tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-345430332024-03-13T18:15:15.514+08:00CoolchefCulinary Musings Of A Professional Chef Within and Beyond The KitchenCoolchefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07931949217991230913noreply@blogger.comBlogger117125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543033.post-15650743860411794832012-05-19T23:14:00.003+08:002012-05-19T23:14:39.352+08:00Memories of an old project.....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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All contents © 2007 Chef Eric Low</div>Coolchefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07931949217991230913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543033.post-4606100566712987292012-05-17T14:04:00.000+08:002012-05-17T14:04:32.529+08:00Food Revolution 2012 @ Suntec Exhibition and Convention Center<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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All contents © 2007 Chef Eric Low</div>Coolchefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07931949217991230913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543033.post-24038970612087167732010-03-21T23:18:00.001+08:002010-03-21T23:18:20.748+08:00Restaurant of the Nations Food Hotel Asia Culinary Challenge 2010Dear Culinary Frens, <br />
<br />
I am please to share with everyone here on the following event:<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #660000;">Singapore National Culinary Team Hot Cooking Presentation:</span></strong><br />
One of the key highlights of the upcoming Food and Hotel Asia 2010 show is the prestigious international acclaim Culinary Challenge 2010 formerly known as Salon Culinaire. Many of u have seen in my biodata that I was once a team member during my formative years as a chef. For 2010, the Singapore team will be competing once again with 9 other world renown national teams including the Swiss and Norwegian teams for the Battle of the Lion, which only the top three national teams will qualify to vie for. <br />
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The SNCT will be showcasing their hot tasting menu on Sat 27th March 7.30pm at Chef’s Daniels kitchen in Iluma (opp Bugis Junction). This 3 course menu will be opened to public for sit down sampling @ $45++ per pax and Chef Daniel Koh will be throwing in the canapés as well for early birds. If you ask me, I have tasted this menu 4times already with other ex-national team members like Chefs Eric Teo, Louis Tay and much fine tuning has been done for the team members each round. In a nut shell, it is almost perfect. In this tasting menu, u will get to experience every cooking technique in classical and modern history of cooking. From slow braise to elements of molecular gastronomy, it is once in a life time experience to dine with some of the best chefs in Singapore and this menu will never be offered in any restaurant and will never be back again once over. Hence I urge all of u here to give it a shot of what that would cost at least double in most other fine dining restaurants in Singapore. I will also be on site to share experiences and knowledge on what you taste in the menu.<br />
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The menu is as follows:<br />
Lime Infused Confit of Norwegian Salmon, King Crab Terrine served with Watermelon Sorbet<br />
Roast Lamb Saddle with Tamarind-Kumquat Marmalade, Braised Lamb Neck Gateau topped with Puffed Barley, Manchego Polenta and Thyme Sauce<br />
Almond Biscuit with Chocolate Banana Ice Nougat and Mango “Bomb” in Passion Fruit Snow Jelly Wrap<br />
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Reservations details are in the attached brochure and limited to 90pax only<br />
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All contents © 2007 Chef Eric Low</div>Coolchefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07931949217991230913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543033.post-26741994998326508952009-01-22T22:08:00.002+08:002009-01-22T22:24:06.903+08:00Below is a an extract from <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/">www.epicurious.com</a> with regards to the food trend for 2009. Further on is my take for the same tune but the localized version.<br /><br />Epicurious Predicts Top 10 Food Trends for 2009<br />by James Oliver Cury<br /><br />With the dawn of a new presidency, a deepening recession, and a fine-dining culinary culture that sometimes veers into the impossibly surreal, soberness is setting into the food world. Gone are the behemoth restaurants, $1,000 omelets, and ice cream made of dehydrated chile flakes. Hallmarks of 2009 will include a return to families cooking together and eating at home more than they have in decades, a premium on high-quality, seasonal ingredients that provide good value, and an emphasis on simple food for the people, by the people.<br /><br />1. "Value" is the new "Sustainable"These days, the economy dictates our cooking and shopping decisions<span style="color:#000000;">: </span><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/blogs/editor/budgets/index.html"><span style="color:#000000;">Bargains</span></a> are in, no matter where they come from.<br /><br />2. The Compost Pile is the new Flower GardenGrowing your own now refers to vegetables, not just herbs, and that will in turn help feed the gardener's compost pile. Live worm garnishes, however, will not make it to the house salad.<br /><br />3. Peruvian is the new Thai You thought Peruvian cuisine was all about <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/blogs/80dishes/peru/index.html">seviche</a>, maybe? Guess again: Peru boasts culinary influences from Spanish, Basque, African, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, French, and British immigrants. Pisco Sour, anyone?<br /><br />4. Noodle Bars are the new Sushi JointsWith some seafood being suspect or overfished and raw fish prices high, noodles make complete sense. If there's no <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/tools/searchresults/all?search=ramen"><span style="color:#000000;">ramen,</span></a><span style="color:#000000;"> </span><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/tools/searchresults?type=food&search=udon"><span style="color:#000000;">udon,</span></a><span style="color:#000000;"> or </span><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/tools/searchresults?search=soba"><span style="color:#000000;">soba</span></a> shop in your neck of the woods, there will be soon.<br /><br />5. Ginger is the new MintMove over, mojitos. <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/blogs/editor/2008/08/cocktail-observ.html"><span style="color:#000000;">Ginger beers and ginger cocktails</span></a><span style="color:#000000;"> (like the Ginger Rogers, Gin Gin Mule, and Ginger Smash) are bubbling up at places like The Violet Hour in Chicago, the Clock Bar in San Francisco, and Matsugen in New York. </span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><br />6. Smoking is the new FryingYou know how everything tastes better fried? Well, almost everything tastes better smoked, too, and that includes cocktails. Bartenders are smoking their bourbons (</span><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/drinking/cocktails/molecularmixology"><span style="color:#000000;">Eben Freeman at Tailor,</span></a><span style="color:#000000;"> for example), and chefs, recognizing the national craze for BBQ, are smoking more than just salmon and ribs: nuts, salts, even smoked steelhead roe (at </span><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/blogs/editor/2008/10/exciting-new-bo.html"><span style="color:#000000;">Chicago's Alinea</span></a><span style="color:#000000;">). Who says smoking's bad for you?</span><br /></span><span style="color:#000000;"><br />7. Regional Roasters are the new StarbucksIt's come</span> full circle. What started as a local coffee phenomenon migrated to other cities and turned Americans into java junkies. Then the chain overexpanded and overreached, and the little neighborhood coffee roasters thrive again, like Stumptown (Portland, OR), Bluebottle (San Francisco), and La Colombe (Philly).<br /></span><br />8. Portland (Maine) is the new Portland (Oregon)Abundance of great chefs, restaurants, and local foodies? Check, check, and check. Want examples? Visit Five Fifty-Five, Hugo's, and Fore Street to start.<br /><br />9. Rustic Food is the new Molecular Gastronomy Wacky-weird-science cuisine that requires fancy-schmancy equipment doesn't necessarily make food taste better, and more often than not it adds needless complexity (there are exceptions). Most importantly, no one really wants to do this at home. Expect to see comfort food stage a comeback. Again.<br /><br />10. "Top-Rated" is the new "Critic's Pick"Power to the people; single critics are a dying breed. Why believe what one person says when you can <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipesmenus/buzzbox/recipes"><span style="color:#000000;">read and reflect</span></a><span style="color:#000000;"> on what hundreds think? Don't believe us? Feel free to comment below!</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#000099;"><em><strong>The top 10 trends for the home cook and the restaurant-goer for the average Singaporean in 2009.</strong></em></span><br /><span style="color:#000099;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000099;">By Chef Eric Low</span><br /><span style="color:#000099;"><br />We do not have a new incoming PM. Molecular Gastronomy in the local culinary scene is almost on the verge of biting the dust. Our local MG maverick Chef Edward Voon has quit Aurum and gone back to the kitchens of the Tower Club. There might be some possibilities of a $100 omelette featuring a “mountain” of white truffle shavings in some die hard fine dinning restaurants here. With so many new ice cream parlours touting home made, self brewed, artisan designed ice creams, we may eventually see a sambal chilli hay bee hiam flavour. Hallmarks of 2009 will include a return to families cooking together, making a huge mess in the process and leaving all the wash up to the maid forcing her to sleep only at 1am. Singaporeans will be eating at home more than they have in decades, thanks to more ERP, higher transport costs and still having to pay service charges for lousy service. Hopefully our people will also understand that there is no such thing as cheap and good when it comes to food and be expected to pay a premium on high-quality, seasonal ingredients that provide good value, and just stay focus with regards to emphasis on simple food with quality ingredients.<br /><br />1. "Value" is the new "Sustainable". These days, the economy dictates our cooking and shopping decisions: </span><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/blogs/editor/budgets/index.html"><span style="color:#000099;">Bargains</span></a><span style="color:#000099;"> are in, no matter where they come from. Same as in SG. Sheng Siong will continue to be the number one supermarket choice of most Singaporeans offering much more in variety although prices are no longer that cheap as before. Fairprice may have more outlets but everything is so limited and standard that it never offers anything new and exciting to discover.</span><br /></span><span style="color:#000099;"><br />2. The Compost Pile is the new Flower Garden. Given that about 70% of Singaporeans live in HDB, it is almost impossible to grow your own vegetables even in the balcony if u are lucky enough to have one. With Singaporeans struggling to keep their jobs in this dire economy, growing vegetables is not one of the options for recreational activities. However to be eco friendly, the government continues to encourage all citizens to drink Newwater distributed for free in grassroots, charity and lousy budgeted events.<br /><br />3. Spanish is the new Italian, Pasta to make way for Paella….. Yes Spanish cuisine is trickling in, although we need much more help from AVA to allow more Spanish produce and products to come in at more decent price levels. We love to have beyond Serrano Ham, smoked paprika, chorizos, padron peppers, mojitos, calbrese cheese, manchego cheese, sherry wine, mallorca almonds……<br /><br />4. Gourmet Pasta Piazzas are the new Sushi JointsWe have too much local noodles as in hawker stalls around. We already have artisan </span><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/tools/searchresults/all?search=ramen"><span style="color:#000099;">ramen,</span></a><span style="color:#000099;"> </span><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/tools/searchresults?type=food&search=udon"><span style="color:#000099;">udon,</span></a><span style="color:#000099;"> or </span><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/tools/searchresults?search=soba"><span style="color:#000099;">soba</span></a><span style="color:#000099;"> shops, now we badly need places where u can get pasta in your neighbourhood hawker centers cooked the real Italian way and not some modified localized version.We like it to be “Al Dente” and not drowning in too much diluted sauce. Hopefully there will be soon when more retrenched chefs turn entrepreneurs. </span><br /></span><span style="color:#000099;"><br />5. Basil and Saw Leaf is the new Mint. We have been drinking Teh Halia for donkey years, ginger is nothing new and exciting for us. But much as we are in the box, we should get out and start exploring other tropical flavour bursting herbs beyond what we already know as in coriander and spring onions. Basil is the in-coming thing for cocktails and saw leaf is added to local salads in place of coriander.<br /><br />6. Smoking is the new Frying. We still like our goreng pisang and Yew Char Kway when we eat out of home. Yes, healthier choice label products should be one of our choices when we shop or eat. Call us hypocrites if u care, however at the end of the day, the message is that taste is still important and food businesses should know that by getting a healthier choice label on your product does not mean u will have the best selling product on hand. As on smoked foods, of course we love BBQ Sauce, Sausages and Bacon. We can’t smoke our foods at home but we love to try anything that is smoked as long as it is given out free in supermarkets, food shows and cooking workshops by chefs.<br /><br />7. Ya Kun and Killiney are still the new Starbucks. It's come full circle. What started as a local coffee phenomenon migrated to other countries and turned their citizens into kaya junkies. With the economic crunch, people are down sizing and opting for better value options. About five bucks at Yakun or Killiney gets u two toasts, a pair of soft boiled eggs and coffee far more nutritious and value than just one medium frappucino at Starbucks.<br /><br />8. Bukit Timah (Old Fire Station) is the new Bukit Timah (Greenwood Ave). Vacated post colonial properties usually end up as new business opportunities for great chefs to start new restaurants, and local foodies will continue to have an endless choice of restaurants serving the same Chilean seabass (codfish), Wagyu Beef and Kurobuta Pork Belly….usually ending with tiramisu or a molten lava chocolate cake.<br /><br />9. Rustic Food is the new Molecular Gastronomy Can’t agree more on this. Who wants to eat Nasi Lemak out of a test tube? Or to have your delicious roast beef turned into a morsel of ice cream that doesn’t give the satisfaction of beefy meatiness. Most importantly, no one really wants to pay through the nose again and again for a 13 course menu sitting on a wheel chair in some operating theatre set up with a reference taken from SGH. Plus the feeling that it was some weird scientist trying to feed u instead of a chef. Expect to see chicken curry and kong bak pau stage a comeback again.<br /><br />10. "Top-Rated" is the new "Critic's Pick"Power to the people; Yes we all agree on this. Why believe what one person says when you can </span><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipesmenus/buzzbox/recipes"><span style="color:#000099;">read and reflect</span></a><span style="color:#000099;"> on what hundreds think? It is even worse when the one person who is suppose to do a professional commenting is not a qualified F&B professional in any field, no F&B job experience to relate to and does not really know what is called the interest of fairness in restaurant review. eg. Doing a write up on a new establishment within two weeks of opening or soliciting for free food based on the excuse of writing a publicity review. Trust me, we the F&B professionals know who the guilty parties are. Don't believe us? Feel free to comment below!</span><br /></span><span style="color:#000099;"></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright
All contents © 2007 Chef Eric Low</div>Coolchefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07931949217991230913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543033.post-5106713056547752202008-12-07T22:53:00.012+08:002008-12-08T00:42:27.044+08:00New Age Thai<div align="center"><a href="mailto:Kha@HortPark"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Kha@HortPark</span></strong></a></div><div><div><div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">33 Hyderabad Road </span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Singapore 119578<br />tel:+65 6476 9000<br /></span></strong></div><div>Touted as one of the most high end Thai restaurant, its location wasn’t in some swanky posh address. Rather it has to distinguish itself and also to justify the higher end prices or the more affluent crowds won’t bite. The place I am talking about is almost a year old modern Thai restaurant Kha, located at the Hort Park off Alexandria Road. Notice the word “modern” Thai as I define it to be which is what it is to distinguished itself from being just another Thai restaurant. Most purists would cringe to know that helming the kitchen is not a native Thai but a hot young blooded Aussie chef who has spent a considerable amount of time and career in the land of smiles. Maybe this is why the owners creatively conceptualize the modern Thai theme about the restaurant.<br />It is quite a challenge in trying to understand the cooking philosophy of the chef in this kind of concept restaurant especially when the cuisine and heritage of the chef do not match. But good honest cooking is not really defined by your culture or race. It’s about the chef’s passion for it.<br />Since its all about “modern Thai”, then N and I decided to pick on dishes that define it as there are also other classical Thai favourites like Tom Yum Goong, Massuman Curry and Mango with Sticky Rice for the traditional diehards. If we were to pick on these, then it would defeat the purpose of doing modern Thai.<br />Before I start on the food, let me comment on the two mocktails we ordered. I am not a fan of beverages in restaurants because my general sentiment is that it is a rip off in most places. I am not saying that the beverages are cheap here but rather they are not. However, I do admire the culinary art part of preparing the special mocktails and their combination of flavours. N took on a nice smoothie of blended lychees, pomelo and citrus which gave a refreshing stir of life on palate. My Basilistic mocktail came with a crush of fresh Thai basil, mango and fresh raspberries. It’s a wonderful combination of smell, colour and aromas.<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eWaEon2FESU/STv7AIjPw5I/AAAAAAAAD8g/jBf9c5a15N0/s1600-h/P1020947.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277087368108557202" style="WIDTH: 283px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 212px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eWaEon2FESU/STv7AIjPw5I/AAAAAAAAD8g/jBf9c5a15N0/s320/P1020947.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eWaEon2FESU/STv7NIL_LKI/AAAAAAAAD8o/qid7yd7jF2I/s1600-h/P1020948.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277087591349300386" style="WIDTH: 285px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 212px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eWaEon2FESU/STv7NIL_LKI/AAAAAAAAD8o/qid7yd7jF2I/s320/P1020948.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div>Dinner started with two appetizers, one which was a pair of crab and prawn cakes on a bed of green mango salad (Thod Man Poo). The pair of crispy breaded cakes was made with a combination of grounded shrimp and crabmeat was dressed with yoghurt and a dollop of sweet chilli sauce similar to the type served with roast chicken. Crispy yet still moist in the center, the cakes were pretty tasty with just the sweet chili sauce making the yogurt seemed a bit redundant. Then as we got on to the other appetizer which came highly recommended on the Chef’s special menu, we found ourselves with the yoghurt again. Though the cut of Wagyu beef was perfectly grilled, the red curry spices did not really come through on impact. By now I kind of figure the reason for the presence of the yoghurt on the two dishes. The standard salad dressing for Thai salads is usually made with a combination of palm sugar, fish sauce, lime juice plus the spice elements. Here at Kha, it comes with rather subtle nature than that of a strong impact given the extreme pungency of fish sauce and sourness of the lime juice. Perhaps is this done to allow the natural taste of the fresh ingredients to prevail than rather allowing it to be overpowered by the dressing? The yoghurt acts as a bridge to rein in the meat and salad with the subtle dressing.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eWaEon2FESU/STv6v4O5JII/AAAAAAAAD8Y/NFNtrZajuCU/s1600-h/Khao+Tang+Na+Tang.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277087088850314370" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eWaEon2FESU/STv6v4O5JII/AAAAAAAAD8Y/NFNtrZajuCU/s200/Khao+Tang+Na+Tang.JPG" border="0" /></a>In between the courses, came the fun element, which is a complimentary puffed rice crackers with a creamy coconut flavoured dip, other wise commonly known as Khao Tang Na Tang. With the flavourful mocktails, they<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eWaEon2FESU/STv6j3cMoAI/AAAAAAAAD8Q/W61hckYixP8/s1600-h/Fish+Maw+Soup.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277086882479251458" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eWaEon2FESU/STv6j3cMoAI/AAAAAAAAD8Q/W61hckYixP8/s200/Fish+Maw+Soup.JPG" border="0" /></a> make wonderful small bites on the side.<br />Besides the usual offerings of hot and sour soups in the usual Thai restaurants, we were delighted to discover that Kha also offered a perennial Thai-Chinese favourite, the ubiquitous Fish Maw Soup with Quail Eggs and Seafood. The slightly thickened broth was quite flavourful and complimented the soft braised fish maw very well.<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eWaEon2FESU/STv7kJhFVPI/AAAAAAAAD8w/Kxf2LLZ0ONA/s1600-h/P1020953.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277087986843210994" style="WIDTH: 278px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 210px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eWaEon2FESU/STv7kJhFVPI/AAAAAAAAD8w/Kxf2LLZ0ONA/s320/P1020953.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eWaEon2FESU/STv8C69FunI/AAAAAAAAD9A/ZjU8Nmm9Pk0/s1600-h/P1020960.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277088515510090354" style="WIDTH: 274px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 210px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eWaEon2FESU/STv8C69FunI/AAAAAAAAD9A/ZjU8Nmm9Pk0/s320/P1020960.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div>We took two specials for the mains as we wanted to move away from traditional recipes to new flavours and dimensions. I had a spicy Yellow Curry Braised Pork Ribs with Roasted Egg Plant and Straw Mushrooms while N chose a Grilled Filet of Salmon with a Fine Herb Salad and a savoury spicy sauce which I suspected was concocted from fermented soy beans. The salmon was a nice fresh slab that had been grilled slightly underdone like the way I preferred. It was melt in the mouth delicious although I would have preferred a slightly more pungent sauce to go with the fatty fish. The ribs were well braised and the curry was very fragrant but a tad too spicy for me.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277088902076960706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eWaEon2FESU/STv8ZbB0D8I/AAAAAAAAD9I/3sgxWBZz3ZM/s400/P1020955.JPG" border="0" />As we were sharing a plate of Phad Thai for tradition sake, I did not ordered rice to go with the curry which I kind of regret.<br />The phad thai was a luxurous version of what we normally have. King size prawns, a lovely banana blossom salad on the side. I must say that the top notch ingredients used in the dishes we ordered so far made us understood what the higher prices mean in terms of a return of value.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277089175721098146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eWaEon2FESU/STv8pWbqO6I/AAAAAAAAD9Q/Vu8ydSa3BAs/s400/P1020965.JPG" border="0" />Dessert was a teaser, we wanted to move away from mangoes and sticky rice but something made with black glutinous rice caught my eye on the menu we decided to go with that. It was a fuse of Aussie Thai ideas with the sticky date pudding given a dose of black glutinous rice in a molasses flavoured pudding. The richness was cut by a sweet sour tamarind sauce and accompanied by one of the tastiest home made mango ice creams that I haven’t tasted for a while.<br />For the price, the ambience (actually it was trashed by people (read: Singaporeans) who just can’t respect the sophistication of a restaurant by turning up in t-shirts and Bermudas shorts) and unique garden location, its worth a revisit for to savour the creativity of Chef David Hamilton creations as long as u avoid going in with expectations of the classics.</div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright
