Butter Chicken

Indian cuisine is embedded in Singapore food culture and one of the best dishes introduced by our Indian brothers is butter chicken. It should not be confused with chicken tikka masala, a similarly colored Indian chicken dish. Dressed chicken ( de-boned or not) is marinated overnight with a mixture of spices such as garlic paste, ginger, garam masala, lemon, coriander, cumin, turmeric , chili and yogurt. Traditionally it’s cooked on a tandoor oven but if you don’t have one, you can grill or cook it using a regular oven. The sauce is a mixture of butter, tomato puree and spices including cinnamon, cumin, fenugreek, pepper and fresh cream. I headed to Little India to a restaurant called Achaya Kari. The smell of spices is wafting in the air and it made me hungry. The place is simple but they serve a wide variety of Northern and Southern Indian cuisine. The butter chicken in this place is a must! It goes well with cheese and garlic naan. The thick gravy blended well with the tender chicken breast cubes. I think rice will also go well with this. I also tried their kadai mutton, it’s good because it doesn’t have that strong, gamey smell to it and the meat was cooked well, tender and juicy. I’m just thinking, a cold pint of Guinness stout may give this dish a good finish. The coffee, creamy character of Guinness will wash down the down the spicy goodness of butter chicken.

Oyster Omelet

One of the best things about Singapore is its food. Everywhere you go, there are food centers, food courts, hawker centers, coffee shops and cafes packed with people. The best place to eat in Singapore would be any hawker center with so many varieties to choose from and the prices are low. Newton Food Center is one fine example, easily accessible (it’s just across the Newton MRT Station), airy and so many stalls to choose from. Some say it’s a bit touristy and expensive but I heard that they have the best oyster omelet in Singapore. I went there before the peak hours (dinner/supper) to avoid the large throng of diners and to find a table easily. I went for the Hup Kee stall and ordered the oyster omelet. The omelet is deep fried in wok and lard. I got my number and the dish was served steaming hot a few minutes later. I like the crispy and sticky consistency to it, the soft and briny taste of the oysters is tops, the cilantro and spring onion compliment the dish though I find it a little bit greasy but it’s still delicious. 

I made it a point to try this at home with less oil and see if I will get that crispy/sticky goodness just like Hup Kee’s. I searched the internet and came up with this procedure. 

Oyster Omelet Recipe

4 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons tapioca flour/starch
2 tablespoons rice flour
¾ cup water
4 eggs
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoon fish sauce
8 fresh oysters
2 sprigs of cilantro (or spring onion)

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in the griddle or a flat frying pan to high heat. Mix the flours with water. Pour flour mixture into the pan. Cook for about 30 seconds to let some crust form on the underside.

2. Break four eggs over the flour mixture. Spread the eggs without breaking the flour 'pancake' underneath. Using the edge of a spatula, divide the mixture into 3 or four pieces, and turnover each piece separately. Cook until the egg is slightly crispy - about 30 seconds.

3. Make space in the center of cooking surface by pushing aside the omelet. Pour 1 tablespoon of oil, then the garlic. Add the oysters. Cook for about 45 seconds. Pour the fish sauce. Then break-up the omelet and mix with the oysters. Serve immediately with cilantro/spring onion and sweet chili sauce. 

I tried to cook the egg a little bit longer to make it crispy. I think I did well but I think more oil will be better next time.

Char Kway Teow

Char Kway   Teow is literally stir-fried rice cake strips is popular dish here in Singapore. This dish is typically sold at hawker stalls anywhere in the country. Its made with stir fried noodles over high heat  with soy sauce either dark or light ( I prefer the dark soy because its gives a more smoky taste to it), chili, a small quantity of belachan,  whole prawns de-shelled cockles, bean sprouts and chopped Chinese chives. The dish may commonly be stir-fried with egg, slices of Chinese sausage and fishcake and less commonly with other ingredients. It’s traditionally cooked using pork lard and pork fat. Some might find it unhealthy because of the unsaturated fat but some stalls are trying to use less oil and add more greens to it to make it healthy. 

