Three Cities, Many Hearts

Note: Due to some unresolved technical issues, the following blog posting, from a past year, has suddenly decided to re-park itself as a 16 March 2011 entry.

It was a truly happy greeting me from Happy coming for me, my nephew Chet and Karen at the pool area in a Yishun condominium. The not quite four year old had a most delighted surprise on her face, as if to recall that I promised to see her in person in Singapore, if I could at the next opportunity. Then she settled into a demeanour that she would enjoy my visit to her parents' home and to see her younger brother Stuart as well.  She naturally chatted away, played with every one of us and even sat at the dining table joining me to partake in the Lunar New Year treats.  Stuart sat on my lap, and even if only a year old, sent me strong communicative vibes through his expressive eyes.

Karen later that evening got us my fav Katong laksa and otak otak (that heavenly combination of steamed egg, fish fillet and aromatic leaves of the daun gaduh) that only the Straits Chinese can conjure up. I was in the heartland of the baba and nyonya in Singapore.  My associations with this island state go back many years, with memories of well done Mandarin commercials and subtitles on television, well organised and super clean food courts, hostel stays at the Nanyang University, long and enjoyable shopping excursions, drop bys at cousin Eu Lan's residence and much more.  How this island state has changed from my very first encounter on a university sports exchange trip - as I stood recently in front of the Zegna lcd display at ION shopping centre along the still vibrant Orchard Road, I sub-consciously acknowledged the effort, forward thinking and grassroots support to continually propel Singapore as more than a viable entity.

Kishore and I had found ourselves in the rather unusual quiet of Changi Airport, Singapore in the wee hours between the arrival and departure of most flights. In any of the expansive surrounds of the three component terminals, despite the rather late closing of some outlets at 1am, we seemed to have an exclusive walking around of the facility, and enjoyed the Belgian chocolate coffee cafe before turning in. Kishore's mates in trendy jackets and blokey motor cycle helmets sent him off earlier at Sydney's Kingsford-Smith. Just like Sean Tan, whom I caught up later at the Canberra Centre on a crispy moderate early autumn day a few weeks later, Kishore was doing a post-grad degree in one of the many Australian universities. Both Kishore and Sean are at the cusp of new possible beginnings, possibilties and frontiers, a consequence of a series of apparently unremarkable decisions and steps, but these have now led

The waiters at this seemingly tucked away corner of Transfer Road in Georgetown, Penang Island, were amazingly too fair-skinned for the tropical heat and sunny aspect of the place, but I concluded it must have been the Fujian genes of their immigrant forefathers.  They worked at a fast and focussed pace, taking orders diligently and bringing out the dishes as soon as they were ready. The spinach were stir-fried with belachan chilli condiment and readily accompanied the fish head curry inspired from Chennai.  It was a family business called Tai Kong Hooi, had unpretentious coffee shop styled tables and chairs but the food served was good and tasty.  Bob always had the knack of taking me to these gems of foodie congregation in  my hometown.

It was tremendous to have this opportunity earlier this year as well of re-meeting Kean Guan, a classmate of mine from our mutual primary school of Francis Light.  Here he was, at a small gathering of school mates and people I grew up with, in a restaurant in what was once Georgetown's premier urban development. The years past had seen each of us take different paths. Guan is now the head of inspectors of schools whilst I had moved to another country and another profession. Our eyes looked at each other, perhaps reflecting on forgotten episodes and memories with the freshness of being in class together, while we chatted.  He shouted the lunch, I was fascinated with how he held an audience and how the whole group of mates were apparently back at school.

Some weeks out of my South-east Asian sojourn,  I bumped intoWendy with the purple hair and had an al fresco dinner with Marta, who loves steamed fish Chinese style more than she expected. This was in Wollongong, a far cry and many moons removed from the diversity and energy of Singapore and the family comfort of Penang. Still, with long time friendships with Wendy and Marta, there was spontaneous laughter, easy discourse of conversation and a lightness in our exchange - not very different from the many hearts I came across in the other two cities.

Another Weekend Too

Mee rebus in Chatswood (above)

Note: Due to some unresolved technical issues, the following blog posting, from a past year, has suddenly decided to re-park itself as a 16 March 2011 entry.




Fresh bean sprouts are mixed with other crunchy and sweet vegetables. These are next poured on to a plate and mixed with a zesty sauce that provides savoury touches of chilli, lime drops and potato smoothness. The key ingredients are the shrimp fritters, small enough to bite into and optimally crispy to provide a contrast from the vegetable bites. This South Indian inspired mix, often referred to as rojak, appears in different forms throughout Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

The Thai vermicelli salad,also dished up by Susan and Boo Ann,was lighter in outlook, with mint leaves, pineapple cuts and the compulsory chili bits. Here the overall effect can be more outrageous, as the sourness combines with the peppery heat - and there are hidden landmines in those small but powerful chillies hidden in the mixture. Asian food preparation is often preceded by lots of detailed ingredients, fine chopping and clever blending of flavours and different sensations.

