u m a m i

Bangkok: Hot! Hot! Hot!

                           

I have been so busy and preoccupied lately that I haven't really had any time to do the things I like to do. To start, I had to go to Bangkok for work.Where temperatures reached 35 C, hot smothering weather that dehydrates the body and saps all energies.

The Thais seem to deal with the inhospitable weather very well though.In fact, they have a dish that is specially prepared just for this kind of weather. Which I found when I wandered into the basement level of the latest high-end shopping mall that is Siam Paragon.

Khao Chae, literally translated as immersed rice, is traditionally served during summer. Polished jasmine rice is submerged in a subtly scented jasmine water and ice, and served alongside are intriguing savouries to excite the palate. It is very refreshing to eat, the best part of this dish, for me at least, is the combination of the cool clean rice with the soothing jasmine water.

                            

The savouries are very interesting too. Featured here is the version served at the Oriental Shop at Siam Paragon.

1. is sweet pickled radish, 2 is addictively sweet yet mildly salty balls made with pressed salted egg yolks, 3 is a green pepper stuffed with meat and draped over with an omelet crepe- very substantial but I found that it takes away from the lightness of the meal. 4 is a candylike pork floss. 5 is another type of round condiment made with fermented shrimp paste, piquant, salty and yet sweet, rather intriguing and quite subtle actually. 6 is frittered sweet shallots, small and scrumptious. I couldn't finish even a third of what was on the plate, but picking on a piece here and there to try was quite diverting. One can either mix them in the porridge or nibble them alongside, I prefer the latter option as I didn't want to sully the pristine cool waters.

My friend slurp! was very enthusiastic about the kao chae at Thanying, but we were at the famous restaurant for dinner and they only serve it at lunchtime. Maybe next time...

       

Anyway, my little tea over, I found myself enthralled at the enormous food hall and its many wonderful eatings. This is the best food hall I have ever come across, Harrods, Selfridges, Taka just doesn't compare, the Siam Paragon Gourmet Market wins over them all. There is variety, loads of activities, and non-stop action including three guys pulling teh tarek while simultaneously spinning on their feet! I had dinner plans so I restrained myself from eating too much, but the little Kanom Krok was hard to resist. I bought some pumpkin and sweet corn versions and couldn't really stop at just one or two pieces. These little cakes are crisp on the outside but inside it is soft, runny and almost custardlike. I am definitely going to try making them soon.

     

The next day it was time for work, quite a lot of work actually. But like all civilised people, the Thais take their food seriously, at lunch everybody takes a break and order their favourite foods. S&P is a popular chain restaurant, I have often seen it in malls but never tried eating in one before, but well, here in the hospital we had little choice. Thankfully the food was mostly good and satisfying, and very reasonably priced. I enjoyed my rice with pig trotters cooked in a red curry, the pork tender and still sporting the charred roasted taste which also went well with the robustly aromatic and spicy curry sauce. The spring rolls that we shared came drenched in a curious brown sauce that was both tart and sweet, again, fresh and tasty. I even ordered khao chae, which came with fewer condiments than Oriental's; their version of pork floss which was fried with shallots till caramelised was my favourite.

                         

After work, I took the skytrain to Siam and found myself at Siam Paragon again because it seemed to be better airconditioned than its neighbours. I spotted a restaurant that was part of the Greyhound group and decided to go in even though it was quite empty. It was a wise move. This little space, small but well proportioned and comfortable, is staffed by discreet and attentive staff. The menu is devoted to Thai-Italian cooking, and in keeping with the impeccable Greyhound standards, this  pairing fuses rather than confuses, exemplified best in their som tam. Everyday green papaya salad, already a very good thing in itself, is made even better with the addition of sweet crunchy fruits guava, apples and pomeloes, bright carrot strips, perfectly crisp bacon bits and generous scattering of almond nibs and dried shrimps. Not too spicy but definitely had kick, the little chilli pieces have been smashed but not broken up so it was easy to pick out and not cause sudden pain. The dressing mingled beautifully with the juices of the fruits and vegetables, the just perfect tangy note of fruit and tart and sweet- I spooned up all the liquid that pooled at the bottom of the plate. Oh yeah, I can so gobble a plate right now.

                             

The next two courses were fine, but not as stunning as the salad. Spaghetti with chicken liver ragout was a little too earthy and rustic for me, it was a good thing that it came with a deconstructed papaya salad but I could not finish more than a few spoonfuls before the richness overwhelmed me. Which was fine, as I then had room for steamed bananas and ice cream.

