Soto Ayam-my!!!

Soto Ayam is basically chicken soup. I can eat it anytime of the day. Sometimes, I order it with noodles, sometimes as plain as it is. There’s something about the galangal, lemon grass and garlic that resonates in the taste of the soup.

A typical Singaporean dish, what makes this different from your normal Chicken soup is that they fry it with aromatics such as star anise and cinnamon then simmer it till the chicken’s tender and all the oils from the spices been rendered to the soup.

When I cook it at home, I don’t put a lot of turmeric, just a pinch to add color. You can let go of it if you’re not a fan of yellow-colored food. Last night, we were at the hawker center in Chinatown and I decided to eat Soto Ayam. It’s been raining and it would be nice to eat soup.

I was so hungry that I ordered ketupat with my soup. I wasn’t even half way with my soup and I’m already perspiring. It was the combination of spicy and hot that makes this dish heartwarmingly good. I eat the chicken last, because it wasn’t really that interesting for me. I like the crunchiness of the bean sprouts. They also put a generous amount of lontong (Rice cakes).

They don’t cook them with the soup, they blanch them separately and just put them as toppings. I also love the fried garlic on top. I want my egg a little bit runny in the middle. But Singaporeans usually serve Soto Ayam with hard-boiled eggs.

When my mom cooks this at home, it takes at least 2 days before she serves it to us. She could use chicken stock that’s being sold in the supermarkets but she insists on doing it the traditional way. She’s also fond of doing her own stock. That’s why when you open our freezer at home you’ll see liters of frozen stocks.

Soto Ayam is one of my favorite foods in Singapore. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of eating it.

Coffee and a Butter-sugar toast

I’m not a morning person. I barely have patience in the morning. That’s why I don’t usually talk in the morning, until I get my daily dose of tea tarik and some French toast. I cook my own French toast, so I just bring them with me and get my tea tarik on the way. But last week, my friend asked me if we can get breakfast first before going to work. Its 10am, that’s past my breakfast and would mean that I’m on my 2nd tea. I still accompanied her and we made our way to this famous Singaporean breakfast place.

Tea Tarik means “pulled tea”. It tastes sweet because they use condensed milk instead of ordinary sugar. Some still put sugar on theirs, but I like mine without the added sugar. That’s going to be too sweet for me.

She also got me those buttered-sugar toasts. Maybe because I haven’t had buttered toast in awhile but this bread is really good. It wasn’t too sweet or too buttery. The outer part is crusty, but the inside part of the bed is so soft, and not saggy at all. The butter is melted on the bread with sprinkles of sugar on top.

I liked it a lot. With the tea, I totally forgot that this is my second breakfast already. The toast is thicker than the usual slice of bread. Maybe that’s why the butter didn’t turn the bread saggy. The sugar on top was not burnt, but it didn’t taste raw.

I’m not sure why I haven’t been going to this place for so long, because I know they offer simple and tasty breakfast options. So, I guess enough of French toast for now and hello, butter-sugar toast.

Hainanese Chicken Rice

It’s been extra hot today. The weather is so humid I feel like a sticky bun. I just got back from Bugis junction and people looked like they’re all having a miserable day. I just bought myself some Hainanese Chicken rice for lunch, and went home.

I love Hainanese Chicken rice. There’s something about the chicken that really is addicting. I’ve always liked my chicken to have color on them, just to make sure that they’re cooked all the way. But I don’t know why a simple bland-looking chicken got my attention.

First and foremost, there’s nothing special about it. It’s just boiled chicken with ginger and garlic. The preparation itself is just time consuming but seriously, you just have to make sure that the chicken is clean. Singaporeans are experts in cooking this local dish that you can see it in almost every food establishment or hawker center here in Singapore.

Went I got home I had to re-heat the soup. But I still wonder what’s in the soup, even with the rice too. I’ve tried many times to make something like it. I’ve asked locals about it, and even searched the internet. I always end up with a decent batch. Not bad, but not the same.

The Hainanese chicken may be popular because of its other components. I don’t eat it without the minced ginger and dark soy. I can let go of the chili paste, but without the ginger, it feels like it’s not Hainanese chicken.