All contents © 2007 Chef Eric Low</div>Coolchefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07931949217991230913noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543033.post-81286108929742352072008-10-05T20:53:00.002+08:002008-10-05T22:57:09.347+08:00Changing AppetitesIn China, specific regions are recognised for their outstanding characteristics. For example there is a common saying that an ideal life would be to born in Suzhou, live in Hangzhou, eat in Guangzhou and to pass on in Liuzhou. Each region is famous for a certain character and Guangzhou with its Cantonese cuisine is specifically recognised as the forerunner for the evolution of Chinese Cuisine around the world. Significantly, it has become a fundamental basis for many chinese chefs to learn the culinary techniques of this cuisine. The region with its fertile plains, bountiful coastal waters and culinary expertise is indeed blessed with its unique recognition as being the culinary paradise of China.<br /><br />Some restaurants in Guangzhou dates back to more than a hundred years ago and they have become the icons of the local dinning culture. Restaurants like Guangzhou Restaurant广州酒楼, Tao Tao Ju陶陶居, Lian Xiang Lou莲香楼evolve from being tea houses in the earlier days to full fledge Chinese restaurants today. The local people eat 5 meals a day. Morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and night tea. These restaurants are opened from 6am each morning and do not close till past midnight. Their total sitting capacity each boast of the the hundreds and thousands per dining session and during peak seasons, it is a non stop flow of chaos. Most people come for dian xin items and the regular chinese wedding banquets can see more than 6-8 families at times celebrating the union of bliss of their love ones. One can imagine the brigade of chefs preparing all the foods in the extensive menus can easily run into a thousand based on the rotating shifts and the number of masterchefs wielding their rolling pins, cleavers, woks and roasting skewers depending on their areas of speciality all united under the watchful eye of the grand culinary masterchef who probably has spent more time in the kitchen than anywhere else in his entire life time. Guangzhou Restaurant, founded in 1925, has itself has contributed to the birth of quite a few of the region, HK and Macau's Chinese masterchefs. Tao Tao Ju has a longer history dating back to its birth in 1880 with its dim sum touted as the best among the three while Lian Xiang Lou boasts of the best tasting Chinese pastries among the three.<br /><br />By now you probably would have been reading in awe of these three restaurants and must be wondering how their food tastes? The answer is a big disappointment. Substandard fare i would say. The region of Guangzhou must have exported all her best chefs to around the world leaving the mediocore ones behind in the last hundred years teaching on the next generation substandard knowledge. I am not comparing based on the individual chefs best capibility but as in providing a general standard of dinning service and taste to the man in the street. N, myself and mum thought we would find the best experiences in the culinary paradise from these historic restaurants but we were let down by all three places. What is the problem?Are we picky? Not at all. We all scratched our heads after visiting all these three places and realised that many of these historic Chinese restaurants are still stuck in their historic outfits of taste and service standards. In other words, as chinese restaurants and their customers demand in the rest of the world modernise in decor, dinning etiquettes, menus and service standards, these restaurants were left behind with their ever faithful locals with their own clocks coming to a total standstill of the yesteryears. Comparing with traditional cantonese restaurants like Red Star and Dragon Gate in Singapore, Hong Kong Flower Lounge, Yank Sing and Fook Lam in San Francisco and Red Emperor in Melbourne, the three of them are not able to match on food just alone. And these overseas Cantonese restaurants on their own are not even considered as the best in their own respective adopted countries, but rather we were just comparing apples with apples.<br /><br />As for service, don't even bother in these three restaurants. In peak dinning hours, as many as three groups of dinning guests can be seated on one big dinning table. The bosses don't get it. With smaller families in recent years, they should start having more smaller tables to accomodate the growth in this segment of dinning customers. Rather it has been accepted to the local dining culture and the whole process goes like this if u are in groups of 2-4pax. Chances are u will be seated with another group sharing the same big table and lazy susan, and should there still be an available space, they will slot in the regular lone ranger as well. It's like the table will have PAP, WP, SDP and maybe an independent candidate to add on to the chaos of the foods served. I am not against table sharing but not at the expense of maximising all available space and sacrificing the customers dining comfort. The dinning experience is totally ruined if u represent the non smoking party because the rest of them will be happily puffing away their Double Happiness cigarettes before, during and after the course of their dinners including those in the neighbouring tables.<br />Btw, did I mention that we were able to hear all their topics on family, party and work politics thoughout our entire meal with a shower blessing of saliva thrown in for good measure??<div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright
All contents © 2007 Chef Eric Low</div>Coolchefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07931949217991230913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543033.post-18720552783765762582008-09-18T13:23:00.009+08:002008-09-18T14:17:29.267+08:00Big Flavours in Toa Payoh<div align="center"><strong><span style="color:#990000;">Chua Seng Huat Seafood Restaurant</span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="color:#990000;">No 9 Toa Payoh Industrial Park</span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="color:#990000;">Lorong 8 Toa Payoh</span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="color:#990000;">Tel 62540896</span></strong></div><div align="center"></div><div align="left">In the twenty years that I have been a chef, there is a Cze Char (dishes cook upon order) restaurant whose owner’s dishes were exceptionally memorable to me. I used to take the opportunities of enjoying his dishes for granted. The story about it is because the owner of this restaurant is a key sponsor to a few of the Teochew clans and temples associations that I belong to and hence whenever there are festive celebrations or funerals, he is sure to be the one there feeding everyone regardless of the occasion. The restaurant that I am talking about here is Chua Seng Huat located at the industrial canteen of Lorong 8 Toa Payoh and the person I refer to is Seng Chong “Chek” or uncle as we address him in Teochew. This unpretentious boss of the Cze Char has the pattern of the “chow ah chek” uncles like those u see hanging around Singapore Pools Turf Club betting outlets on the weekends. You wouldn’t even think he’s the towkay(boss) at first glance as he is often at the back of the house checking on stocks or cutting ingredients for his personally trained chef. Yes, at his age, Seng Chong “Chek” has learnt to take it easy with life. Moreover I can also say he has trained his chef well too as most of his signature dishes are able to be replicate by his chef.<br />Till today if u want to enjoy Seng Chong “Chek” dishes on the weekends, it is better to make reservations than having to wait for a table and watch others tuck in first. What you will get is a table laid out similar to those Chinese dinners for festive occasions in the seventies minus the soda lime glasses. Some dishes will require advance orders and this include his signature suckling pig or shark’s fin dishes.<br />In the years that I have been eating dishes put out by their catering team, if u are able to ignore the sometimes “aunties mafia” service attitudes or ambience factor, there is nothing else to pick about. Some of Seng Chong’s dishes that I have always enjoyed include:</div><div align="left"><strong></strong></div><div align="left"><strong>Superior Sharks’ Fin Soup</strong>- Do not expect this to come in a big bowl with the fins all dispersed around the starchy stock laced with beaten egg. Instead, every time we have the fins, it is always put out in a deep serving plate with the entire comb of fins sitting on top of a mound of freshly picked flower crabmeat. The lovely slightly thickened broth is then laced over and accompanying garnishes like fresh bean sprouts, sliced ham and coriander leaves are topped over the fins. When u have it with a dash of XO Brandy, it is a fantastic synergy of flavours and classic eating cultures.</div><br /><div align="left"><strong>Suckling Pig-</strong> Different from Cantonese Style of having the skin crystal smooth and shiny, the Teochew version has the piglet skin on coarse and crackly. The piglet also has a touch of spiciness and a thin ratio of fat and skin. Instead of Hoi Sin sauce, it is dipped in sweet soy sauce. While the dish may look simple, the skill lies in roasting it on the open fire pitch to achieved its sensational crispiness. Definitely a hard piece of work.</div><br /><div align="left"><strong>Braised Duck Web</strong>- One of their key specialities, requires advance order and available around festive season. Slowly braised in soy sauce until the gelatine tenderizes, the flavourful duck web is served on lightly sautéed iceberg lettuce. Many older folks will love this dish for sure.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SNHv8BgmQCI/AAAAAAAACr4/KvfPPdtfkR8/s1600-h/Stir+Fried+Shrimps+with+Kow+Wong.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247238855339687970" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SNHv8BgmQCI/AAAAAAAACr4/KvfPPdtfkR8/s200/Stir+Fried+Shrimps+with+Kow+Wong.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SNHtqNbSwNI/AAAAAAAACrg/tRBTml24tNw/s1600-h/IMG_1766.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247236350277763282" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SNHtqNbSwNI/AAAAAAAACrg/tRBTml24tNw/s200/IMG_1766.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SNHtqfTjjvI/AAAAAAAACro/Y7a_gyUM5RY/s1600-h/IMG_1769.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247236355077148402" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SNHtqfTjjvI/AAAAAAAACro/Y7a_gyUM5RY/s200/IMG_1769.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><strong>Prawns with White Leeks and Crispy Flat Fish</strong>- this teochew classic not to be missed, only ang ka prawns are used for this dish and they are one of the best as these prawns are caught from the wild and cannot be farmed. Hence this dish is also subject to daily availability in the markets. In the banquets, Seng Chong uses the large size ones that are nice plump and juicy. Lightly sautéed with White Chives, Shaoxing Wine and fish sauce, the finishing touch of adding crispy fried flat fish pieces gives an additional contrast in textures, toasty fragrance to the dish.<br /></div><div align="left"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247234659455986770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SNHsHyn97FI/AAAAAAAACrQ/30vd2iutYfY/s400/Chestnuts+Chicken+2.JPG" border="0" /><strong>Chestnuts chicken</strong>-My utilmate favourite whereby a whole chicken is stuffed with chestnuts, carrots and mushrooms, wrapped in cellophane paper and steamed for more than 2 hours until tender and melt in the mouth softness. Usually on first bit, it is heavenly orgasmic on the palate. As all the natural jus of the chicken is also entrapped within the package, it makes the sauce very flavourful and tasty especially with rice. So good the N and I can just order this and finish it off with rice and a simple vegetable dish. </div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SNHw2xkjzlI/AAAAAAAACsI/Ta3DXkUvrN0/s1600-h/Hay+Cho+.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247239864673619538" style="CURSOR: hand" height="220" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SNHw2xkjzlI/AAAAAAAACsI/Ta3DXkUvrN0/s320/Hay+Cho+.JPG" width="296" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SNHw3O4p9WI/AAAAAAAACsQ/FJMNg7lt9aY/s1600-h/ornee.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247239872542537058" style="WIDTH: 290px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 222px" height="218" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SNHw3O4p9WI/AAAAAAAACsQ/FJMNg7lt9aY/s320/ornee.JPG" width="298" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="left"><strong>Prawn Rolls</strong>- Traditionally wrapped in pigs' caul but simplified with beancurd skin in today’s standards, the good thing about them is u get more prawns than pork in the rolls here. Also less starch is used as a binder, the taste is more delicate and not heavy.</div><div align="left"><strong></strong></div><div align="left"><strong>Steamed Teochew style Pomfret-</strong> The ultimate challenge for any reputable Teochew restaurant. The way the fish is pre cut before steaming, control of fire and precision timing is extremely crucial for this dish and experience counts as u monitor these three factors for each fish that goes in to the steamer. The best part of the dish is not the fish itself but the resulting broth from the steaming process. True connoisseurs of this dish will slurp the broth first before going for the fish. By far, Seng Chong’s steamed fish has been very consistent compared to other players like Lee Gui (Ah Hoi) which unfortunately screwed up a small size grouper for me during my last visit.<br /><strong></strong></div><div align="left"><strong>Prawns with Tofu-</strong> Most restaurants/tze char uses commercially made egg tofu for this dish. Here it is different as the tofu is made in house, hence smoother, softer and tastier. This is one of N and my favourites.<br /><strong></strong></div><div align="left"><strong>Cereal prawns-</strong> Quality of prawns used deserves a mention. Large size angka prawns gives the dish a really good bite not to mention the fragrant cereals complimenting it. As the prawns are wild caught, be sure to ask before ordering as some days the sizes are not that fantastically big so u could be disappointed.<br /><strong></strong></div><div align="left"><strong>Kailan with Bean curd Puffs</strong>- Tired of just having your greens with oyster sauce, throw in the bean curd puffs and the dish is a lot more tasty with the fried notes of the puffs giving the boring dish a new dimension of aroma and flavour.<br /><br /><strong>Sea Cucumber with Braised Duck</strong>- I could eat a whole pot with rice and be very happy about it. No ducky yucky smell from the meat, very tender and aromatic from the spices used and not to mentions the gelatinous bite of the sea cucumber contrasted by crunchy snow peas and the ooh la la savoury gravy to wet your rice with.<br /><br /><strong>Kong Bak Pau-</strong> U may think this only for Chinese funerals, but here, families with three generations in tow will sure to order this dish and the older folks know that this one of Seng Chong’s best dish. If u take care to remove some of the excess fat (only some, not all!!) and lace the warm soft buns with enough coriander, it actually does not taste that greasy. The coriander leaves inject a fresh burst of flavour on bite and brings out the warmth of flavours from the steamed braised pork belly.<br /><br /><strong>Or Nee-</strong> This is one place that serves the unadulterated versions of sweetened yam paste with only pumpkin and gingko nuts in a clear syrup, not coconut milk. The yams are very fragrant and if my guess is correct, there is a touch of shallot infused pork lard in the dessert though I do not detect it regularly. It is sinful yes, but that is also the real tradition hence this dessert is never served in big portions.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright
All contents © 2007 Chef Eric Low</div>Coolchefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07931949217991230913noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543033.post-38655757991498644252008-07-12T16:46:00.004+08:002008-07-12T17:14:34.971+08:00Reunion with a New Era of Cuisine<div align="center"><strong>Xin Cuisine Restaurant</strong> </div><div align="center">Holiday Inn Atrium</div><div align="center">317 Outram Road</div><div align="center">Singapore, 169075 </div><div align="center">Tel: 67330188</div>There were only eleven of us on the table and quite a number of them were the who’s who in the chefs industry of Singapore. But to us, it was more of a night of reunion and supporting a fellow comrade who was settling down to a revamp of a restaurant that has been the playground of his many innovative dishes. The host of the night was Chef D K, a veteran in the culinary industry who has found new love again with the hotel that once propelled him to one of the peaks of his career. On the table were others who have in one way or another helped to shape the culinary scene of what it is today in Singapore.<br />But to all of us who were there, it was more of a reunion of ex colleagues working together at different times in different sets spanning three different hotels (The former Westin Stamford and Plaza, Marina Mandarin and Raffles Hotels) . All of us have made good one way or another as Executive Chefs of the respective organisations that we are in as none of us are working in a same establishment.<br />The restaurant we are all in together tonight is Xin Cuisine @ the Holiday Inn Atrium. Recently refurbished, the menu underwent a renovation too with Chef Daniel returning to helm the hotel’s kitchens. Always recognised as one of the trendsetting Chinese restaurants in Singapore and also for its excellent dim sum, post renovations see the revamp of platting and service from platters to individual plates and a more personalised hospitality with little extras of special pre and post tea blends, hot towels and a food friendly wine list. It helps when the F&B Director is also a professional chef by training. Food wise, Chef D worked with Xin’s resident Chinese Chef to introduce a subtle Western touch to the oriental face of Xin’s signature dishes. Why subtle? Well, to be precise, only as and where applicable and without trying too hard to fuse every dish.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222050698961144626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHhzcW6oyzI/AAAAAAAACnI/RRkaycLpPTU/s320/IMG_1806.JPG" border="0" />We started with Suckling Pig Crackling on Yam and Pumpkin cake. The trio of crackling baby piglet pieces, each with a layer of juicy lean meat, came with a spicy tasting hoi sin sauce that look to me has been altered with some form of flavour improvement than being straight out of container. Why so? Well, besides the layer of chilli oil on the sauce, I could also pick up some notes of garlic and sesame nuttiness from within. The yam and pumpkin cake was like a carved out Swiss roesti but the lightly spiced cake also went very well with the hoi sin sauce.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222050698761694802" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHhzcWLFblI/AAAAAAAACnQ/2AS-tQdnK_M/s320/IMG_1808.JPG" border="0" />Soups are one of the dishes that reflect a chef’s patience and sincerity. There are no shortcuts in making a real good soup that taste more like an essence than a broth. Chef D pampered us through each bowl of consommé clear double boiled chicken essence with a generous dose of Chinese-fan shaped cartilages of fin, complimented with flavourful thigh meat pieces and scrapings of velvety smooth young coconut flesh. So good was the soup, nobody noticed the missing traditional condiments of pepper and vinegar from the table.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222050701807301410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHhzchhNsyI/AAAAAAAACnY/mN_uQVN2QVU/s320/IMG_1813.JPG" border="0" />Personally I am not a fan of lobster because many a time for me, it always comes about overcooked but I do appreciate the effort to get it done at the right doneness which can make it succulent and nice. Hence when biting onto a roll of Breaded Lobster with Wine Infused Rice Dumpling, this was another success story to me in a long time since I had lobster. To achieve the desired taste, the control of fire in handling this crustacean is very important and experience play a crucial role to this. The breaded lobster roll stuffed with asparagus and salted egg was crispy yet not oily nor tough. The glutinous rice coated dumpling was also extracted out of the steamer at the right moment but somehow I felt that the wine notes did not come through that impactful as I would have expected. No doubt it is still a good combination of flavours just a tweak on intensity preferred.<br />The palate cleanser was not a sorbet as many would have expected but a cool shot of pandan infusion with preserve plum (Suan Mei) juice. Preserved plum juice drinks in this part of the world are always thought to be a good throat relief for multiple meal courses dinners and minor throat ailments. The pandan infusion was felt as a nice background with a calm soothing effect like camomile tea.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222052101352266290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHh0t_OvGjI/AAAAAAAACng/CXrKqVyhLSQ/s320/IMG_1816.JPG" border="0" />Beef and mushrooms have always been a traditional pairing in many different cuisines around the world. Somehow the earthiness of mushrooms makes it a lovely companion to the muskiness of beef and the natural glutamates enhancing effect of the mushrooms makes the beef taste even more beefy than ever. True gourmets will always attain to this regardless the type of beef and mushrooms chosen. Hence the Wok Seared Wagyu Beef Rolls with Premium Mushroom is an inspiration cooked from classical pairings in a new culinary retrospect. With two rolls in a portion, I took one with the button mushroom puree that it was sitting on enjoying one of the best matches of ingredients and dipped the other into a more robust intense garlic soy dipping sauce. Both versions scored in my opinion, it doesn’t matter which side of the plate u are on. To fully enjoy the beef tenderness and melt in mouth sensation, the chef has cleverly left the centre core of the meat roll underdone for us.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222052097280632370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHh0twD-5jI/AAAAAAAACno/m0-cwrUY3m4/s320/IMG_1818.JPG" border="0" />Breaking away from classical practice, fish in modern Chinese restaurants no longer come in a complete anatomy as the traditional mindsets deem it fit. Fillets of choice breeds like grouper, marble goby and codfish seem the norm these days. We got grouper tonight. As a keen fisherman, I can tell you that the genetic nature and lifestyle of the fish does have an effect on the taste. Groupers make one of the tastiest fillets due to its sedentary nature of feeding, preferring to ambush than chase and hunt for its prey. It has a delicate sweetness and best to appreciate au natural or just to dress it with very light flavours. Hence I didn’t quite agree with Chef D serving the steamed fish smeared and gas torched with a double shot aioli (garlic mayonnaise). I am not saying that the sauce was no good; in fact it is so that it could even stand on its own, just that it was a David and Goliath pairing in terms of flavours, the fish being David this time. The beautifully pungent aioli with have been a fairer match to oily fishes like cod or salmon but for groupers, simple subtleness is the key to me to unlock their potentials.<br />What really captivated my senses was the Combination of Steam Rice in Bamboo Leaves. Glutinous, Thai Jasmine and US Wild Rice were cooked together, each releasing their merits into the successful synergy that was compliment by the fragrance of the fresh bamboo leaves it was served it. Glutinous rice contributed to the velvety texture on palate, Thai Jasmine gave the dish its aroma and the Wild Rice added colour contrasts with the two formers and a dimension of nuttiness toasty fragrance. The right combination sends a rice lover like me back to appreciating the taste of one of the most basic food ingredients of life unadulterated.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222052104368158642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHh0uKdx97I/AAAAAAAACnw/Yhogk1L-CsI/s320/IMG_1821.JPG" border="0" />While most Chinese desserts are predictable, putting an element of surprise does raise the bar of expectations. The thrill came in the form of Sesame Crusted Glutinous Rice Ball on a Steamed Thousand Layer Cake. Inside each ball, was intense liquor infused chocolate piece. Upon cooking the rice ball and serving it hot, we bit into a burst of the melting chocolate and explosion of liquor sensation which simply blows you away with an unexpected Wow! Whatever that flowed out and was not captured on the palate, the sensational liquid is contained within the thousand layer cake below which also doubles as a background cushion for the sesame ball. It can be quite a heavy ending for some to the meal we had but I am not complaining about the lovely surprise that came with it.<br />Putting aside business rivalry, this rare opportunity of chefs gathering around good food and wines does make the eating experience a lot more intellectual and enriching. I myself, for sure will come back again to check on their much exclaimed excellent dim sum.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright
