Lau Hock Guan Kee: The Origins of Fish Head Curry

Fish Head Curry (Ang Goli, Golden Banded Snapper, Pristipomoides multidens ) $24

Shame on me.  I just realised how famous Singapore's Fish Head Curry really is.  It's so famous around the world that it even represented Singapore on MSN's list of 25 things to eat before you die, taking its place along side the likes of Sushi at Tsukiji market, Florentine steak in Italy and Yang Cheng Lake Hairy Crab.  Yet, I didn't even include it in my book, "The End of Char Kway Teow"!

Ok, maybe you might wonder if Fish Head Curry is indeed a Singaporean invention.  It is said that Fish Head Curry is not found in India and that it was resulted as a fusion between the Chinese love for Fish Head and an Indian Curry King's incredible Fish Curry.  The Malaysians of course will dispute that and claim that it is yet another dish that they invented that Singapore had stolen.

Hey I don't mind if they can actually produce some evidence to stake their claims.  At least that way, people can evaluate the evidence and decide whether their claims can be substantiated.  But no, the way they claim that they have actually invented Fish Head Curry is to make broad sweeping statements like:

How to Make Roti Prata: My Recipe as featured on Channel U

Part I

Postcard from Sandakan: Makan Mission III

Trip Report by Rey Chen.


Team ieat Makan Mission III

Prior to setting off for Sandakan, information from various resources led me to think that my understanding of the area was sufficient. This, however, was not the case once I explored the relatively unknown Malaysian city for myself.

 
A Goducate-ieatishootipost New School Project

When Goducate started its work in Sandakan just 3 years ago, there were only 3 learning centers comprising 16 teachers. The figure now stands at a healthy 17 centers and 42 teachers, with the vision of a 100 self sustaining centres by 2016. Promising students who have a flair for teaching are made assistant teachers and are groomed by the more experienced staff to become full-fledged educators. This system of self-sufficiency has proven to be extremely effective. To quote Dr. Paul Choo, we are “helping others to help themselves.” It is indeed more valuable to teach people to fish than to give them a fish. Pure charity will only destroy those who seek our assistance in breaking out of the poverty cycle.

All these kids were squeezed into the school house above

Although my sojourn in Sandakan was a rather short one, I had the privilege of speaking and interacting with some of the people as they went about their day. I soon discovered a group of like-minded people who were in fact, doing an extraordinary work in others' lives. Among them was a Goducate operations coordinator named Sarah (not her real name), whose story never fails to inspire. Sarah’s unwavering love for the children in her care and undying passion for her work are testament to the spirit of humanity evident in Sandakan. An unassuming lady who gives her all at work, she has to fly between KL and Sandakan frequently due to visa issues. Despite the inconvenience, Sarah has never once found it a hassle so long as the kids’ education is assured of.

 
Donation of a Sewing machine enabled this 7 year old girl to learn to sew her own baju

A couple that went on the last ieat makan mission blessed Sarah with RM700 as a token of appreciation for her relentless work. Instead of spending the cash on herself, she purchased 2 sets of sewing machines for the kids. Indeed, her greatest joy is seeing progress in the kids’ lives and her selfless contribution has allowed for the village girls to have a chance at acquiring a useful skill. To inject practicality into learning, the girls are able to make some pocket money from the sale of schoolbags tailored using the sewing machines. The learning centers purchase these schoolbags internally, distributing these bags to new students, in turn helping to cut costs. With Hari Raya just around the corner, they plan on manufacturing baju kurungs which can fetch a tidy sum and hopefully bring in a profit. In a small organization like Goducate, Lin’s far-sightedness is definitely a valuable asset. Under the care of such highly motivated and big-hearted staff, the kids in Sandakan are in good hands.

This trip exemplified the reality of injustice that is ever-present in this world. I also better appreciate the simple things in life that are easily taken for granted. It was truly an enriching yet educational experience.