More than an hour passed before we received our food at the Oscars in Towradgi, not far from my home. The kitchen staff looked over worked and time-pressured. The food was tasty but one had to be patient. Was this a problem of success, where capacity and capability did not match demand on a more timely basis? It can be a hard call of balancing the vagaries and volatility in the seesaw of balancing demand with supply. It was not even summer - I cannot imagine when it is a January Friday night!

My prawn and pea risotto was delightful nevertheless. Shane and Danielle, together with Dave and Jo, had brought their kids - fortunately for me as well, for I was taken off my mind on waiting time. Charlotte and Max could interact well with Nieve and Bridget,and vice-versa, and in fact provided a party atmosphere at our dining table.

Hand-made chocolate from Ju was exquisite - my first bite made me realise the ingredient quality and care that went into her creations. The flavour was intense, and the texture just right. Dark chocolate was finely set with a nutty after thought.

I was not too thrilled with the the version of mee rebus (braised noodles with a spicy twist and gravy) from a Malaysian outlet in Sydney's Chatswood Chase. It can not compare with what Mum makes back in Penang, and the presence of certain ingredients reduced its authenticity. The gravy had a more peanut emphasis than it should be. The Hokkien noodles were not soft enough.

Sucker catfish prices in the Illawarra area, pardon the pun, are shockingly and suckingly expensive. On another day, I had been attracted to such delightful miniature creatures that require no additional feed apart from the algae and moss that thrive naturally in most aquarium environments.At 14 Australian dollars per creature, I baulked at buying them in Hurstville in Sydney's south. Nearer my home, the asking price was much more.

In Wollongong CBD, John called me when I was engrossed texting and checking my sms messages on my I Phone.He and Carla had finished their meal, but were gracious to stay on to drink tea, sip wine and be merry at the table.Carla had her hair done in a new way. No appointments were necessary for us to meet up. We relished in our carefree weekend revelry. John and Carla kindly introduced me to various people in the cafe - and John is a true Wollongong boy.

Yum cha in Hurstville's Mr Chao's Chinese Restaurant on a mid-Saturday in April was refreshingly tasty. I had not been to the venue since the incumbent owners closed it down, when it operated under another name - Forest Court. Nae and Tom had taken me to Mr Chao's for a lazy brunch of a fav Cantonese cuisine- and I was like a kid at a candy shop, partaking with vigour, amongst other things, the tau foo fa ( soy bean curd dessert, mixed with your choice amount of syrup); the char siew so (baked pastry pork buns); the standard siew mai (prawn and pork dumplings); the fong chau (phoenix claws , a re-labelling of braised chicken legs); and the healthy plate of oyster-flavoured steamed kailan vegetables. (All dish names are in Cantonese). We later retreated from the burgeoning surrounding restaurant chatter to Nae and Tom's new apartment, where I enjoyed viewing two fish tank environments that Nae had set up, and tasting some of Tom's dessert wine.

Sydney's Broadway - Another Malaysian Food Trail

There are now more than a few cafes and restaurants providing the roti canai and murtabak in Sydney CBD. In India and South-east Asia, they first emerged as handy and viable backpacker food to the throngs of Western visitors from the seventies to the nineties. They are delicate, airy and appetising to fill up any one's hunger pangs. The roti can be eaten plain, or dipped in light vegetarian, dhall bean or meat curry gravy. Above, the serving at the Mamak Village cafe along Glebe Point Road near the junction with Broadway.

I was especially taken with the anchovy-based condiment above at Mamak Village.

My accompanying mates who live nearby in this precinct have so much choice and variety of food that they may not have been as enthusiastic as me for this mamak cuisine.

Above, a balcony with a view upstairs at Mamak Village in Glebe, reminding me of a comparable scenery from the Lee & Me Cafe along Crown Street in Wollongong CBD. Below, an authentic tasting teh tarik, to accompany the meal.

Below, the lobak spring rolls, in a unique version originating from my home island of Penang in Malaysia. I found the accompanying condiment different - instead of just a hot and sweet chili sauce found in Penang coffee shops, Mamak Village prepared their own mix. The lobak was a bit over the top in saltiness that day.

