food rants
Its so true our love for food, typically local food is what makes us Singaporeans. Or at least me, a singaporean. Having been away from home for over a year, what I miss the most is laksa, char kway teow, nasi lemak, and the list goes on. Of course I miss the usual family and friends and the comfort of being home (rarely the climate) but these people are simply a phone call or email away. Its the FOOD, that i have no way of getting around! I will scour the internet for recipes or just description of singapore cuisine but nothing can satiate the cravings i have for something like Otak. There are a couple of dishes that I can make, the simple stuff such as soy sauce chicken but there is no way i can master laksa paste, or make satay the way it is back home (Thai restaurants here have their own version of satay which pales in comparison...). Thankfully, with the advent of food preservatives and vacuum packs, I've friends (actually only 1) who sends me the occasional care package of an assortment of pastes. So today, i managed to satisfy my laksa craving. And geez, this particular brand is spicy -- i think its better that Prima's. I don't think i've have had anything this spicy and tasty in such a long time. My version of laksa is made up of sotong balls (to replace fish cake), mix of frozen scallops, prawn and calamari, and sliced tau pok (this is the most important ingredient to me). I wished i had "hums" too. I've not come across "cu mee fen" here so i thought i will settle for "bee hoon" which unfortunately, turned out to be "tung hoon" (yeah i can't tell these 2 apart and the names they have there are just different -- ie mung bean noodles, bean thread noodles are actually both the same as i have just found out). Since i didn't fancy tung hoon in my laksa, I wind up with "mee sua" instead. It was still good, and so spicy that my nose got all runny and my hands were shaking (ok, i know i am weak when it comes to the real spicy stuff). Though what possessed me to crave for this dish on one of the warmest Santa Cruz weekends, i don't know. Which makes me think that Singaporeans must love our food and the spice so much that we will eat all that in the sweltering heat! I certainly -- recalling those lunch hours at that Holland Village Nasi Lemak/Katong Lakso stall, where we were practically sitting in the sun except for a wimpy red umbrella for shade...
I am looking for the day where there is an instant pack for char kway teow, hokkien mee, chai tao kway which can capture the "wok hei"
I am also thinking that I may be able to make nasi lemak but i fall short of the chilli and otak *sighs* I found ikan bilis at the asian market. its not the ones used in typical nasi lemak, its a chilli ikan bilis snack from thailand but that should suffice.
Its hard describing these food to americans. There is nothing like that here. The american version of chinese food is fried, greasy and too salted. I feel sickened if i have too much of it. And fortune cookies!!! Where did that come from? At least here in santa cruz, i do know of 1 chinese restuarant that deviates slightly from the usual greasy fare. Imagine how pleased I was to find "Niang Dou Fu" which is steamed soft "dou fu" topped with minced pork and shrimp. And "dou miao" stir fried in oyster sauce and garlic. Simple but yummy dishes. But I think thats as far as it goes. Most of the items on the menu still succumbs to the typical misguided american taste. I recommeded this restaurant to a friend (american) who didn't like it... i guess thats why most places here still do all the fried stuff.
I will admit that singapore's char kway teow isn't the healthiest stuff around, but its worth the cholesterol for that! hahaha... I always think that if i have to eat supposedly unhealthy food, it has to be worth it. If i were to have ice cream, it better be good ice cream, chocolate -- good chocolate, cakes -- good cakes etc u get the idea.
Guess i should stop ranting on about food. To singaporeans out there living in singapore, easy access to all these hawker food... cheap food, i envy u. [Now i can understand how Jon lost weight in London and while on hols in singapore, drank up all his laksa gravy -- i would do the same now too!] Now All of a sudden, i am thinking of the food at Geylang, the 24 hr Dimsum, the "tian ji zhou" (frog legs!!), "you teow" and soy bean curd.. argh! The truth is, i can't even justify how and why i will gain weight here aside from the prevalent high fructose corn syrup and whatnots that stealthily creep into your seemingly healthy food such as yoghurt.
I know the laksa on the right really doesn't look all the great. but seriously, i as long as it tastes as good, i am a happy person.
[thanks to celeste who provided the paste.]
I am looking for the day where there is an instant pack for char kway teow, hokkien mee, chai tao kway which can capture the "wok hei"
I am also thinking that I may be able to make nasi lemak but i fall short of the chilli and otak *sighs* I found ikan bilis at the asian market. its not the ones used in typical nasi lemak, its a chilli ikan bilis snack from thailand but that should suffice.
Its hard describing these food to americans. There is nothing like that here. The american version of chinese food is fried, greasy and too salted. I feel sickened if i have too much of it. And fortune cookies!!! Where did that come from? At least here in santa cruz, i do know of 1 chinese restuarant that deviates slightly from the usual greasy fare. Imagine how pleased I was to find "Niang Dou Fu" which is steamed soft "dou fu" topped with minced pork and shrimp. And "dou miao" stir fried in oyster sauce and garlic. Simple but yummy dishes. But I think thats as far as it goes. Most of the items on the menu still succumbs to the typical misguided american taste. I recommeded this restaurant to a friend (american) who didn't like it... i guess thats why most places here still do all the fried stuff.
I will admit that singapore's char kway teow isn't the healthiest stuff around, but its worth the cholesterol for that! hahaha... I always think that if i have to eat supposedly unhealthy food, it has to be worth it. If i were to have ice cream, it better be good ice cream, chocolate -- good chocolate, cakes -- good cakes etc u get the idea.
Guess i should stop ranting on about food. To singaporeans out there living in singapore, easy access to all these hawker food... cheap food, i envy u. [Now i can understand how Jon lost weight in London and while on hols in singapore, drank up all his laksa gravy -- i would do the same now too!] Now All of a sudden, i am thinking of the food at Geylang, the 24 hr Dimsum, the "tian ji zhou" (frog legs!!), "you teow" and soy bean curd.. argh! The truth is, i can't even justify how and why i will gain weight here aside from the prevalent high fructose corn syrup and whatnots that stealthily creep into your seemingly healthy food such as yoghurt.
I know the laksa on the right really doesn't look all the great. but seriously, i as long as it tastes as good, i am a happy person.
[thanks to celeste who provided the paste.]
posted by eline @ 6:08 AM
Comments: 0