Lastly, I would like to thank my fellow companions on this journey, all Goducate staff, volunteers and MHC for making the trip a smooth-sailing and successful one. It also would not have been made possible without the support of the blog readers who contributed generously to the makan sessions. A big thank you to one and all.

Donate to our School Building Fund

Support our Sandakan School Building Fund! Donate $10 today just by going to this link:  https://www.facebook.com/MHChealthcare. First click "Like" to like the page, then look for the poster below and click to "Like" it. MHCAsia will donate $10 for every "Like" on the poster!  So far we have collected over $4000 already!

I shall be presenting the final cheque to Goducate this Friday, so do take some time to do a few clicks today!

On behalf of the kids in Sandakan, I thank you for your support!



Many thanks to Rey Chen and Nicole for writing the report!

Guy Savoy Singapore: Signature Dishes of the Three Michelin Star Chef

Heirloom tomatoes "façon" tartare and salad, tomato tartelette and seaweed-lemon granite

If you are a foodie, then the term "Three Michelin Stars" should elicit some kind of emotional response.  Indeed it is the holy grail of gastronomy.  But just what does "Three Michelin Stars" actually mean?

Well, according to the Michelin guide, One Star means "A very good restaurant in its category", Two Stars means "excellent cuisine that is worth a detour" while Three Michelin Stars *** mean "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey". It goes on to add that in such a restaurant, "One always eats here exceptionally well, sometimes superbly.  Distinctive dishes are precisely executed, using superlative ingredients".

Choon Seng Teochew Porridge: $80 steamed fish in a Coffeeshop!

Stewed Cabbage - Typical Teochew Muay dish

Sometimes when I look at scenes from Tsukiji Market and catch a glimpse of a huge Tuna, I wonder to myself, "How did this Tuna, which must be at least 20 years old, manage to escape being caught all these time?"

I felt exactly the same way with this particular Teochew Porridge stall.  In the hour that we were there, business was non-stop until they finally closed at 2.30pm.  When the boss finally got a breather, I got to chat with him and found out that the stall has been in existence even before WWII.  His father had arrived in Singapore as a boy of 5 years of age in 1937 to join his dad (his grandfather) who has been helping his brother (his granduncle) at the stall along beach road.

The ieatishootipost School Building Fund needs your help!

This year, our aim is to raise $100K for our Sandakan School Building Project and so far we have just crossed the $70K mark, so we have a bit more work to do!  Fortunately, our sponsors MHCAsia have been very generous in their support and in the lead up to their Annual Dinner next week, they have told me that they are willing support another fund raiser for us.

L'Opretta: It's Official, Singapore now serves Vera Pizza Napoletana!

Singapore's first VPN Pizza Margharita (Photo taken at Pizzeria L'Opretta)

I don't usually make announcements on this blog but this piece of news is something I have been waiting for over two years.  It's official, Singapore now serves Vera Pizza Napoletana (VPN), ie the True Napoletana style pizza certified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, a non-profit organization where members all comply to the exacting standards of the traditional pizza made in Naples.

When I first wrote about VPN back in March 2009, I was left wondering when I would ever get to taste a VPN.  My plan was to make a trip to either Australia or even Italy to see what a True Napoletana Pizza is supposed to taste like. At that time, I was on my crazy Pizza spree trying to make my own  VPN at home  The wood fired oven is a major stumbling block, but we managed to come quite close by using the G3-Ferrari pizza oven.  Still, the VPN remained elusive.

Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh Restoran: The Origins of Bak Kut Teh continued...

Klang style Bak Kut Teh

My search for the origins of Bak Kut Teh has finally brought me to Klang, the place where many Malaysians believe to be the birthplace of Bak Kut Teh.  There is not doubt that the people of Klang thrive, nay, survive on this veritable mix of various pork parts simmered in a dark and powerful herbal concoction.  I was told that they have over a hundred shops in this small town serving Bak Kut Teh and some Klangers can have it for breakfast everyday!

