gardener.

Still don't believe me?  Look at what Barber B. Conable Jr, President of the World Bank said:  

"Women do two thirds of the world’s work...Yet they earn only one tenth of the world’s income and own less than one percent of the world’s property. They are among the poorest of the world’s poor."

So how come women end up doing more work than man?  Is it because men just somehow managed to subjugate women or is it because women see how men work, give a big sigh and decide that the only way to do things properly is to do it themselves? I am sure that in some parts of the world, the former is true. But in my case, and in the case of our two fish head steamboat stall, the reason is probably the latter. 

Boss sits counting his pegs

Moving right along, my quest to find the ultimate Fish Head Steamboat has brought me to Whampoa Market where Whampoa Keng also used to be until they moved out to where they now are at Balestier.  If you head to Whampoa Market in the evening, you will see a lot of people sitting around eating at the only stall that is opend which is sells the Fish Head Steamboat.  Good thing too or else you might have difficulty finding the stall since their signboard says "Xin Heng Teng Guo Tiao Mian" (Xin Heng Teng Noodle Soup).

Unlike the other two Fish Head Steamboat stalls, there is no fancy menu where you can order Cze Char dishes like Har Cheong Gai.  They do sell Chai Buay if you want some greens and if you are early you can get to order their braised duck wings, but that is about it.  When you come to Whampoa market in the evening, you are here to eat one dish only and that is Fish Head Steamboat.  But you do have a choice of Grouper, Pomfret or Song Fish Head steamboat.

Lady Boss runs up and down delivering steamboats

If you go to Whampoa market, do expect to wait at least 40 minutes for your steamboat to arrive because as you and I know,  the only thing that Singaporeans love more than good food, is, cheap and good food.  For $28, we got a medium sized steamboat that was chock full of Chinese Pomfret (Dao Chior), an equally generous amout of really fragrant Ti Por (Fried Solefish) and an umami packed soup.  Now, there are a lot of people who are willing to wait for that!  4.6/5

The boss tells me that they have been selling Fish Head Steamboat at the market since 1987 and they were the first to sell Fish Head Steamboat at the market.  He had worked 17 years cooking Fish Head Steamboat at the grandaddy of Fish Head steamboat, Nam Wah Chong before he decided to come out to make some serious money for himself.

Conclusion

One of the best Fish Soups around.  The soup is robust and very tasty.  Only problem is that the waiting time is long and they don't have other stuff that you can order.  So if you are only hankering after some great Fish Soup at a good price, this is the place to head for.  By about 9pm, they are usually quieter but there is nothing left except fish soup.  People have been known to start queuing up by about 4 plus to wait for the stall to open at 5pm.


Whampoa Fish Head Steamboat
Whampoa Market
Opens 5pm to 9.30pm
Closed on Tuesdays

Akashi Sushi: Why Sushi is so Expensive

Nama Aji (Fresh Horse Mackeral)

Let's face it.  Sushi is expensive.  At least good Sushi is.  If you want to eat at a top end sushi bar in Singapore, you need to pay upwards of $100 if you want just the basic stuff.  Of course at the other end of the spectrum you have conveyor belt sushi that serves up sushi for $1 a piece.  But that too is expensive when you consider what you are getting.  Compare a $2 plate of chicken rice to 2 mouthfuls of rice with 2 thin slices of Salmon and tell me whether conveyor belt sushi is expensive.

So why is Sushi so expensive?  Well, if you want to eat good sushi, you need to have really fresh fish and nobody does it better than the Japanese.  Take for example my order of Aji sushi.  That sushi costs $8 a pop (a kg of Aji costs around $80)  The fish is line caught in the waters of Japan, then killed and processed to exacting specifications.  Many people would take a look at the fish and say, "Hey, wait a minute.  I can buy Kembong from the fish market for less than $10 a kg and it looks exactly like that."  Well, I dare you to try slicing up a piece of Kembong and putting it in your mouth.  The local fishermen catch Kembong using nets and when they haul the fish up onto the boats, they leave it on the decks to suffocate to death.  The best Aji are caught by hand line and the fish is killed, bled on the spot and iced immediately so that the fish will undergo a slow rigor mortis.  These conditions will mean that the fish will remain fresh as long as possible and you will appreciate it when you eat it raw.

WGS guest Masterchef Yuji Wakiya at the Mandarin Court

Nine Happiness Assorted Appetisers presented on special Wakiya platter

If you have been following the blog, you would know that I am a fan of the Japanese cult classic, Iron Chef.  One of the things I have always wanted to do was to try the dishes cooked by some of the brilliant chefs who have been featured in the program.  Now thanks to the World Gourmet Summit,  I did!  Chef Yuji Wakiya appeared as a challenger to pit his skills agains Iron Chef French in an epi battle using Uni as the principle ingredient.  Below is the clip where Chairman Kaga introduces Chef Wakiya.

Sushi Files: Shiromi Dane: Hamachi, Kanpachi and Shima Aji

Shiromi dane (White Flesh Fish topping for Nigiri Sushi)

In my own Sushi journey, I have progressed from being dragged to eat Sushi by my wife to being able to enjoy cooked Sushi at the Sushi belt, to really appreciating Sushi at the Sushi Bar.  The attraction of Sushi for me is a bit different from other cuisine.  I still feel that a good bowl of Laksa has got more oomph than a piece of raw fish, with the exception of perhaps really good Uni.  The beauty of Sushi lies in being able to appreciate food in its most fundamental form and part of the fun of eating sushi is to be able to tell what kind of seafood you are presented with by your itamae (Sushi Chef) and be able to appreciate its quality through nuances in texture and taste.