The Senior Senator From Singapore

A close friend who has lived in Asia, mostly Singapore, for the last 15 years recently made me an offer I couldn’t refuse: come visit him there for a week-long eating extravaganza and a free business-class ticket would be made available. I hadn’t visited “The Senator,” as we have affectionately called him for decades since 2001. As he was my cooking mentor in my youth, tooling around Singapore with him now as a geezer sounded like a dream come true. I’d been to Singapore three previous times throughout the years, but always as a quick stopover after Scuba diving trips made in that Hemisphere –food being an afterthought at that point. Having never really dug into Singapore’s amazing culinary culture to any large degree before, I was excited beyond words to learn and taste its legendary and diverse food offerings, most notably within the confines of its numerous hawker markets.

Amongst its never-ending stretches of shopping malls, where most of its dining establishments are located, lie Singapore’s humble hawker markets and food courts – a dense HQ for some of the world’s finest cheap eats. Traditionally hawker markets were open-air markets that fed Singapore’s diverse melting pot of Chinese, Malaysian, and Indian poor (although nowadays, cleaner and newer indoor versions have also entered the scene). Food courts today, however, are routinely frequented by both local and tourist, rich and poor alike. Their historic importance on the Singaporean culinary front cannot be overemphasized. Since gaining its independence in 1965, Singapore has gone from a backwater outpost to having one of the highest standard of livings in the world, due largely to ex-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

At a typical hawker market such as Tiong Bahru Food Centre, classic Singaporean dishes originating from elsewhere such as nasi lemak (Malay), or Hokkien mee (Chinese), bak kut teh (Chinese) can readily be found at its numerous food stalls. Additionally, some of the most pristine and unique kinds of fresh fish I’ve seen everywhere can also be procured there.

Here are four classic Singaporean offerings rarely, if ever, found in Chicago that I think are quite delicious:

Hainanese Chicken Rice


Although commonly known as the national dish of Singapore, its roots are firmly planted in the southern Chinese island region of Hainan where it’s called Wenchang chicken (文昌雞). Over the years, Chinese migrants to Malayasia and Singapore adapted it (as they also did in other places they settled such as Taiwan and Thailand) to their own liking. To the untrained Western eye, Hainanese chicken is nothing more than chicken over rice. But to those who consider it almost a sacred experience, however, the beauty of this dish lies in the details.

A mandatory requirement for creating first-rate Hainanese chicken or “Chicken rice” starts with premium chickens. Many lovers of this dish believe that if a high-quality chicken isn’t used, this simple dish stands no chance of being memorable.

Making Hainanese starts with boiling a chicken in pork or chicken stock along with ginger and garlic. When the chicken has been cooked to its ideal, it is then cooled in an ice bath so as to prevent overcooking. The oils/fats from this chicken stock are then used to make simple fried rice (garlic, ginger, and pandan/screwpine leaves) and the perfectly poached sliced chicken (usually white meat only) is placed on top. To many, the accompanying chili and/or ginger dipping sauces (sambals) are the most critical element to any serious chicken rice. At the better Hainanese chicken rice hawker stalls, a side of the chicken soup is served, almost as though they want to provide evidence to its customers of the quality and freshness of chickens they are using.

The dish is culinary simplicity at its best. As a chicken & rice fanatic of numerous global iterations, Hainanese chicken rice resonates within my primordial poultry soul like almost no other dish. I have to thank TonyC in LA for introducing this dish to me while out there. If you’re looking for a great rendition, head over to the highly praised Savoy Kitchen in Alhambra (138 East Valley Boulevard). Their chicken put me on a fanatical mission to find some great examples of this dish while exploring Singapore’s numerous hawker markets.

Fried Carrot Cake (Chai Tau Kway 菜头粿 )


My favorite dim sum item is unquestionably lo bak go (fried turnip or radish cake) and I love nothing more than eggs. Essentially, if you break up some lo bak go, mix it with some scrambled eggs, add a little rice flour, fish sauce, garlic, and top it with chopped scallion, the end result is fried carrot cake.

This dish can be found throughout Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore where sizable Teochew populations (originating from the southeast Chinese province of Guangdong) reside. A black version is sometime found which uses a dark or sweet soy sauce. The black version is more commonly found in Malaysia but can also be found in Singapore’s hawker markets as well.

While there, I found Fried carrot cake to be the utopian mid-afternoon nosh…followed up with a quality cigar to be enjoyed in Singapore’s ideal tobacco climate of serious humidity (usually over 80%).


Curry Laksa

The side item next to the bowl of curry laksa is called otah (Malay: “otak-otak”), a spicy fish or shrimp paste wrapped inside a charcoal roasted banana leaf.

