Just a reminder to nominate your favourite cuisine. Nominations will close by the end of the week.
For our next poll, I thought it would be interesting to see if Singaporean's favourite cuisine is indeed Singapore food or are Sinagaporeans really Cosmopolitan in character going for Japanese, Indian, Shanghainese, Korean, French or Italian cuisine?
From comments in our Forum, it would seem that Japanese and Italian cuisines seem to be quite popular amongst our readers. You can read the comments here
So tell us what your favourite cuisine is! You can nominate up to 3 cuisines. Do remember that you have to nominate Local Singapore Cuisine as well if it is your top 3.
I will start:
1. Local Singaporean Cuisine 2. Chinese 3. Japanese
My mother would have described it as "Kee Ka La Kior". (lit Kee Ka La sound ie noisy)
And that probably sums it up for the first ieat Makan Session for 2008. Well that's what you get when you try to cram 47 people into a small eatery which can comfortably seat 40. But hey, it's a great way to meet new friends and share a 14 course meal in "togetherness"!
For this session, I had asked Thai Chef Joe to whip up some dishes which I was accustomed to in Thailand which is difficult to find in Singapore. He did better than that, he even simulated a real time "Bangkok" blackout in the middle of dinner. It is amazing that when the lights go out, our kakis response is the predictable "OOooooooo" followed by a period of silence followed by someone making a wise crack to break the silence. Err, the guy making the wise crack that night would have been me!
Anyway, we were treated to some authentic Esarn food which comprised of sticky rice eaten with Som Tam (Green Papaya Salad), grilled chicken and pork neck. After spending two years in Thailand, I must say that these has become my favourite of Thai dishes although it took some time to grow on me. Not surprisingly, a lot of our kakis didn't take to it immediately. Trust me, after a few more goes, you'd prefer this over the normal Thai food. There is a good reason for it being the most popular dish in Thailand, you know.
The Kao Dang Na Dang is also another dish not commonly seen here. It is basically an appetiser comprising crispy rice cakes with a savoury minced pork and peanut dip. I thought that the chef was a little too generous with the peanuts that night and as a result the dip was a bit too oily. But some people like holydrummer was saying it was the best stuff he had ever tasted! Could still be better, my friend, with a bit more tweaking!
A lot of our kakis likened the grilled pork collar to a Thai style Char Siew. Khaw Mu Yang, or grilled pork collar is one of the most common street foods in Thailand and commonly eaten with sticky rice and Som Tam. I really miss this dish as it is not very commonly found in Thai restaurants here. Most of the kakis found it very good, though I can tell you that it can be even better if it were cut thinner and grilled till the fats melt and causes the smoke from the charcoal to flavour the meat. (Joe told me he will tweak it a bit an add it to the menu!)
Joe actually went out to buy a new grill just so that he could make the grilled pork and chicken dishes for us. The grill also meant that now he can also chargrill the condiments like lemongrass, onions, galangal, ginger etc before adding it into the Tom Yum Soup! Thanks for making the extra effort Joe!
Speaking of Tom Yum soup, Saturday's version was the closest to the one's I had in the street stalls of Thailand so far. It had the right amount of hot and sour to get the salivary glands going. Initially, he had wanted to make seafood Tom Yum, but I requested the fried fish Tom Yum instead. In retrospect, I think some of the kakis would have appreciated it more if there was seafood in the Tom Yum to give it a sweeter taste. Nevertheless, dipping a piece of the tasty, crispy fried fish into the Tom Yum soup was definitely one of the highlights of the evening for me.
The crab tang hoon drew mixed reviews from our kakis. Eastcoastlife liked it. In fact it was the only dish she liked out of the whole menu. You can read her review here. Bashful Hunter on the other hand thought it was the only item on the menu that was not so good. He was comparing the crab tang hoon with Ya Kwang's version. So it really goes to show that taste is indeed subjective even amongst a group of seasoned foodies.
Conclusion
Thanks very much to Joe and Jamie for so kindly hosting us on a Saturday night and for making the extra effort to specially cater the menu to my specification. I was happy to be able to eat my favourite Som Tam, Gai Yang with Khao Niao and also Mango Sticky Rice.
Thanks especially to Damien for organizing the makan session!
And of course thanks to everyone who turned up to add to the Chaos of the Makan Session! I hope everyone had fun and look forward to seeing you all at the next one!
If you all know of any particular restaurant which can host our makan session, do write in to let me know!
You can read Keropokman's reviews here Eastcoastlife here The rest of the comments on the Forum here Ladyironchef's cleavers a bit blunt, so stay tuned
Has anyone else tried native American food? I certainly haven't.