Straits Kitchen: Halal Hawker Buffet in Aircon Comfort

Wok Station

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you would probably notice that I seldom blog about buffets.  I guess it may be because I am older now and I can't eat as much as when I was younger.  It's also because buffets are ideologically opposed to my motto of "Never Waste Your Calories on Yucky Food", since, as you probably know, you generally tend to overeat at buffets.  Nowadays, just about the only times that I eat at buffets is when I am on holidays and there is a breakfast buffet included with our room.  Even then, I tend not to overeat.  So I feel that it is never worth eating at a Buffet.

He Zhong Carrot Cake: The Best in the West?

Carrot Cake $2

I used to say that there were three types of carrot cake, the white, the black and the one with cream cheese frosting. But you know what, I was wrong, there are actually more.  Within the white carrot cake category, there are still several variants.  There is the commonly seen loose one, the crispy waffle-like ones of Chey Sua Carrot Cake and then there is this thick wallet sized, egg-ful ones that of this particular stall. Actually, there are two stalls here in Bukit Timah Food Centre that makes this style of Carrot Cake and Seng Kee which I had blogged about earlier.  However, this stall is the one that supposedly started the tile-style Carrot Cake some 30 years ago.



I am very impressed by the fact that both the stalls at Bukit Timah Food Centre actually bother to steam their own carrot cake rather than buy them ready made.  I guess competition is good for the consumer.  There are many ways which I have seen hawker cut up their carrot cake.  The traditional way, of course,  is to use the wok ladle to chop the carrot cake into bite sized pieces.  However, other hawkers have also come up with more efficient ways getting the job done like the uncle at Pek Kio Food Centre who pushes his carrot cake through a cake cooling rack.  This particular stall uses a special handmade carrot cake cuber as you can see from the picture.



After the carrot cake is fried, the chye poh (salted radish) is then fried with garlic and mixed in with the carrot cake.  In case you are wondering why Chye Poh tastes so good, it is because the Radish, (lit white carrot in mandarin) is one of those vegetables which contain a high level of glutamate and glutamate equals umami! This is also why radishes are often added to soups to sweeten soups!  But I digress...

Once the chye poh and carrot cake are mixed and fried till the carrot cake cubes have lost their sharp edges and has been infused with chye poh and fish sauce flavour, a huge bowl of eggs are poured into the mixture and slowly heated until it sets.  This should really be called a carrot cake frittata as there is as much egg as there is carrot cake.... almost.




You really can't go wrong with eggs, chye poh and fish sauce.  They are about as classic a combination as basil, tomato and cheese.  What makes this carrot cake different is the texture of the homemade carrot cake and the fact that you can actually pick up a whole piece with your hands and eat it like a slice of cake.  I found the carrot cake to be just slightly under salted at first, but with an extra dash of fish sauce the flavour is really lifted to the next level.  Their chilli is smeared on top of the carrot cake just before serving and is fragrant without being overly spicy.  4.25/5

Conclusion

Anyone who lives out west would probably know of this particular carrot cake stall.  Are there other stalls that can compete with this one out West?


He Zhong Carrot Cake
Bukit Timah Food Centre
#02-185
6.30am to 10.30pm
Open daily

Iconic Foods of Kunming Part 2

This post was brought to you by Grand Park Kunming
 
Local Food Street in Kunming

There is just no better place to learn about a city's food culture then to visit its food streets at night.  Although there are many popular touristy food streets in Kunming, I told my guide that I wanted to go somewhere the locals go to and not another touristy locale.  You know, an "Old Airport Road Food Centre" instead of "Newton Circus Food Centre".  So Xiao Li brought us to ShuangQiao Lu (Twin Bridge Road) which he said was off the tourist map. He warned us however, that he only did it on the expressed instructions from Thomas, the head guest relation officer who knew that I was on a special food mission.