This highly popular spicy noodle soup in Singapore (as well as elsewhere in Asia) typically comes in two forms there: Curry Laksa and Assam Laksa. Both versions originate from descendents of Chinese trader immigrants (known as Peranakan Chinese) to the Indonesian archipelago 500 or so years ago, then later migrating to the active ports of Singapore and Penang (Malaysia) sometime in the 19th century.

Curry Laksa is commonly made with rempah (curry spice paste), coconut milk, shrimp, tofu, and noodles. Assam (tamarind) or Penang Laksa is a sour fish noodle soup essentially made with a fresh fish such as herring, mackerel, or sardines along with tamarind (the sour element to this soup) & chili paste, dried shrimp paste (belacan), galangal, aromatic vegetables such as onion, shallots, ginger flower, and lemon grass. Thick rice noodles also known as laksa noodles are most commonly used, although thin rice vermicelli (bee hoon or mee hoon) are also common.

The three main taste profiles of this soup (bold shrimp essence, sourness, and spice) make laksa one of the world’s truly great culinary delights. Before this trip, I’d never before had any form of laksa and am not aware of a single place in Chicago that serves any traditional form of this great noodle soup.

Black Pepper Crab


This beloved local classic and descendent of the much-beloved Singaporean recipe Chilli Crab, is a fairly recent development to this food-centric nation’s culinary scene, having been around no earlier than the 1960s. The original recipe for chilli crab is widely claimed to have been invented in Singapore sometime in the 1950s (originally being served from a pushcart by a Singaporean Teochew that had modified and spiced up the dish from the more straightforward steamed crab preparations typically found). There has been some dispute recently about the origins of Chilli Crab - whether from Singapore or Malaysia. A Malaysian tourist minister a few years back (2009) made claims that the dish had Malaysian roots. However, most seem to find this claim lacking any credibility.

The list of ingredients used in most black pepper crab recipes include live or very fresh crab, loads of ultra-fresh/coarse black pepper, butter and/or oil, garlic, ginger, chilies, oyster sauce, sugar, and soy sauce.

I enjoy this dish because of the deliciousness of the Singapore crab and how it is showcased by the amazing vibrancy of the fresh black pepper one commonly finds in these parts. The entire crab is slathered in the butter/oil and saturated with loads of black pepper. It’s a sloppy mess to eat, yes, but an absolutely delicious mess that’s well worth the mandatory hose down afterwards.

Thanks, Senator.


Savoy Kitchen
138 East Valley Boulevard
Alhambra, CA
(626) 308-9535

Thanks PIGMON, for another great post introducing us to classic dishes that have not yet made it to Chicago. You make it look easy, but clearly, you have done some serious review of the literature. Because of you, my culinary world keeps expanding.

Rob,

It was fantastic to have you here for a few days and just being able to spend time doing what we like most!

What was really great for me was that I could show you some of the places and food we've talked about for years; as well as you showing me a thing or two The way you slowly nudged me into trying a new specialty ramen shop, after all my objections. You were here to taste Singaporean food so I wanted to maximize the experience. However, when I finally came around to thinking the Pigmon way, what an awesome Ramen kiosk it was! Thanks for that eye-opener.

Another great discover was the 3pm carrot cake nosh. To think it was at a hawker centre that I used to visit back in the late 90s. Now I live 3 minutes from there and never go! Well...that's all changed.

Your trip reminded me of our many travels together, but also when we started the Gastronomic Society Of Chicago in 1987. Funny what building a brick oven can lead to

Thanks for making the long journey and for being a great friend.

To many more dishes, wine and cigars to share.

The Senator


Keisuke Tonkotsu King
1 Tras Link (Orchid Hotel)
Singapore
Tel: +65 6636 0855

Did you get any "tau huay" while down in SG? Probably one of my favourite things to eat there...

jmarzo wrote:What was really great for me was that I could show you some of the places and food we've talked about for years; as well as you showing me a thing or two The way you slowly nudged me into trying a new specialty ramen shop, after all my objections. You were here to taste Singaporean food so I wanted to maximize the experience. However, when I finally came around to thinking the Pigmon way, what an awesome Ramen kiosk it was! Thanks for that eye-opener.

Keisuke Tonkotsu King
1 Tras Link (Orchid Hotel)
Singapore
Tel: +65 6636 0855

Yeah, this small ramen shop (seats no more than 20) really delivered. From what I’m reading, it appears to be the total go-to place in Singapore these days. Even though this is their second Singapore location, if you get there after noon, you’re probably too late. Apparently, they often run out of soup by 1:30-2:00pm.