All contents © 2007 Chef Eric Low</div>Coolchefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07931949217991230913noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543033.post-46750668319125570282008-06-12T13:08:00.010+08:002008-07-06T09:15:29.956+08:00Desert GrubOne of the things in life that brings people together is food. So right in the middle of the congress here in Dubai, one of the key highlights is their cuisine hospitality. Arab cultures defines that all guests must be welcomed with big feasts with big portions and big amount of varieties. It does not matter what type of food u have on the table, it must be presented in big portions so that the host is seen as generous with plenty to go around. Well, in the five days of arabic hospitality, we did went through quite a bit and it was also a good opportunity to revisit the world of Arabic flavours dominated by Lebanese and Iranian influences. It evoked memories of time spent in Riyadh in 2000 as well as preparing those dishes that were served to Arab royalties when I was Executive Sous Chef onboard Lady Moura. As the Emirates modernise, so do the people's taste buds and they have a growing appetite for Thai, Malaysian, Indian and Mediterranean Flavours. Below are pictures of the displays and buffet lines we had during the 4 day congress. <div><div>Different kinds of starters, Arabic mezzes, hummus tahini, salads....<a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAXYlRsRlI/AAAAAAAACkQ/KKpwSBCnU_0/s1600-h/DSC_0219.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219697679213020754" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAXYlRsRlI/AAAAAAAACkQ/KKpwSBCnU_0/s200/DSC_0219.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAXY8jKDSI/AAAAAAAACkY/3gmW2QDPkDI/s1600-h/DSC_0397.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219697685460290850" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAXY8jKDSI/AAAAAAAACkY/3gmW2QDPkDI/s200/DSC_0397.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAXYjOVAfI/AAAAAAAACkI/P_hnnCN3dL8/s1600-h/DSC_0212.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219697678662042098" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAXYjOVAfI/AAAAAAAACkI/P_hnnCN3dL8/s200/DSC_0212.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Main highlight of the hot dishes was the Camel Meat Briyani which the hump was used as the center piece.</div><div><div><div><div><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAYeP8Np1I/AAAAAAAACkg/N8KyxaJox3g/s1600-h/DSC_0216.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219698876076631890" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAYeP8Np1I/AAAAAAAACkg/N8KyxaJox3g/s200/DSC_0216.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAYeaMjLHI/AAAAAAAACko/M3oBV1L8Q0g/s1600-h/DSC_0381.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219698878829505650" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAYeaMjLHI/AAAAAAAACko/M3oBV1L8Q0g/s200/DSC_0381.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAYeuEEatI/AAAAAAAACkw/xtmq_FPUD2Y/s1600-h/DSC_0422.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219698884162644690" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAYeuEEatI/AAAAAAAACkw/xtmq_FPUD2Y/s200/DSC_0422.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAZVXZ1qHI/AAAAAAAAClA/4M8X3BRriqk/s1600-h/DSC_0536.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219699822972741746" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAZVXZ1qHI/AAAAAAAAClA/4M8X3BRriqk/s200/DSC_0536.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAZVHuiBYI/AAAAAAAACk4/LPuzh8EUQRc/s1600-h/DSC_0521.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219699818764567938" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAZVHuiBYI/AAAAAAAACk4/LPuzh8EUQRc/s200/DSC_0521.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAZVdIGk0I/AAAAAAAAClI/afZx6WD7dC0/s1600-h/DSC_0522.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219699824508965698" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAZVdIGk0I/AAAAAAAAClI/afZx6WD7dC0/s200/DSC_0522.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div>The fantastic cheese selection of imported and local Arabic cheeses....</div><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAa_9qxZkI/AAAAAAAAClw/EGZwOjJgwR4/s1600-h/DSC_0400.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219701654310446658" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAa_9qxZkI/AAAAAAAAClw/EGZwOjJgwR4/s200/DSC_0400.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAbADcFHzI/AAAAAAAACl4/x6c-U6o2Wf4/s1600-h/DSC_0202.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219701655859437362" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAbADcFHzI/AAAAAAAACl4/x6c-U6o2Wf4/s200/DSC_0202.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAb1DlgnzI/AAAAAAAACmQ/2t0S6uFA3io/s1600-h/DSC_0201.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219702566432055090" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAb1DlgnzI/AAAAAAAACmQ/2t0S6uFA3io/s200/DSC_0201.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAb1FmRQiI/AAAAAAAACmY/cZNRO62IA7A/s1600-h/DSC_0220.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219702566972113442" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAb1FmRQiI/AAAAAAAACmY/cZNRO62IA7A/s200/DSC_0220.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAb0-tsmNI/AAAAAAAACmI/xtFkK-s-g8w/s1600-h/DSC_0200.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219702565124217042" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAb0-tsmNI/AAAAAAAACmI/xtFkK-s-g8w/s200/DSC_0200.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAb1ZHjrYI/AAAAAAAACmg/czRxaajohP4/s1600-h/DSC_0215.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219702572212006274" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAb1ZHjrYI/AAAAAAAACmg/czRxaajohP4/s200/DSC_0215.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Desserts were a mass orgy of everything from all cultures....from mousses to jellies, cakes and the ultimate muhallahbia....</div><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAZ7GvohBI/AAAAAAAAClQ/enKizZv63dM/s1600-h/DSC_0494.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219700471335781394" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAZ7GvohBI/AAAAAAAAClQ/enKizZv63dM/s200/DSC_0494.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAZ7hc_EyI/AAAAAAAAClY/6SV-KDoQPmQ/s1600-h/DSC_0495.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219700478505325346" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAZ7hc_EyI/AAAAAAAAClY/6SV-KDoQPmQ/s200/DSC_0495.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAZ8NXdq1I/AAAAAAAAClg/LMdmL_S26uM/s1600-h/DSC_0509.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219700490293324626" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAZ8NXdq1I/AAAAAAAAClg/LMdmL_S26uM/s200/DSC_0509.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAa_qC_PQI/AAAAAAAAClo/hCPIMcGPplU/s1600-h/DSC_0512.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219701649043307778" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAa_qC_PQI/AAAAAAAAClo/hCPIMcGPplU/s200/DSC_0512.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAbAZY2-yI/AAAAAAAACmA/IhxfljZH9A0/s1600-h/DSC_0192.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219701661751507746" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAbAZY2-yI/AAAAAAAACmA/IhxfljZH9A0/s200/DSC_0192.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAcZJqPoII/AAAAAAAACmo/zI0PkRWIr2o/s1600-h/DSC_0498.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219703186537816194" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SHAcZJqPoII/AAAAAAAACmo/zI0PkRWIr2o/s200/DSC_0498.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright
All contents © 2007 Chef Eric Low</div>Coolchefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07931949217991230913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543033.post-17866086746785584352008-06-11T12:58:00.004+08:002008-06-12T00:25:40.305+08:00Desert AdventuresWell, the dust has finally settled for me since coming back from Dubai. After clearing all the backlog and recovering from a bout of severe food poisoning, I am ready to blog once again on sharing what we went through in Dubai.<br />Though Team Singapore did not win the WACS Presidium, nonetheless we did won much respect and a name for ourselves from the 86 other countries who saw our close fight in the the pitch against the team from Iceland. For me, the experience of wearing national colours once again in such a international prestige event has been a learning experience on public speaking, handling of media and building up new network of friendships with chefs from around the world.<br />Some of the main highlights on the Congress:<br /><strong>Congress Opening Day 1</strong><br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_mvBC306I/AAAAAAAACh0/0CF7zo4qiY0/s1600-h/DSC_0123.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210636989299676066" style="CURSOR: hand" height="194" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_mvBC306I/AAAAAAAACh0/0CF7zo4qiY0/s320/DSC_0123.JPG" width="293" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_mvYV_AFI/AAAAAAAACh8/t1a5x5cgt78/s1600-h/DSC_0132.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210636995553853522" style="WIDTH: 293px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 193px" height="193" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_mvYV_AFI/AAAAAAAACh8/t1a5x5cgt78/s320/DSC_0132.JPG" width="300" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(With Elvin, Singapore Junior Chefs Club) (Congress Main Dinning Hall)</span><br /><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_nyn3TDaI/AAAAAAAACiM/gSDnYydPKVg/s1600-h/DSC_0141.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210638150771346850" style="CURSOR: hand" height="189" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_nyn3TDaI/AAAAAAAACiM/gSDnYydPKVg/s320/DSC_0141.JPG" width="294" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_nyaRj05I/AAAAAAAACiE/T86pWqP7fAE/s1600-h/DSC_0137.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210638147123401618" style="CURSOR: hand" height="190" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_nyaRj05I/AAAAAAAACiE/T86pWqP7fAE/s320/DSC_0137.JPG" width="300" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(Arabic welcome with rotan, chanting and drums) (SG/Msian Chefs, Peter,Me, Audee and Yen (SG))</span><br /><br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_pUc4m5hI/AAAAAAAACiY/mVThei7GZWE/s1600-h/DSC_0167.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210639831451231762" style="CURSOR: hand" height="190" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_pUc4m5hI/AAAAAAAACiY/mVThei7GZWE/s320/DSC_0167.JPG" width="296" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_pUxsDvPI/AAAAAAAACig/U0LyQS5cYoQ/s1600-h/DSC_0177.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210639837035740402" style="CURSOR: hand" height="188" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_pUxsDvPI/AAAAAAAACig/U0LyQS5cYoQ/s320/DSC_0177.JPG" width="290" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(Our Mongolian friends in WACS for the first time!) (Outgoing President F. Metz delivers his last address)</span><br /><br /><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_q6VVD8JI/AAAAAAAACiw/XLsRsnyrWQc/s1600-h/DSC_0242.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210641581769748626" style="CURSOR: hand" height="192" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_q6VVD8JI/AAAAAAAACiw/XLsRsnyrWQc/s320/DSC_0242.JPG" width="292" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_q5yQtk0I/AAAAAAAACio/xuiTnDj-wEg/s1600-h/DSC_0255.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210641572356264770" style="CURSOR: hand" height="190" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_q5yQtk0I/AAAAAAAACio/xuiTnDj-wEg/s320/DSC_0255.JPG" width="293" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(Team Singapore making our Presidium Bid ppt.) (86 countries in attendance)</span><br /><strong>Congress Day 2:</strong><br />Countries Pitching to be the host for WACS congress 2012: India, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Portugal<br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_sVlK9eCI/AAAAAAAACi4/fla-tL5zLeo/s1600-h/DSC_0336.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210643149390444578" style="CURSOR: hand" height="187" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_sVlK9eCI/AAAAAAAACi4/fla-tL5zLeo/s320/DSC_0336.JPG" width="295" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_sV3kr0lI/AAAAAAAACjA/bvUKh8oKtMU/s1600-h/DSC_0340.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210643154330178130" style="CURSOR: hand" height="186" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_sV3kr0lI/AAAAAAAACjA/bvUKh8oKtMU/s320/DSC_0340.JPG" width="293" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(S Korean team with Da Chang Jin as part of their pitch) (India Delegation making presentation)</span><br /><br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_vqYDuLJI/AAAAAAAACjY/nRrMj96Q1zA/s1600-h/DSC_0392.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210646805182557330" style="CURSOR: hand" height="186" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_vqYDuLJI/AAAAAAAACjY/nRrMj96Q1zA/s320/DSC_0392.JPG" width="294" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_tymkWiWI/AAAAAAAACjI/x5326w2cIT4/s1600-h/DSC_0395.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210644747493214562" style="CURSOR: hand" height="185" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_tymkWiWI/AAAAAAAACjI/x5326w2cIT4/s320/DSC_0395.JPG" width="291" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(Anxiety before results) (South Korea wins the bid to be host for 2012)</span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210647194522553778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_wBCdnDbI/AAAAAAAACjg/mdotIgIyd58/s400/P1010158.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-size:85%;">(I was tasked to lead the congress in observing a moment of silence in respect to victims of the China Sichuan Earthquake)<br /></span>Congress Day 3: We lost the bid to Iceland<br /><br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_0iJDHU2I/AAAAAAAACjo/tmOg7w2ngOY/s1600-h/DSC_0550.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210652161272664930" style="CURSOR: hand" height="193" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_0iJDHU2I/AAAAAAAACjo/tmOg7w2ngOY/s320/DSC_0550.JPG" width="294" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_0ifv5PuI/AAAAAAAACjw/t9y903yK4L8/s1600-h/DSC_0553.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210652167366065890" style="CURSOR: hand" height="192" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_0ifv5PuI/AAAAAAAACjw/t9y903yK4L8/s320/DSC_0553.JPG" width="295" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(Chef Eric Teo having a light moment with our Junior Chefs) (One of the best souvenir pictures)</span><br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_19CTwl0I/AAAAAAAACj4/LdYH-j5YPtA/s1600-h/DSC_0776.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210653722831525698" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_19CTwl0I/AAAAAAAACj4/LdYH-j5YPtA/s320/DSC_0776.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">Chefs Anderson Ho and Tiffany Yeo representing Singapore for the Global Chefs Challenge, we pulled in the best media prize for this event!!</span></p><p align="center"><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_19h5453I/AAAAAAAACkA/FLxyrz503xE/s1600-h/P1010157.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210653731312953202" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SE_19h5453I/AAAAAAAACkA/FLxyrz503xE/s320/P1010157.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><span style="font-size:85%;">(On behalf of the Chinese Cuisne Association/Shanghai Chapter, I delivered their message of thanks to the Congress members with regards to their care,concern and immediate action following the Sichuan earthquake disaster.)</span><br /><br />Coming up next.... all the desert grub we had for the 5 days!<div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright
All contents © 2007 Chef Eric Low</div>Coolchefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07931949217991230913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543033.post-44205191793196612652008-05-10T10:23:00.005+08:002008-05-10T10:53:21.419+08:00Team Singapore Goes to Dubai!!<a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SCUN6o0N0dI/AAAAAAAAChs/ETxVY5ZCALs/s1600-h/Team+Singapore+for+WACS+Presidium.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198576645909107154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SCUN6o0N0dI/AAAAAAAAChs/ETxVY5ZCALs/s200/Team+Singapore+for+WACS+Presidium.jpg" border="0" /></a>With support and endorsements from Workforce Development Agency, Singapore Tourism Board, IE Singapore and the Singapore Chefs Association, Team Singapore will be in Dubai from 10th-15th of May contesting for the running of the next Presidium of the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS). The writer of this blog is proud and honoured to be nominated for the post of Secretary General to this prestigious appointment and together with the team will do all we can to bring back for the first time in history the running of the biggest Chefs Association in the world to Singapore. At this moment, the team has only been featured in Lian He Zaobao (official Chinese Press Singapore)<br /><br /><br /><div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright
All contents © 2007 Chef Eric Low</div>Coolchefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07931949217991230913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543033.post-4236484496603656992008-05-08T23:51:00.010+08:002008-05-10T01:26:28.271+08:00Gut Instincts<div align="center"><strong>Mag's Wine Kitchen</strong><br /></div><div><div><div align="center">86 Circular Road </div><div align="center">Singapore 049086</div><div align="center">Tel: 6438-3836 </div><div>Two weeks ago, N and I resume our weekend resolution to eat in one nice place for each week. After an earlier disappointing round at Wood in Vivo City, it only reaffirmed my vibe to blog on restaurants which are reputed to be good by word of mouth and are at least six months old or more than that. Most of Singapore’s food media and blogs tend to chase after new openings to create stories while I prefer to be the one to keep those well hyped places in check for consistency and the badly thrashed ones a second chance after more than six months of operations. I have had both positive and negative experiences, some just went downhill after getting all slammed with a positive review while some badly thrashed ones actually did a reverse damage control by a major overhaul and enjoyed new successes with word of mouth publicity.<br />This time round our place in check was Mag's Wine Kitchen. A small cozy outfit that can fill not more than 30pax, daily menus reflect what are the best things Chef Magdelene can get from her purveyors or the markets for each day and are crafted from there. Chef Magdelene Tang, is a self taught chef whose previous experience used to be playing with numbers in the banking industry. Now she toys with fresh produce everyday in here little open concept kitchen at the rear corner of the restaurant. If u have a “textbook” mentality towards food, best not to try here. You NEED to be adventurous and trust your dinner menu completely to Mag if u want to be able to fully <a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SCSIGo0N0RI/AAAAAAAACgM/yHwACA83nBA/s1600-h/IMG_1359.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198429517509415186" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SCSIGo0N0RI/AAAAAAAACgM/yHwACA83nBA/s200/IMG_1359.jpg" border="0" /></a>appreciate her culinary talents.<br />I started with Tian of Crabmeat which was a ring formatted tile of fresh crabmeat dressed with wasabi, mayonnaise and tobiko. The creamy mixed crabmeat contrasted well against the little bubbles of tobiko which when burst on palette, released subtle streaks of briny flavours. The micro greens of purple sisho leaves did more than just as a pretty garnish. When chewed on, they release a mint herbal fragrance that refreshed the palate very well against the seafood notes of the crabmeat and tobiko.<br /><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SCSHd40N0PI/AAAAAAAACf8/br14aEJGdPE/s1600-h/IMG_1357.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198428817429745906" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SCSHd40N0PI/AAAAAAAACf8/br14aEJGdPE/s200/IMG_1357.jpg" border="0" /></a>N chose to have the Seared Scallops as starters. The Hokkaido scallops are widely known to be one of the most flavourful varieties and are distinguished by their slightly yellowish brown colour in comparison to their creamy white cousins from US or Canada. Despite their smaller size, they have more concentrated flavours than the bigger white scallops and when seared nicely, they are absolutely wonderful to have just with a simple touched of salt and freshly grounded pepper. A small bouquet of fresh greens laced with a drizzle of balsamic dressing complimented the duo of scallops<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198430041495425314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SCSIlI0N0SI/AAAAAAAACgU/wPPWTGlEbLw/s320/IMG_1368.jpg" border="0" />Main courses were instant winners with us both the beef and pork. N’s Angus fillet was done right at medium rare and the home made wine laden demi glace was a not only a compliment to the lovely beef, it also synergized very well with the truffle oil flavoured mash potato. The rich demi glace was so good that I volunteered to mop the remaining sauce up with bread when N was done with her piece of meat.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198430054380327218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SCSIl40N0TI/AAAAAAAACgc/qNBRhTTmKlM/s320/IMG_1375.jpg" border="0" />My thick slab of kurobuta pork loin was equally fantastic with the meat perfectly just cooked although I know some people might still find it squeamish to have little pinkish streaks in the centre of the pork. It was so juicy on its own that I felt the sauce was kind of redundant but the petite pineapple salsa held up well against the lightly seasoned pork. Its acidity cut away some of the richness and some how I have always liked the flavour of pineapples against seafood and meats like poultry and pork. Needless to say, both main courses scored well in terms of expectations.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198430406567645506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SCSI6Y0N0UI/AAAAAAAACgk/X3Cp1tFCag0/s320/IMG_1381.jpg" border="0" />We made the right decision to order two portions of desserts through gut feel. Normally we would share one or have two different choices but the calling of that moment was to have two of the Chocolate Fondant with Home Made Vanilla Ice cream. While the name of the dessert may sound so familiar already, the way it tasted was still something to shout about. Yes, we waited twenty minutes for it as preempted and it was every bit worth it. The piping hot fondant came with oozing chocolate lava in the center and the little specks on the ice cream stamped on the confirmation that real natural vanilla pods were used to make the heavenly tasting dessert.<br />Value perception lies in the eye of the beholder but given the prices and portions we paid, I would love to come back here again soon despites the cramp but cosy ambience. Some may not like it but as a chef myself, I do appreciate the smells of cooking almost immediately when we walk in as that is the best prelude to a delicious dinner soon to come.</div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright
All contents © 2007 Chef Eric Low</div>Coolchefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07931949217991230913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543033.post-11420957778417219902008-04-23T21:42:00.005+08:002008-04-25T23:41:53.504+08:00Village People<div align="center"><strong>Soon Heng Prawn Noodles</strong><br /></div><div align="center"><strong>Alexandra Village Hawkers Center</strong><br /></div><div align="center"><strong>#01-53</strong></div><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192454415473580866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SA9Nx7K2G0I/AAAAAAAACd8/Ae2ioUSN_Sw/s400/IMG_1417.jpg" border="0" />Somehow always in between haute cuisine, its always good to go back to our roots and enjoy something simple and familar in taste. With WGS and FHA on going simultaneously, a nights off from the socialising events meant I could have a break to enjoy local hawkers fare without much fuss. </p><p>One of my recent discovery was the above mentioned stall that sells Singapore Style Prawn Mee Soup. While it is no where near in terms of quality comparison with the Penang version, still it is one of the better stalls that I have come across. Using my instinct to check out hawkers that are older and long standing only at a single location, this husband and wife managed stall prove that there are still some decent prawn noodles stall by local standards. I have had their noodles at different times of the day and best time is always after seven before nine in the evening when they close. The soup by now would be much richer and the pork ribs if u like, with meat falling off the bone tender. The broth is less darker but there is a nice pleasant balance of sweetness and savoury notes with a very meaty profile. Serve in aged porcelain bowls like what many of us used to know with push cart hawkers 20-30 years again, its nostalgic and I am always happy to find places that can offer memories of my childhood makan favourites again.</p><p>Btw, the Old Punggol Satay stall next to them is also very happening. I will do a short blog on them the next round when pics are ready.</p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright
All contents © 2007 Chef Eric Low</div>Coolchefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07931949217991230913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543033.post-40320337119967442102008-04-23T20:56:00.008+08:002008-04-23T21:41:12.109+08:00Bocuse D'Or Singapore Selection<a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SA85drK2GtI/AAAAAAAACdE/RYx7Uo4Ac_4/s1600-h/IMG_1072.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192432077348674258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SA85drK2GtI/AAAAAAAACdE/RYx7Uo4Ac_4/s400/IMG_1072.jpg" border="0" /></a> Despite being busy to the point of not being able to blog for the whole month, it has been a full month of good food experiences both eating out with N and key events happening in the local chefs industry.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192424848918715074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SA8y47K2GsI/AAAAAAAACc8/yHIhA6mrB9M/s320/bocuse-d%27or1.jpg" border="0" />The kick off started with Bocuse D’Or Singapore selection, a high profiled event in the global culinary world where representative competitors from 6 different continental zones meet in the finals at Lyons next year. The competition is held in honour to one of the world’s greatest chefs, Paul Bocuse. The Singapore winner will pitch his skills in the Asia region finals in Shanghai on May 30th with five others selected from countries within Asia. Only two competitors will be picked as representatives from Asia for the finals in Lyons 2009.<br />Our Singapore selection was held in the kitchens @ ITE Clementi on 15th of March. Some of the contestants include Executive Chefs Robin Ho (Marmalade Group), Edward Voon (The Cannery), Yong Bing Ngen (Majestic Restaurant), Executive Sous Chef Jeffery Siew (Merchant Court Hotel) and Sous Chef Jason Tan from Saint Julien Restaurant. The main sponsor of Bocuse D’Or is Norge who represents Norwegian seafood. Hence Norwegian Salmon was the main theme of the dishes and competitors had to cooked four main course portions from scratch within five hours. It is interesting to note that some dishes reflected the personality of the restaurants and chefs that work in them. Chef Edward Voon’s dish presented elements of molecular gastronomy with foams, gels and confit style cooking. Chef Robin showcased more on technical difficulty with alternate flavours and tastes while Chef Yong Bing Ngen stuck to his roots of interpreting Chinese classics with and modern European twist. In the end, both three won the selection and the winner was Chef Jason Tan from St Julien Restaurant.Though I wasn’t in the judging panel, I was still invited as guest to the event. Below are the other dishes that we sampled.<br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SA86DLK2GuI/AAAAAAAACdM/WYq10h6z75s/s1600-h/IMG_1064.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192432721593768674" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SA86DLK2GuI/AAAAAAAACdM/WYq10h6z75s/s200/IMG_1064.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SA86DLK2GvI/AAAAAAAACdU/fjzoj5jYSj4/s1600-h/IMG_1081.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192432721593768690" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SA86DLK2GvI/AAAAAAAACdU/fjzoj5jYSj4/s200/IMG_1081.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SA86DbK2GwI/AAAAAAAACdc/VNOgotHUVi0/s1600-h/IMG_1084.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192432725888736002" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SA86DbK2GwI/AAAAAAAACdc/VNOgotHUVi0/s200/IMG_1084.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SA86_7K2GxI/AAAAAAAACdk/MKKr7SHEbKs/s1600-h/IMG_1090.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192433765270821650" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SA86_7K2GxI/AAAAAAAACdk/MKKr7SHEbKs/s200/IMG_1090.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SA86_7K2GyI/AAAAAAAACds/4TG0tObSpjw/s1600-h/IMG_1095.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192433765270821666" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SA86_7K2GyI/AAAAAAAACds/4TG0tObSpjw/s200/IMG_1095.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SA87ALK2GzI/AAAAAAAACd0/eBJ9dlZFTUI/s1600-h/IMG_1085.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192433769565788978" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/SA87ALK2GzI/AAAAAAAACd0/eBJ9dlZFTUI/s200/IMG_1085.jpg" border="0" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright
All contents © 2007 Chef Eric Low</div>Coolchefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07931949217991230913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543033.post-41533392524235398352008-03-23T20:58:00.005+08:002008-03-23T21:17:08.175+08:00Newspaper Article 14th MarchThe writer of this blog was featured in the billingual newspaper "My Paper" last week. As usual with local press, they will ask u for tonnes of information and then only publish half the story to their readers. I have it before already with Business Times and Sunday Life, now the one below is no surprise either:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5180921662799625314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R-ZUzXhMPGI/AAAAAAAACcI/5duo-Kbi1Ko/s400/mypaper2_17Mar08_eric.jpg" border="0" />To my readers, here is the full story which u people will never see it published:<br /><br /><div>1. How were you being inducted as one of the omy bloggers?<br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Out of the blue one day two months before omy was launched, one of your colleagues got a referral about me from another referral, called me and the rest is history.</span></strong></div><div></div><div>2. What is your exact occupation and where do you ply your craft?<br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">I Cook, Host , Educate and Feed people about food professionally, ie CHEF. I started learning the craft since 16yrs old and never looked back since. I have done time in hotels, restaurants, catering, serving onboard super size megayachts and going with them around the world as well as undertaking personal chef disciplines of this profession. Currently I have spread my wings into research and development for the last five years incorporating the science of food and cooking with culinary art as a new portfolio. I practice this in the research facilities and kitchens of the world’s largest food, beverage and wellness company, N.</span></strong></div><div></div><div>3. What are some of the goals you hope to achieve through your blog now that it's being read by the multitudes?<br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Realistically I hope to share more stories about my adventures with food and cuisines around the world as I travel regularly. Also to educate more people about how chefs look at food and the art of its appreciation from a culinary expert point of view. Well reading is not really enough, to understand things better, people also should come by to experience some of the global cuisine workshops that I conduct to introduce new ideas and ways of cooking from experiences (<a href="http://www.cookwithpassion.blogspot.com/">http://www.cookwithpassion.blogspot.com/</a></span></strong><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">).<br />Singaporeans eat to be seen but often more than half of the people I talk to have no idea what they are putting in their mouths and how things should be appreciated in the different cuisines as it is in their original culture. A good example is the appreciation of Spanish cuisine in Singapore. While many are hip and hop about celebrating Italian cuisine here because it is easy to start with pizza and pasta, but nobody can really say the same about Spanish food in Singapore. Both countries share the bounties of the Mediterranean Sea, have similar kind of cheeses, hams and vegetables as their cuisine repertoire and have a strong love for the taste of pork in different ways of preparation. But just look at how many Spanish restaurants are there in Singapore in comparison with Italian restaurants not to mention those that can be really called authentic. Pardon me, but if you can’t even find padron peppers here to start with as one of the most basic form of tapas, how far else can u go?</span></strong><br /><span style="color:#cc6600;"><strong>Unrealistically, I dream that all the people who read my blog will have the same enthusiasm about food in an educated way from media, dinning experiences and reference readings of various food related publications as I do and if that happens, the Chef profession will become the most respected occupation in Singapore. Right now I can’t even say if it has made it to top twenty yet. Singaporeans generally still prefer to be served than having to serve.</strong></span></div><div><strong><span style="color:#cc6600;"></span></strong><br />4. What is it about your blog do you think will attract layman readers who haven't got a clue about fine dining and quality cuisines?</div><div><span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong>Pictures. Along with the stories of the articles, every picture says a thousand words and is self explanatory when you look at them. Also, I try to explain the emotions, feelings evolved, and the right mindset of the dinning experiences in relation to the restaurant’s environment, chefs’ skills and the complexity of preparing such dishes in a stressful environment.</strong></span></div><div><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span></strong><br />5. As a chef, what is your axiom when it comes to creating culinary delights?</div><div><span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong>Never serve food to people that you would not want to have for yourself.</strong></span></div><div><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span></strong><br />6. We all know that you are an avid traveller through your blog, please tell us about a trip or two that you remember the best and what was about it that made it so memorable - the food, the people, the sights etc?</div><div><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">1) 1998 Atlantic Crossing. Working onboard a Monaco based super yacht, we had to cross the Atlantic Ocean to Fort Lauderdale in Florida for the annual boat show there. The trip took us across the Mediterranean Sea, encountering 7 foot waves around the Gulf of Lyon. We stop at Gibraltar for fuel and took shelter again in Tenerife, Spanish Canary Islands before making the pitch to cross the ocean. We were blessed with fantastic weather and tail currents pushing us as we cross the ocean for five an half days, reaching the US Virgin Islands of St Croix. Along the way, I saw dolphins trying to chase our yacht by swimming along side us and playing with the waves created by the propellers. I admired beautiful sunsets and sunrises over the horizon and no matter how big a boat looks in port, it’s just a tiny weenie dot on the vast ocean. There was peace in appreciating the calmness if the ocean at times and we also passed an entire US Navy Carrier Battle Group of aircraft carrier, frigates and destroyers. It was an awesome sight. In the nights, it was pitch dark on deck that you could not even see your own palm. But it was so beautiful looking at the stars on clear cloudless nights.</span></strong><br /><span style="color:#000099;"><strong>2) Atlantis Bahamas Integrated Resort<br />After the boat show in Florida, we move to Paradise Island in the Bahamas for three months when the Atlantis Integrated Resort first opened in 1999. It was the most happening place on earth then with the luxurious accommodations, casinos, a few fantastic underground aquariums and lots of food and beverage outlets to choose from. Though we did not stay in the resort rooms, we still use the facilities of the resort and full access to the attractions on it. It was a memorable three months of seeing and experiencing a brand new integrated resort way even before Singapore talked about building them.<br /></strong></span><br />7. What is the dish that has you wanting to go back for more all this while? Why?<br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Mum’s Braised Chicken Wings with Carrots and Potatoes. A simple home cooked dished of braised deep fried chicken wings with soy sauce, spices, carrots and potatoes, the wings were braised till it was almost falling off the bone the taste of it very balanced with a delcious balances in taste of savoury sweetness. I practically grew up with this dish from the day I could take rice as a toddler and thinking about it makes me salivate. It was especially memorable when I was away working in Europe and US and it’s a comfort food that makes me feel homesick sometimes.<br /></span></strong></div><div>8. If you meet a rat who can teach you how to cook a dish, what will it be?<br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Being born in the year of the Rat, it would be more interesting to go out and explore new dishes together.</span></strong></div><div><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span></strong><br />9. Please pick a lesser known Singaporean dish that has a potential to be known internationally a la Chicken Rice, and why so?<br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Char Kway Teow. The best plate that I have eaten comes from the tuck-shop of the old St Anthony’s Boys School in Victoria Street. It was so good that the principal had to put a stop on members of the public from coming in to the school just to eat it. Char Kway Teow is a dish of Teochew origin. But it is found around South East Asia in many different forms. In Malaysia, Penang Char Kway Teow is the best in the country. In Thailand, Pad Thai is the Tha represented version while Cambodia, and Vietnam, Char Kway Teow is kept close to its roots as the way it’s done in Shantou China. The fried noodles are served white with slight variations of condiments like prawns and pickled radish that distinguishes them from one another. Interestingly, Singapore Char Kway Teow is fried with a sweet molasses flavoured dark soya sauce and cockles. It has been widely accepted by locals and integrated as part of our local food culture. It is being widely promoted by our tourism board as one of the icons of our local hawker dishes.</span></strong><br /><br />10. Many people think that preparing fine dining takes alot of time and effort. Is this true or just plain hearsay? What was the fastest time you took to create a palatable dish? </div><div><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Fine dining recipes take skills and patience to prepare. Skills are required because of a greater technical difficulty. Patience is a must to combine the individually prepared components of a dish for example the marinating of meats, preparation of sauces and garnishes. Culinary Artistry is also required to assemble all these components into a dish. Actually it is easy to prepare these individual components but takes time to prepare them. It’s all about organizing your preparation work or misc-en-place as we call it in kitchen lingo and u can assemble a dish with cooking involved in 10-15 minutes. Many people do not understand that the high prices charged in fine dinning is to justify all these activities which they do not see as customers.</span></strong><br /><br />11. Lastly, please tell us if you would eat the things you cook or do you prefer to let others taste it instead?<br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">It is imperative that all chefs must taste their creations before serving them to customers. We are professionals so we must take responsibilities to make sure food is good when served. We taste to make the dish is right. Customers and guests should have the pleasure of enjoying the whole dish and if they do, it’s the best compliment and satisfaction to any chef. Ironically, people who cook usually loose their appetite in the process and takes about two hours later before they feel hungry again. Till then we will see what is leftover in order to decide for ourselves whether or not to eat our own dishes.</span></strong></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright
All contents © 2007 Chef Eric Low</div>Coolchefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07931949217991230913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543033.post-62062739706315556302008-03-16T20:32:00.007+08:002008-03-16T22:23:49.837+08:00Do U Get the MSG?(Message)<a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R90s-0yqHdI/AAAAAAAACas/TqLOlmUL9wE/s1600-h/chicken+adobo.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178344604380569042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R90s-0yqHdI/AAAAAAAACas/TqLOlmUL9wE/s320/chicken+adobo.jpg" border="0" /></a> As a chef, one of those things that irritates me the most when people freak out or cringe when they hear of MSG in cooking. Thanks to the media who always portray half the story of MSG in whatever articles that are published, more often than not the taste enhancer is given the bad publicity than good.<br /><div><div>During my apprentice years, a Chinese Masterchef once told me literally "no MSG, no Masterchef". His words speak of wisdom in understanding the skill of using MSG through natural occuring ingredients or as an add on ingredient during cooking process for that taste enhancement effect of the whole dish. I emphasize strongly on the word "Taste Enhancement" because there is a need to clear the air about using MSG for the above purpose and having it as a flavour substitute. To a certain extent, chefs and cooks are also responsible for the bad publicity of MSG due to a lack of knowledge in dealing with the use of this ingredient.First of all, lets look at some facts about MSG:</div><br /><div>1) It is not a food poison. US FDA and our AVA approves of its use as a food ingredient</div><div>2) It is flavourless and has no aroma</div><div>3) Like salt, sugar and fats (oil), anything in excess is not good for your body. So is MSG</div><div>4) It has a lower level of sodium that salt</div><br /><div></div><div>Different people have different tresholds for all kinds of taste, from salty to sweet, sour, bitter, spicy and umami. Can i blame chili as a bad ingredient if I am the kind of person that perspires profusely when my tastebuds are exposed to very spicy cuisine?</div><div>A good chef should know the art of creating the balance of taste in culinary artistry. The glutamate properties of MSG in naturally occuring ingredients or powder are able to effect the cause of salivation or mouth watering sensation when we eat such foods. For instance, if u bite into a sun ripen tomato, do u feel the urge to take a second bite because of flavour satisfaction? This urge is caused by the high natural occurence of MSG in tomatoes and in fact they are one the known vegetables with natural high content of MSG. Many chefs and hawkers try to cut corners for profit and laziness reasons. They think that if a little goes a long way, then the more the merrier which results in negative taste perceptions of this taste enhancement ingredient. Like salt and sugar, MSG does have a "saturation" point on our taste buds. Too much of it will cause our salivary glands to secrete excessive saliva thats results us to the point of feeling thirsty, hence the often mentioned Chinese Restaurant Syndrome. Good quality ingredients should form the basis of all dishes from the stocks and sauces used. A small dosage of MSG provides the dish with the essential amount of glutamates to the point of tickling our tastebuds with a gentle perception of savouriness and mouth watering effects. That is the proper way of using MSG in cooking so that it does not exceeds the excessive amounts that turns it into a negative effect on the palate. Sadly, many chefs/hawkers have yet to understand this fact or just cannot afford to have real quality ingredients in their recipes because of cost constraints caused by other fixed costs of operations like high rentals and labour wages. For example, u are more likely to get a lousy soup stock in mall operated food courts than in a neighbourhood hawkers center due the the difference of rentals that can be as much as a few thousand dollars a month. Below is an extract of a better understanding of the fifth taste Umami and more information of MSG not commonly published in main media.<br /></div><div><strong>Umami: The fifth taste</strong></div><div>By Julie Cabatit-Alegre </div><div>Thursday, February 21, 2008 </div><div> </div><div>If it’s not sweet or sour or bitter or salty, what else could it be? Have you heard of umami? It is believed to be the fifth primary element of taste, in addition to the four basic tastes that we were taught in grade school and are familiar with.<br />A “new taste sensation” is how The Wall Street Journal described it. It is a “universal taste,” says Kumiko Ninomiya, director of the Umami Information Center in Tokyo, Japan. Ninomiya was the guest speaker at the first Umami Symposium in Manila held recently at the Blue Leaf Pavilion in Fort Bonifacio.<br />The “new taste sensation” was, in fact, identified 100 years ago by Prof. Kikunae Ikeda at the Tokyo Imperial University from experiments he conducted in 1907. He lived for two years in Germany where there were no Japanese restaurants, and it was then he felt the longing for that distinctive taste found in Japanese food.<br />In his experiments, Ikeda found the distinctive taste present in broth made from kombu, a type of dried seaweed found in traditional Japanese cuisine. From the kombu broth, Ikeda succeeded in extracting crystals of glutamic acid or glutamate, an amino acid, which is the building block of protein. He found that glutamate had a distinctive taste, which was different from sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. He called it umami, the Japanese term for deliciousness.<br />“But umami is not the same as deliciousness, although umami is part of deliciousness,” Ninomiya explains. The tasting sessions at the symposium resulted in a lively exchange among the participants, mostly food scientists and nutritionists, university professors and researchers, as well as chefs and foodies on what exactly is umami. The participants tasted dashi, which was prepared by a Japanese chef. Dashi is a clear broth, which is essential in Japanese cooking. It uses kombu as well as dried flakes from bonito, a naturally salty-tasting deep-water type of fish. Earlier, upon entering the symposium venue, the participants also took part in a taste test where they were made to sample two small bowls of tinola soup, and rate each one according to a set of questions provided. One of the bowls was umami.<br />The “um” factor is how culinary specialist Nancy Reyes, of the family of the iconic Aristocrat Restaurant, referred to it in her talk. “It is found all over the Filipino menu,” she says, “in adobo, sinigang, sisig, nilaga, and, of course, tinola.”<br />Condiments and dipping sauces are indispensable on a Filipino table, Nancy observes, and our own fish sauce or patis has been called “umami in a bottle.” <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178330697276464482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R90gVUyqHWI/AAAAAAAACZ0/BKFrnzGMCd4/s320/pic+494.jpg" border="0" />Tomato is the most common ingredient used for umami. Nancy recalled how her grandmother, the venerable Aling Asyang, used to deputize her grandchildren to pick through large baskets of ripe tomatoes, choosing the ones at the peak of ripeness to be used in ginisa or the Spanish sofrito for sautéeing meat or vegetable with garlic, onion, and tomatoes in oil. “The overripe tomatoes are even more flavorful. They require shorter cooking time for the glutamates to be released,” Nancy explains.<br />“Adobo tastes better a day after it is cooked, when the glutamate is released and you get a rounded flavor that is umami,” she adds.<br />To enhance umami in cooking, Nancy shares the following techniques: Use heat to release the glutamate; through fermentation to produce glutamate acid (e.g. buro); add acids and pickle solution (i.e. sugar, vinegar); add onion, coconut milk and tomatoes; add MSG (monosodium glutamate).