                            

For lunch on the following day, we ate at S&P's again. The day ended really late and I didn't have the energy to explore further than the confines of my hotel. As I was having such good food luck so far, I took a chance at the hotel's Thai restaurant and was rewarded with yet another fine meal (lucky me huh?). The Spice Market may be overpriced compared to so many other Thai places in this crazy city but I have no complaints about the food they serve. When I saw catfish salad on the menu I knew it was what I wanted to eat, because at Thanying two nights before I tried their crispy catfish dish and loved it. I am not sure how the catfish is prepared, most likely it is minced and fried with loads of oil and seasonings, but it is amazingly good, and not likely to be available outside Thailand. This salad was fabulous too, the crispy catfish absorbed the mango salad and its sweet-sour aromatic dressing, just the thing to revive the senses after a hot day's work.

                                                   

I had also ordered a phad thai to go with my salad but could not resist adding an order of these gorgeous cigar-like spring rolls. Again, my instincts were right. The phad thai was only OK, it came covered in a pretty omelet net and was not too sticky or wet or dry, but all in, a little dull and I had to neglect most of it in favour of the simple rolls fried to a beautiful crisp.

The good eating didn't stop there. At the airport, the Sawasdee shop was giving out samples of desserts to the delight of many travellers. I didn't buy any sweets but loaded up on quite a few boxes of cashewnuts roasted with Thai herbs as presents for people at home.

                  

                                              

                           

Potstickers

                           

There was a time when we we never had flour at home. None of any sort, not even cornflour which most Chinese households would use for thickening their gravies. We didn't have any, and even if we did, it would be left neglected until insects colonise the containers.

Of course, this sad state of affairs changed when I started this baking bug. Suddenly the pantry is stocked with cake flour, plain flour, self-raising flour, cornflour, rice flour and even green bean flour. Most of the time we make pancakes, because MIL and husband like sweet pancakes for desserts and brunches. But sometimes we diversify our menu with dumplings. Like quotie  for example. These are also known as potstickers because of their method of cooking (see below).

                            

It is a simple thing to make, and really quite delicious. Flour is mixed with water until a springy dough is formed. The dough gets rolled into thin wrappers for a filling of minced pork, cabbage and water chestnuts. The dumplings sits on a lightly greased pan for a few minutes and then they enjoy a little steambath. When the water evaporates, it is time to eat.

                            

Enjoy!

My newest kitchen friend

                      

I have been hanging out at Mustafa's too much.  The fact that it is open 24/7 and only a 5 minute drive from my home is to blame. But I can't help it, it is such a terrific place to browse for kitchenware. Not as glitzy as Robinson's, Tangs or Takashimaya, nor as hardcore as those professional supply stores in Joo Chiat or Temple St; just a comfortable mix of both. There are plenty of cooking and baking tools, ranging from very cheap to very fancy-wancy WMF. Plus they have specialty Indian cookwares not available in other parts of this city.

Like this pan above, I don't know the name I'm afraid. But when I first saw it, I wanted it, and pretty soon I convinced myself that I needed it. For when I figured what to make in it. So I bought one, and it has been getting very comfortable sleeping in my pantry for what, two months now. Last week I finally got round to using it to make these little batter cakes with finely diced vegetables and roast pork bits, good to eat as a teatime snack. Looks similar to, but are not the same as takoyaki. The pan was fun to use though- it took some time to heat up but once it did, it retained its heat well and the cakes cooked evenly and brownly.

I am thinking of buying a tawa next. It would look more stylish than my boring old Tefal. And maybe also a murukku press,for when I ever get round to making putu mayam.

Eng Hua Siew Lak Rice

                                 

For a few years now, my co-workers has been helping me to buy takeaway packets of char siew rice for my lunches. It was always very yum and satisfying. Yet I somehow never got round to asking them where they bought it from, assuming that it must be from one of the 5 or 6 stalls that are scattered around this area. In the meantime, I tried all these other stalls, they had their good and weak points, but none tasted like the version that was tar-powed for me.

The one with the gravy soaked rice and succulent siew yoke with crispy skin despite being wrapped up in waxy brown paper. The best thing of all though, is the accompanying killer chilli sauce that was not sour or garlicky but blazingly hot with hints of belacan and maybe tau-cheo. I love the sauce so much I always request my colleagues to ask for an extra packet.