Wouldn't mind trying a Bison ribeye steak with blue corn though.
So do you all agree with me that Singaporeans are willing to give new foods a go as long as there is a common point of reference? By that I mean that when you eat Bison, you can relate to it because you think of it as another form of beef. But if you were presented with, say Widgety Grubs, you might not be able to stomach it since you would have a difficult time trying to liken it to something else.
I think that's the problem with Ang Mohs and Durians. The smell and taste of Durian is so unique that they find it difficult to have a point of reference to something they are familiar with. And when the closest thing they can think of is smelly socks, it's no wonder they don't enjoy it!
There is something about the way how our Malay friends use the English language that is very unique. In particular there are several English words that somehow resonate with the Malay culture. I am talking about words such as "Power" and "Relac"(Relax). Somehow, they managed to take very ordinary words and turn them into superlatives with a cool edge to it.
On the other hand, we Chinese use Malay words to express our superlatives. So we adopt Malay words such as "Shiok" and "Lawar" to convey extremes in expression. Somehow, Malay seems to be a language that is quite capable in conveying "coolness" much better than say, my own dialect, Teochew. The expression "Jing Hor Jia" (very nice to eat) just does doesn't sound as delicious as "Shiok Man!" or "Power!". There are of course ways of emphasizing superlatives in Teochew, but they involve invoking one's parent's, so it should not be encouraged.
Anyway, this Mee Rebus is called "Power" Mee Rebus. I am reminded that our SuperSatayMan also calls his satay, "Power" satay. Evey wonder how a certain dish can have "Power"? Power to do what? Power to boost the excitement levels perhaps? Or some sort of mysterious Power that will mesmerize you into a subtle addiction? Or maybe it just refers to the fact that this particular Mee Rebus has got a whole chicken thigh in it and a whole ladle full of Satay Sauce sitting on top of the chicken and noodles? How to describe such a dish? Perhaps the word that comes to mind is -- Power!
This is one Mee Rebus to behold. The peanut sauce really gives the Mee Rebus sauce a big boost in ooomph and the chicken also makes it a real treat. Not bad for a $3 plate of mee rebus! 4.25/5
If the Mee Rebus is Power! Then I am sad to report the Soto Ayam is lack of Power. Good bowl of soup but lack that extra something to make it stand out from the crowd. 3.5/5
Conclusion
Mee Rebus with chicken and Satay Sauce. Doesn't something inside you just want to shout out "Power!" as well?
Rahim Muslim Food Kovan Centre Ah Seah Eating House 9 Yio Chu Kang Road 97867362
With smart, Mr.YaKwang and SporeGirl Har Kao $3.20, Steam Prawns $4, Fried Oysters $6, Char Siew Bao $3.20
I just love Dim Sum, Tapas and Degustations. The idea is that you get to titillate your tastebuds as much and as long as possible before it becomes uncomfortable to your stomach. Yes, it is part and parcel of getting older. Having a full stomach just isn't as pleasant as it was when I was younger. In the past, buffets were the way to go to get the bang for the buck. Nowadays buffets are just a waste of money because I would just get full too quickly to feel that I got my money's worth.
Unfortunately, the Dim Sum scene in Singapore just isn't that happening and I can't understand why. I really miss those push carts where the Auntie's would come right up to the table and you get to choose what you want to eat. Why is it that so few places still have them even though I think most Singaporeans still wish they were around? I would like to see a Hong Kong Street Style Dim Sum place in Singapore. No fancy restaurant, just a nice Kopi Tiam atmosphere where the carts are pushed out and people all get to rush for their steaming Har Kow and Siew Mai. I am sure you all would like to have one around, wouldn't you?
However, before some smart entreprenuer would venture to give us what we really want, there is this little place in Geylang that comes close. Set in the unsavoury part of Singapore, this little shop dishes out out quite savoury Dim Sums in an atmosphere that is quintessentially Geylang. If there are any URA directors out there reading this, Please, please, please, please.... don't ever upgrade Geylang, but do get someone from the other Ministry to start regulating the Sex Shops and foreign talent there!
How does one do a review of Dim Sum? If I gave you a review on every item that I ate there I think you would just scroll down to the conclusion. So I would say this: A good Dim Sum to me means that most items are good, some are excellent and some are unique and difficult to find anywhere else. That just about sums it up for Wan Dou Sek.
