The Malaysian Insider :: Food
The Malaysian Insider :: Food |
| Franco-Asian exotica on Singapore skyline Posted: 23 Aug 2011 05:42 AM PDT SINGAPORE, Aug 23 — After launching fine dining restaurants in Taipei and Shanghai over the past half decade, Singapore's best known chef, Justin Quek, has come home. With dishes like xiao long bao — a delicate Chinese dumpling — filled with truffle consomme and foie gras, the French-trained chef is hailed for his daring, artful blends of Asian and French ingredients and techniques.  Quek (left) works in his new restaurant 'Sky on 57' at the Marina Bay Sands hotel and casino complex in Singapore in this undated publicity photo. — Reuters pic Among foreigners, Singapore is often referred to as "Asia-lite" or "Asia for beginners" — where travellers can sample the fiery spices, aromatic broths and deep-flavoured stews of the region without needing to endure the discomforts of Southeast Asia's sweaty jungles or its less accommodating cities. Quek spoke to Reuters about Singapore's culinary heritage, and how he blends Asian and French cooking. Q: Singapore is known as a food-obsessed city. What makes it so special here? A: "We're very small, and in our history until recently we've been a so-called clean, obedient city, so all you can do is eat. The street food is great. South Chinese immigrants into Singapore — Hakka, Cantonese, Hainanese, Hokkien — they brought their culinary skills with them, and Singapore is surrounded by Malaysia and Indonesia — that's where it started to fuse. When the first wave (of immigrants) couldn't get the ingredients they were used to, they improvised, started to eat chilli, blending, improvising, until it becomes habit. It's Chinese mixing with Malay: in China they use oil, Malay cooking uses coconut milk." Q: What are the thought processes behind your combinations? A: "When I eat something, my palate will tell me how I can elevate the flavours. (With sweet foods) I'm thinking 'how do I counter the sweetness?," and I can take acidity from lime, light spiciness from ginger. It's all about balancing flavours — it's not that you can read a book and do it. With my food, I prefer (to drink) Riesling, because my food has a bit of spice, or Pinot Noir. Sauternes, just have it with a ripe melon or a peach, some Spanish ham, otherwise it's too cloying." Q: Can anyone do it? A: "Mixing isn't about 1+1=2, it's not that easy. When you're eating something and your palate tells you what's missing, that's when you start combining. The difference between me and a French chef is that I think Asian. The sauce with my pepper lobster is different from the pepper sauce that goes with steak." Q: Is "fusion" part of an evolution in cooking away from regional cuisine toward a "global" style? A: "'Fusion' is very badly used. We use 'Franco-Asian'. My training is French; I use Asian products and flavours. The difference is, we use less butter and cream. Our target is mainly Asians, and lots of Asians are lactose intolerant." Q: How is the growing wealth in China changing dining habits? A: "There are people who want to show they've arrived. It's the same in any nouveau riche country. Some people, they don't think about money, they just say 'give me the best' ... In Europe it's more 'c'est comme ca' (it must be done like this) though they've started to change. Hong Kong is a very sophisticated market, they're affluent, they know what's good." Q: What are the technical skills most important in cooking? A: "First, knife skills. Then, knowing how to control heat. Most important is choosing the right product ... the rest is simple. Take a fresh langoustine, cook it in a heavy pan to seal it, add extra virgin olive oil, a basil leaf and some baby spinach." — Reuters |
| Moroccan snails — from street food to upscale snack Posted: 23 Aug 2011 05:31 AM PDT RABAT, Aug 23 — Standing on the side of a road in a hectic north African capital may not be what most people would consider the ideal place to eat boiled snails. Diners inclined to try "escargots" may think of it as a dish best prepared by an expert chef and reserved for special occasions, like a visit to a French restaurant. But in Morocco, snails are street food and have been for decades.  Snails are street food in Morocco and have been for decades. — AFP pic In Rabat, on the country's west coast, escargots — called boubouch or b'bouch — are served at roadside stalls and in the souks, the traditional open-air markets. The snails on offer are low in fat and high in protein and magnesium, similar to those found in Spain or in the south of France, but the preparation — and presentation — is not what you'd find at a French bistro where a garlic butter sauce is the norm. In Morocco, snails are simmered in a broth seasoned with aniseed, licorice root, thyme, sweet and spicy pepper, mint, bitter orange peel, and crushed gum arabic, an ingredient taken from acacia trees. When the stewed molluscs are ready, they're scooped out of the pot by the roadside vendor with a large wooden ladle. Tourists walking by regularly take note of the dish but rarely sample the contents, vendors said. But one Moroccan entrepreneur recently launched an upscale version of the cherished snack for those queasy about buying escargots from roadside vendors, where they may feel cleanliness is an issue. Mohamed Alaoui Abdallaoui's specially designed truck tours Rabat's trendier neighbourhoods and delivers the spicy simmered snails to clients right at their front door. "I hope that other (competitors) will follow, so that we can offer Moroccan clientele a range of choices that are safe, clean and high-quality," Abdallaoui explained, speaking French, the language of the country's former colonial power. Though long a domestic delicacy, most Moroccan snails — which are handpicked mainly by women and children — are exported, notably to Spain. In fact, the government's social development agency, ADS, said between 80 and 85 per cent of some 10,000 tonnes of snails harvested each year are shipped abroad. The ADS has tried to promote increased food production as one of its projects designed to help the millions of Moroccans mired in poverty, like many of the women and children who collect the snails. Abdallaoui's customers, at any rate, are thrilled. "We got used to eating these with our parents when we were small," said Youssef, a regular client of the mobile escargot truck. "But this is clean, it's well organised, and there is no need to worry about the hygiene." Sihan is another client now hooked on snail home delivery. "It's the real, traditional snail we used to have at home. It's delicious, we love it. Look, everyone is eating them," he said. — AFP-Relaxnews |
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