Kong Kee Seafood Restaurant: A taste of Real KL food in Geylang!

KL Hokkien Mee $10 (Small $5)

Having returned from KL recently I posed the question to our facebook fans on whether we could get a decent KL style Hokkien Mee in Singapore and the name Kong Kee came up a few times.  So I had to go down and see for myself whether this KL Hokkien Mee could measure up with the one that I just had over at Restoran Ahwa.  I guess the one question that I wanted to answer was, "Is this the real deal?" because I have been on the lookout for a decent KL Hokkien Mee since the very early days of the blog.

Restoran Green View: Sang Har Meen, another KL must try!

Sang Har Meen

Before I left for KL, I got an urgent SMS from a friend of mine who told me that I really must try the Sang Har Meen at this particular restaurant in KL.  Being the Sua Gu (ignoranous) I am, I have never actually heard of Sang Har Meen!  Apparently, it is another dish that is quite unique to KL which you can't really find in Singapore, at least not a good one.

Restoran Ahwa: KL Hokkien Mee in Petaling Jaya

KL Hokkien Mee

Everytime I visit Kuala Lumpur (KL), the one dish that I will always look forward to eating is the KL style Hokkien Mee.  Most of the time, I end up eating at the old coffeeshop at Petaling Street which was where I had my first Holy Grail experience with KL Hokkien Mee.  Unfortunately, on my last visit, the old stall was closed and so I had my Hokkien Mee fix at their new restaurant just a stone's throw away.  Somehow it just wasn't as good.

Durian Degustation IX: The Aftermath!

Photos and report by Joao

It doesn't seem that long ago that I attended my first Durian Degustation event (number III, if memory serves me right) and here we are now having held NINE Durian Degustations to date.  How time flies!  Attendees this round got to sample D1, D17, Hong Xia, Green Bamboo, and of course, Mao Shan Wang.

This event was also attended by potential presidential candidate Dr. Tan Cheng Bock and his wife.  That's right, you read it here first on ieatishootipost — Dr. Tan Cheng Bock is pro-durian.  I'll leave it up to you to decide how that will affect your voting in the imminent election.

Thanks to everyone who made this event possible!  If you missed out this time around, don't fret!  The season is still on, which means our favorite durian suppliers, Ah Loon and Ah Teck, will still be open for a while yet!

TakeMeToTravel Feature on our Sandakan Makan Mission

Our Sandakan Makan Missions are featured on TakeMeToTravel website. You can read the story by clicking this link: TakeMeToTravel.

We have a team of 19 heading to Sandakan this Thursday to bring your blessings and best wishes to the kids there and will be visiting some new schools which have been built through your donations! Thanks for all your support do remember to keep us in your prayers!

Wonders of Kunming: Shilin, Jiu Xiang and Lu Feng Dinosaur Park

This post is brought to you by Grand Park Kunming


China is a vast country. I am still amazed to think that over 2000 years ago, Emperor Qin Shi Huang,  managed to unite the whole of China under his rule and that he managed to do that when the  fastest vehicle they had, and subsequently the fastest means of communication, was the horse.  Back in those days, the area which is now known as the province of Yunnan was considered the outback or the wild wild West.  It was one of the last provinces to join the Chinese Empire and it wasn't until the Han Dynasty that they become part of China.  It was the mountainous area where the Barbarian tribes lived.  In fact, 26 of the 56 minority ethnic groups are still found in Yunnan.

Featured in AsiaX

Click to enlarge


Translation:

Dr. Leslie Tay is from Singapore and graduated from MBBS University of Sydney. He has been pursuing his career in the field of family medicine, and he has also studied at Sasin GIBA for MBA and NUS for post grad diploma in Family Medicine. On his popular food blog “ieatishooipost.sg”, he has been introducing various kinds of topics such as hawker foods, many kinds of cuisines and ingredients used in it sometimes with scientific basis. (See page 5 for details)