We opted for their tonkotsu special ramen with chili oil and both loved it. The broth was exceptionally rich, as tonkotsu should be, but certainly not over-the-top. Their Hakata? (thin and squarish?) style noodles were cooked to absolute perfection, being beautifully toothsome and uncommonly tasty. Like many good noodle shops, you can instruct them on how to cook them. I wasn’t at all enamored with their chasu (marinated pork) since it was a bit spent from oversimmering and lacked in any fattiness whatsoever. Not horrible but not representative of the rest of the item in the bowl. They also used chili oil much like Ramen Ippudo’s Akamaru Shin-aji. I’m not at all sure if adding various infused oils such as with sanso (Sichuan peppercorn), garlic, or various types of chilis is a fairly new ramen concept or if it comes from some particular historic Japanese regional style.

I also thought it kicked ass that they offered a free basket of hard boiled eggs and a jar of marinated sprouts tableside!

When I got home and looked at their website, I noticed that they also make a kani (crab) ramen, which makes complete sense being located in Singapore. Had I known, it would’ve been a brutal decision trying to decide whether to get their highly-touted tonkotsu or try a bowl of kani. I’ve only had crab ramen once before and that was at Katsu. Besides Santouka, it’s my favorite ramen in Chicago (tallest midget situation here?).

Puppy wrote:Did you get any "tau huay" while down in SG? Probably one of my favourite things to eat there...

No. I didn’t. Is that the beancurd custard with syrup? Is that a dessert?

PIGMON wrote:Black Pepper Crab


I enjoy this dish because of the deliciousness of the Singapore crab and how it is showcased by the amazing vibrancy of the fresh black pepper one commonly finds in these parts.

BTW The crabs used in Chili and Black Pepper crabs are actually usually from Sri Lanka... In fact most people, when they are in a new place, always ask "Oy auntie... Sri Lankan crab hor?"

PIGMON wrote:

Puppy wrote:Did you get any "tau huay" while down in SG? Probably one of my favourite things to eat there...

No. I didn’t. Is that the beancurd custard with syrup? Is that a dessert?

It is! (to both questions)

There's always next time, right? Man, your post just reminds me that I haven't been to Singapore in ages. Good stuff!

Niiice! A friend with Malay origins introduced me to Hainanese chicken rice - though I've only probably had mediocre versions. Among these midgets in Chicago Penang used to have a somewhat tall one (and now I can't recall where the other one was - so not even much of a field). Pepper crab looks fantastic!!

CrazyC wrote:

PIGMON wrote:Black Pepper Crab


I enjoy this dish because of the deliciousness of the Singapore crab and how it is showcased by the amazing vibrancy of the fresh black pepper one commonly finds in these parts.

BTW The crabs used in Chili and Black Pepper crabs are actually usually from Sri Lanka... In fact most people, when they are in a new place, always ask "Oy auntie... Sri Lankan crab hor?"

Thanks for the clarity, CrazyC.

The crab pictured above was brought out to our table live beforehand and it seemed like it was the size of the football field. Apparently, Sri Lankan crabs commonly run quite large in size. Do you think that their size is the main selling point or are they largely sought after for their unique flavor?

Rob,

Most of the vendors call them Sri Lankan crabs, but I have had some say they come from Indonesia and even Vietnam. In Sydney they have a similar looking crab, but the Aussies call them Mud Crabs. In any case, the meat on these crabs is very sweet.

The one common feature is that the claws are very large compared to the body. The shell is also incredibly thick.

The Senator

Senator, are you talking about Moreton Bay Mud Bugs? They're actually a kind of crawdad. Delicious!

Geo

Hi Geo,

I think the mud bugs you are referring to are also called Yabbies, and you're right, they're similar to Louisiana crawfish. The main difference is the thickness of U.S. crawdads. Yabbies have a more pliable exterior. The mud (or Sri Lankan) crab I'm referring to is combination: the shape of a Maryland Blue Crab, size of a Dungeness and big claws and a thick shell like a Stone crab.

Come to think of it, just to make it more confusing (sorry), there is a local S.E. Asian crayfish, but this more like a spiny lobster. Flattish with a big head, no claws and only the tail is edible.

I'll try to get a picture of a live one next time I'm at the market, so you can get a sense of what I'm talking about. Actually, a scientific name would probably be helpful to everyone.

Thanks

The Senator

Geo,

I was wrong. The Morteon Bay Mud Bugs you are referring to are actually the flattish SE Asian crayfish.

