OT: Singaporean Food

Old Nov 13, 2004, 12:22 pm
  #1  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Little dot in Asia
Programs: AA-EP, TK-*G, HL-DM, HY-GLO, MR-LTP
Posts: 25,924
OT: Singaporean Food

While perusing SQ's thread and someone asking about what the local BTC selections are like from SIN, I came across this website.

OMG.. I'm homesick ... for the food that is.

<SOB>

http://www.makantime.com/index.html
Guy Betsy is offline  
Old Nov 13, 2004, 1:18 pm
  #2  
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: BRU, SIN, PEK
Programs: SQ TPP, LH SEN
Posts: 3,235
Aww... poor GB. I'll have some yummies in your honour tomorrow. What are you craving?
fimo is offline  
Old Nov 13, 2004, 3:56 pm
  #3  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Little dot in Asia
Programs: AA-EP, TK-*G, HL-DM, HY-GLO, MR-LTP
Posts: 25,924
Talking

Originally Posted by fimo
Aww... poor GB. I'll have some yummies in your honour tomorrow. What are you craving?
It's ok. After that website, I rushed to a wonderful restaurant here in Richmond (Vancouver) and had Char Kway Teow, Chicken Curry and Prata.

<Burp>. Now if only there's a place that serves proper coconut milk so that I can have my "Red Ruby"....
Guy Betsy is offline  
Old Nov 13, 2004, 8:44 pm
  #4  
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: I'm out of here.
Posts: 281
Ahhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Guy Betsy, you're making me crave S'pore food as well. I love Char Kway Teow (Heart Attack on a Plate), fried carrot cake, oyster cake, pepper crab and Satay, I have even learned how to make this myself at home and the peanut sauce. I can also make Char Kway Teow, but there is no way I can use that much oil. My mom taught me how to make the curry, oyster cake, fried noodles, and satay. I know how to make Pepper crab, but unfortunately the time I tried it, the crab pinched my finger, and the smell was in our house for days. I also love the yu sheng salad, but the restaurant near dosen't serve it, and I make it with my parents during CNY, or we have it with family when sometimes we go to HKG or SIN in CNY.

Last edited by hongkongtraveller; Nov 13, 2004 at 8:52 pm
hongkongtraveller is offline  
Old Nov 13, 2004, 9:40 pm
  #5  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Singapore
Posts: 113
WOw you guys actually like Singaporean food. Many foreigners I know can't stand it. (Especially the french) They think it's too oily and full of lard.

The french people i know can't stand food courts and places like jumbo too, cos they're "noisy". "Lunch is that time in the day for me to have an hour of quiet time to myself in a proper place, not jostle with crowds of people for seats in the food court"

Well for S$2.50 for a plate of char kway teow or (insert dish from food court here) why complain??!
docpepz is offline  
Old Nov 13, 2004, 10:19 pm
  #6  
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: I'm out of here.
Posts: 281
Who can beat a plate of char siew rice at a food court for S$2? There is lots of rice, char siew, and a bowl of soup. Even eating in Hong Kong at Cafe de Coral for Char Siew rice is almost HK$25 each. But I try to avoid Char Kway Teow when in Singapore in food courts, since it is way too fatty. I make it myself, with less oil, and it tastes exactly the same with only a few spoons of oil. Ah, the wonders of learning cooking from Mom......................
It really is easy:
- 1-2 sticks Lap Cheong (Chinese Sausage)
- A block of fish cake, julienned
- 1/2 red onion
- Some Green Onion
- A bag of bean sprouts
- A bag of fresh Hor Fun (rice noodles)
- 2 Eggs
- Sweet Soy Sauce
- Oyster Sauce
- Sugar
The fish cake, Lap Cheong, onion is all cut up and put into the pan, with some oil. I combine the uncooked Hor Fun with soy sauce, sugar, oyster sauce and mix it around. Then, when the Lap Cheong, fish cake, onion are all cooked, combine it with the Hor Fun, and mix around until the noodles are hot and cooked. Then when its about done, add the beaten eggs, and its bascally done.
hongkongtraveller is offline  
Old Nov 13, 2004, 10:24 pm
  #7  
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: SIN, HNL
Programs: Krisflyer Silver
Posts: 58
Having a cooking class here aren't we... Singapore food is super yummy, so glad I'm a singaporean but will be leaving for the US for 2 years in a months time, so I'll miss the food.
glam is offline  
Old Nov 13, 2004, 11:21 pm
  #8  
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: I'm out of here.
Posts: 281
By the way, you can make it with scallops, shrimp as well. Anyways, getting back to SIA, I had the satay on it a few years ago in business to TPE from SIN with my parents. The satay and the Char Kway Teow served was very good. The Char Kway Teow, however used fishmeat, scallops, and shrimps. It wasn't very oily and very satisfying. I wish there were seconds of satay that time........... By the way, I'm starting to get more lazy, and use just satay marinade I find at supermarkets and the peanut sauce mix. The satay marinade is wonderful, just cut up chicken or beef, leave the meat in the marinade overnight, and then skewer it, and put it in the oven. I cook the peanut sauce by using the mix, 1/2 cup coconut cream, 2 teaspoons oil, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 table spoons peanut butter (this is my secret). If you're wondering how a 20 year old knows so much about cooking is, I always cook for my parents, and have been able to cook a four course meal for 10 people, Try making Lobster Thermidor, I make it excellent, however, I hate making it, it takes too long, has anyone else made it before?..........

