House of Bamboo Noodles: The Mullet - Love it or Hate it?
Mullet in Banana Leaf $15
There is nothing particularly sexy about a Mullet. In fact, the word "Mullet" is one of those soft core derogatory words that just sounds cute enough not to be overly vicious. So calling someone a "Mullet" in the US is akin to calling him a "Sotong" (squid) here which refers to a person, for example, an NS boy, who wouldn't know that he should throw the grenade after he pulls out the retaining pin. Then of course, we had those Mullet hairstyles which Billy Ray Cyrus used to wear of which I am sure would make your hair stand on end.
But there is one group of people for whom the word "Mullet" conjures up some gastronomic excitement. My father falls into this group. That is part of the reason why I am writing this post which is dedicated to my dear old dad. He is a typical Teochew Ah Hia who just loves this fish which we Teochews call "O Her" lit "Black Fish". I still remember how excited he would get when he gets back from the market with his prized Mullet. Within the hour, the fish would be steamed and he would sit down with mom, the Mullet, and a saucer of "Tau Cheo" (fermented bean sauce) and start extolling the wondrous chunk of "fat" that is found in the stomach of the fish. Needless to say, we three boys have not been properly introduced to this extraordinarily ordinary fish, so to my Dad, the Mullet is Max Ooomph, but to me, it's like Phewweee! Fishy sia!
Anyway, if you happen to be a Mullet lover, you will be happy to see this prized piece of "fat" in the belly of the Mullet. Now, anatomically speaking, you don't just get a piece of fat in the middle of your abdominal cavity, so what I figured out is that this "fat" actually refers to the Mullet roe or the male Mullet's milt sac. Perhaps the Mullet maestros can confirm this for us?
Anyway if the Mullet is famous for anything, it must be for its roe. The Teochews love it, as do the Italians who sun dry and cure it to make Bottarga which I actually don't mind eating. A bit of shaved Bottarga with pasta is a real treat as it does taste a bit like caviar. Perhaps my dad was right all along....
If you like Mullet, the House of Bamboo Noodles is dishing out fresh Mullet which is simply wrapped in Banana Leaves and pan fried. The owner happens to be Teochew and loves the fish. For me, sorry lah Pa, I tried it again but still cannot fully appreciate it. It's still a bit too fishy. It's a 3/5 for me but a 4.5/5 for others like Cactuskit who was the one who alerted me to this dish.
Conclusion
So, are you a Mullet connoisseur or do you shun Mullet like moi?
Tai Shek Hai House of Bamboo Noodles
283/285 Joo Chiat Road
Jn of Koon Seng and Joo Chiat Road
Singapore 427539
63455095
10.30am to 11pm daily
23 comments:
oh, i love it! eventhough i'm not a Teochew. mom would pan-fry it then stir-fry some chilli + garlic + ginger + chinese parsley + tau-cheo = PERFECT.
i always attack the stomach too. *WIDE GRIN*
ehhhhh i was introduced to the Or herr at Xu Jun Sheng....
they serve very good one, just steamed in its own skin, scales and all..
yummers...
Wow that's 2 mullet lovers to 1!
I vote nay, NO FISHY fish for me. Especially those with small bones, us weak youngsters can't stand fishbones and fishy smells.
Not sure about the pan fried version, but I like "or he" steamed & eaten with garlic-chili vinegar (like peh tor he). The smaller ones are less fishy & also fatty at the belly but no "mullet roe".
Chao Xing@Hong Lim & Tew Chew Street Teochew porridge@Chinatown FC serve them with taucheo too. I think it's much more affordable at these Teochew porridge places.
Wah ice, for a young lady, you quite the foodie to enjoy Teochew porridge and steamed fish. I always thought it was something the Gen Ys shun.
I'm ok with mullet. I eat it but not particularly excited abt it :)
Look like Lensbaby at work again.
saw in the papers someone took a picyure of a young monk sitting down flipping some books in dimly lit room in some temple in thailand. wah the pic can make u feel like u r there n can c the little monk expression. Too bad the mullet is not alive.
I watched the flying onion video. The Clue izit the basket is moved away so if u 'lock' the clip it appears to be flying.....no? Chukup Lah. What is the SECRET ?
The answer will be revealed this Saturday and we will also run a competition for everyone to submit their own pictures. Attractive prizes to be won sponsored by Canon including a Powershot camera! Stay tuned.
Mullets - too fishy for us. Tried cooking once but was real disaster (not sure was the chef or the fish!) Heard there are two basic categories: fresh water and sea-water just like sea bass. Not sure if one is less fishy than the other though.
er...i actually like mullet alot leh....not fried, not braised...just steamed and with tau chioh or black sauce....just like your old man !
lensbaby meh ?....looks like the 24-70mm zooms at work !!
You don't say! My father fills the freezer with mullet to last us all week. When I was living there, it was featured on the dining table every week night until I became very creative in making dips (using garlic, lime, chilli padi, tao cheo) to make it more palatable (for me).
We tend to steam other kinds of fish during weekend dinners when my brothers come back cos my dad knows we may not share the same love for this fish.
always have mullet steamed...never tried it fried before!
Its more like toasted rather than fried really.
yup, shallow fry. the oil don't cover the whole fish, you gotta flip the fish over to completely cook it.
Mullet has two kind, one is fresh water & another is from deep sea. Deep sea is better than fresh water. How you tell the different is deep sea one color is more grey, the head to mouth is sharper and fresh water one is more rounded & the color also more black. How the Teochew eat Mullet fish is just steam ( not even de-scale & once cooked just pull off the skin, the skin is to protect the freshness of the meat ) and go with YOUNG GINGER with TAU- CHEO.
forget to add that the mullet on the picture is from deep sea & you can tell from the eye of the mullet (once cook)it is very fresh.
hmm when I read pull the retaining pin and throw the grenade, somewhere in my long lost memory of BMT, I remembered that the retaining pin is in your M16 bolt carrier and it's the safety ring that you pull out HAHAHA. Sheesh, they drilled us well. "Safety ring twist, safety ring pull, throw!" ORD loh
Ah, I guess I am the "Sotong" then! hahaha. You are right. It is the safety pin. I think...
Your dad like mine. Eat until I'm sick of grey mullet. Steamed with taucheo.
But XJS one is not bad.
Actually I don't find it fishy at all. Those they serve in the restaurants are very fresh. Not the typical fishy type of smell/taste. But the fresh fish smell/ taste.
And the pictures are definitely lens baby at work. : ).
we had mullet the last time at Teo Heng cactuskit? yup not fishy to me too :)
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