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Singapore delights
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Radisson MBD, Noida, hosted a Singapore Food Festival recently
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Delicious Ching chao ci so
A land of diverse races and cultures, Singapore has had a multitude of influences on its cuisine. Be it Malay, Chinese or South Indian, the country is a virtual potpourri when it comes to food. Recently R.E.D restaurant of Radisson MBD, Noida, hosted
a Singapore Food Festival. Chef Sim Poh Geok, a Singaporean by birth with more than 25 years of experience in Cantonese cuisine, Singapore seafood and Szechuan cuisine created a special a la carte menu.
Interestingly, despite being under British rule for several years, there is no marked influence of English cuisine on Singapore. Agreed Sim, “There is more of Chinese influence, then there is an impact of Malay food, but the trademark richness of Malay cuisine is avoided in Singapore. This way it is closer to South Indian food. The British have only left the legacy of breakfast…boiled eggs, coffee and toast,” he quipped. Apart from sea food, Sim informed pork is a staple food in Singapore. “But in India I generally avoid because I have found generally people have aversion to pork. Also the pork found in South East Asia is softer in comparison to the one found in India. Still whenever I find a guest requesting a pork delicacy, I feel ecstatic.”
Local favourites
Sim offered some local favourites and assured that all the ingredients had been lifted from Singapore to ensure authenticity. There were non-vegetarian delicacies like laksa, a traditional Singaporean prawn and coconut soup, hoi lam kai phan, which is Hainanese chicken rice and lat chew hai, which is Singapore chilli crab. For vegetarians there was ching chao ci so. It is stir-fry pokchoy with brocolli and asparagus, tofu nonya, which is tofu in nonya sauce, suin lat lohan chai, lohan vegetables in chilly garlic sauce. At the end of it, one discovered it is the interplay of sauces that makes the Singapore food really distinct. One that stood out was the peanut sauce. Then there is presence of coconut in most of the recipes, bringing the cuisine closer to the Indian palate.
As for dessert, there were hiong mao crème brulee, which is lemon grass crème brulee and bobo chacha, a sweet potato and yam pudding. A waste for those who want their dessert to be really sweet, but a delight for those who are game for something different.
ANUJ KUMAR
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
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Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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