Local food in Singapore sometimes leaves me perplexed. Most of them are simple in nature, but they packed a powerful taste that they become popular and hard to miss. I don’t recommend you to eat this every day, but it’s so addicting you’ll want to. Now, if only I can do something about this humidity.

To eat and not to eat

It was an impromptu get-together because a friend of mine from college’s here for vacation. I wanted to suggest drinks and then just stay at her hotel room. But she’s too excited to be confined in a four-walled room so Marina bay it was. It was actually a drama of “to eat or not to eat”. Because some of us our hungry, and the rest, they just want some night life.

There’s this restaurant in the Marina bay area that does al-fresco. So we positioned ourselves, where we can see a lot of people walking. And yes, we still managed to order a lot food. Drinking and talking is a lethal combination in getting one person to eat more. My friends were shocked when I ordered risotto.

I don’t usually order risotto because I’ve been burn before. Some restaurants served me mushy risotto and whenever I send it back, they always tell me that’s how they cook their risotto. I feel like I’m just eating rice with sauce and toppings. I know the taste of rice cooked in soffritto, and not pre-cooked then just sauté it in broth and aromatics.

I got the risotto Milanese. Saffron’s really expensive but it does make everything taste extravagant. I would’ve chosen the simpler risotto which is peas in cream sauce and parmesan. But since they’re drinking wine, might as well go out and order the Milanese risotto.

It was so good it went really well with the Ossobuco. They didn’t skimp back on the saffron and the parmesan cheese. They even used beef broth which you can actually taste, instead of the usual vegetable broth that some restaurants use.

The rice is soft but not squishy. I’m sure there’s white wine involved in the cooking process. I like the taste of wine in my food because it gives that density to the dish. The Ossobuco was cooked till the meat’s falling off of its bone. The marrow’s fat was rendered to the sauce that, it may be a sin to eat it, but it was so buttery.

Good food, great company. A night worth remembering.

Vegetarian-Singapore style

When I was little, my mom never had a problem with me eating my vegetables. I love it as much as I love my fried chicken and hotdogs. I even eat the slimy okra and the hard to swallow bitter melon. When I moved to Singapore, vegetables became one of my favorite foods.

Because of its ethnic background, vegetarian food is being offered here everywhere. Even if you go to a steak house, there will always be a vegetarian dish on their menu. I don’t mind eating vegetables whenever I eat out, it’s a good alternative to what’s usually on the table.

One of the most under-rated vegetable is the Kangkung (water spinach). It’s super cheap and in the Philippines, there’s a season where there’s an abundant of Kangkung in the river that anyone can just grab and cook it. In Singapore, they like their kangkung with dried shrimp mixed with shrimp paste. They stir fry it with a little bit of soy to add color.

I don’t like it saggy or drowning in oil. I can eat Kangkung even if it’s just blanched in boiling water, without any seasoning at all. Some, however just to make it look more expensive will add tomato or chili sauce.

Another vegetarian dish favored by the locals is Terong Belado. It’s a poor man’s version of the Ratatouille. It’s actually Eggplant in tomato sauce. Eggplants are often eaten with something else. They’re not exactly the main component in a dish. But this vegetarian dish main focus is the eggplant.

Anyone can cook this dish. You just have to grill the eggplant and then sauté tomatoes in garlic, onions and let it simmer till the water from the tomatoes evaporates. You usually just spread the tomato sauce on the eggplant and put slivers of basil just to liven up the taste. I serve this dish to my friends but I add up some breadcrumbs with parmesan cheese and put it for a few minutes in the oven. The cheese will melt and it’ll form a crust on the eggplants. Yummy!

There are so many vegetarian dishes in Singapore. If you want to eat healthy, or to avoid the monotony of meat-eating all the time, then I recommend you try out some of these dishes.

Pasta Anyone?

I’m craving for pasta today. I’m always craving for pasta. I don’t know but every since I’ve been here to Singapore, my pasta obsession has been heightened. I eat it almost every day. I’m only afraid of the excessive carbs I’m putting in my body that I tend to hold back a little every time I eat it.

