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As a wise man once said (I don't know who..but I'm sure someone said it) : "Food is found everywhere. Even more so are the delicious food." - let's take it as if I coined this phrase up myself..hehe.
But it is a statement which I feel the most for. Being the school holidays (ok it was over yesterday), chances are galore in encountering tantalizing food and dishes. Even more so in an Asian community that has been thoroughly westernised to some extent, it is the discovery of home made local fare.
I remember the friendship I always had with the Petai (stink bean). It is an acquired taste I must agree. The smell (oh the glorious smell) of human exhaust galore. (You must think by now that I am a sadist). Nonetheless, I stand by this acquired taste of mine - I truly love Petai.
The Stink Bean (Petai) in their pods.
Its very rare to come about Petai in their pods in Singapore. I only found them in the supermarkets sold in well packaged packets and sometimes there were even little worms (oh so cute) squiggling about them. However, my trip to the market at Admiralty (Read Related Post : Fruity Frenzy) a couple of days back, and led by my dad's keen sense of smell and sight, we found the Petai in their pods. Fresh as ever!
Note the shine! Too bad you can't smell them =)
Its one thing to discover Petai and another issue to purchase them packed at the supermarket. Apparently Petai fresh from the pod is silky smooth and very lustrous. Those prepackaged are wrinkled and sometimes spoilt (oh well, that is business for you).
Steamed Prawns with Petai in Sambal Sotong.
Well, remember the post about Sambal Sotong at Ananas Cafe (Read Related Post : Swedish Meatballs...I am not!)? My mum decided that for lunch yesterday that we should steam the prawns, steam the sambal sotong that was bought and then scatter the Petai as garnish - to make a new dish on its own. Ooo...but what a lovely creation.
Petai goes very well with Malay food and the sambal sotong flavours the bean very well. Together with the prawns and the gravy acting as an excellent dip, you get a dish that I believe is not found anywhere.
Home Made Stuffed You Tiao (Dough Sticks)
Here's another good one. Stuffed You Tiao has been popular in recent years. While the traditional plain You Tiao is dipped in coffee, this version is stuffed with meat and seafood filling and dipped in mayonnaise. My Uncle Ben created this fresh (he bought the You Tiao half cooked though) for my little cousin's birthday dinner.
Crunchy and Crispy (ooo Alliteration) and with a savoury filling, it was a delight at the table - finished in minutes!
Vinegar Pig Trotters (Turkah)
Ok. I am not in confinement (cannot and never will be. I am a guy for gosh's sake) and neither is any of my close relatives, but Uncle Chuan Beng still created this and shared with the family. This is a dish usually consumed by ladies during their confinement period to expel wind (it works literally because of all that ginger in the dozens). Folks believe by expelling the wind, chances of aching bones in later years will lessen after pregnancy. (I hope I got my facts right).
Still, Vinegar Turkah is one of my all time favourites. With braised peanuts and pork fat galore, it is sinful in its own right. My paternal grandmother once made them, and I went crazy - drinking the vinegar sauce as though it were water.
Braised Turkah - ultra sinful
Since we are on the subject of Pig's Trotters. Let me introduce to you a recent discovery at Admiralty Food Court. (The one on the second floor opposite the Admiralty MRT Station)
Hidden at the end of the aisle, at the far back of the establishment (its like the outskirts of the desert), there lie a herbal stall selling herbal dishes. (duh)
Dad bought this Braised Turkah for about $6.00 and it was served with Yam rice. Its so rare to get Braised Pig's Trotters in all its glory, where the cook masterfully sliced the side to expose the fat, the flesh and all the juicy goodness. (The picture speaks more than I do)
If you are a fan of Turkah, you will want to try this dish out! Available only on selected days. Best hawker food!
Rating : 4.5/5
Venue : Herbal Soup Stall. Admiralty Food Court (2nd floor). Opposite Admiralty MRT Station.
Traditional Local Delight - Glutinous Rice with mushrooms and peanuts
I have always encountered this in one way or another at local snack shops, but my friend Anthony has the privileged of the best (to what I have eaten) made for him. I was at his house studying with another friend and his mum served us Glutinous Rice with mushrooms and freshly toasted peanuts for lunch. Mmmm... =) You should try this local delight at the nearby coffeeshop. Its one of those little dishes you can never get tired of.
My my, I have typed so much. Well let's stop here for now. Will be back soon!
Oh yeah, if you want to check out more posts, you can use the categories menu to the left, the main menu on the top or the search box at the top left. Till then =)
