My Bak Kut Teh Discovery

I was walking by the Serangoon Bus Interchange last week when I caught sight of this one coffeeshop where all the patrons appear to be eating the same stuff. The ever curious me (and my grumbling stomach), proceeded to check the place out, albeit, a cursory glance at the stall where the dish was being ordered. Upon closer scrutiny, the dish turned out to be the celebrated Bak Kut Teh.




I ordered one from the auntie manning the stall and asked for extra chili and sauce. It was a tough call since I was really trying to watch my diet and consuming this sinful dish would require me to sweat out (through jogging or basketball) tons of calories. But seeing the satisfied look of the shop's patrons across the table I was seated settled it. Basketball over the weekend for me.

The verdict, it's a must-try dish. The soup base had a not-too-strong peppery aroma and the mix of the herbs and the pork ribs blend to a taste-bud gratifying tang. The meat, soft and tender, seemed to melt in the mouth. Heavenly.

If you are anywhere near the interchange, head north towards the, iirc, 688 coffeeshop. You won't miss the spot, you'll see tables with steaming hot bak kut tehs.

Here's a short and sharp recipe of this wonderful yet easy-to-prepare dish:

Ingredients
1 Spice packet containing:

• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4-5 cloves
• 1 tablespoon white peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon dried hawthorn berries
• 2 whole star anises

500 grams meaty pork ribs

2 whole heads of garlic, unpeeled

2 tablespoon black soya sauce

6-7 cups of water

1 tablespoon salt

Put the pork ribs, spice packet (put the spices in a cloth) and the garlic in a pot. Add water, cover and bring to the boil. Remove the meat scum as it rises. Add soya sauce and salt. Reduce heat and cook until ribs are tender. Serve with white rice and sliced red chilli in dark soya sauce on the side.

Yummy Delights : 119 Aljunied Crescent Coffeeshop

A mere 10-minute walk from our flat is the bustling yet somehow laidback Aljunied Crescent district. To its south is the Geylang Polyclinic while the Geylang East swimming complex lies to the east, this district is bounded by a number of HDB flats on the west and the Pan Island Expressway to the north. A number of commercial shops litter the state, from big to small grocery stores, banks, clinics, hawker centres and coffee shops, a wet marketto name a few.

One of the more popular makan place in the area is the coffeeshop located at 119 Aljunied Crescent. About eight food stalls occupy the coffeshop serving different fares ranging from Western style food, zi cha, seafood, claypot chicken, soup, and more. On lunch during weekdays, the place is the usual haunt of groups  of office workers from around the vicinity of the district and from afar.

On certain days, likely weekends, I would bring my family to this coffeeshop for a sampling of the food. There is a famous claypot chicken stall here where the normal waiting time for an order, specially during dinner, is a patience-testing 30 minutes. My kids love the chicken wings, fried to a not-so-oily perfection, from the same stall. The accompanying chili sauce has the right mix of spiciness of chilli and ginger, without the piquant whiff of the latter.

For my wife, she would normally go for the yam ring. The taro is shaped into a ring and lightly fried. The toppings is a mix of chicken, shrimp, fish and veggies, stir-fried to perfection. Crispy egg crystal noodles are laid out on the base of the dish adding a contrast to the rather soft yet not sodden yam ring. A distinctive addition, which I didn't normally see from the other yam rings I've tried from other places, are the different nuts added as toppings; a combination of walnuts, peanuts and a mix of other nuts. 

For myself, I would normally order fish and a couple of vegetable dishes. I've tried the curry fish head before and I would say it ranks high in my short list of nice curry fish heads I've sampled. The sambal kangkong is also a must-have; the sambal, full of flavour yet not salty as in most sambal kangkongs I've tried. The first time I tried the asam fish, a type of dish where the fish is cooked in the juice of the tamarind (asam) fruit, I couldn't help but to polish off the fish to the bone. 