<br />MSG is said to be one of the most extensively researched food substances. On the question of safety when used as a flavor enhancer, Dr. Josefa Eusebio, president of the Philippine Glutamate Association and professor at UP-Los Baños, has this to say: “The body does not distinguish the source of glutamate, whether natural or manufactured. It is utilized by the cells in the small intestines. It is rapidly metabolized and 90 percent is used as energy. It does not accumulate in the blood stream. It is not toxic. There is no truth to the rumor that dogs die when burglars feed them MSG.”<br />Glutamate is found in mother’s milk, 10 times more than in cow’s milk. It is found in all protein-containing foods. Fermented foods are also rich in glutamate. In addition to glutamate, two other substances, which are important taste elements in natural foods — inosinate from dried bonito and guanylate from dried shiitake mushrooms — have also been identified.<br />Umami has been described as meaty or brothy. Parmesan cheese is said to be one of the most glutamate-rich foods, while mushrooms, particularly shiitake mushrooms, contain both glutamate and guanylate. Anything alive in the ocean is high in glutamate, and this includes seafood as well as sea plants, such as seaweed. The fermentation process in making fish sauce as well as soy sauce breaks down proteins, releasing flavorful glutamate.<br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R90hd0yqHXI/AAAAAAAACZ8/utjoNXGPUhE/s1600-h/Dried+Seafood.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178331942816980338" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R90hd0yqHXI/AAAAAAAACZ8/utjoNXGPUhE/s200/Dried+Seafood.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R90heUyqHYI/AAAAAAAACaE/_s6xfhR_0EQ/s1600-h/miso_img_large.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178331951406914946" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R90heUyqHYI/AAAAAAAACaE/_s6xfhR_0EQ/s200/miso_img_large.gif" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R90mQkyqHZI/AAAAAAAACaM/PPToA8aI1_M/s1600-h/parmigiano_reggiano-3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178337212741852562" style="CURSOR: hand" height="133" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R90mQkyqHZI/AAAAAAAACaM/PPToA8aI1_M/s200/parmigiano_reggiano-3.jpg" width="177" border="0" /></a> </div></div><div><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R90qMEyqHaI/AAAAAAAACaU/6I0c9WbtrE0/s1600-h/porcini.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178341533478952354" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R90qMEyqHaI/AAAAAAAACaU/6I0c9WbtrE0/s200/porcini.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R90qMUyqHbI/AAAAAAAACac/FFarRCPXHrs/s1600-h/serrano+ham.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178341537773919666" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R90qMUyqHbI/AAAAAAAACac/FFarRCPXHrs/s200/serrano+ham.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R90qM0yqHcI/AAAAAAAACak/nvbjiWsZ5uY/s1600-h/bamboo+shoots.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178341546363854274" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R90qM0yqHcI/AAAAAAAACak/nvbjiWsZ5uY/s200/bamboo+shoots.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div>The umami taste eliminates the need to use salt or oil and enables us to eat healthy. Our tongue acts as a barometer for taking in necessary nutrients. “You should try to be taste-conscious,” Ninomiya remarks. “Tasting is believing.”<br /><strong></strong></div><div><strong>Monosodium Glutamate</strong> (Extract from Food Product Design)<br />Many experts say that MSG should be looked at carefully assuming that its use is within the acceptable parameters. In other words, the designer must be sure its use is permissible with any label or marketing claims.<br />As with salt, MSG derived from naturally fermented sources has been used for centuries to improve the acceptance of Asian foods. In 1908, when extracting the glutamic acid salts from sea tangle, a type of seaweed, Kikunae Ikeda, Ph.D., called the flavor contribution "umami." Still under extensive study to elucidate the sensory mechanisms, it presents an interesting sensory, product development and public relations challenge. According to Franny Hildabrand, manager of technical services, technical products for Integrated Ingredients, Bartlesville, OK, it is the combination of taste and feeling factors that contribute to the gustatory experience. (For an extensive discussion, see Umami: a Basic Taste edited by Kawamura and Kate.)<br />MSG has been surrounded with negative publicity linking it with a number of adverse physical effects including headaches, dizziness and chest pain, popularized as the "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome." Because of the lack of scientific consensus on these effects, in 1995 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) contracted the Life Sciences Research Office (LSRO) of the Federation of American Studies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) to analyze the safety issues related to the consumption of MSG and other food sources of glutamate based on the available scientific literature.<br />The Expert Panel convened by LSRO/FASEB concluded that the oral ingestion of more than 3 grams of monosodium glutamate in the absence of food can cause a sensitive subgroup of the general population to respond "generally within one hour of exposure, with manifestations of the MSG symptom complex" (their term for what has been called the "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome"). The report also indicated that certain asthmatics may experience bronchospasms, or difficulty breathing, after ingesting MSG in doses equal to or greater than 2.5 grams.<br />However, the Expert Panel also concluded that to date, no scientifically valid studies have been performed to confirm the existence of any of the hypothetical mechanisms that underlie adverse responses to MSG. They also stated that "no evidence exists to support the ability of orally ingested glutamate to produce neurotoxic or lesioning effects in humans." The panel could find no links to Alzheimer's or any other long-term or chronic disease. This has led the FDA to reaffirm that MSG and related substances should be considered safe ingredients "for most people when eaten at customary levels," according to an FDA position paper. FDA has also said that "we believe there is no connection between MSG and asthma."<br />Aileen Peters, vice president, public affairs, Ajinomoto USA, Teaneck, NJ, doesn't see the report as negative for MSG: "FDA concluded that MSG is safe for consumption for the general public. The FASEB report suggested further study because there was support for the concept that 3 grams on an empty stomach might cause some small portion of the population to have a reaction. The other question mark was a potential link between MSG and asthma Since that time the FDA has reviewed the data and come out very strongly saying they did not concur. The science on asthma is pretty conclusive."<br />Peters also notes that yet another study is underway at Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation, La Jolla, CA, that is expected to provide more evidence. She expects results of this study to be released in March.<br />Because the data indicate that some portion of the population may experience a reaction to MSG, the FDA has advanced notice of proposed rulemaking that may affect labeling requirements for foods containing free glutamates. It would require the labeling of foods containing more than 200 mg of glutamate per serving from any source. The reader is referred to the Federal Register, Vol. 61, No. 178, September 12, 1996 for more details. No final rules have been issued as of this writing.<br />Currently the FDA requires that when MSG is added to food, it must appear only in the ingredient legend. However, products labeled "no MSG" or "no added MSG" must not contain any ingredients that are considered sources of free glutamates such as hydrolyzed protein.<br />Peters notes that the industry is continuing consumer information programs "rather aggressively because the American public was not very well informed on what MSG was and why it was used. You avoid a problem by informing consumers in advance. You simply can't scare consumers if they know that the volume of science is behind MSG's safe use."<br />Monosodium glutamate is a powerful tool and, if within the agreed upon boundaries of acceptable solutions, should be considered a key test variable. However, if MSG can't be used to enhance flavor, what are the alternative choices? Product developers can turn to a variety of hydrolyzed vegetable proteins, yeast extracts, and 5' Prime nucleotides. However, the use of these ingredients may also be affected by consumer concerns regarding glutamates and FDA rulings on labeling.<br /><br /></div><br /><div><br /><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright
All contents © 2007 Chef Eric Low</div>Coolchefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07931949217991230913noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543033.post-82105799119029402472008-03-05T21:21:00.012+08:002008-03-05T23:19:26.701+08:00City of Bohemian Crystal and Music<a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86zsVFoN5I/AAAAAAAACZg/XB-84pvvdXk/s1600-h/IMG_1124.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174270596051646354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86zsVFoN5I/AAAAAAAACZg/XB-84pvvdXk/s320/IMG_1124.jpg" border="0" /></a>On a recent assignment to Prague, Czech Republic, representing the Singapore Chefs Association, I was lucky enough to be given an opportunity to meet the who’s who of the chefs profession in Continental Europe. I am not talking about the Michelin starred restaurant chefs who work in big fancy <a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86kBlFoNjI/AAAAAAAACWw/v_Cuqbuas8M/s1600-h/wacs_color_withglow.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174253368937821746" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86kBlFoNjI/AAAAAAAACWw/v_Cuqbuas8M/s200/wacs_color_withglow.bmp" border="0" /></a>restaurants, but people who have made many sacrifices of the their private time and energy to proactively promote the chefs profession beyond their normal routines of work. For the less informed, in the world of the chef’s profession, there is supposedly at least one State government recognised chefs’ association or guild in every country all over the world. Each country is represented through their own chefs’ association in the mother of all chefs’ societies known globally as the World Association of Chefs’ Societies (WACS). Like the UN, WACS brings all the chefs around the world together in its activities and its representation is classified to different continents around the globe.<br />I was in Prague at the invitation of the current WACS Presidium with a fellow colleague as Team Singapore making our pitch for the Lion City’s bid to the running of the next presidium. One of the hardest thing things to adjust in business travel is jetlag where your body’s routine is upset by the different time zones. Still I would like to share everyone here pictures of the opening dinner prepared by the President of the Czech Republic’s Chef Association and his team of chefs for the 30+ of us in this conference representing more than 20 countries in Europe. Dinner was hosted at the Zlata Praha Restaurant, Hotel Intercontinental , Prague.<br /><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>Here are some of the items on the Menu: </div><div>Starters: </div><div><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86sWVFoNkI/AAAAAAAACW4/vXu6wR22-IY/s1600-h/IMG_0868.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174262521513129538" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86sWVFoNkI/AAAAAAAACW4/vXu6wR22-IY/s200/IMG_0868.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86sZlFoNlI/AAAAAAAACXA/1mHfsDevY-0/s1600-h/IMG_0864.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174262577347704402" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86sZlFoNlI/AAAAAAAACXA/1mHfsDevY-0/s200/IMG_0864.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86saVFoNmI/AAAAAAAACXI/zeor9R1_zk8/s1600-h/IMG_0861.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174262590232606306" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86saVFoNmI/AAAAAAAACXI/zeor9R1_zk8/s200/IMG_0861.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Insalata Caprese,Cesear Salad with Chicken,Cobb Salad with 1000 Island Dressing<br />Italian Seafood Salad with Lemon Olive Oil Dressing<br /></div><br /><div>Main Courses:</div><div><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86t91FoNqI/AAAAAAAACXo/OiV2vBitqBk/s1600-h/IMG_0869.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174264299629590178" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86t91FoNqI/AAAAAAAACXo/OiV2vBitqBk/s200/IMG_0869.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86tu1FoNpI/AAAAAAAACXg/7VF7iRK41tU/s1600-h/IMG_0848.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174264041931552402" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86tu1FoNpI/AAAAAAAACXg/7VF7iRK41tU/s200/IMG_0848.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86uAFFoNrI/AAAAAAAACXw/wSVNRyyANgs/s1600-h/IMG_0896.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174264338284295858" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86uAFFoNrI/AAAAAAAACXw/wSVNRyyANgs/s200/IMG_0896.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Roast Pork Loin with Thyme Gravy, Confit of Lamb Shanks, Pilaf Rice, Buttered Vegetables, Oven Baked Fillet of Salmon on Green Pea Mash, Roasted Potatoes<br /><br />From the dessert table of assorted pastries: </div><div><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86vVlFoNsI/AAAAAAAACX4/X-t4Zg9L7jM/s1600-h/IMG_0844.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174265807163111106" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86vVlFoNsI/AAAAAAAACX4/X-t4Zg9L7jM/s200/IMG_0844.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86vWFFoNtI/AAAAAAAACYA/KZkl6t50kmc/s1600-h/IMG_0855.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174265815753045714" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86vWFFoNtI/AAAAAAAACYA/KZkl6t50kmc/s200/IMG_0855.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86vWlFoNuI/AAAAAAAACYI/2JZqmbzyWOI/s1600-h/IMG_0880.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174265824342980322" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86vWlFoNuI/AAAAAAAACYI/2JZqmbzyWOI/s200/IMG_0880.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86wiFFoNvI/AAAAAAAACYQ/_VIiIUVDdAk/s1600-h/IMG_0872.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174267121423103730" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86wiFFoNvI/AAAAAAAACYQ/_VIiIUVDdAk/s200/IMG_0872.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86wjVFoNxI/AAAAAAAACYg/fd4Osxu3EnE/s1600-h/IMG_0873.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174267142897940242" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86wjVFoNxI/AAAAAAAACYg/fd4Osxu3EnE/s200/IMG_0873.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86wkVFoNzI/AAAAAAAACYw/5aouRgPMuug/s1600-h/IMG_0857.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174267160077809458" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86wkVFoNzI/AAAAAAAACYw/5aouRgPMuug/s200/IMG_0857.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86wi1FoNwI/AAAAAAAACYY/P8HwFJtDZBo/s1600-h/IMG_0881.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174267134308005634" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86wi1FoNwI/AAAAAAAACYY/P8HwFJtDZBo/s200/IMG_0881.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86wjlFoNyI/AAAAAAAACYo/zLIQnrQt0NQ/s1600-h/IMG_0882.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174267147192907554" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86wjlFoNyI/AAAAAAAACYo/zLIQnrQt0NQ/s200/IMG_0882.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86xJlFoN0I/AAAAAAAACY4/2MDvttLmqoE/s1600-h/IMG_0887.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174267800027936578" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86xJlFoN0I/AAAAAAAACY4/2MDvttLmqoE/s200/IMG_0887.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86xKFFoN1I/AAAAAAAACZA/PqmDUHfS4vk/s1600-h/IMG_0889.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174267808617871186" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86xKFFoN1I/AAAAAAAACZA/PqmDUHfS4vk/s200/IMG_0889.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86xm1FoN2I/AAAAAAAACZI/PuwxhCbdbWo/s1600-h/IMG_0892.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174268302539110242" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86xm1FoN2I/AAAAAAAACZI/PuwxhCbdbWo/s200/IMG_0892.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86xnVFoN3I/AAAAAAAACZQ/MIUyCstBSJ8/s1600-h/IMG_0893.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174268311129044850" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R86xnVFoN3I/AAAAAAAACZQ/MIUyCstBSJ8/s200/IMG_0893.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Btw did I mentioned that dinner ended@ 6am SG time for me......Yawn!<br /><br /><br /></div><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright
All contents © 2007 Chef Eric Low</div>Coolchefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07931949217991230913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543033.post-73787629832802082702008-02-13T22:03:00.007+08:002008-02-13T22:45:39.564+08:00Rocking Good!<div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Wild Rocket @ Mount Emily</span></strong><br /></div><div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Hangout Hotel, 10a Upper Wilkie Road. </span></strong><br /></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Singapore 228119. </span></strong><br /></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Tel : 63399448</span></strong> </div><div>With the bulk of the festive cooking workshops finally over, N and I finally have sometime to catch a breather. We have missed one of our favourite weekend activities since last Oct due to the each other’s hectic schedule around this time of the year. We have read so many reviews of new restaurants launches in the past couple of months, some applauded, some trashed.<br />A firm believer to comment only on established restaurants, I seldom will want to write on a brand new establishment that is less than six months or a year old in order for them to sort out operation issues and fine tuning of menus. Hence when we could finally squeeze a Saturday evening out together, we chose to go to Chef Willin Low’s Wild Rocket @ Mount Emily which has been around for more than a year. It was our first experience but we have heard nothing but good raves about this place since its opening, both from media and friends. Stepping in after a nightmarish forty five minute jam, we still got our reserved table despite having an almost packed restaurant. A positive sign for the standard of food served is how I would perceive it as, considering the fickle minded of local customers here who seldom have loyalty to restaurants and are often spoilt for choices on where to go.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166474385878014642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R7MBFK9p2rI/AAAAAAAACR4/RIg1FMGck64/s320/IMG_0783.jpg" border="0" />N started with a Seared Tuna on Rocket Leaves which came with soy and ginger flavoured dressing. Keeping things simple, the flavours were clean and the fish was fresh enough to stand on its own though it wasn’t the kind of sashimi yellow fin tuna. The rocket leave provided a nice cushion for the tuna and its peppery nutty taste encored the taste of the whole dish with great harmony.<br />I opted for something more comforting in the form of a Duck Consomme with Salted Vegetables and Duck Confit Ravioli. Basically this dish is also known locally as Kiam Chye Duck Soup in the heartlands. Chef Willin probably got the inspiration from there. The soup arrived with a meaty aroma that gave me a sensation of slow simmering for maximum flavour extraction. This was concurred by the taste profile which had rich meaty notes on the palate further enhanced by the innovative wonton skin raviolis filled with tender duck confit. The whole experience leads me to crave for a light red wine to go with the bowl of soup.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166474587741477570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R7MBQ69p2sI/AAAAAAAACSA/yxHdvmjmaK4/s320/IMG_0792.jpg" border="0" />Before the main courses, we opted to share one of the Chef’s signatures which is a Laksa Pesto Linguine with Fresh Prawns. Initially visualizing it to be closer to our local hawkers’ version, it came with a direction closer to an Italian Pesto than a local one. Hence the sauce did not contain any notes of dried shrimp or coconut. The generous use of laksa leaves kept the associated colour of pesto and gave the sauce its signature aromatic fragrance. More importantly the chef got the texture of the pasta right at its al dente doneness. However the prawns could have fare slightly better for its freshness.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166474785309973202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R7MBca9p2tI/AAAAAAAACSI/N55kG8lWN5U/s320/IMG_0796.jpg" border="0" />Being winter now in Europe, I urge N to go for the Boned Stuffed Quail with Prunes which turn out to be a great option. The bacon wrapped bird was roasted to the right doneness and went very well with the dried prune compote and gelatinous rich demi glace. Against the sweet prunes, each morsel of salty wrapped bacon quail tasted simply divine!<br /><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R7MBpK9p2uI/AAAAAAAACSQ/wIAtxK9ZVmE/s1600-h/IMG_0801.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166475004353305314" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R7MBpK9p2uI/AAAAAAAACSQ/wIAtxK9ZVmE/s200/IMG_0801.jpg" border="0" /></a>Hungry for carbohydrates, I opted for a Miso Braised Pork Soft Bone Risotto which was a deceivingly flat looking dish ready to explode with great flavours on the palate. The soft bones tasted more like tendons to me and their gelatinous nature enriched the dimension of complexity in this dish while complimenting the creaminess of the cooked rice grains. The miso pungency was well balanced into the overall taste of the dish and flakes of dried chilies gave it a spicy kick with the background of soft tender braised rib meat. I could relate this dish to a spicy version of Nonya Babi Pongteh and found its overall taste very comforting and homely with a subtle hint of sophistication.<br />Desserts found us having a Black Sesame Paste with Vanilla Ice Cream and a Kuay Bulu<a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R7MB-69p2vI/AAAAAAAACSY/4Z964h0Zi5M/s1600-h/IMG_0803.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166475378015460082" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R7MB-69p2vI/AAAAAAAACSY/4Z964h0Zi5M/s200/IMG_0803.jpg" border="0" /></a> Tiramisu. The black sesame paste was not as smooth if its was to be compared to Cantonese Chee Ma Wu but the slight grittiness from caramel bits was a good contrast to the smooth velvety ice cream. What captivated me was the bulu tiramisu. In place of sponge fingers, were balls of coffee soaked kuay bulu interspersed with a marscapone cheese mousse flavoured with marsala wine. Yes! That's the important part of a good tiramisu in terms of authenticity. The other winning factor was the chef certainly does <a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R7MCOq9p2wI/AAAAAAAACSg/KSAopqAm7xg/s1600-h/IMG_0808.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166475648598399746" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R7MCOq9p2wI/AAAAAAAACSg/KSAopqAm7xg/s200/IMG_0808.jpg" border="0" /></a>know the right way to serve a tiramisu.ie to have the sponge and mousse naturally portioned in a bowl and a generous dust of cocoa powder. It’s that simple but many chefs get it wrong by trying too hard with other liqueurs like Kahlua, Tia Maria or making it into a sponge cake, and worse still getting the mousse set with gelatin.<br />Overall the meal was enjoyable and the service was attentive but not intrusive and dose of occasional humour. We like this place and it has gone on my list of restaurants worth a return visit in the near future.</div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright
All contents © 2007 Chef Eric Low</div>Coolchefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07931949217991230913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543033.post-57573677622370964162008-01-23T23:59:00.000+08:002008-01-24T00:10:06.162+08:00Berry Berry Good!!<div><div><div><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R5dlo-JuUHI/AAAAAAAACRA/IJqrbkXLg5o/s1600-h/IMG_0513.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158703652729147506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R5dlo-JuUHI/AAAAAAAACRA/IJqrbkXLg5o/s400/IMG_0513.jpg" border="0" /></a> <strong>Strawberries that look good, are horrendously crappy in taste</strong><br />N and I are spoilt rotten for the taste of real good strawberries. For a fruit that is seen as a symbol of feministic attributes, happiness and childhood cartoon fantasies, it is a shame that good strawberries can be rarely be appreciated due to its highly perishable nature and delicate structure. More often than not, what we get in Singapore as an importing country are strawberries that look good but horrendously crappy in taste.<br />Crappy in the sense that despite the bright colours, it is unpleasantly sour to the extent that many Singaporeans have grown to thinking that strawberries are naturally sour despite the sweet images of it painted in cartoons and media fantasies. The truth is many Singaporeans have not really had the chance to experience what is really a good strawberry.<br /><strong>The ones from NZ, OZ & US...</strong><br />The ones that we get all year round from New Zealand, Australia and US are of export quality which in real sense is not really the best. They have to be picked before reaching to a good maturity stage so that they have a longer shelf life in their final destinations. Thus the fruit does not have enough sunshine for the natural flavours and sugars to be fully developed to an ideal ripeness giving it the deserved sweetness and aromas as often associated with in ice creams, jams, fillings and essences.<br /><strong><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158702707836342370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R5dkx-JuUGI/AAAAAAAACQ4/YP_jfK5r6bo/s400/IMG_0597.jpg" border="0" />Good strawberries?</strong><br />Good strawberries are hard to come by in Singapore as we are not able to grown the fruit here due to the unfriendly weather.Malaysia has tried to cultivate them in Cameron Highlands but the project has seen hardly any other economic success other than being a novelty draw to regional tourists who are there only because of their children. </div><br /><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong>Now, we get Korean & Japanese ones...</strong><br />Well the situation is not really that grim as the recent years of affluence have created a demand in taste for more premium strawberries. Hence now we get shipments of Korean strawberries around this time of the year till the end of May.<br />Occasionally the Japanese supermarkets like Meidiya and Isetan will also ship in Japanese strawberries when in season. The strawberries from these two countries can cost twice as much than those of from regular importing countries. But as a firm believer than cost and quality are more often than not co-related, U get a lot more in taste, sweetness and aromas with these premium berries that have been harvested at their prime, carefully packed and shipped out to their final destinations in the shortest time possible between the fields and dining table. These strawberries have a much more intense aroma when u sniff at them. On taste, they yield a higher level of sweetness complimented with mild acidity. Fantasise them served simply just with crème fraiche or vanilla sugar sweetened whipped cream, it can just send one on an orgasmic culinary experience with one of the greatest food marriages made in heaven!<br /><strong></strong></div><div><strong>Premium grade ones...</strong><br />Besides the Korean and Japanese strawberries, another premium grade of strawberries that I have come across during my travels are the French strawberries, found only in the farmers markets of the cities and towns of historic villages. These berries are highly seasonal, available only in the short window period of late spring to mid summer before the weather gets too hot. They are distinguished from the mainstream commercially farmed strawberries in terms of being a size smaller, rounder and having their stalks still attached on just like the premium quality durians displayed in Geylang. They are sold more by weight and packed often by the vendors who will not allow u to touch or pick them due to their highly perishable nature.<br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158704687816265890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R5dmlOJuUKI/AAAAAAAACRY/M1Dr9DltV-w/s400/pic+947.jpg" border="0" /><strong>Size does matter</strong><br />In terms of taste, size does matter for strawberries and the intensity of each berry is co-related with its own size. The ultimate champions are the “frais du bois” or wild bush strawberries that grown in the forests of France with a size no bigger than that of an almond nut.<br />These little sugar bombs as they are often known are packed with an intense aromas and sweetness so flavourful that it will totally render a gigantic US grown berry useless when challenged. The wild strawberries are native to France, though small amounts are found in UK and Spain where the right environments exists. They cannot be farmed and are handpicked with extra caution due to their extreme delicate nature which is why they must be consumed with 48 hours upon harvest.<br />Hence having the expectation of them being shipped anywhere else in the world is nothing but just a dream as they will not be able to survive the extended journey. In terms of flavour compatibility, strawberries have a natural affinity with spices like cinnamon, vanilla and black pepper, herbs like mint and basil and cooking condiments like aged balsamic vinegar.</div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright
All contents © 2007 Chef Eric Low</div>Coolchefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07931949217991230913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543033.post-35390070495065191842007-12-23T21:15:00.000+08:002007-12-23T21:23:42.246+08:00Culinary Defensive Strategies<div><div><div><div><div><div>The recent food hygiene scare in Singapore has sent many of us wondering just how safe is the food we eat and what kind of risk are we taking in consumption of raw, partially cooked foods. The health ministry has often urge us to cook everything thoroughly and properly before put it in our mouth or risk having to suffer from food poisoning due to contamination. While personal hygiene of the people who are preparing food cannot be compromised, there are still many other factors that can help prevent the risk of food poisoning in raw and partially cooked foods. If we have to eat everything thoroughly cooked, life would be so boring without a variety of taste and textures from different degrees of cooking. Think of a juicy pink reddish coloured roast beef at a well done stage instead of serving it medium. It would not only be an insult to the farmers who take pains to cultivate premium meat cattle, it is also as good as chewing on a piece of leather.<br />Before the age of refrigeration came by, chefs have known to utilize traditional methods of preservation and cooking to stabilize foods that we eat using naturally available preservatives like salt, vinegars and spices.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147156590816055938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R25fpgbm0oI/AAAAAAAACQA/QEAKdm8V83Q/s320/murray-salt.jpg" border="0" /> Some of the classic dishes that we eat today have long been prepared with certain ingredients not only for taste and flavour reasons but food safety too. Some ingredients are able to help in holding prepared foods for a few days while others may allow longer periods of preservation in terms of months. Preservation with various types of ingredients can result in salty, spicy, sweet or sour taste sensations in the kind of foods we eat so it is up to the creative expertise of the chef to balance out taste on the palatte.<br />Salt is the number one ingredient used in kitchens all over the world. Besides seasoning food, it is also used for the preservation of ingredients that allows them to be used during off season in availability. Think of salted vegetables, eggs and meats like air dried ham or seafood like our favourite salted fish cooked with bean sprouts and baccalao (Spanish style salted cod fish).<br /><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R25gCwbm0qI/AAAAAAAACQQ/Ey4go3RgBVE/s1600-h/CubanCeviche1%5B1%5D.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147157024607752866" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R25gCwbm0qI/AAAAAAAACQQ/Ey4go3RgBVE/s200/CubanCeviche1%5B1%5D.JPG" border="0" /></a>A<a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R25f0Qbm0pI/AAAAAAAACQI/-GRkJrMdkX0/s1600-h/citrus.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147156775499649682" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 173px" height="145" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R25f0Qbm0pI/AAAAAAAACQI/-GRkJrMdkX0/s200/citrus.jpg" width="150" border="0" /></a>cidic ingredients like citrus fruits and vinegars also help to slow down bacteria growth in certain raw dishes that is a favourite of some cuisines. For example, “Ceiviche” is a popular dish in Latin American cuisine that uses high acidic citrus fruits like limes and lemons to “cooked” seafood without any heat processing at all. The acids in the fruit juices create an unfriendly environment for bacteria to grow rapidly, thereby keeping their numbers low so that the good bacteria which are natural antibodies in our digestive system have enough time to neutralize the toxicity of such foreign bacteria. This is the same when chefs serve wasabi with raw seafood and horseradish with roast beef on medium doneness. <a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R25giwbm0sI/AAAAAAAACQg/VmM0WCxUHmk/s1600-h/wasabi.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147157574363566786" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R25giwbm0sI/AAAAAAAACQg/VmM0WCxUHmk/s200/wasabi.jpg" border="0" /></a>Besides having great flavour compatibility with the foods served, wasabi and <a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R25gXgbm0rI/AAAAAAAACQY/_4b1FsLSL3U/s1600-h/Sashimi.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147157381090038450" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R25gXgbm0rI/AAAAAAAACQY/_4b1FsLSL3U/s200/Sashimi.jpg" border="0" /></a>horseradish roots also contain isothiocyanates that gives their characteristically similarity in flavours together with other types of mustards and have beneficial effects such as inhibiting <a title="Microbe" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microbe"><span style="color:#000000;">microbe</span></a> growth.<br />When it comes to sweet applications, many cakes and fillings can be easily contaminated if not handled properly and still result in food poisoning situations even if they don’t smell bad at all. <a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R25gxAbm0tI/AAAAAAAACQo/ZQRqM-ZWsgM/s1600-h/kirschtorte.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147157819176702674" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R25gxAbm0tI/AAAAAAAACQo/ZQRqM-ZWsgM/s200/kirschtorte.jpg" border="0" /></a>W<a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R25hFQbm0uI/AAAAAAAACQw/0OO0gmqsx18/s1600-h/kirschwasser.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147158167069053666" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R25hFQbm0uI/AAAAAAAACQw/0OO0gmqsx18/s200/kirschwasser.jpg" border="0" /></a>ith a desirable level of moisture in most pastry products especially cakes, chefs tend to add fruit or grain flavoured liquers not just for flavour, but also to stablise the products as these high alcohol flavoured liquers have the ability to kill bacteria. Think of a rum and marsala wine laden Tiramisu or a kirsch obsessed Bavarian Black Forest cake. Sure enough it tasted good when the pastry slid down your throat with all that nice alcoholic effect of warm sensations, but that is also an indication of the presence of alcohol that is enougn to retard and slow down any exisiting bacteria growth in the pastries being prepared.</div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright
All contents © 2007 Chef Eric Low</div>Coolchefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07931949217991230913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543033.post-56486854383405934732007-11-18T23:17:00.000+08:002007-12-05T17:39:04.579+08:00Crackling GoodI have a weakness for roasted pork of all cuisines. As chefs, we know that pork is one of the most flavourful meat in culinary and beyond meat, the pig also renders us fragrant pork lard, savoury hams (think Jin Hua, Parma and Serrano not supermarket picnic hams), breakfast bacon rashers etc…<br /><a title="img_0272.jpg" href="http://blog.omy.sg/ericlow/files/2007/11/img_0272.jpg"></a>Pork is very versatile when it comes to cooking and the different cuts of ribs, collar shoulder (wu hua rou), belly, loin and fillet are all excellent for roasting in different cuisines. Among them, a well roasted pork belly regardless of cuisine style is one of the most sinful occasional indulgence. Currently running in my Xmas workshops with the PA CCs, I share one of the few versions of roast pork belly recipes below:<br /><a title="img_0272.jpg" href="http://blog.omy.sg/ericlow/files/2007/11/img_0272.jpg"></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5134200536822859490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/R0BYL6LyRuI/AAAAAAAACJ8/e5SyCAsURNQ/s400/IMG_0272.jpg" border="0" /><br /><strong>Slow Roasted Pork Belly with Balsamic Soy Glaze</strong><br />12 portions<br />Ingredients:<br />1 slab Pork Belly, ~2 Kg 6-8cm thick<br />2tsps Five Spice Powder<br />1tbsp Salt<br />Sauce:<br />150ml Light Soya Sauce<br />5tbsps Sugar<br />600ml Water<br />4pcs Star Anise<br />10pcs Clove<br />2pcs Cinnamon Stick<br />1tbsp Coarse Ground Black Pepper<br />100ml Balsamic Vinegar<br />6pcs Whole Garlic Cloves<br />Garnish:<br />60ml Oil for cooking<br /><br />400g Fine French Beans (Kenya Beans)/Haricot Verts, trimmed<br />1medium Yellow Onion, sliced<br /><strong>Preparation Method:<br /></strong>1. Season pork belly with five spice powder and salt. Allow to dry in fridge uncovered for overnight. Combine sauce ingredients together and pour into a roasting tray.<br />2. Place pork belly onto the roasting tray with the skin side up. Roast in a preheated oven for 2 hours at 160ºc. After half an hour, score the meat with a nails spoke or fork. Add some extra water to the sauce if it dries up too quickly.<br />3. Drain and discard spices in the sauce, dilute out the sauce with some water to taste, adjusting with some sugar or vinegar as necessary. Thicken the sauce slightly with cornstarch if desired. Keep warm and reserve for serving. In the last 20 minutes, increase temperature to 220ºc to achieve a crackling skin. Allow pork to rest for 20 minutes before slicing.<br />4. Heat oil in pan, sauté beans and onions till cooked. Divide into 12 portions, arrange sliced pork belly on top and drizzle some sauce over the meat before serving.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright
All contents © 2007 Chef Eric Low</div>Coolchefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07931949217991230913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543033.post-91500397191620687502007-10-29T23:20:00.000+08:002007-11-18T23:28:02.774+08:00Singapore 0 China 1<div align="center"><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Whampoa Club</span></strong><br /></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">4th Floor, Three on the Bund</span></strong><br /></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Zhong San Dong Yi Lu</span></strong><br /></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Shanghai, China</span></strong><br /></div><div><div><div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126782466308265842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RyX9fYEBV3I/AAAAAAAACEU/PfVPrRUIrH4/s400/Whampoa+Club.bmp" border="0" />One of the most heart wrenching things that is happening right now in Singapore are the exodus of good chefs that have chosen to leave this tiny red dot on the global map for greener pastures overseas. While we should be proud that our local chefs are making their mark overseas, what Singapore has lost is what the rest of the world especially China has gained. In the last ten years, we have lost prominent culinary talents like Justin Quek, the Aw Yong brothers, Jack and Martin, Eric Chiam, Jason Ong, Eric Ong, Jereme Leung, Kidd Leong, all which are home grown talents that have chosen to move beyond our shores. As the Chinese saying goes, “Bu shi Meng Long Bu Guo Jiang” or translated literally it means “only fierce and brave dragons will cross the mighty river”, the consolation is that we have people overseas whom we can be proud of as they showcase in their daily course of work, the mighty culinary prowess of this little island on the southernmost tip of continental Asia.<br />On our recent trip to Shanghai, N and I had the chance to catch up with what we have missed in the past, which is a chance to savour Chef Jereme Leung’s culinary talents. Before the opening of Whampoa Club in Shanghai, Chef Jereme Leung had been the Chinese Executive Chef of Jiang Nan Chun Restaurant @ the Four Seasons Hotel in Singapore. Whampoa Club is the talented chef’s first venture into China and has become a success story after three years. Along the way, Jereme has also published his first cookbook “New Shanghainese Cuisine”, a project which he spent a lot of time researching on the history of Shanghainese Cuisine and interacting with local chefs in this city of twenty million people. Whampoa Club’s menu is a platform to showcase a few of his collection of recipes from his research, creatively modernised and upgraded to a new theatre of taste and presentation. At the time of writing this blog, Chef Jereme was away in Beijing overseeing the opening of the second Whampoa Club. However with an able lieutenant in charge to execute the culinary visions of Chef Jereme, we were still in the good hands of Executive Chef Hew Choong Yew. For those of you who have started to scratch your heads on reading this, allow me to explain that it is not uncommon for many of these celebrity chefs to leave the running of their kitchens to well trained lieutenants as they start to zip around the world in exchanging the chef’s jacket and apron for a business suit and tie.<br />Dinner for us was booked a week ahead and my profession made known least the staff should start to get curious on why this particular diner has an interest to snap pictures of food only. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126783454150743938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RyX-Y4EBV4I/AAAAAAAACEc/_irtqI--4Ms/s400/Shanghai+2007+089.jpg" border="0" />Very kindly, we were given a table that allowed us to enjoy a panoramic view of the Bund as we dine. <a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RyX-54EBV5I/AAAAAAAACEk/1xdtgV29ljg/s1600-h/Shanghai+2007+065.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126784021086427026" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RyX-54EBV5I/AAAAAAAACEk/1xdtgV29ljg/s200/Shanghai+2007+065.jpg" border="0" /></a>The hairy crabs were in season and tasting menus featured dishes customised according to recent events like the hairy crab season, opening of the Beijing Whampoa Club and Formula One Grand Prix. I prefer to pick only two items from the hairy crab inspired menu and assembling the rest from the a la carte menu. As I scour through the menu, the amuse bouche arrived. It was a crispy cone of seafood and vegetables’ stuffing that was gone in two bites.<br />We started with a classic Shanghainese style Drunken Chicken. The name said so not because the bird was intoxicated with alcohol before slaughter but instead the gently poached free range poultry was drizzled with Yellow or Shaoxing wine before being served. It is served cold as an appetizer dish in many classic Shanghainese restaurants. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126784433403287458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RyX_R4EBV6I/AAAAAAAACEs/uOXe9_MNtjM/s400/Shanghai+2007+066.jpg" border="0" />Here at the Whampoa Club, Chef Jereme has given this classic dish a modern twist which should just aptly rename the dish as Drunken Chicken with Shaoxing Wine Granita. Using the idea of <a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RyX_oIEBV7I/AAAAAAAACE0/aa4erWMAE0Q/s1600-h/Shanghai+2007+068.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126784815655376818" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RyX_oIEBV7I/AAAAAAAACE0/aa4erWMAE0Q/s200/Shanghai+2007+068.jpg" border="0" /></a>shaved ice desserts that is popular in South East Asia, the chef puts a combination of seasoning sauces and the fragrant wine together. It is then frozen into a block and shaved over the deboned chicken. As the ice melts, the wine seeps in between the chicken meat and the result is a super chilled chicken that tastes extra fragrant with the aromas of the wine. This is a very refreshing dish especially in the hot summer weather that Shanghai experiences from July to early September. The taste of free range poultry is most evident when it is cooked with the poaching method where its robust meaty flavour is found most in the dark meat portion of the bird. It has a slightly gamier taste which is gently tamed by the wine aromas.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126787379750852546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RyYB9YEBV8I/AAAAAAAACE8/megQ9HtKwYk/s400/Shanghai+2007+071.jpg" border="0" />Autumn is the season for Hairy Crabs those from Yang Teng Lake are reputed to be the best. Unlike the regular mud crab or Sri Lanka crab that is often appreciated for its chunky pieces of meat, these hairy crabs are highly sought after for a different aspect. While each crab does not yield as much meat as other varieties, it is the taste of its natural sweetness, extra creamy rich roe and fine textured meat that many diners go after for. Our crab oriented starter (Stir Fried Crabmeat with Edomame and Shimeji Mushrooms salad and Vinegar Pearls) came in three components. First there was a fine salad of fresh green soya beans, honshimeiji mushrooms and frisee. The crabmeat was cooked in a superior stock and came as a shot in tequila glass accompanied with a few delicate pearls of black vinegar on the side. The idea is to pour the crabmeat over the salad and add on the vinegar pearls, toss the salad gently and allow the pearls to melt in the warmth of the crabmeat. This creates a simple vinaigrette which dresses the whole salad that is greatly enhanced by the sweetness of the fine textured crabmeat. Very innovative, very seductive!<br /><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RyYCoIEBV9I/AAAAAAAACFE/V93R68CK6E4/s1600-h/Shanghai+2007+075.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126788114190260178" style="CURSOR: hand" height="195" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RyYCoIEBV9I/AAAAAAAACFE/V93R68CK6E4/s320/Shanghai+2007+075.jpg" width="276" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RyYCooEBV-I/AAAAAAAACFM/EImlv3MdmLY/s1600-h/Shanghai+2007+076.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126788122780194786" style="CURSOR: hand" height="194" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RyYCooEBV-I/AAAAAAAACFM/EImlv3MdmLY/s320/Shanghai+2007+076.jpg" width="270" border="0" /></a></div><div>As a chef, I am a natural sucker for free range chicken. Living in a country that has to rely on imported frozen poultry or using artificial growth enhancements for locally bred birds, I have come to appreciate the taste of free range poultry. Having tasted the golden reference of a superior chicken stock made with Poulet Du Bresse in France, it has become my reference point when it comes to the tasting of free range chicken soup. I must say the version at Whampoa Club does not disappoint. The clear meaty essence with a drop or two of fragrant chicken fat made me felt that of a soup that was cooked with patience, sincerity and true to its worth. It gave warmth, elegance and a sense of well being and the ingot shape wontons would have represented its worth if they were real gold.<br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126789428450252786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RyYD0oEBV_I/AAAAAAAACFU/5Fs57PDAyY4/s400/Shanghai+2007+074.jpg" border="0" />N’s soup was a puree of pumpkin cooked in a flavourful stock. While most “Tang Yuan” or glutinous rice balls are often served as desserts with sweet fillings, Chef Jereme has chosen to have it done the savoury way filled with delicious crabmeat extracted from the hairly crabs in season. The result is a slightly sweet pumpkin soup that was well contrasted by the burst of savoury crab filling when u bite into it. Personal, I wished for a sprinkle of crispy fried prosciutto into the soup and the salty ham would have lift the body of the soup to that with a more umami character.<br />Surf and Turf was the order of our first main course. It came in the form of Wasabi Prawns and a pair of Almond and Cocoa Flavoured Pork Ribs. Both recipes were featured in Jereme’s book. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126789467104958482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RyYD24EBWBI/AAAAAAAACFk/rHu4JdfWtzM/s400/Shanghai+2007+078.jpg" border="0" />The plum juicy lightly battered king prawns were coated with a wasabi flavoured mayonnaise that delivered that right punch of pungency. Accompanying the prawns was a fruit kebab of dragon fruit, mango and Watermelon that cleanses the palate as you move on to the ribs. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126789458515023874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RyYD2YEBWAI/AAAAAAAACFc/3pMCmnETzgU/s400/Shanghai+2007+080.jpg" border="0" />The meaty ribs were coated in a bitter sweet sauce of dark chocolate, hints of mocha and spices. Flakes of roasted almonds were sprinkle on as garnish but the nuts actually help to bridge the taste of the sauce and meat together.