So what I will do is to draw your attention to some of the more interesting items. First is the deep fried oysters. Simple and sinful, the oyster fritters are juicy and shiok. Too bad there wasn't any tartare or bluecheese sauce to go with it! 4.5/5
Fried Fish Maw $4
Another dish that caught my attention was this fried fish maw with Thai style chilli sauce. Its just something you don't see very often and SporeGirl really loved it. The chilli sauce is more on the sourish side, reminiscent of Thai style seafood dipping sauce. 4.25/5
Lo Mai Kai $1.80
We were actually here because we were told that the Lo Mai Kai here was something to behold. Since I am currently on my quest for the ultimate Lo Mai Kai, I had to check it out. They use only midwings for the Lo Mai Kai here and the taste was alright, but ultimate it was not. The glutinous rice was not soft enough. For me a great Lo Mai Kai should have glutinous rice which is soft and gooey and saturated with the chicken juices. 3.75/5
Fried Yam Cakes 8 pieces $3.20
The yam cake is one of the best I have tasted in Singapore. The yam is generous and powdery (Teochews describe it as Sang Sang) and the cake itself is full of Hae Bee (dried prawn) flavour. They deep fry instead of pan frying them here and its good! 4.5/5
Curry Chicken Chee Cheong Fun $4
I put up this picture of the Curry Chee Cheong Fun just to show you that you can find quite interesting things in the bamboo steamers. So aside from the usual, you can be adventurous and try something new. Taste wise, this one was not quite there. The curry was a bit powdery but if you are the type that like find the typical Dim Sum too tame and want to spice it up, you can pick this one up as well as their steamed seafood otah dish. 3/5
Conclusion
Not exactly restaurant dining, but that's how I like it. Rustic and chaotic with no table cloths to soak up the spilled tea, the food is here dares to be adventurous so you can expect a few surprises. It's unpretentious, straightforward tongue titillating satisfaction and best of all you can enjoy it even if you are reading this at 3am in the morning of the eve of a public holiday! We should have more stalls like this across Singapore!
126 Eating House(Wan Tou Sek) 126 Sims Ave 67464757, 67454869 Open 24 hours daily
It is good that the younger generation of "hawkers" are venturing out into more international cuisines. It means that we get to eat stuff that we would otherwise find in fancy restaurants at cheaper prices.
Crepes are by no means new to Singapore. They had their day years ago when the famous Crepes Suzette were selling their crepes like, well, hotcakes. And like mosaic tiles, these tasty French fast food may be making a comeback soon.
OK, personally I like these very much. Maybe it is because my mother used to make them with ham and cheese when I was a kid. The outstanding thing about the crepe here is the quality of cheese they use and of course the tasty buttery crepes itself. I really like the chewiness of the cheddar cheese. Both Damien and I initially thought that it was Mozarella at first, but the owner confirmed that it was a special brand of Cheddar. The combination of the savoury, chewy cheese with the crisp (at the edges) buttery crepe and deliciously sauteed mushrooms has hit that "really want to go back to eat again" button for me. 4.5/5
Apart from the crepes, they also sell a variety of French soups and bread with flavored butter. The soup I would recommend is the seafood bisque. This is probably one of the few places in Singapore where you can get a seafood (lobster) bisque for less than $4 without sitting in a restaurant. The soup is made fresh everyday from prawns and crabs and was quite good except that I felt it could do with more of that burnt crustacean taste. The soups are served in cups with covers and you are supposed to sip them like you do coffee. I still prefer to slurp rather than sip my soups. 4/5
Apart from the savoury crepes, they also have a number of dessert crepes. Owner and executive Chef, Daphane, who trained at the world reknown Le Cordon Bleu insists on doing everything as French as she is commercially viable. So she uses Valhorna Chocolates here for the dessert crepes. The one I would recommend is the strawberry with white chocolate. Strawberry and chocolates always work very well together! 4.25/5
Conclusion
The crepes are certainly very good and definitely worth trying. I think the ladies would be happy with the soups as they are made with your waistline in mind, and that means less than 5% cream in the soup. It's got the Singapore Heart Foundation's approval.
As I alluded to in my previous post, soon half of all our food courts will be selling this type of international cuisine! It would be interesting to see if crepes will emerge as the next fad after Doughnuts!
Saybons French Food Factory 17 Phillip Street 10am to 4pm Mon-Fri www.saybons.com 8101 5678.
Now when it comes to fancy restaurants, I must say that aside from the nice ambience and fancy cutlery, it is only the very few that actually have that shiok factor that keeps me thinking about the food months after I have eaten it.
One of those dishes that I remember is the Rigatoni Pasta from Le Papillon. Unfortunately, I just found out that Le Papillon will be closing it's doors permanently on 29 April which is really disappointing. If the restaurant business in Singapore is based solely on the raw talent, passion and creativity of the chef, then Le Papillon and Chef Anderson will be in the business for quite a long time. Unfortunately, our business environment is too rigorous to be conducive for the fostering of artistic talent. As a result some other well known names also had to go overseas to make it big.