Finally I remembered to ask where the stall is. He didn't know the name, but added that the coffeeshop is opposite the Jalan Besar scissor-curry rice place. I see, that location is a bit off my radius of exploration, no wonder I haven't come across it before. So to make up for lost time, I took husband along for a try-out last weekend. He is always enthusiastic when it comes to roast meats.

The coffeeshop exudes a nolstalgic feel with its (rather grimey) retro mosaic tiles on the walls and floors, a well-stocked cigarette cabinet and an old man desultorily asking if we wanted drinks. Husband went off to order while I found us a place to sit. He remembered to request for extra chilli sauce for me. The siew yoke was particularly good, very juicy and fatty with an amazing crackly skin. The rice, if we had to nit-pick, was not of the best quality grain. Also, I commented that it needed to be wrapped up in brown wax paper to make the grains puff and absorb the gravy, rendering it just about the right medium to merge with the killer chilli sauce. Husband glanced quizzically at me, he was probably thinking that I was a little mad, or "good idea, I'll remember that for next time".

                             

I still didn't know the name of this stall, so after eating I went to the front of the shop. There was a steady queue of customers. And some very luscious looking roast sausages hanging from a meat hook. See picture of the guy handling the sausages. Husband bad. He thought of ordering it, but didn't. Well, we'll just have to come back again. Soon.

Eng Hua Siew Lak Rice

Corner of Jalan Besar & Kitchener Road

Best to go at lunchtime.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

                                              

I first heard of Rose Levy Beranbaum when I was on holiday in San Francisco two years ago. She was making brioches on telly and watching her, I was struck by her manner of demonstrating, very detailed and reassuring, I almost believed it is really that easy to make the heavenly buttery bread. Being a novice baker, I have also started to read more on the subject, an activity that led me to the very belated discovery that her book The Cake Bible is a highly respected and compulsory reference for many bakers, amateurs and professionals alike.

This afternoon I made her Sour Cream Coffee Cake. It is one of her simpler recipes, and truly, it was not difficult to make at all. Once everything is measured out it gets mixed in the mixer,  assembled and baked. She even details how many minute for each mixing, so exact and frequent were these timing instructions that my digital Tanita timer got a really good workout.

Her method too, was completely different from what I learnt in baking class. The butter is added to the flour, not creamed first with sugar. The resultant batter was quite thick yet has a stretchy feel but still, I was worried whether it would rise. Rose it did, to a respectable height almost 1.5 times more, despite the weight of sliced apples, streusel filling of chopped walnuts, white and brown sugars and streusel topping (same as filling but with added butter, flour and vanilla) on top of it.

Before I studied the recipe I thought I was making a coffee cake, like the recipe title said, you know, with coffee as an ingredient. But no, there isn't any coffee anything inside, no paste, no essence, no expresso, no liquers, nothing. Since she couldn't possibly have left out this ingredient, it must be that this is a cake for drinking coffee with. The streusel, which was also something novel to me, was composed mainly of walnuts, brown sugar and butter, all good friends of coffee and cake. Caffeine-free coffee cake, heh.

Obtaining the walnuts was another minor hurdle. Maybe it is just me, but I have difficulty finding fresh walnuts in Singapore, most of the time the ones available are old and rancid, or goes stale quite quickly. It can also be quite expensive, Cold Storage was selling 150g bags for $6.20 each. But the Victoria Wholesale Market came through for me. An old lady in one of the shops just happened to be repacking a big bag and I asked her for a sample. It was fresh, I bought 200g and to my delight, it only cost me $2.80.

The baking time was quite long, 55-65 minutes, at 175 C or 350 F. Mine needed all 65 minutes but the result was indeed worth every minute's wait. The cake was welcomingly soft and moist, not overtly buttery  like other butter cakes or stolid as butter cakes can get. The streusel fillings and toppings were nutty and warmly spicy, crunchy yet melting, I could easily imagine getting addicted to it. The optional apple layer was cooked till tender but not soft, its mellow tang contrasted and complimented the cake and streusel components in perfect symphony. Everyone agreed it was delicious. This was definitely the most sophisticated cake I have ever baked (even though it is supposed to be 'easy').

It is also one of the richest. I resisted from finishing an entire slice, knowing how rich it was, and friends who know me know that I am not one to hold back where food is concerned. But see, just by eating it, one could not have guessed that the ingredients included almost an entire 250g block of butter, an equally heart-stopping wodge of 35% fat sour cream,  298g sugars, 200g flour, 4 egg yolks and 125g of walnuts. Well, more walnuts than the recipe called for, boy was I daring.