Malacca Straits Restaurant (above) , inside the Quadrant Building at 66 Mountain Street, Broadway, is best accessed from George Street, opposite the branch of the Notre Dame University. We saw a neighbouring table order what looked like succulent chicken-on-the-skin for Hainan chicken rice and a serving of the murtabak. They also have available the Penang kapitan curry, Thai crying tiger (marinated BBQ beef fillet served with hot chili sauce) and the curry fishhead (AUD 20 per piece). As our visit was only meant as for an arvo tea time snack, we chose their stated signature dish - Kuala Lumpur styled curry laksa. (below)

To an ex-Penangite like me, the soup was tasty but smacked of salted fish flavours, but it did have a strong and appreciated spicy and herbal sensation as one took it with the chicken slices, deep fried tofu squares and sliced vegetables.

To round up the evening in Sydney CBD, but this time beyond Broadway, another set of mates joined me at World Square's Malaysian Indian outlet, situated along a passageway that shouts out "Eat Drink Enjoy Share" if you are coming from inside the open air plaza.

Otherwise, appraoch this passageway from Liverpool Street, with an entrance along the road between the Meriton Serviced Apartments and Zozo. To our disappointment, the resident Nepali fresh roti maker had alreday retired by the time we arrived, and we had to make do with two curry choices served with steamed white rice - mine was tamarind flavoured hard boiled egg curry (unusual) and red chicken curry. (above). Their rotis are worth a try - and you can watch them make it right in front of you. The Mirchis Indian outlet across the passageway does not make such fresh roti pancakes.

After all that spicy food on this Malaysian food trail, I would recommend a hearty fresh mixed fruit juice pack from Three Beans Cafe at the Broadway Shopping Centre. (above) This place epitomises the benefits of location, location, location. It is at the confluence of different market groups with regular purchasing patronage - university students, CBD residents, the twenty to thrity something yuppies and frequenters from outside exploring nearby Chinatown, Surry Hills and Newtown.

Home Made Curries

My delight after a busy day is to dabble in curry cooking. I simply savour the mixing of different spices like cumin, cinnamon bark, star anise, cardamom, fenugreek, coriander seeds, cloves, galangal and more.

When stirred on a hot wok with simmering cooking oil and pounded / blended garlic and ginger, this first step to the making of home made curries gets all my senses going and exciting combinations of flavours both come to mind and transform into reality in front of my eyes.

I cannot wait to taste the curry with basmati rice (above).

Whether to have the meat fillets or on the skin (as above) is perhaps more of what you have grown up with.

Most of my Aussie mates prefer no skin, but my South-east Asian friends relish the different taste when skin is still intact. The colour of the gravy captures the eye's imagination and gets the taste buds going even before you get to eat.

My recently cooked salmon fish curry (above).

To finish up the creative cooking process, you have a choice - Thai kaffir lime leaves, Indian curry leaves or simply understated bay leaves all offer an extra garnishing and flavour to your curry. I love my tomatoes when I especially cook fish and prawn curries, but they do have an added zing even with meat, except not with lamb or beef. Believe it it or not, I also add powdery potatoes to my curries.

Above, a south Indian inspired version of prawn curry.

The Making of Cendol Dessert

When the throat is parched, and the palate longs for a sugary fix, with gobs of creaminess, consider the cendol dessert. This is also known as che banh lot in Vietnam. Both names refer to the squiggly green coloured crunchy yet soft strands you see in drink combinations all over Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia - and in some Asian cafes in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Once you have fresh cendol strands made, you can have a free rein of choice as to what you next add - fresh or canned lychees, cooked red beans, grapes, nuts, ice cubes or shavings, light coconut milk, gula Melaka syrup, bits of black coloured jelly from Asian grocery shops and more. (above) The idea is to create texture, variety and compatibility for taste, presentation and bite.

Cendol strands are made with green pea flour soaked for at least an hour in water.

Concurrently do set aside sufficient time to prepare the liquid pandan leaf extract.

This can be an involved process involving cut leaf strips of fresh pandan leaves to be liquidised in a blender, then set aside to be added with a tabelspoonful of alkaline lye water. (not more, as the lye water can be toxic in bigger quantities - lye is popular in very small dosages to be added in making Hokkien noodles and the like as well).

After an hour, mix both portions into a saucepan for controlled simmering - with continuous stirring and conscious flame size control - until you obtain a transparent glazed look and thickened shiny surface (above).

Always ensure not to overcook this resulting dough mixture.»

Now comes the fun part - with a firm but small potato presser, press the cooked dough mixture (above) through a wooden or aluminium cendol-maker frame, with quick short strokes into a basin ideally just six inches or 15 cm below and filled with iced water - this recommended distance will prevent the resulting cendol strands from becoming too long.

Allow for the resulting strands to rest in the iced water basin for around ten minutes.

Below, the gula Melaka syrup is freshly made by simmering the palm sugar cubes with water and flavoured with cuts of pandan leaves.

Above, the residue remaining after filter straining the liquidised pandan leaves.

Below, all ready for making the dessert combinations according to your taste.

Best served chilled and get the participation of your guests in making the final serving.

Thank you, Marta!