Essentially Singapore!

CEBU, Philippines - I just came back from a Singapore Tourism Board  (STB)-sponsored trip to Singapore for the Great Singapore Sale which started last May 28. However, I was provided a wider deal – STB requested that I sampled the typical affordable cuisines one can indulge in while in the Lion City State.

Consider: this diamond-shaped City State is composed of 77 percent Chinese, 14 percent Malay, 7 percent Indian & 2 percent Caucasian. You can therefore surmise that the Singaporean typical cuisine is a merry mix of these cultures.

Like most countries in Asia, one goes to the designated Chinatown for the best buys, and most delicious food offerings at the most affordable prices. So, we headed to Maxwell Food Centre at the heart of Singapore’s Chinatown. My Indonesian guide Hamin got me a chicken rice (S$3.20 – regular/ $4.00 – full order) from the most popular in town: Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice House. There was a long queue even at past 1 pm, when we arrived. Other stalls I noted: Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff (like our empanada) with other versions of yam puff, sardine w/egg, chicken w/egg & potato, Zhen Vegetarian, Fuzhou Oyster Cake, soya bean milk, char siu (Chinese bbq) noodle dishes, porridge and coffee stalls.

That night, we went to Lau Pa Sat on Boon Tat St. for some street food adventure. “Lau” is Chinese term for “old” and “Pa Sat” is Malay term for “market.” And “boon tat” in Malay means cute, adorable. You must try street food when in Singapore. It was here where I taught my sons to eat crocodile (only the tail is edible) barbeque, which is no longer available. What we had were sticks of lamb, pork and chicken satay – lovely! So was the stingray that tasted a bit like a thick sole fillet, and not as fishy as shark meat. (According to our driver guide William Fang, one eats only the thinnest part of the stingray.) I like the cereal prawns – coated with crispy fried oats with curry leaves. I accompanied these with a pitcher of the local Tiger beer.

MEE SIAM

(Northern Malaysia)

bihon: blanch with warm water till soft

add: shrimp paste, onions, garlic, a little chili paste

serve: with boiled eggs, sprinkled calamansi juice, slivers of tofu, raw oysters and fried shallots for color

gravy: onions, garlic, ginger, chili paste to taste, salted beans, turmeric and a tbsp. of sugar

Singapore version: more gravy!

(“Mee” is Chinese for noodles, “Siam” is the old name of Thailand; recipe provided by tour guide Hamin)

CHICKEN SATAY

WITH PEANUT SAUCE

(Indonesian)

8 chicken breast fillets

2 tbsp. light soy sauce

2 tsp. calamansi juice

2 tsp. sesame oil

sauce: 100 gms roasted peanuts

3 spring onions, chopped

2 gloves garlic

1 tsp. curry powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. ground coriander

1 tbsp. honey

2 tsp. light soy sauce

1 cup water

1. Cut chicken into thin strips and attach to skewers. If using wooden skewers, soak first in water for 10 mins. or more, to prevent from burning during cooking.

2. Sauce: In a food processor, combine peanuts, spring onions, garlic,curry powder, cumin, coriander, honey, soy sauce and water. Blend until smooth. In a pan, stir mixture over medium heat for about 3 mins. Or until sauce is reduced and thickened.

3. Cook chicken satays on charcoal grill for about 3 mins. each side. During cooking, baste with mixture of soy sauce, calamansi and sesame oil.

4. Serve immediately.