Rigatoni Pasta Tossed in Crustacean Oil, Shaved Bottarga, Tiger Prawns, Konbu and Baby Spinach Salad - Degustation portion
Anyway enough ranting.
If you have not yet had the chance to taste the Rigatoni, you only have just over a week left to head down to Le Papillon for a meal!
So after much persuasion, I finally bought my own domain name!
Please change your bookmarks so that it points to http://ieatishootipost.sg
In case some of you are wondering why I did not get ieatishootipost.com, it was already taken even 6 months ago.
Alright, enough of that "I told you so...blah blah blah...."
Thanks very much for all your support! Do continue to write in with your feedback and suggestions for the blog. I am looking at how to further improve the layout.
Teh Tarik 80 cents, Ginger Masala Tea $1.20 Tall Cup
You know what I see in my crystal ball?
I see food courts becoming more international with more homegrown franchises selling international cuisine. The day will come when you will walk into a hawker centre and not be able to find your Chicken Rice. Instead, you will see cuisines from all round the world. Just look at the number of "upmarket" stalls which have already set up in hawker centres/food courts selling stuff like Belgian Waffles, Muffins and lately even French Crepes. It looks like one day our hawker centres will no longer be a showcase of local cuisine but a global gastronomic playground.
Not only will we be eating foreign cuisines made by locals, we will be seeing foreign franchises in our local hawker centres and food courts selling international cuisine. It is already happening now and the invasion is inevitable. Just last week, liverpool and I were sampling hamburgers from a chain originating from the Philippines called Hotshots burgers. These guys are not simply coming to set up one stall but a whole chain of stalls! J-Co, a donut chain from Indonesia has also set up shop here recently, competing with local brands for a bite of the doughnut ring. The interesting trend is not that foreign companies are setting up shop here, but that they are not selling products indigenous to their own countries anymore. It may not be surprising if one day, an Indonesian Chilli Crab chain arrives in Singapore to compete with Singaporeans at our own game. Hey, we are doing it ourselves by selling Delifrance products to the French!
Consider Mr Tea for instance. When liverpool and I took our first sip of the Tea, I could see the apprehension in his eyes. Now, you all know that liverpool owns a cafe and makes hundreds of cups of Teh C everyday. To see his reaction at the first sip of the Teh Tarik was a sight to behold. The Teh Tarik was one notch better than anything we have tasted locally plus it was cheap! At 80 cents for a large cup (at least twice the volume of Killiney Teh C), this Teh Tarik delivers the highest Ommmph per dollar of any Teh Tarik in Singapore!
Given that we are living in a free market economy, that simply means that we are going to see more Mr Tea joints opening up and more local Kopi and Teh joints closing down. In a way, it is good. At least it will wake the local giants like Killiney and Ya Kun up from their complacent slumber. Yes, you guys might be able to thumb down the local competition and push up your prices, but you are not going to be able to match a competitor like Mr Tea who is delivering a tastier cup of tea and selling to Singaporeans twice the amount of tea at almost half the price! If a foreign company can charge half the price for a cup of tea, it simply means that our local guys charging us too much.
Drinking Mr Tea was a holy grail experience. The Teh Tarik is perfectly balanced, smooth, fragrant with a more than adequate tea taste without leaving that waxy tannin aftertaste. We tried the ginger masala tea and it was just as unforgettable. The way the tastey zing of the ginger cuts through the creaminess of the tea felt like suddenly being able hear stereo sound in a mono recording. It was a sensation I have yet to experience in any of our local Sarabat Stalls. 4.75/5 The only real downside I can say is that they all come in the paper cup. It would be almost perfect in a proper cup!
Conclusion
Best cup of Teh Tarik I have tasted. Our local Teh Terik players had better pull up their socks because I won't be the first one to switch over to the other side!
Disclaimer: This post is just an off-the-cuff commentary based on some personal observation of what is happening in the local food scene. It is not meant to be a well researched, scholarly dissertation and should not be regarded as such.
Mr Tea 146 Market Street, #01-14/15 7am to 8pm daily Other outlets at:International Plaza and SMU
Bean Curd has emerged to be the most popular dessert choice of our readers with 53.4% followed by Cheng Tng 44.5% and Orh Nee 36.9%.
The hot favourite of the previous generation, Ice Kachang only managed to come in at 4th place with 31% followed closely in fifth place by Tau Suan 26.5%
There have been a number of readers who suggested that the forum be opened for guests to view instead of restricting viewing to registered members only. Since this appears to be an issue that quite a number of readers are concerned about, we had a discussion set up in the forum to hear from the different points of view.