<br />With the city’s close proximity to the famous rice wine producing region of Shaoxing, traditionally many Shanghainese chefs often include this rice wine and other wine production related ingredients into the cuisine. Fermented rice is used in desserts; rice wine is used as a dash to perk up many dishes and wine lees are also used in stews and sauces. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126790278853777442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RyYEmIEBWCI/AAAAAAAACFs/lqV89gEzMBw/s400/Shanghai+2007+086.jpg" border="0" />A lighter way to cook the Shanghainese favourite fish , “Gui Yu” or Mandarin Fish as it is also commonly known locally is to gentle poach it and serve with a wine lees flavoured sauce. This lovely sauce put together with black fungus and bamboo shoots, has the sweet winey notes from the use of the wine lees as a key ingredient and its gentle lightness compliments the delicate thinly sliced poached fish fillets very well. A topping of finely shredded deep fried dried scallops balanced out the sweetness of the sauce with its umami and crispy character, uplifting the dish with a touch of finesse and sophistication.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126790875854231602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RyYFI4EBWDI/AAAAAAAACF0/mYS_yYnvksk/s400/Shanghai+2007+092.jpg" border="0" />As in many traditional Chinese way of menu progression, we closed the savoury part of the menu with crispy noodles braised with fresh river shrimp and soya sauce jelly. The idea is to toss up the noodles with the soya sauce jelly allowing the fermented bean flavour of the soy sauce to be release into the noodles as the jelly melts. This prevents the loss of delicate aromas of the soya sauce which is often evaporated off by excessive heat during cooking if it were to be braised together with the noodles. The fine noodles were also a pleasurable experience on the palate as they soak up the delicious braising sauce.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126790880149198914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RyYFJIEBWEI/AAAAAAAACF8/PVBsZcHRVJE/s400/Shanghai+2007+096.jpg" border="0" />N was mentioning as the service staff reset our table that they seemed to know what dessert we were going to choose and as soon as she just finished on that, a complimentary dessert tasting platter was place before us and even Chef Hew popped by to say hello. This is indeed a much needed break from traditional Chinese restaurant culture where most of the times, the chefs hide in the kitchens and are often too shy to come out to interact with customers. Well, this could also be a chef to chef kind of camaraderie since I had already made my profession known in the email booking, but is always an honour to have chefs dinning in your restaurant more so if they had come all the way from overseas. I would feel the same way too if someday when I do own a restaurant and having the support of fellow chefs from everywhere. We truly appreciate the<br /><div>kind gesture of the complimentary dessert platter and all the components featured had exciting taste elements.<br /><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RyYGFYEBWGI/AAAAAAAACGM/oMVYXZAZG5g/s1600-h/Shanghai+2007+097.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126791915236317282" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RyYGFYEBWGI/AAAAAAAACGM/oMVYXZAZG5g/s200/Shanghai+2007+097.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RyYKWoEBWLI/AAAAAAAACG0/FEl52s3NtsQ/s1600-h/Shanghai+2007+098.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126796609635571890" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RyYKWoEBWLI/AAAAAAAACG0/FEl52s3NtsQ/s200/Shanghai+2007+098.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RyYKW4EBWMI/AAAAAAAACG8/Io7-9My48fA/s1600-h/Shanghai+2007+099.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126796613930539202" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RyYKW4EBWMI/AAAAAAAACG8/Io7-9My48fA/s200/Shanghai+2007+099.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>There was a Pear Cheese Cake that was crowned creatively with a red vinegar and ginger infused jelly. The ginger and vinegar dimensions were inspired by the similar kind of dip used as an accompaniment to the steamed hairy crabs when in season. The sour and spicy jelly cut through the richness of the cheese cake with ease and the ginger gave a nice aromatic whiff of spice to the fruit. An interesting discovery was to put the honey almonds together with the cheesecake and that really completes the picture of cheese, fruit, nuts and jelly.<br />The mango sorbet acted as a moderator between the cheesecake and the ice cream, giving our palates a needed pause to refresh and resetting our taste buds back to zero before embarking on the challenging chocolate curry ice cream. Yes, chocolate does have an affinity for many spices including chillies. The creamy ice cream first tasted of bitter chocolate, followed by the onset of curry spices like cumin, coriander seeds, cardamom and a few others, finally with a burst of chilli heat at the end. I like the orchestrated sequence of the flavours coming through this was a challenging yet sensual way to have your ice cream.<br />Because of their warm hospitality and generosity, N and I decided to it would be more worthwhile to give up one of our designated restaurants which we intend to check out and come back again before we leave Shanghai for a lunch dining experience instead. This is the best way to return the appreciation of such a wonderful host that has provided a spectacular dinner on one of the best seats of the house.</div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright
All contents © 2007 Chef Eric Low</div>Coolchefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07931949217991230913noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543033.post-49559231772500713162007-10-21T23:06:00.000+08:002007-10-21T23:26:14.198+08:00Have a Munch<div><div><div align="center">Da Qing Hua Manchurian Cuisine<br />Junction of Xie Tu Lu and Da Pu Lu<br />Lu Wan District, Shanghai, China<br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123808679837286978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rxts2OLDwkI/AAAAAAAACC0/VNneLfT2IkY/s320/Shanghai+2007+038.jpg" border="0" />Chinese cuisine to the rest of the world is often well represented by schools of Cantonese, Sichuan, Beijing, Shanghainese and Hunan flavours. Beyond these five major schools of flavours, there are many other less discovered ethnic cuisines of China and among them, the ethnic cuisine of Manchuria. While it may not be a significant part of Chinese cuisine, it does have its own characteristics merits and specialities.<br />Having lost our way to the hotel, it turn out to be a blessing in disguise as N and I caught sight of this unique Manuchuria themed restaurant as we circled the neighbourhood in search of our designated accommodation location. After settling down, we walked down 2 blocks into this Qing dynasty themed decorated restaurant where service staffs are decked in royal servants attire. The menu represented the flavours of this north eastern province whose ethnic people once ruled China for more than three hundred years. Lamb is the preferred meat and is done in various ways from being simmered in a hot pot filled with spicy broth, to being braised, sautéed or even spice dusted and grilled. Hence we ordered the grilled lamb leg which is one of the house specialties.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123809023434670674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RxttKOLDwlI/AAAAAAAACC8/twi5Kb2yekk/s400/Shanghai+2007+040.jpg" border="0" />We started with other items from the menu among which is a cold platter of Fen Pi with shredded raw vegetables with sesame sauce and oil oriented garlic soy dressing. Fen Pi is actually flat noodles made from mung bean flour and taste slippery smooth with slight suppleness. To appreciate this dish, the sesame pasted is first poured over the noodles and followed by the soy garlic dressing. Toss evenly with the finely shredded toppings of cucumbers, carrots, red cabbage, fresh coriander leaves and finely sliced soy marinated pork. We tasted the dish and the initial toss and found it to be very nice but upon N’s suggestion to drizzle some black vinegar, it really lifted the whole dish and brought it alive, perking up the flavours to a new level of deliciousness. Sometimes wife knows best.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123809040614539874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RxttLOLDwmI/AAAAAAAACDE/lq8-D22sfkY/s400/Shanghai+2007+042.jpg" border="0" />Dumplings are a part of Manchurian cuisine and also a speciality of this restaurant which offers more than 15 combinations of fillings. We chose the chef’s recommendations of having it done imperial style that has them lightly pan fried and covered with a paper thin wafer of rice starch. The dumplings were bursting with juicy bits of shrimp and Beijing cabbage. By dipping them into the fragrant black vinegar, it enhanced the pleasure of each morsel and cuts the greasy mouth feel. The sweetness of the Beijing cabbage was a great companion to the shrimp meat and gave the dumpling fillings a nice crunchy texture.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123809491586105970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RxttleLDwnI/AAAAAAAACDM/34E9hvRUNHU/s400/Shanghai+2007+045.jpg" border="0" />Soon the roast lamb arrived with the meat all sliced up and re-cooked till almost dried up. It was a letdown for us as we anticipated juicy roasted leg but ended with torn shredded pieces of overcooked meat. <a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RxtvNuLDwpI/AAAAAAAACDc/Sk5glnzUg1Q/s1600-h/Shanghai+2007+047.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123811282587468434" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RxtvNuLDwpI/AAAAAAAACDc/Sk5glnzUg1Q/s200/Shanghai+2007+047.jpg" border="0" /></a>However there were some interesting learning points of how the way it was eaten. The roast lamb was accompanied by a sauce of minced garlic, onions and pickled vegetables cooked in oil. A small side dish of whole cumin seeds mixed with chilli powder, salt and sesame seeds were also served. The idea is to take each slice of lamb meat, dip into the sauce and followed by the dry mix. Each bite releases the spicy fragrance of the toasted cumin seeds and the nuttiness aromas of roasted sesame seeds. The sauce also made up slightly for the loss of the precious meat juices giving the rubbery textured meat a small relief. I was fantasizing that if the meat had been served the way it is always appreciated in western cooking, pink and juicy, it would indeed have been heavenly.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123809521650877058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RxttnOLDwoI/AAAAAAAACDU/rQqBEV0kzD8/s400/Shanghai+2007+049.jpg" border="0" />Meat and mushrooms are a classic combination so we ordered a dish of sautéed sliced mushrooms as our final dish. The abalone textured like slices of Bai Ling Mushrooms were sautéed with a sauce that was made up with soy, ketchup and Maggi Seasoning sauces, accompanied with shoestring style strips of deep fried sweet potatoes. The lovage and soy notes of the sauce brought out the savouriness of the supple textured mushroom slices which was balance by the natural and crispiness of the deep fried sweet potatoes. We enjoyed this dish very much and appreciated the delicate balance of fungus, root vegetable and naturally fermented sauces.</div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright
All contents © 2007 Chef Eric Low</div>Coolchefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07931949217991230913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543033.post-61065055764898318652007-10-10T22:09:00.000+08:002007-10-12T00:07:01.545+08:00Island of Chefs<span style="color:#990000;"></span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119742698722673202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwz62-LDwjI/AAAAAAAACCs/dcU1LdhUtPw/s200/IMG_1929.jpg" border="0" />Would you pay for an air ticket just to eat hawker food in Penang? The answer for me is yes. Without doubt, I am willing to do so for hawker food that has fed more than three generations of families, that does not have ambitions to become a franchise multinational corporation, that believes in no shortcuts or the easy way out when it comes to preparation and ingredients, that is true to its own cooking and has maintained the standards of expectations from its loyal customers one generation after another. Here in Penang, hawker food is real culinary art seen in the form as the most basics of basics in the different dinning levels of food appreciation. The fact is the standard of the foods produced by the hawkers on this island off the coast of the mainland of peninsula Malaysia is so unmatched elsewhere that it becomes the culinary capital of the hawkers’ culture in South East Asia. There is passion, pride and dignity to prepare great tasty fare for the locals who formed the majority of their customers and are their strictest silent critics on standards of expectation. No hawker on Penang Island can survive for generations if they serve trashy food by relying on prepared sauces and spice pastes or taking the shortcuts with processed foods. The hawkers are not ambitious to offer wide varieties of foods, preferring instead to just focus a few items and perfecting the art of preparing them. Competition for customers is fierce and intense based on quality, hence the difference in standards from stall to stall is not such a wide gap like in Singapore. The winning stall scores by having an extra dollop of delicious sauce or generous toppings and garnishes that can result in an extra dimension of flavour.<br />Nothing beats coming to the island itself for the first hand experience. Not even the regular Penang food fairs abroad that represent only a scratch on the surface of the many wonderful dishes found on this island of hawker gastronomy. To feel its essence, it pays to know someone in the trade who can show you the best with regular updates. Yes, information in culinary guides is not 100% updated and reliable as the standards and locations of the hawkers can change all the time. When the business is passed down to the next generation, taste can change for better or worse depending on the attitude of the successor. For sure is that the taste is not necessary bad but it may no longer enjoy the tile of being the best when things get complacent. Some hawkers tend to shift locations too and many of them call it a day when they no longer need to depend on the trade for survival. Hence, the best guide is to know the person who plies the same trade among them.<br />Luckily since my childhood days, I happen to know one such person. <a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwz5SuLDwgI/AAAAAAAACCU/lDdBhDdBxqY/s1600-h/IMG_2037.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119740976440787458" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwz5SuLDwgI/AAAAAAAACCU/lDdBhDdBxqY/s320/IMG_2037.jpg" border="0" /></a>This person whom I respectfully call Uncle Lee is Mr Lee Eng Huat, a family friend whom I have known for twenty years ever since we worked together at some Penang Food Fair. Uncle Lee is the undisputed “Indian chief” who puts the team of hawkers together whenever an invitation comes by from abroad. In his own capacity, Uncle Lee is the third generation of hawkers inheriting this humble ice kacang stall that was started by his grandfather along Lorong Swatow at the former New World’s Amusement Park. His daughter now helps him daily, learning the ropes of the trade as each day goes by. Uncle Lee sells ice kacang, but with different combinations of fruit, jellies and toppings that gives each individual variant its unique character. His sister compliments along by selling Penang Rojak, a unique salad of fruits and vegetables dressed in a spicy nutty pungent shrimp paste dressing. Things have change in the last few years with the street hawkers moving in to a newly constructed food court right on the former New World Park. Interestingly, a part of the wall that used to fence the former entertainment park is still retained as part of the entrance to the new food court.<br />With Uncle Lee and his connections, N and I get to go around various places to check out some of the best hawker stalls and at the right time to visit them. Listed below are some of the places that we have checked out ourselves as well as recommended by Uncle Lee to us recently:<br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;">Lor Bak:</span></strong><br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzhFuLDvuI/AAAAAAAAB8Q/poI9WizzEA0/s1600-h/IMG_2001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119714364823420642" style="CURSOR: hand" height="208" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzhFuLDvuI/AAAAAAAAB8Q/poI9WizzEA0/s320/IMG_2001.jpg" width="274" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzhG-LDvvI/AAAAAAAAB8Y/RpcNPzm4Dco/s1600-h/IMG_2026.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119714386298257138" style="WIDTH: 276px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 207px" height="207" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzhG-LDvvI/AAAAAAAAB8Y/RpcNPzm4Dco/s320/IMG_2026.jpg" width="289" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>Similar to Ngo Hiang like what we have in Singapore’s hawker fare, we sampled three places for this dish that is made of up different kinds of deep fried fritters eaten with a sweet chilli sauce or a starchy dip. The fritters could be anything from batter coated sweet potatoes, yam, shrimps, squid and fish fillets. Spring rolls and five spice flavoured meat rolled in beancurd skin are also part of the ensemble of this dish. Benchmarks for this dish include a great crispy batter for the fritters, fragrant chunky pieces of meat for the spiced beancurd rolls and a great chilli sauce to dip with. First location was the stall that operated in Uncle Lee’s food court. The taste was only so so. But the next two locations that were recommended by Uncle Lee had great outstanding merits. Both operated only in the mornings from 8am to 3pm. The first stall is at One Corner Café, located on Jalan Bangsar behind Lorong Swatow. This was also the stall that came down with Uncle Lee for the recent Penang food promotion @ York Hotel. But here in its original location, it was far much better in taste as the hawkers had to work with food budget restraints when they do their promotions Singapore. Hence when one is forced to compromise on quality ingredients, taste performance is also compromised. Here on its home ground, the fritters were freshly fried on order. Meat rolls were chunkier, fish fillets were plump and fresh and more varieties were also offered than what was put out at York Hotel.<br />The other great Lor Bak stall that we like was one standing at a corner coffee shop named Kheng Pin at the corner of Jalan Sri Bahari and Jalan Penang, opposite the Oriental Hotel. A veteran in the business, this Lor Bak stall features the usual standard items plus a variety of squid, shrimp and fish fritters, all home made and cooked on the spot. What made this stall outstanding was the batter for the fritters. It was light on taste and delivered a superb crispiness on all seafood crusted with it. The meat rolls were excellent too, very well marinated in spices and seasonings to the extent the meat comes out a little pinkish due to the brining effect of letting the meat sit long enough in the salty marinade.<br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;">Assam Laksa:</span></strong><br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwziruLDv0I/AAAAAAAAB9A/xwB42EW-DQk/s1600-h/IMG_1969.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119716117170077506" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwziruLDv0I/AAAAAAAAB9A/xwB42EW-DQk/s200/IMG_1969.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzisOLDv1I/AAAAAAAAB9I/BpG_AmhO3I4/s1600-h/IMG_1971.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119716125760012114" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzisOLDv1I/AAAAAAAAB9I/BpG_AmhO3I4/s200/IMG_1971.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzjeOLDv6I/AAAAAAAAB9w/op5OlQYnAsg/s1600-h/IMG_1976.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119716984753471394" style="CURSOR: hand" height="150" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzjeOLDv6I/AAAAAAAAB9w/op5OlQYnAsg/s200/IMG_1976.jpg" width="207" border="0" /></a> Currently I have two favourite stalls for this dish of thick rice noodles with a tamarind infused fish broth. The one that I have been patronising since coming to Penang for the first time is just opposite the Air Hitam Market along the road that leads to Penang’s most famous temple, Kek Lok Si. This stall is pretty much a one man operation and hence despite repeated invitations by Uncle Lee to join him in overseas food promotions, was never able to make it here.<a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzjPuLDv5I/AAAAAAAAB9o/Sxhabbt-FDM/s1600-h/IMG_1974.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119716735645368210" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzjPuLDv5I/AAAAAAAAB9o/Sxhabbt-FDM/s200/IMG_1974.jpg" border="0" /></a>To me, he serves the best assam laksa in Penang and one bowl is never enough. The quality of taste has been consistent always and the final touch of prawn paste has always been generous which gives the tangy broth a pungent fragrance. The broth is made with two kinds of oily fishes, Ikan Kembong and Sardines which brings out a better body to the dish. Tamarind or assam as it is known locally provides the desired tanginess that is balanced with sweetness from palm sugar. A variety of fresh spices like shallots, blue ginger, lemongrass and garlic add aromatic dimensions and the combination of all ingredients into the pot of broth creates aromas that you can sniff out even in distances away.<br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzkE-LDv8I/AAAAAAAAB-A/6o_PesYK1TA/s1600-h/Joo+Hooi+Laksa.jpeg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119717650473402306" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzkE-LDv8I/AAAAAAAAB-A/6o_PesYK1TA/s200/Joo+Hooi+Laksa.jpeg" border="0" /></a>For the preferred version in downtown area, at the Joo Hooi coffee shop along the middle stretch of Penang Road, there is a stall that sells a version made with mackerel meat than the other two oily fishes mentioned above. The broth is sweeter in taste but the topping of prawn paste is rather diluted than thick so hence it is neither as rich nor fragrant as the one in Air Hitam. But still the rich stock makes up for the slack in the topping and if u are in downtown and need a quick for your craving for assam laksa, this would be the place for it. </div><div><strong><span style="color:#990000;">Char Koay Teow</span></strong><br /><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzlCOLDv9I/AAAAAAAAB-I/C-S9PprDCL0/s1600-h/IMG_1851.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119718702740389842" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzlCOLDv9I/AAAAAAAAB-I/C-S9PprDCL0/s200/IMG_1851.jpg" border="0" /></a>At the same Joo Hooi coffeeshop, there is also a pretty decent Char Koay Teow Stall too. The serving which costs about the same in Singapore has extra fish cake slices and large prawns on top of the regular cockles and Chinese sausages. Penang’s version of Char Koay Teow uses entirely only the flat rice noodles instead of a mix with yellow hokkien mee. As one of the most significant icon of Penang Hawker fare, nobody will dare to sell a lousy version due to stiff competition. But if due recognition were to be given, I would prefer to accredit the best ones like the way the Oscars does for movie stars. That is to have two recognitions for this category, one each for the Best Lady CKT fryer and Best Gentleman CKT fryer. This is how good it can be in Penang. </div><div></div><div><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzsfOLDwFI/AAAAAAAAB-8/Bvg7CtAfqI8/s1600-h/IMG_1912.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119726897537990738" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzsfOLDwFI/AAAAAAAAB-8/Bvg7CtAfqI8/s200/IMG_1912.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwzsf-LDwGI/AAAAAAAAB_E/w8OVO-IIndA/s1600-h/IMG_1918.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119726910422892642" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwzsf-LDwGI/AAAAAAAAB_E/w8OVO-IIndA/s200/IMG_1918.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzsgOLDwHI/AAAAAAAAB_M/oKPAch4hRCc/s1600-h/IMG_1923.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119726914717859954" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzsgOLDwHI/AAAAAAAAB_M/oKPAch4hRCc/s200/IMG_1923.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div>Undisputedly, the Best Lady CKT fryer award should go to the Auntie Char Koay Teow Stall @ Lorong Selamat where customers are willing to brave the hot sun or rain for sometimes up to an hour to get enough satisfaction of their cravings. Fried in a seasoned aluminium wok over a charcoal stove, its gets so deliciously smoky that Auntie needs a pair of goggles to keep focus on what’s going on in the wok. