Nasi Lemak is not complicated. At its most basic, all you need is a fragrant rice, an addictive sambal tumis, crunchy ikan bilis and peanuts and a perfectly fried egg with crisp edges and flowing egg yolk. The Malaysians will insist that it has to be hard boiled to be authentic, but for me, a perfectly fried egg beats a hard boiled egg any day. The other stuff, like fried Ikan Kuning, chicken wings, luncheon meat etc are bonus extras. Again, some might insist that the fried fish or fried chicken wing is essential or that luncheon meat should not even be mentioned. That's fine! You are free to choose whatever you like so long as you feel shiok after eating your nasi lemak.
There are three types of roast duck in Chinese cuisine. The most famous is Peking duck where the emphasis is on the crispy skin that is eaten with pancakes, spring onions and cucumber. The most common is roast duck which is the one we find at most Cantonese roast stalls. Here the emphasis is on […]
Singapore Next Generation Durian Culture: 99 Old Trees, Durian Story, Spike Empire, Bao Jiak
We are in the middle of a durian revolution spearheaded by next generation durianpreneurs that are redefining the durian culture in Singapore! When I started writing about durians in 2012, most durian sellers were known by "Ah" something. So, we met durian uncles like Ah Loon, Ah Seng and Ah Kok. In the last few years however, we are seeing a new wave of durianpreneurs who go by modern English names!
Hawker centres have traditionally been the place where Singaporeans can find cheaper versions of restaurant food. In the 60's, it was the Hainanese who brought Western dishes like steaks, pork chops and chicken chops out from the expensive restaurants and into the heartlands. In the 90's the same thing happened with Italian pastas. The trend continues with the latest being a slew of gourmet hamburger stalls to hit the neighbourhood.
Boon Keng Fish Head Bee Hoon: Fishmongers know fish
But, as you know, just because a fish is fresh doesn't necessarily mean that it is the best. Where the fish comes from also plays a big role and the price also depends on whether the fish are airflown or shipped to Singapore.
Da Sheng Bak Chor Mee: The Key to Better Hawker Food!
Bai Yong Sheng, 36, has been helping out at his dad's bak chor mee stall since he was 15 years old. His father had, in turn, learnt the recipe from his grandfather who used to sell bak chor mee from a pushcart! That makes him an uncommon, 4th generation hawker!
Da Shi Jia Big Prawn Noodle: The evolution of Singapore food
Singapore cuisine is undergoing puberty. In the last decade of so, it has quickly evolved from simple, austere hawker food to the stand alone restaurants with some even trying to elevate it to the level of fine dining!
The hawker mindset is slowly but surely changing, and we have the internet to thank! Gone were the days when people had look for a master to teach them how to cook certain dishes. Millennial hawkers now learn to make charsiu via the internet! This was the case for our three hawker heroes today who based their charsiu on my charsiu recipe which I spent 9 years perfecting!
Blue rice is currently the in thing! It’s actually not a new thing but an old thing, but somehow it has recently become THE thing! Blue food really does capture the imagination doesn’t it? There are not many foods that we associate the colour blue with. One can think of blue cheese and blueberries perhaps, […]
Burgs by Project Warung: Gourmet Burger $4.50 with fries!
There are two young fellas in Golden Mile Food Centre who are showing us that a gourmet burger really doesn’t need to cost $15. In fact, for $4.50, you can get a flame grilled beef patty made from freshly minced, chilled Australian beef, caramelized onions, pickled chilli and melted cheese in a soft, artisanal hamburger bun with fries included! I don’t know about you, but that is what I call a happy meal!
Sinn Ji Chicken Rice: Young, Innovative Next Generation Hawkers
There has been much debate about how to preserve our hawker culture. One idea was to set up hawker "schools" where courses are offered on how to prepare certain dishes. On paper, this seems to be a good idea.