Actually the fact is that my intention from the start was to let guests view and only members to comment as this will reduce the amount of spam in the forum. However, the program had only one option in the settings page and that was to either allow guests to view or not. So I set it so that both guests and members had to log in, in order to reduce the possibility of spamming.
Initially, we thought it was a good idea that only members can view and I subsequently forgot about why the forum was set up like this in the first place. However, with the number of readers requesting that the forum be open to public, I had to look into the program a little closer again to try to figure out how if the program can be set up so that all can view but only registered members can comment. Please understand that this is my first time running a forum and using Proboards, so I am quite a novice at this!
I am glad to report that I eventually figured it out and now the Forum is opened for everyone to view!
Thanks again to everyone who have written in to comment on this issue.
If there are anymore feedback please do write in and let me know.
With smart and Mr.YaKwang Epok Epok with egg 50 cents each
The most surprising thing about this Epok Epok is NOT that it is one of the most addictive things I have eaten recently, but the fact that the hands that make them belong to an exclusive breed of Hawkers whom I have created a new tag for --- Hawker Hunks.
Now, its been commented in the blog that one of the most attractive things about a man is the fact that he can cook.
I challenge that statement.
I think that what women actually find attractive is a man that looks as if he would have women falling at his feet AND he can also cook at the same time. I think that women view the domestic ability of the male as an indicator of his domesticability. In other words, if he can cook, I can probably get him around my fingers.
Anyway, I don't want to detract you from the Epok Epok, so ladies, please avert your gaze from this fine specimen of manhood back to the picture on top. Today we are talking about Epok Epok. The type that Nenek used to make.
It was Mr.YaKwang (aka Jason) who alerted me to this particular Epok Epok. Now, Mr.YaKwang is one of the most fussy (almost obnoxiously fussy) foodies I know. Nine out of ten things recommended on the blog cannot make the grade for him. So he ends up eating his own food most of the time. So when Mr. YaKwang told me about how much he likes this Epok Epok, it got my attention straight away.
If you stare long enough, you too might be transported back to your childhood!
Do you remember the scene from Ratatouille when the food critic Anton was transported back to his childhood with one taste of the Ratatouille? Well, its sort of like that for Mr.YaKwang. He said that this was the type of Epok Epok he remember eating when he was a kid.
So after taking the first few pictures, I gingerly held the Epok Epok in my hand and prepared myself to be transported into a surrealistic dream sequence as I bit into the Epok Epok........ nothing. Not surprising since the curry puffs I was used to were those from my school tuckshop and they are a little different.
That's not to say that the Epok Epok here was not good. They were excellent. The crust was thin and crispy and combined with the freshly boiled egg and buttery curried potatoes, I downed about five of them before I knew it! 4.25/5
The thing I felt was missing is one or two pieces of savoury chicken meat in the Epok Epok. I know it is not so common in Epok Epok as it is with the Chinese version, but nevertheless I love the joy of finding that savoury piece of meat hidden among the potatoes! I am also dreaming of a minced beef Epok Epok which Lokman promised he will make soon.
Nasi Lemak with the works $2.50
There has been some discussion over at the forum about Nasi Lemak and more specifically, where to find a good Malay style one. Well, look no further! All I needed to do was just have a whiff of the steaming rice to know that this is a good one. The sambal belacan here is also very shiok and it is on the sweetish side which I feel should be the case with Nasi Lemak. The sambal also has that wonderful savoury taste of the belacan which hits the Umami Spot. You can buy the ready packed ones for $1.20 which comes with rice, ikan bilis and choice of egg or ikan kuning. They put in the special effort of sandwiching the chilli between two pieces of banana leaves for that added fragrance. Sedap lah brudder! 4.25/5
The chicken wings here are well marinated with lots of tumeric and ginger so they were very good, but I would advise you to be there around lunch time in order to get them freshly cooked.
Conclusion
The simple things in life are often the best. Personally, my idea of the perfect breakfast is a cup of Teh Tarik, a plate of Epok Epok and Nasi Lemak. That is what I miss most when I was overseas.
Oh, back to the Hawker Hunks issue, I don't want to be sexist, so I was actually going to name the Tag "Hawker Hunks and _____ Babes" but I can't really think of an adjective that begins with B to describe girls who operate hawker stalls who look like they should be on the catwalk instead. Let me know if you have any ideas. And don't forget to check out the other Hawker Hunks in the blog.