There's a picture on this link:

http://www.sea-ex.com/fishphotos/bug,1.htm

Sorry for the confusion.

The Senator

There is also mantis shrimp http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantis_shrimp
Also called "lai liu har" in Cantonese, this shrimp is flat and has spiny thorns on the back...

Pigmon, bro, what an incredible post. I must have been out-of-town when it went up, but I'm so glad I found it. Will be in Singapore next week for a few days and very excited about exploring hawkers, eating Black Pepper, crab, etc.

We're going to be staying at the Fairmont, and I have no idea where that is in relation to anything...so, open to suggestion.

Found this helpful guide from Singapore Day on Facebook:

DH--

It's not really hawker food, but one of my very favorite Singapore foods is bak kut tey--pork ribs in a spectacular simmering broth. Do try it if you get a chance!

Geo

A tip for anyone who's heading to Singapore: Follow Tan Hsueh Yun on Facebook. (And consider following her even if you're not going to Singapore.) She's the food editor for The Strait Times & posts some lovely pictures & descriptions of her meals around town (and around other towns...she did a great eating trip to N. Calif. last year).

I've found that she's very friendly and helpful--we've traded a couple messages because she posted a delicious-looking photo of her black vinegar chicken salad & offered to share the recipe with anyone who emailed her. (Still haven't made it. Must do soon.)

The Senator proved a most able and generous host yesterday, when he took us through Tiong Bahru market. As part of Singapore's highly disciplined approach to the Straits life, street hawkers have been relocated indoors-ish, to a semi-enclosed mall that offered an awesome range of edibles, a good deal of which I'd never seen before. My stomach-heart beat faster when I saw Otak (sometimes called Otak-Otak), a mash of fish paste, herbs and sago, cooked in a banana leaf (much like my beloved Oaxacan tamale) over fire...



...served here over bee hoon, a wok-fried mound of noodles, eggs and other good things.

How much of a food city is Singapore? In the National Museum yesterday, I was tickled that the very first gallery was devoted to the foods of Singapore.

Thank you, Senator!

Dave,

It was a pleasure to meet you and Carolyn, and I'm glad we had the chance to walk/eat our way through the TB market. It was fun pointing out some of my favorite vendors while at the same time learning about new ones. Thanks to this visit I now have a new purveyor of chicken!

Happy 30th Wedding Anniversary and have a great trip!


Geo - while we were walking around, I saw some local crayfish for sale.

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The Senator

We had enjoyed an afternoon at the Peranakan Museum, devoted to the subculture of Chinese immigrants living in Singapore who developed their own rituals, folkways and food ways, their own gods and their own recipes that leverage the bounty of fruits and vegetables offered by the lush environment at the tip of the Malay Peninsula.

Next door to this living repository of Peranakan (pronounced piranha-khan) culture is True Blue, a restaurant devoted to preserving, albeit in a somewhat haute atmosphere, the food of this now-native Straits culture.

We had to have ayam buah keluak, chicken with black nuts, a Peranakan signature dish. The chicken was roasted and then put into a stew with black nuts. The black nuts (which do not photograph well against a white plate) are prepared by digging out the meat, mixing it with shrimp paste, and then using that mixture to re-stuff the nuts, which are then cooked for a while with the chicken. The tar-like nut mixture took on a slight brininess as a result of the shrimp paste, and it had a mushroom-y earthiness with, I think, a touch of asafetida. The dish is served with small spoons to excavate the stuffing from inside the nut.

Far and away my favorite dish was a salad of banana blossom with cucumber in a creamy sauce with star fruit. The delicate banana blooms played against the crunch of the cucumber and the creaminess was a good foil to the slightly tart fruit. Star fruit, or carambola, is an excellent addition to salads, and I’ve made a mental note to use this as a salad ingredient when I get home.



Based on my very limited experience with Peranakan cuisine, it seems a differentiator between this food and food of mainland China is that Peranakan recipes seem to call for more fruit, more sweet-savory combinations. Generalizing based on such a small sample is difficult, and this is certainly a culinary tradition that deserves more (of my) attention.

True Blue
49 Armenian Street Singapore 179937
6440 0449

Geo,

Here's another attempt at loading the photo.



The Seantor

David,

glad you found that place - one of my favorite in Sing. I get there for business every now and again, and now I'm taking my family, including the kids, for a week in Sing and a week in Thailand, and we only have 3 resteraunt meals scheduled (the rest hawker center) and that is one of them.

Nice looking bug tails, Senator! How much are they?

DH--have you tried Bak kuh tay yet??!
One of my Singapore faves! (I brought about a dozen spice packets home, and keep them in the freezer! : )

Geo