Italian restaurants here in Singapore make great pastas. And I just don’t mean the coat and tie type of restaurants only. Even the more casual ones make decent pastas. I may be biased to some, mainly because I keep on coming back to these restaurants. Why not, good service and good food, that’s all a customer wants, right?

It was rush hour and instead of waiting for the bus to arrive, I decided to have my dinner first at a nearby restaurant. It’s modern, chic and ultra hip. I don’t mind dining alfresco, good thing that I was by myself. It seems that the next time I decide to go there with friends, definitely a reservation is required, to avoid queues.

It was a little bit disappointing since I’ve heard from friends great things about it and yet I seemed to order the wrong dish coz what I got wasn’t that great. Ok, it was good. The chef has a reputation of giving new twist to old-Italian classics. I was expecting more.

I got the pasta in ragu sauce. It was a mixture of 3 types of meat. Honestly, it was great. The combination of those 3 meats simmered for a long period of time in tomato sauce was perfect. The meat is tender, no gamy after taste. I was just surprised that my pasta was a little bit over cooked. I hate eating saggy pasta. It’s like eating stale bread that’s been drenched with milk and forgot to French toast it.

Italian restaurants in Singapore tend to forget that they have stiff competitions already. Sometimes, small stuff like overcooking the pasta can turn customers away. I for one would be wary of coming back to the place, just because they might serve me a run of the mill pasta again. Though, really, the ragu was great.

Hawker’s the way to go

I’m always eating.  That’s why I’ve noticed these past few days.  I’m always hungry and I’m always craving for something.  I’m not pregnant.  I just think that I’ve been doing a lot lately that my body is really asking for nutrients.  I can actually count how many times I go to the near hawker center in a day.

There are many hawker centers in Singapore.  Hawker centers are food courts but outside the malls.  They are accessible to people and they sell good, affordable food.  From Chinese to Malaysian, to Indonesian, food here is abundant.  You can have your breakfast, lunch, dinner and midnight snacks as well.  For busy people, hawkers are a blessing for them.

I love jumping from one hawker center to another.  What’s good about these places is that each has their own specialty.  Like the one in Chinatown.  The hawker center there is known for its Hainanese Chicken rice.  Some are being patronized because of their Singaporean Chili crabs.  Whatever you fancy there’s a hawker center that will cater to you.

I always go to the hawker center near City hall.  I can window shop and have a view of the Esplanade after eating.  I love their BBQ stingray and their fried oysters.  I’m not fond of bbq but the BBQ stingray in this place is really something.  First, they serve a generous amount of the sauce.  Since I like spicy food, I think their bbq sauce is not that spicy.  They serve generous amounts too.  Good for sharing it with friends.

Another must try is their fried oysters.  Fried oysters are a popular local delicacy in Singapore.  Some people would prefer them to be a little wet, but I like mine crispy.  Fried oysters are paired with chili sauce.  I find it very satisfying that their chili sauce is good too.  Because some stalls make terrible chili sauce.

If you are interested to know what the locals eat, then go visit one of the hawker centers in Singapore.  It’s really worth your trip.

Looks isn’t everything

I know a lot of people who don’t like Durian.  Just the smell alone would put them off.  The spiky look will scare people away.  But I always say that look isn’t always everything.  And that goes for the Durian. In Singapore, it looks like one of Singaporeans favorite food is the Durian.

You can see it being sold in the market, the hawker centers, even inside the mall.  Well, they wrap it of course. I came from a country where we also had Durian.  I was too afraid to even touch it back then.  But I had no choice when I got to Singapore.  Locals seemed to have no problem eating it.

“When in Singapore, eat what the Singaporeans eat”, so I had no choice but to taste it.  I couldn’t let go of the smell, even when you bite into it, the pungent smell is still there.  But once you start chewing on it, you forgot that you’re eating Durian.

I can’t say that I got addicted to it.  But it wasn’t that bad at all.  Actually, the Durian gets it bad reputation because of its smell, and not because of its taste.  Because, there’s nothing wrong with it.  It’s actually better tasting than other fruits.  Some fruits leave a bitter after taste, but the Durian is sweet and silky.