Epok Epok Central Blk 4A Eunos Crescent Eunos Crescent Hawker Centre #01-09 Lokman 96958889 7am to 7pm daily Closed on Mondays
Holydrummer has been telling me about this chicken rice since the early days of the blog but I never really got down to Katong Centre to try it. However, lately I have been going through a chicken rice phase, (you all go through phases too right?) and I really felt I needed to sink my teeth into some nice, fat and succulent chicken thigh.
Incidentally, when I say chicken thigh, do you think of the drumstick? You do realize that, anatomically speaking, the drumstick is not technically the thigh right? The drumstick is actually the part below the knee whereas the hind quarters ie the most fleshy part of the chicken is the real thigh. Don't believe me? Check out a bird's anatomy properly!
Anyway, I realize why I don't really like Kampung Chicken. In the normal chicken, the drumstick is usually fat and tender, but in a Kampung Chicken, the drumstick is really tough! So the only really succulent part of the Kampung Chicken is the thigh. Anyway, enough ranting about Kampung Chickens, if you want a well endowed chicken, this is one place where you will find some.
No such thing as Anorexia here!
The Lao Ban Niang here tells me that they use only chickens that are over two kg in weight. So you can expect chicken that you can fill your mouth with. What makes this place unique is that instead of just having the coriander over the chicken, they give this nice concoction of fried garlic, chillies, shredded carrot and radish garnish. Also every plate of chicken rice comes with a serving of their soup-of-the-day which happens to be watercress soup when I visited them. On top of that, you get a free flow serving of 2 different types of Achar. So for $4, you can a four course meal! Which is why this stall gets my vote for Best Value Chicken rice!
The only thing I would complain about here is the rice. They use yellow ginger to colour the rice, so it comes out a eerie yellow colour, as if you have just spilled highlighter ink onto your rice. The texture and flavour is not great but acceptable. If only the rice had been good, this place would have scored much higher. 4/5
Conclusion
Best value for money Chicken Rice! I had half a chicken, 2 rice, 2 plates of achar and a big bowl of watercress soup with pork bones and chicken mid joint for just $14! Mind you, half a chicken here is equivalent to a whole Kampung Chicken!
OK, final call for votes for Singapore's favourite dessert. The polls will be closed on Friday at 12 noon. So if your favourite dessert doesn't win, it is your own fault if you failed to vote!
The voting booth is found on the right hand column!
With Camemberu, Keropokman and Amagada Huay La Ban Mian $5
You would be forgiven if you thought that this was a blog about Italian food. This is not a plate of Pasta con Vongole. It might look like Vongole and maybe taste a little like Vongole but Vongole it is not. Instead, it is a Fried Ban Mian with Huay La and it is eaten in a coffeeshop amidst the smells of Kway Chap and exhaust smoke.
This is a relatively simple dish. The secret lies in the type of clams used. Jason uses what he calls a Huay La (Huay = Flower) as opposed to the more common La La. The Huay La is much sweeter than the La La and that characteristic bitter aftertaste gives the al dente (should I say QQ?) homemade Ban Mian a great sauce to create gastronomic symphony. Certainly a most unexpected hawker dish!. 4.5/5
This is actually my second time eating this dish in a week and this time I gatecrashed on Keropokman's lunch AGM of the Alumni of Batu Pahat Bloggers. By the time I got there, the alumni was already halfway through their agenda and two eyeballs short of their steamed salmon head! You can read Keropokman's account here and Camemberu's here. So not say I say but other bloggers also say that this Ban Mian is good, ok?
Prawn Tang Hoon $7
I did not want to eat crab that day, but I was still yearning for the marvelous Korean Tang Hoon, so I requested that Jason do a Prawn Tang Hoon for me instead. The dish came with a pleasant, and unexpected addition of belly pork as well. The Tang Hoon was wonderfully slurpilicious as usual, however the prawns did not give it as much kick as the crab usually does. OK, still managed to satisfy my Tang Hoon craving but not quite hit the umami spot. 4/5
Teriyaki Beef Hor Fun $5
Jason loves everything Japanese and used to run a Japanese stall over at Suntec City. So there is a lot of Japanese influence in his food. The Kway Chap for instance uses Kikoman soy sauce instead of the normal Soy Sauce. I tried his Teriyaki Beef with rice set which was so good that my son finished the whole thing before I got enough of it. So I asked Jason to try something new for me. Instead of rice, I asked him to fry a Teriyaki Beef Hor Fun instead.