I could always eat a whole slice for breakfast tomorrow. It is not unusual for people here to eat cake for breakfast. After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Making Rojak with Rojak

Two Saturdays ago, rojak my friend came over and we cooked up a storm in the kitchen. Having been emboldened by our largely successful baking experiments, we figured that we could easily tackle a few hawker favourites at home. We decided on an ambitious menu of rojak, satay, mee siam and sago gula melaka. It took us a good five hours to cook everything, but the results were well worth the time and effort.          

                   

First, rojak. There's no recipe, we kind of guessed what would go into the pungent, hot, salty, sweet, sour,peanut-ty salad and winged it. Dressing was a combination of fermented prawn paste, ground chillies, sugar, tamarind juice, lime juice, ground peanuts and a shower of finely chopped ginger flower. We had pineapple, jambu, mango, cucumber, you-tiao and taupok. It tasted as nice, if not better than hawker versions, but the colour was strangely not as dark.

                   

Next, mutton satay. We followed the recipe for the satay and the sauce from The New Mrs Lee's Cookbook, Nonya Cuisine by Lee Chin Koon and Shermay Lee. The ingredient list was very long and we spent many hours removing the skin off the ground peanut but the result was hardly worth it- bland satay and a stiff gravy, both seemed to lack a certain zip and character which we couldn't pinpoint.

           

More successful was their recipe for Mee Siam. Again, the method seemed rather ponderous, e.g. fry the dried shrimp and rempah mix for 30 minutes then take out a bit for dipping plus a third for gravy, then cook a further 30 minutes before frying with beehoon and in the meantime cook the coconut-bean paste-rempah grave for, you guessed it, 30 minutes. But with some modifications, we ended up with a very satisfying and richly layered version of this old canteen favourite:

1. The book recommended cooking the prawns and reusing the shell for stock on a later occasion. We didn't wait, instead we used the cooking water to mix with the rempah for frying beehoon and threw the shells into the gravy.

2. The recipe asked for something crazy like 300g bean paste to combine with santan from 150g coconut. I used only a third which was quite plenty already.

3. We didn't cook the rempah for 30 + 30 minutes. Instead we turned the heat up a little and stirred till the smell of spices made us sneeze and the spice turned a deeper red.

This recipe curiously did not incorporate any tamarind or lime juice in the cooking, the lime stated is for squeezing over the dish just before eating. It would have been better if it was more tart, next time I might add some dried tamarind peel into the gravy.

                  

Dessert was sago gula melaka. Sago pearls boiled and then rinsed and left to chill. Served with shaved ice, fresh santan and gula melaka syrup. Simple to make, very good to eat.

               

The Yong Tau Fu that could have been...

Last weekend we had a pot-luck gathering at home. One of the dishes I made was Yong Tau Fu, unfortunately it did not turn out as it should. Fortunately I also made my scrumptious Chinese salad and there were plenty of other fabulous tasting foods that others contributed so the failure wasn't too noticeable.

Still, the disappointment rankled. What happened was that the saitoh fish refused to turn into paste no matter how much we whacked it or added facilitating agents such as iced water, salt or oil. Friends later told us we should have tried adding tapioca flour, but this isn't something we keep at home. We've made it many times before, without any problems, using mackerel or 'sweet potato' fish. But the fishmonger did not have either types on the day we went to the market so he suggested saitoh; afterall the best fishballs are made with this delicate bony fish, we thought we were OK. Ai yah, never again.         

                     

Here is a more successful version we made three weeks ago. It was very nice, the stuffing juicy, bouncy and fresh tasting, unlike the mealy version we ended up with last Saturday.

Anyway, on that good day, the fish turned into paste in a most excellent way. Filleted fish meat was seasoned with just a little pepper and then turned into a gluey paste using the smash and mash method . This 'sweet potato' fish has amazing gluey properties, better than mackerel.  The stuffed vegetables were deep fried and quick-braised in a sweet bean paste sauce. Husband wanted to try it with pork so we mixed some minced pork in; in a quick straw poll afterwards we decided that the pork was not necessary, in fact it was an unnecessary distraction. We made plenty to freeze for mid week dinners but MIL and the domestics liked it so much it was finished all too quickly.

Which was why we were a little frustrated that our dish didn't turn out well for the party.  but I am so going to strangle the fishmonger next time I see him....