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119727417229033602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwzs9eLDwII/AAAAAAAAB_U/Wc7x5FFD9Yw/s400/IMG_1925.jpg" border="0" />The wait is always worth it as u get a plate of deliciously lard laden fried koay teow that taste as good as it smells. While it is sinfully rich with the lard, without it, CKT is totally spineless in taste as the other condiments are secondary. The lard delivers the fragrance and lifts the synergy of flavours from other ingredients during the cooking process. The control of fire is equally important as the right temperature creates the wok charred notes and maintains the right level of moisture between noodles and ingredients.<br /><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwzt3OLDwJI/AAAAAAAAB_c/4-pQhKa0ZoQ/s1600-h/Ahleng+CKT.jpeg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119728409366478994" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwzt3OLDwJI/AAAAAAAAB_c/4-pQhKa0ZoQ/s200/Ahleng+CKT.jpeg" border="0" /></a>The Best Gentleman CKT Fryer should go to Ah Leng, formerly of Kimberly Street who now fries the noodles at a different location. Currently Ah Leng is at the Koon Hiang coffee shop at the corner between Jalan Honolulu and Jalan Dato Keramat. I have eaten char koay teow out of Ah Leng’s hands since 15 years ago Widely reputed to be the king of all char koay teow hawkers, Ah Leng doesn’t open shop unless all his ingredients are available and in place. He frequently takes breaks of a few days or even an entire week when he feels like it hence catching him on a day that he opens for business is equal to hitting a culinary jackpot. The title of king does not come as hot air as Ah Leng’s Char Kway Teow is crowned with a serving of large prawns and sweet tasting mantis prawns or “lai liu har” as the Cantonese call it. Even at RM8 a portion, it still puts our local versions to shame with its perceived value. My personal preference is that while both Ah Leng and Auntie’s Char Koay Teow are on par with each other in terms of taste, Ah Leng wins with a more affable personality.<br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;">Prawn Noodles:</span></strong><br />The father and son team next to Uncle Lee’s stall along Lorong Swatow used to be very good until the old man kicked the bucket and somehow the son couldn’t grasp the essence of it from dad. This time round, we found two other great places with individual merits.</div><div></div><div><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzuheLDwKI/AAAAAAAAB_k/isphS2G9p60/s1600-h/IMG_1955.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119729135215952034" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzuheLDwKI/AAAAAAAAB_k/isphS2G9p60/s200/IMG_1955.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzuhuLDwLI/AAAAAAAAB_s/fpTL6MzTzLs/s1600-h/IMG_1952.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119729139510919346" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzuhuLDwLI/AAAAAAAAB_s/fpTL6MzTzLs/s200/IMG_1952.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwzuh-LDwMI/AAAAAAAAB_0/3W28RpdDsew/s1600-h/IMG_1956.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119729143805886658" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwzuh-LDwMI/AAAAAAAAB_0/3W28RpdDsew/s200/IMG_1956.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div>At Presgrave Road, this family run business starts from 5pm onwards till the wee hours of the morning. I found the stock here very good with strong meaty dimensions and fried prawn shell flavours. The way the broth of the prawn noodles are prepared defines why Singapore’s hawkers’ version can never beat their counterparts in Penang, never mind the fact that the condiments in SG’s version are more luxurious. Raw ingredients and patience play an important role in the brewing of a good stock for the noodles. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119739636410991074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwz4EuLDweI/AAAAAAAACCE/t1O4wqzbfVg/s400/IMG_1956.jpg" border="0" />The most difficult part in preparation is the blending of prawn shells with the meat stock and an initial round of simmering, followed by straining the essence back into the simmering broth. This is something that is not practised in SG which explains the inferiority in taste as compared to the Penang version. This crucial step, though time consuming allows the full flavour of the prawn shells to be extracted out to the maximum, providing the important flavours notes with a strength that defines it as a benchmark of excellence. In the other areas of preparation, dried chillies is combined with pre-soaked dried shrimp and blended into a paste, which is then cook up with the prawn shells and caramelised rock sugar as the foundation of the stock before pork bones and skin are added to provide “meatiness” to the broth. With this winning stock base, the garnishing ingredients that can range from boiled pig skin, hardboiled eggs, spare ribs and peeled prawns completes the final picture of assembly to a well executed dish. Another trade secret share was most hawkers would rather use prawns caught from the sea than farmed freshwater varieties as it is believed that the prawns from sea are tastier due to the salinity of the environment that they live in.<br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzxguLDwOI/AAAAAAAACAE/8vF-fiAPVI4/s1600-h/IMG_2004.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119732420865933538" style="CURSOR: hand" height="213" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzxguLDwOI/AAAAAAAACAE/8vF-fiAPVI4/s320/IMG_2004.jpg" width="292" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwzxg-LDwPI/AAAAAAAACAM/1LRWaGYLRoE/s1600-h/IMG_2007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119732425160900850" style="WIDTH: 288px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px" height="210" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwzxg-LDwPI/AAAAAAAACAM/1LRWaGYLRoE/s320/IMG_2007.jpg" width="284" border="0" /></a></div><div>The other place that dishes up a mean spicy bowl of prawn noodles is at the one corner coffee shop at the Bangsar Road and a stone’s throw away from New World Food Court. This stall here serves the prawn noodles for breakfast only, launching the first bowls just before sunrise and clearing out everything before the call for midday prayers at the nearby mosque can be heard. The stock here is really spicy as compared to other places that I have tasted and at the end had to be washed down with two glasses of “Teh O Peng” or iced tea without milk as it is known locally. Compare with the Presgrave version, the prawn dimensions stood out more than the meaty notes for the broth. If u can ignore the spicy chilli notes and just focus on the other flavours, it is still very good. Given the popularity of the locals with this stall, be prepared to wait up to 45minutes for your order. Anyway if you don’t have the patience to wait, u can forget about having great hawker food in Penang.<br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;">Mee Jawa:</span></strong><br /><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzylOLDwQI/AAAAAAAACAU/vzMmhGFqzso/s1600-h/IMG_1897.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119733597686972674" style="CURSOR: hand" height="217" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzylOLDwQI/AAAAAAAACAU/vzMmhGFqzso/s320/IMG_1897.jpg" width="295" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzyleLDwRI/AAAAAAAACAc/cgK0CsmuYL0/s1600-h/IMG_1899.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119733601981939986" style="CURSOR: hand" height="215" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzyleLDwRI/AAAAAAAACAc/cgK0CsmuYL0/s320/IMG_1899.jpg" width="292" border="0" /></a></div><div>There are a few variations of this dish, comes in both blanched and fried versions. I have a preference for the latter as my first encounter with Mee Jawa was a plate straight out of the wok. The fried version of this noodle dish has a similar resemblance to our local Punggol Style Mee Goreng with differences in garnishes and condiments. The blanched version is done the same way as mee rebus, with the noodles first blanched in water, laced with the standard condiments and ladled over with a orange red gravy made from chillies, tomato ketchup and sweet potatoes. I preferred the more exciting wok fried version which the noodles are tossed in ketchup and a chilli paste and enriched with an egg. The standard condiments of fried dough fritters, potatoes, fresh prawns and Chinese mustard greens add on colour and texture to the noodles and when it is well cooked, has the slightly charred wok taste, moist not soggy and a perfumed with a generous amount of fried shallots.<br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;">Apom Balik:</span></strong><br /><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzzjeLDwTI/AAAAAAAACAs/WOj2JadTniA/s1600-h/IMG_2011.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119734667133829426" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzzjeLDwTI/AAAAAAAACAs/WOj2JadTniA/s200/IMG_2011.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzzjOLDwSI/AAAAAAAACAk/6dWO3RfAKJM/s1600-h/IMG_2009.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119734662838862114" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzzjOLDwSI/AAAAAAAACAk/6dWO3RfAKJM/s200/IMG_2009.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzzjeLDwUI/AAAAAAAACA0/OY_QiEDpnj0/s1600-h/IMG_2012.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119734667133829442" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwzzjeLDwUI/AAAAAAAACA0/OY_QiEDpnj0/s200/IMG_2012.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div>The favourite street snack on Penang Island, these are also sometimes interpreted as the Chinese rice flour based Pancakes with bananas and sweet corn fillings. The best I have tasted so far comes from the roadside stall along the left side of Jalan Burma right on the traffic pedestrian before Hin Heang Biscuits shop. Business is so good that this affable Uncle sells hundreds of pieces a day. There isn’t a time where traffic doesn’t stop to pick up some Apom from this Uncle. Most customers would pack by the set of five pieces are will to wait in the sun for it. The secret to this winning recipe is choosing the right ingredients even though it is such a simple preparation. The batter consists of coconut milk mixed with rice flour, desiccated coconut, sugar and eggs. Choosing the ripest bananas is an important part of the recipe as they release a lot more flavour and the creamed sweet corn balances out the overall sweetness of the pancake nicely. Warning: Biting into a fresh pipping hot apom balik may not only result having a scorched tongue, it can also make one obsessively addicted to it.<br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;">Ban Chiang Kueh:</span></strong><br /><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwz0kOLDwVI/AAAAAAAACA8/4-M364J6zqA/s1600-h/IMG_1933.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119735779530359122" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwz0kOLDwVI/AAAAAAAACA8/4-M364J6zqA/s200/IMG_1933.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwz0keLDwWI/AAAAAAAACBE/LXSENlqR31g/s1600-h/IMG_1935.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119735783825326434" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwz0keLDwWI/AAAAAAAACBE/LXSENlqR31g/s200/IMG_1935.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwz0kuLDwXI/AAAAAAAACBM/aV2f2yhuuhQ/s1600-h/IMG_1934.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119735788120293746" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwz0kuLDwXI/AAAAAAAACBM/aV2f2yhuuhQ/s200/IMG_1934.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div>Also sometimes referred to as Apom Balik, especially by the Malays, Penang’s version of Ban Chiang Kueh comes with wafer thin crispy versions that are to die for. While the thick doughy kind is also available, it's the crispy version than sends u on an orgasmic high. Our favourite one is from the pushcart that used to be beside Uncle Lee’s stall along Lorong Swatow but has since shifted to the next adjacent street known as Jalan Hutton right after the New World Food Court Carpark. In between the folded wafer thin dough; there is a generous sprinkling of a mixture of coarse grounded toasted peanuts with sugar and sesame seeds. A generous brush of margarine gives it a touch of buttery fragrance and the dollop of creamed sweet corn does the wonderful job of balancing out the sweetness of the pancake. For the orgasmic version, ask for an egg to be added in and have a bite of it when the whites are just set and the yolk is still runny for that oozing sensation! A close competitive version can also be found at the Cecil Road Market.<br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;">Kway Teow Thng:</span></strong><br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwz1guLDwYI/AAAAAAAACBU/1gOEEUlerzs/s1600-h/IMG_1885.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119736818912444802" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" height="208" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwz1guLDwYI/AAAAAAAACBU/1gOEEUlerzs/s320/IMG_1885.jpg" width="281" border="0" /></a>One of the main staples for breakfast in Penang, many hawkers do their stock for this rice noodle dish with at least two kinds of meat and bones. My vouch is for two stalls that I have tried on this trip, one in the coffee shop behind Chowrasta Market and the other at the Cecil Street Market. Both are equally happening at different times of the day. The stall at Kedai Kopi Soon Yuen which is behind Chowrasta market has a huge pot of broth made with chicken, duck and pork bones. The Kway Teow noodles are very smooth here and the broth has a meaty richness from the hours of simmering the different types of bones. Home made fish balls are part of the matching condiments together with slivers of boiled chicken meat. The key fragrance to this dish is a drizzle of freshly cooked garlic oil and a sprinkling of chopped spring onions.<br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwz2ouLDwbI/AAAAAAAACBs/zpCUIFWuLBk/s1600-h/IMG_1941.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119738055863026098" style="CURSOR: hand" height="208" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwz2ouLDwbI/AAAAAAAACBs/zpCUIFWuLBk/s320/IMG_1941.jpg" width="296" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwz2o-LDwcI/AAAAAAAACB0/aHZo2I9hVHM/s1600-h/IMG_1950.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119738060157993410" style="CURSOR: hand" height="206" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwz2o-LDwcI/AAAAAAAACB0/aHZo2I9hVHM/s320/IMG_1950.jpg" width="287" border="0" /></a></div><div>The other superb kway teow thng stall is at the Cecil Street Market where the owner uses more than one hundred ducks a day for the several hundred bowls of kway teow thng that is sold daily. The broth is very tasty and the serving is very generous. The broth has been simmered for a very long time with both pork and duck bones plus ikan bilis till it turns a milky white. This indicates at least 6 hours of slow simmer to achieve such a flavourful broth which has a lingering after sweetness and very meaty dimensions.<br /><span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Hokkien Char:</strong><br /></span></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119739163964588498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwz3pOLDwdI/AAAAAAAACB8/KTL7LTn3s1Q/s400/IMG_1980.jpg" border="0" />Very much like a cross between KL’s Dai Lok Mee and Singapore’s Fried Prawn Noodles. This version here at the Air Hitam Market is considered among to be one of the best for the obvious reasons. Each plate comes with a topping of crispy pork lard and its fragrance permeates the whole dish as u eat. Just like Char Koay Teow, this plate of Hokkien Char must be 100% lard driven recipe. The noodles are fried and braised briefly in a prawn and pork based stock. Dark soya sauc e is added and a variety of fish, squid and prawns are added in with some Chinese mustard greens. What really makes this dish outstanding here is the lip smacking kick ass sambal belachan. The chilli on its own is already very vibrant with flavours of lime, fermented shrimp and fresh coriander leaves blended in. Toss with the noodle and not only it tones down the “lardiness” of it, it stirs the entire plate of noodles alive with multiple flavour dimensions with a big “Oomph!”<br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;">Oyster Omelete:</span><br /></strong><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119740538354123250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwz45OLDwfI/AAAAAAAACCM/318RS_C2UZk/s400/IMG_1987.jpg" border="0" />Penang has two versions, one crispy fried and the other a moist one but both win with the large size oysters that come with it. We tried the moist version at Bee Hooi Coffee Shop in Pulau Tikus which came glistening with juicy plump oysters. It looked by did not taste greasy on the palate and each morsel of egg, starch and oyster was heavenly yummy!<br />The are many more interesting dishes like Nasi Kandar, Pasembor, Char Koay Kak (similar to SG’s carrot cake), Poh Piah, Warm Cuttlefish Kangkong Salad with Sweet Fermented Bean Sauce and Shrimp Paste, Wan Ton Mee etc. The list is endless and there will always be new discoveries each round.<br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwz6O-LDwiI/AAAAAAAACCk/O2Jp9v_XMxM/s1600-h/IMG_2042.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119742011527905826" style="CURSOR: hand" height="217" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwz6O-LDwiI/AAAAAAAACCk/O2Jp9v_XMxM/s320/IMG_2042.jpg" width="294" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwz6F-LDwhI/AAAAAAAACCc/bxDrgjXr7A4/s1600-h/IMG_1910.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119741856909083154" style="WIDTH: 289px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 218px" height="214" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/Rwz6F-LDwhI/AAAAAAAACCc/bxDrgjXr7A4/s320/IMG_1910.jpg" width="289" border="0" /></a><br />After all the sampling and tasting of so many different recipes there are a few choices to wash down the all these lovely street grub. Besides the different permutations of local coffee and tea beverages, there are always Ice Kacang, Chendol and I always love this special drink concocted by Uncle Lee to cool down. It’s a mixture of lime juice, buah umbra or buah long long as we call it in SG, dried plums (Sng Buay) and slightly sweetened. The buah umbra gives it a slight astringency to the sweet and sour drink and its very cooling and refreshing on a hot weather day. </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright
All contents © 2007 Chef Eric Low</div>Coolchefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07931949217991230913noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34543033.post-57469054191489811692007-10-03T22:19:00.000+08:002007-10-03T22:48:22.792+08:00Taiwanese Munchies<div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Liu San Ge</span></strong></div><div align="center">No 1 Jalan Anak Bukit</div><div align="center">#01-09 </div><div align="center">Bukit Timah Plaza</div><div align="center">Singapore</div><div align="center">Tel: 64631833</div>N and I made an interesting discovery of a small little Taiwanese oriented eatery over the weekend. Our objective was to check out the new Fairprice Price Finest Marketplace at Bukit Timah Plaza but I ended up being more impressed with this little place than the supermarket itself which I thought was actually a Cold Storage wannabe but run with the civil servants type of corporate culture mindset. I shall blog about this later.<br />Liu San as the little Taiwanese place is known offers basic street delicacies which some are already familiar with local Singaporeans who have been there done that at the famous Shilin Night market. The menu isn’t very wide but who cares as long as everything comes out great and tasty. We started each with a cup of soothing homemade cold soya bean milk for me and warm rice milk for N. The soya bean milk was as define concentrated enough for me to feel its milky texture though it was not very well sieved and I could taste fine sandy bits of grounded beans around. Perhaps it was intentionally done so to validate their claim of have it home made. Despite the not so smooth texture, it has a kind of fragrance in between the distance of caramelized sugar and burnt notes that evokes the nostalgic feelings of neighbourhood wet markets in the good old days where soya bean milk was boiled before serving at the stall. The process resulted in caramelized bits of the milk leaching out the unique fragrance that I distinctly remember as part of my childhood repertoire of taste preferences.<br />The rice milk was a brownish slightly thickened gruel of toasted ground rice with its distinct nutty flavour. The toasty notes made the gruel rather fragrant and the slight sweetness was a welcomed balance to the whole cup of rice milk. Both beverages are suitable for vegetarians too!<br /><br /><div><div><div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117120397850164866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwOp4-LDvoI/AAAAAAAAB7g/H6-a9Pa4FNI/s400/IMG_0248.jpg" border="0" />There are many interesting things on the small menu and we choose a few of those who are not so familiar. We started with the Lu Rou Fan which is a topping of soy braised minced pork over steamed short grain rice topped with a soy braised egg and home made pickled cucumbers on the side. It was a simple but satisfying dish especially with the warm hard boiled egg that had a slightly undercooked yolk. The pickles provided a nice contrasting crunch to the comfort tastes of the food and it made me felt very homely with peasant warmth.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117120599713627794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwOqEuLDvpI/AAAAAAAAB7o/r-5_upQ8O1Q/s400/IMG_0252.jpg" border="0" />N’s share was a grilled fresh eel (unagi style) on rice, something just introduced but not printed in the menu. Modelled after the classic Japanese Unagi Don, the freshly grilled eel do not reek of any unpleasant fishy notes that we find in poor quality frozen eel packs in the supermarkets. In fact it took to the sauce very well after being grilled on the hot plate and N and I enjoyed it absolutely.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117120917541207714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwOqXOLDvqI/AAAAAAAAB7w/f-QxPnztfH8/s400/IMG_0257.jpg" border="0" />The crispy chicken roll was a delicate wrap of sliced chicken meat and lots of crunchy vegetables like local turnip (Bang Kwang) and carrots. The flavours of the bean skin imparted and nice smokey salty tinge to the rolls and each bite was a reminder of those lovely vegetarian goose pieces made by the nuns in the kitchens of a Buddhist Temple along Punggol Road which I go to regularly since young with my grandmother. The accompanying tangy sauce had fruity notes of pickled plums with a hint of a slight dose of ketchup and Mayonnaise. This contrasted well against the slightly greasy chicken rolls but nonetheless the tasty filling made up for any other slight errors.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117121136584539826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwOqj-LDvrI/AAAAAAAAB74/VhtHFoKyGcA/s400/IMG_0260.jpg" border="0" />“Tian Bu La” or literally meaning sweet not spicy refers to a small side dish of fried fish cakes smothered with a sweetish pinkish sauce similar to what we get when we order five spiced fritters (Ngo Hiang). The fish cakes were rather smooth textured and eating them with the sweet sauce was like rediscovering the thrill of childhood experiences of following my folks to the Wayang Street Hawkers Center and eating those fried fritters with the sweet pink sauce while the adults would dip into the chili flavoured one., This hawkers has long since made way for the extension of today’s Eu Tong Sen Street.<br /><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwOq7uLDvsI/AAAAAAAAB8A/HseJg-NN8Y8/s1600-h/IMG_0261.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117121544606432962" style="CURSOR: hand" height="197" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwOq7uLDvsI/AAAAAAAAB8A/HseJg-NN8Y8/s320/IMG_0261.jpg" width="271" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwOq7-LDvtI/AAAAAAAAB8I/LWSPSyfVPD4/s1600-h/IMG_0263.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117121548901400274" style="CURSOR: hand" height="198" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_eWaEon2FESU/RwOq7-LDvtI/AAAAAAAAB8I/LWSPSyfVPD4/s320/IMG_0263.jpg" width="273" border="0" /></a></div><div>Last to arrive was a simple dish of boiled dumplings (Jiao Zi) with the usual black vinegar dip.The chive and meat flavoured filled dumplings were pretty standard but tasted home made. Each bite reveals the honest sincerity of these lovingly hand crafted dumplings made with passion.<br />There are still quite a few more other interesting items on the menu that N and I are keen to try in the next round and will update on this post when we have done so in the next two weeks.</div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright
All contents © 2007 Chef Eric Low</div>Coolchefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07931949217991230913noreply@blogger.com0