Well, let's just say that it was so good that one of my fellow bloggers Tah Powed a portion home. I like the fact that Jason uses a really nice beef and he doesn't tenderize it by soaking it in bicarb. So the beef is nice and beefy and the homemade teriyaki sauce is quite shiok. The Hor Fun still can be improved as it did not have that wok hei flavour. That aside, this is a dish that I am looking forward to eating again soon. 4.25/5
Conclusion
Not many stalls get repeated blog posts. What can I to do? Everytime I come here to eat, I either discover something new or create a new dish!. So how not to blog? Anyway these one dish items would be a great idea for a quick lunch if you are tired of the samo samo and want to try something tasty and novel. Hope you enjoy it and if you have any ideas for something new, just ask Jason to try it and write about it in the forum for everyone to know!
I have been thinking about our poor friends from overseas who can only drool at the pictures in the blog but can't go to the nearest hawker centre to satisfy their cravings. So I am going to lessen the pain a bit by providing some recipes whereby our hawker food can be cooked at home.
However, it won't be much fun just publishing recipes which you can get from the internet or a cookbook. What would be more interesting would be to publish the recipes of famous hawker stall owners so that you can try to replicate their dishes at home.
They are willing to share their secrets because firstly, they are generous people. And secondly, they probably know that after trying to cook your own dishes at home, you'd probably appreciate just how much work goes into preparing the food that you would just head down to eat at their stalls instead!
Anyway, I thought we would start with what is probably the most ubiquitous hawker dish in Singapore, viz Chicken Rice. And to share with us his recipe with is the boss of Five Star Chicken Rice! Many thanks to Mr Li! Five Star Boss's Homestyle Kampung Chicken Rice Recipe*: Chicken
1 whole kampung chicken
70 ml sesame oil
60 ml light soy sauce
Pandan leaves
60 ml of concentrated chicken stock
Sliced ginger
Finely chopped Garlic
Chicken bones
Rice
Cooking oil
Chicken fat
Salt
Shallot oil
Pandan leaves
Chilli
1/3 chilli padi
2/3 red chilli
fresh lime
chicken broth
finely minced ginger.
Procedure
Prepare chicken stock by boiling chicken bones in water for at least 1 hour (the longer you boil the better). Bring another pot of water to boil, making sure that there is enough water so that the entire chicken can be submerged. Once the water is boiling, put all the ingredients listed above into the boiling water. Next, dip the chicken into the boiling water and dip it a few times until the skin is cooked. Once the skin is cooked, leave the chicken under the water to cook. This is to ensure that the skin does not break. The cooking time is about 30 minutes for a 1.5kg chicken. Ensure that the water be kept just below the boiling point during the entire cooking process. Once chicken is cooked, put the chicken immediately into cool water for a few minutes. This will stop the cooking process and ensure that the meat will remain tender and the skin crunchy.
To cook the rice, combine the concentrated chicken stock and the other ingredients listed above with enough water from the chicken broth to cover the rice. The water level should be as per the normal levels for cooking white rice. Cook the rice as per the normal method.
To prepare chilli sauce, first squeeze the lime to obtain fresh lime juice. Next, blend the ingredients in a blender until it is fluid and smooth. Finally, add some salt and sugar to taste and mix thoroughly.
Enjoy your chicken rice! And do write back and tell us if the recipe works or what you did to tweak it!
*You'll have to use a bit of agarism (estimation) because that is how our hawkers cook!
Postscript:
The most important ingredient here is the chicken. If you get a normal chicken from NTUC use it to cook, don't expect to get a super chicken rice. The Five Star boss told me that Kampung Chicken is available at the Supermarket, so go for the biggest chicken you can get your hands on. The bigger the chicken the more flavour you get which is why traditional Hainanese chicken rice people go for mother hens (more specifically they must have laid 2 eggs - no more no less). So the key is to get your hands on a good chicken. I just called Chia from Butcher House and he confirms that they stock a very nice and fat >2kg chicken which are put on special feeds to enhance the flavour of the chicken. If you want super chicken rice, you might just want to spend a little more effort and money and get yourself a good chicken to start with!
Chia is from Butcher House. They are at 464 River Valley Road (opp Valley Point). 68873464 I am sure you can also procure a good chicken from the other specialised butcheries as well.
....Read more!
Bloggers like myself are always looking for new things to blog whereas food sellers are always looking for ways to market their food. So why not put them both together in one place?
There are two sections in the forum which I have created in order to try to achieve this. First, there is a section for Food Bloggers to meet and talk about their blogs and food blogging in general. And secondly there is a Restauranteurs and stallowners section where food sellers come tell us about their restaurants, new menus and gather feedback and new ideas. So if you know of any stallowners, encourage them to come and tell us about their eateries!
In the Food Talk section, there's a great discussion going on about Japanese food with lots of great recommendations as well as a scholarly dissertation about Durians from our in-house Durianologist, sumosumo.