And you don’t have to bear with the whole spiky thing.  They usually sell it already peeled and placed in a covered container.  Funny how ever since I got to eat the Durian I understand now why it became one of Singapore’s favorite foods.  Just like its wide array of seafood, the Durian is more than just its smell.

Some of Singapore’s favorite food looks funky, just like the Durian, but they do taste better than what they look.  You just have to be open-minded about it.

Something for Everybody

Walking around Singapore you’ll notice that there are restaurants everywhere.  Whether you’re a tourist or a local, you can find something that will attract your fancy.  Local restaurants serve a variety of local and international cuisines, while fast foods are slowly making their way, serving fast and affordable meals to people on the go.

I love a good meal.  I want to be able to sit inside a restaurant, look at the menu and be served with appetizers. There are so many restaurants in Singapore to choose from.  I should at least try every time I’m out something different.  

The Chili crab is the most famous dish they have here in Singapore.  It’s something everybody should try, at least once, if they’re afraid of spicy food.  Local Singapore recipes suggest that the sauce in the chili crab shouldn’t be that spicy. It’s a combination of sweet and spicy.  

One of the best Singapore Chili Crab I’ve ever tasted was in a restaurant quiet popular because of its name, or the lack of it. The sauce is not too thick and yet it clings to the crab.  I like how they make it a balance of sweetness and spicy, and a hint of the shrimp paste really brings out the robust flavor of the sauce. 

 

Most Singapore restaurants have their unique way of preparing the Chili Crab dish.  Some use Sri lanka crabs but the typical crab use in this dish is the mud crab.  It’s easy to cook and can withstand the powerful taste of the sauce.  The crab is either stir-fried or boiled, depending on the style of the chef.

I like mine stir-fried with a hint of ginger and garlic.  It’s what I like to call, a marriage made in culinary heaven.  Don’t get me started with the buns.  Sometimes when I’m hungry, I order a side of rice, but they usually serve Singaporean Chili Crab with buns.  

The buns are used to scoop down the sauce.  They serve as your spoon in eating the sauce.   The Singaporean Chili Crab is not something I eat every day.  But it definitely makes my list whenever I think of celebrating something special.

Roti Prata

It’s been a long day, I need some comfort food.  I’m too tired to cook, besides, I’m already out anyway.  Where to eat? What to eat?  Typical questions I asked myself every time I feel my stomach rumbling.  Today, I don’t want any fuzz, or something fancy.  Ok, Roti Prata it is.  For Malaysians, it's Roti Canai.

Singapore food will not be complete without its Roti Prata.  If you happen to love food in Singapore, then you won’t want to miss their Rotis.

The food court’s busy, as usual.  Maybe these people are just like me, hungry and too lazy to cook.  I came here for my roti prata, but while waiting for my order, I saw some Takoyaki balls.  I couldn’t resist my Takoyaki balls. I ordered four.  

I sat and started eating my takoyaki balls.  The sauce is spicier than the usual but I love the dried bonito they put on top. The batter is so light it’s like eating pancakes just with octopus filling.  A word of caution, do not attempt to swallow them whole.  They are piping hot and it’ll burn all corners of your mouth.

Finally, my roti’s done.  I love that rotis here are made to order.  Singaporeans are very picky with their rotis.  I think it's because they have their own family recipe to compare it with. I remember eating it in some Malaysian restaurant in the US, the dip was so good, too bad the roti’s too flaky that I wasn’t able to eat half of it because it scattered on my plate.  

I love how the dough here stretches and actually absorbs the curry sauce.  I like mine drenched in the sauce.  I sometimes use it as a spoon to scoop out all the tiny bits of meat and potatoes in the sauce.

I prefer my roti prata simple.  I hate it when they put herbs inside it.  Why fix something that’s not broken?  I know there are a lot of ways to cook it, and some even put scallions and fillings on the inside.  I like mine plain.  If the bread is good and the dipping is good, why would you need to put anything in it?

Local restaurants in Singapore are very proud of their heritage, and though nowadays fusion is the IN thing, you can always rely on each restaurant to have their own version of the Roti Prata.