Last edited by hongkongtraveller; Nov 13, 2004 at 11:34 pm
hongkongtraveller is offline  
Old Nov 14, 2004, 1:17 am
  #9  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Little dot in Asia
Programs: AA-EP, TK-*G, HL-DM, HY-GLO, MR-LTP
Posts: 25,924
You forgot the major ingredient in Char Kway Teow... HUM! (or shellfishlike creature that looks like a clam). The Richmond "Singapore Gourmet" serves their Char Kway Teow with mee and kway teow and they use HUM... although the canned variety. Unfortunately I can't cook Singaporean dishes as well as you can. My roots go back to Penang (but don't ask me to attempt the dishes there either...) I'm better at Maggie mee!

SQ's satay is OK. Best satay is still by MALAYSIA AIRLINES. Or from any flight ex-KUL. Hence even CX serves great satay on their ex-Malaysia flights.
Guy Betsy is offline  
Old Nov 14, 2004, 1:19 am
  #10  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Little dot in Asia
Programs: AA-EP, TK-*G, HL-DM, HY-GLO, MR-LTP
Posts: 25,924
Originally Posted by docpepz
WOw you guys actually like Singaporean food. Many foreigners I know can't stand it. (Especially the french) They think it's too oily and full of lard.

The french people i know can't stand food courts and places like jumbo too, cos they're "noisy". "Lunch is that time in the day for me to have an hour of quiet time to myself in a proper place, not jostle with crowds of people for seats in the food court"

Well for S$2.50 for a plate of char kway teow or (insert dish from food court here) why complain??!
Well I don't know any french people in Singapore but my french friends from France (Hi celbrian) love Singaporean food in a foodcourt, not to mention the Chilli/Pepper crab from "No-Signboard" restaurant.
Guy Betsy is offline  
Old Nov 14, 2004, 5:21 am
  #11  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Singapore
Posts: 113
No Signboard Restaurant rocks! I love the prawns/crayfish with fried cereal. The whole setting of that restaurant (at Kallang) is much better than Jumbo at East Coast, which most tourists love to frequent. You get a nice view of the Kallang River, Suntec City and the residential skyline of the Mountbatten/Kallang/Lavender Districts.

It's also much less noisy and crowded than the east coast restaurants.

The french people i know in Singapore (ranging from exchange students from all parts of france to rich french expats my family knows) are not all too fond of singaporean food. (They miss their baguette and cheese!)

Glad to know that there are some who do!
docpepz is offline  
Old Nov 14, 2004, 7:12 am
  #12  
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Programs: AA EXP, BA Gold, UA LT-Gold, SPG Plat, HH Dia, Hyatt Dia, MR Gold
Posts: 2,221
Hmmm...eating satay here at SQ SIN lounge.....

Guy Betsy, I didn't know you lived in SIN. Thought you were from YVR
ws8n is offline  
Old Nov 14, 2004, 10:10 am
  #13  
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: I'm out of here.
Posts: 281
Originally Posted by Guy Betsy
You forgot the major ingredient in Char Kway Teow... HUM! (or shellfishlike creature that looks like a clam). The Richmond "Singapore Gourmet" serves their Char Kway Teow with mee and kway teow and they use HUM... although the canned variety. Unfortunately I can't cook Singaporean dishes as well as you can. My roots go back to Penang (but don't ask me to attempt the dishes there either...) I'm better at Maggie mee!

SQ's satay is OK. Best satay is still by MALAYSIA AIRLINES. Or from any flight ex-KUL. Hence even CX serves great satay on their ex-Malaysia flights.
I don't use Hum/Cockles. The local restaurant here serves it with them however....... I have taken CX on HKG-KUL in J before about 3 years ago, too bad I didn't have the satay as I was too tired.
hongkongtraveller is offline  
Old Nov 14, 2004, 10:28 am
  #14  
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: I'm out of here.
Posts: 281
But, what really defines Singapore food? Is it the stuff served at hawkers or food courts? In my opinion, Singapore food is basically a combination of Chinese (you have the Hainan Chicken Rice, Char Kway Teow), Malaysian (Satay, Laksa), and Indian (Curry). Oh yes, I also love Chendol. I sometimes make it myself, but the green jelly is hard and time consuming to make, so sometimes I just have it at a restaurant for $5 Canadian. They serve it like a drink, interestingly enough.
hongkongtraveller is offline  
Old Nov 14, 2004, 1:29 pm
  #15  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Little dot in Asia
Programs: AA-EP, TK-*G, HL-DM, HY-GLO, MR-LTP
Posts: 25,924
Most desserts and drinks with coconut milk as the main ingredient don't quite get made the way they are meant to be made outside Asia mainly because they require the coconut milk to be fresh and not canned.

Sometimes I wonder about SQ's boasting of their Gourmet Chefs recipes for their flights (I'm sorry but I don't remember the actual name of this 'group').
Has anyone wondered why there isn't a SINGLE ASEAN chef on the panel? Not as in Asian but Asean.. anyone that is from either Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Brunei, Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar. I mean, this is SQ right? What is wrong with promoting SINGAPOREAN or ASEAN talent? Is it better to promote chefs from other places who don't know a thing about Asian tastes? Okay - the chef from HK and Japan doesn't count...

Other airlines like QF and BA.. use chefs from their own homeland.. so what is it about SQ?

I'd like to see something on the menu like..."Mr Tan Ah Kow, Char Kway Teow seller from Rochor Road for 30 years is proud to be the consultant for this exquisite dish with his secrets for today's flight menu".
Guy Betsy is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.