People are signing up for the 1st Makan Session for 2008 and over 30 places are already booked, so don't wait too long to sign up! There is also another trip to a Durian plantation in Malaysia being planned.
Lots of things happening so make sure you don't miss out on all the fun!
It has just been brought to my attention that ieatishootipost was mentioned in the lifestyle section of the Sunday Times last Sunday. I always find out about these things after the fact.
If you happen to have the article, could you please send me a soft copy? Thanks so much!
With smart, pk, bashful hunter and introducing Doc! Kampung Chicken $12 for half chicken
I am an unabashed lover of plump white chicken. To me eating Kampung Chicken is like eating peanuts one at a time when what I really want is to scoop a whole handful and stuff it in my mouth. So it is with trepidation that I accepted the invitation from Five Stars Chicken Rice to blog their famous Chicken Rice franchise.
For the uninitiated, Kampung Chicken is really a misnomer. The chickens are not really raised in a Kampung. What makes a Kampung Chicken different from your normal Chicken is that it is a different breed of chicken which originated from France. But then again that is not quite right either because as a species, all chicken actually originated from China where they were first domesticated. But anyway, this particular breed of "Kampung" chicken were actually brought from France because the local species actually went extinct.
The common battery hens which we are familiar with have white feathers and take about 60 days to grow to eating size. They spend their whole life in a cage with limited movement, pecking away at chicken feed (which is why if you sit in a sofa munching potato chips, you too will grow nice and fat). The Kampung Chicken has orange feathers and a black head and spends its days in an enclosed space for 80 days where they can exercise their muscles. That's why the chicken always reminds me more of a rock climber than a sumo wrestler.
Kampung Chicken: Half Chix $12
As Kampung Chicken go, this is one of the best ones that I have tasted. The chicken is tasty and the wonderful thing about five stars is that they always managed to get that layer of jelly under the skin which kind of makes up for the lack of fats. What I was really impressed with was the sauce that they use to pour over the chicken. The boss, Mr Li told me that the secret to their sauce is that they brew it themselves from soy sauce with added soy beans and rock sugar. The sauce had a wonderful floral aroma to it and synergized perfectly with the chicken. Taste great but as I already said, I felt I was eating peanuts one at a time! 4.25/5
The rice here is very good even though Mr Li admitted that he did not fry the rice in oil before cooking it. The interesting thing is that because Kampung Chicken has got more flavour than your battery chicken, a lot of the flavour of the rice comes from the chicken broth rather than the chicken fat. I was skeptical at first, but our group all agreed that the chicken rice was flavoursome and not too oily. The texture is also perfect with each grain easily separated and whole. 4.5/5
People say there are 3 important key ingredient in Chicken Rice and they are the Chicken, the Rice and the Chilli. I propose that there are 4, the fourth being the drizzling sauce. For me the first priority is the Chicken followed by the Rice, which is why I seldom comment about the Chilli. However, when stallowners like Mr Li makes the effort to use only lime juice instead of vinegar to make their Chilli, then I think I should give credit where it is due. They also add chilli padi in order to put that zing in the Chilli sauce. One whiff of the Chilli and you know its different from your usual Chicken Rice Chilli.
I took the picture of the "Bishops nose" for my two chicken rice connoisseurs, viz VB and smart. Those who know how to appreciate chicken say that the best part is the backside. So here are some backsides for you to oogle at! Me, I still like the big fat thighs.
Apart from the chicken rice, they also sell a variety of dishes to accompany the chicken rice so that your family can have a "proper" family style meal. One of the things that I would recommend is their homemade tofu. They actually make their own tofu here from soya bean milk and eggs and the texture is excellent. 4/5
Five Stars chicken rice has been around for 18 years. Mr Li initially named it five stars because he had five brothers and the initial plan was to have all five brothers run the business. He was nice enough to agree to share with us his chicken rice recipe for the benefit of those who might want to try to cook chicken rice at home and especially for our poor overseas friends who can't hop down to the hawker centre to have their chicken rice fix. Stay tuned for that one!
Conclusion
I was pleasantly surprised with my Kampung Chicken meal. The chicken turned out to be tender and tasty and together with the excellent sauce and rice, it did make up for the lack of chunky meatiness. All my other kakis actually prefer this over the fat white chicken because the chicken had more "chickeny" taste. For me, I think I would only be totally happy if they could serve me a kampung chicken that is morbidly obese!
So do you prefer Rockclimber Chicken or Sumo Wrestler Chicken? I have created a poll in the forum for you all to vote! Click here to vote.
Five Star Kampong Chicken Rice No 910D Upper Thomson Road 65534119 11am to 11pm daily Disclosure: This was an invited review
