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.
I remember my first encounter with the BBQ Stingray. It was in a little coffee-shop in Teban Gardens in 1987. Before that, I don’t think I have ever eaten stingray. In fact, I don’t think I have ever eaten stingray in any other form since. Stingray, it seems has been created only for this one particular dish, just like no one really eats kohada in any other way other than as a sushi topping.
The Coconut Club: Nasi Lemak, Cendol, Otah and other Coconut dishes!
You would be forgiven if you thought that The Coconut Club was some sort of beach bar serving piña coladas, but nooooo..., the reason it's called "The Coconut Club" is far more prosaic. They called it "The Coconut Club" simply because the owners were nuts over coconuts!
After the meepok is tossed in the sauce, it is topped with a generous amount of sliced pork, pork balls and minced pork. Then tender sliced Japanese style charshu which has been slow cooked for 5 hours is draped over the noodles and finally, in case you still haven't satisfied your need for pig, a generous amount of crispy pork lard is laid on top of the mountain of pork.
It is good to see our two young hawkerpreneurs, Kai and Randall doing so well at Roast Paradise one year on. When I initially posted their story on Facebook in Oct last year, they had just opened their stall and though the char siew was promising, I felt that it needed more fine tuning before I would recommend it on the blog.
You know those heartwarming videos that MOE puts outs to get more people to enter the teaching profession? Yeah, the ones that show a super dedicated teacher who believed in particular student even though he was a real pai kia (bad kid) in school and because of his persistence, the pai kia eventually becomes a lawyer or motivational speaker?
KEK Zi Char Burgers: Introducing the Sotong BLurger!
Behold the "Sotong BLurger! -- Eat oredi sure blur like sotong!"
The Sotong BLurger is basically deep fried calamari rings bathed in a creamy salted egg sauce between two toasted buns!
But wait, I hear you say, sotong in a burger?! You siao (crazy) or what?
Would you like to try some crabmeat wanton mee? I bet you must have walked pass many a wanton mee stall without batting an eyelid. But "Crabmeat Wanton Mee"? Now that is worth at least a second look.
Chef Wayne of Keng Eng Kee, or KEK as it is known nowadays, has opened a new Zi Char stall in Pandan Gardens where he is serving progressive Zi Char using some of the new ingredients that are now available in Singapore. The second generation Singaporean born Chef was given full permission by his father to serve his nouveau Zi Char cuisine at his new place, something that he had to keep under wraps at the old restaurant.