Here's a Wikipedia excerpt on how to cook this rather easy-to-prepare, yet heavenly delectable dish:

The cooking process involves soaking the pulp of the fruit until it is soft and then squeezing out the juice for cooking the fish. Asam paste may be substituted for convenience. Various vegetables such as brinjals (Indian eggplants), okra and tomatoes are added. Fish (such as mackerel or red snapper) or fish heads are also added to make a spicy and tart fish stew. It is important that the fish remain intact for serving so generally the fish is added last.

The fish was very fresh; one can tell by the taste. The soup base, sinfully thick and spicy, with a mix of lady's fingers, chili and onion augmented the fish to a mouth-watering mishmash. Once I started with the dish, I couldn't stop. No edible parcel was left untouched; definitely a die-die must-try dish in my makan wish list.

This is how the dish looked like after I was done with it. Next stop, the dimsum place opposite Lorong 9 Geylang!

Question: What do Microsoft fanboys gorge on during meet ups?

Answer: Pizza!

Mantis Shrimp Splurges

The mantis shrimp is a type of marine crustacean characterized by a pair or enlarged appendages that form powerful claws for seizing prey. It has been known to feed on crabs (check this cool video), sea snails, fish, and other aquatic preys. Wikipedia.org notes that the mantis shrimp sport powerful claws that they use to attack and kill prey by spearing, stunning or dismemberment. Mantis shrimp can break through aquarium glass with a single strike from this weapon. Badasss!

In my visits to Penang island and Kulim in Kedah, Malaysia, I had the fortune of partaking on mantis shrimp dishes a few times. Once, it was in the form of deep-fried mantis shrimp-balls; complemented by sweet-yet-scorching chili padi dipping sauce. I did not even think it was shrimp mantis I was wolfing down as tasted like a tossup between prawn and crab with a rather piquant smell. The other times I gorged on this lovely creature, it was in an assortment of cookery, steamed, fried, soup, you name it. One has to have a stomach made of steel to put up with the looks of this creature. See for yourself!

 

Gastronomic delights

Food has always been one of my so-called weak spots. Back when I was in my younger days back in the PH, I have had my fair share of exotic and not-so ordinary fare. Balut (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balut), served with ass-burning pickled chilis, was a constant staple especially during cram sessions for exams. The best lugaw (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congee#Filipino) and tokwa't baboy (http://www.pinoycook.net/tokwat-baboy) in Makati, for the underprivileged me, are those sold at the corner of Pasong Tamo and J.P. Rizal streets. I'll make sure that I'm going to drop by for a round or two when I go back for vacation come December. Sisig (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisig)? Check, I'm gonna try the famed Mutiny (http://mutiny.com.ph/) sisig (and tab's on Rambo). I've tried deer meat jerky (tapang usa), monitor lizard stew, frog soup (best served with bittergourd, yummy), deep-fried ararawan (a kind of edible insect), and a whole lot more. My must-try food list for this coming December break is, ath this point, a lenghty one, I tell you.

In my travels across the region, I have made it a point to try the local fare as much as I can, though I must admit I have had second (make that a dozen) thoughts when faced with such strange looking cuisines like this one I had in Batam. I reckon this one was served in a nasi padang stall in Batamindo. It was crispy, and tasted good actually especially with the special sambal it was served with.

Of course, it is not always alien-y as far as the food I've tried in the different countries I've been to are concerned. The chendol (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cendol) in Malacca, Malaysia (this one is a fair distance away from our Malacca office, prolly 15-20 minutes by car) is heavenly. Pak Putra's tandoori chicken (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tandoori_chicken) near Jonker street (or was it walk?) is heavenly. The Capitol satay celup (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satay_celup) is a die-die must try fare. I could go waxing lyrical about the food I have had and end up with a lengthy, and boring, rhetoric. I will, instead, from time to time, blog about some of these wonderful cuisines.

I tried this pork knuckle, I cannot recall the German word for it but it was a tongue-twister, in Regensburg (in one of the shops in the mall behind the railway station) and it was just fantastic, sinful to say the least. I'd really love to have another round of this beast.