Every region has its own variation of the dish and wherever you go there are 2 types of how it’s cooked – dry or wet. I was able to taste the noodle dish in Ang Mo Kio Central Food Center. This stall serves a wetter version which I like and may appeal to people who like their noodle moist. It has a smoky flavor due to the dark soy used.  This is value for money and delicious even if it looks unhealthy. Just wash it down with tea. 

Another stall that serves good Char Kway Teow is Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee located in Hong Lim Market Food Center. The stall opens at 6:30am and closes at 4:30pm which I find a little bit early to close shop. Anyway, they have been frying char kway teow for a long time now – 30 years said the uncle manning the stove. I watched him prepare the dish in this big wok with the noodles and about 15-25 eggs at the same time for each batch. Once the eggs are mixed with the noodles, he adds fish sauce, soy sauce and a secret ingredient I think. I asked what it is and he just smiled at me. After stirring for a few minutes, he then added the cockles chili and dark soy sauce. The eggs are not overly cooked so it gives that creamy and velvety texture. It was good, ate at around 10am – good brunch and a couple cups of tea and then I watched a movie after.

Pepper Crabs

Black pepper crab is another popular sea food dish in Singapore. It may have also taken over chili crab in popularity. This dish was also created by the chili crab pioneer Palm Beach seafood restaurant in 1959. Some locals and tourist the black pepper crab over the chili crab because it’s more drier and fragrant pepperish nature. Same as the chili crab, mud crab is the preferred crustacean for this dish but you can also use other soft shell crab if the latter is not available. Make sure the crab is fresh, anyway you will not have difficulty finding one because there are so many seafood stalls that sells live mud crabs. It’s also best to go to the wet market early in the morning because you will get a much better deal or a bargain and the freshest crab. This is an option if you’ll do the cooking. Any way it’s not complicated to prepare the dish. This is just a sample of how I make my black pepper crab.

Ingredients:
3 fresh mud crabs (about 1 lb each)
Oil for deep frying
2 tablespoons butter
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
1 tablespoon salted soya beans, mashed
2 tablespoons dried prawns, roasted and ground
2 tablespoons black pepper, ground coarsely
1/2 cup curry leaves
10 red or green bird’s-eye chilies, chopped
2 tablespoons black soy sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1. Clean the crabs and cut in half, discarding the spongy “dead man’s fingers.”
2. Smash the claws with a cleaver to allow the seasonings in. Deep fry the crab until half-cooked, drain and set aside.
3. Heat a wok, melt butter and put in shallots, garlic, salted soy beans, dried prawns, black pepper, curry leaves and chilies.
4. Sauté till fragrant, then add crab and the remaining ingredients.
5.  Cook for 5-10 minutes until the crab is done

Best served with an ice cold lemonade or beer to wash down the peppery goodness. Enjoy!

Singapore Food Blogger

Singaporean cuisine is a culture of its own and you can never find some dish anywhere but in Singapore. The cuisine is a result the eclectic mix of the culture in Singapore and food is viewed as crucial to national identity and I’m pretty sure wherever you go, in every nook and cranny, in the city, suburbs  and villages there will be an establishment or food place that serves delectable and heavenly dishes. Rows and blocks of restaurant, hawker stalls, and street food will be there to satisfy your hunger. Chinese, Malay, Indian, Italian, British, American and in some areas Filipino influenced dishes are offered.

If I’m in the mood for Indian food I can go to Little India. Chili Crabs or Black Pepper Crabs, almost everyone serves this dish but the thrill of finding out who’s the best is an adventure. If you’re into vegetable or vegetarian cuisine there’s Just Greens Vegetarian in Tampines or Zhen Fut Sai Kai in Kitchener Road.

I am no chef or a food expert, but there is one thing I’m sure of. I like food. I like to eat and I’m passionate about food but make no mistake, I’m not an obese lazy ass that doesn’t cook and always go for delivery. I like to go around hunt some exotic location to try the local cuisine, check the best and recommended food places in the country if I have enough money to travel around. It doesn’t matter what the place looks like, ambiance count to some people but for me as long as the food is great I’m all go. Often times I will try to replicate or try a dish that I like so that I can have it anytime I want. If the dish I made doesn’t taste as good as expected I’ll just suck it and learn from it and eat it myself hehehe. If it’s good, I’ll share it with family and friends.