The Malaysian Insider :: Food
The Malaysian Insider :: Food |
| Stir up a plate of Singapore Hokkien Mee! Posted: 21 Sep 2012 09:21 PM PDT  Nothing like a delicious plate of Singapore Hokkien Mee. I've got this craze for Singapore Hokkien Mee... there's something about it that I can't seem to resist. Though I've never really had to, if I were to choose between a spread of gourmet food and a plate of Singapore Hokkien Mee, I have a feeling I'll be choosing the latter! Singapore Hokkien Mee really is stir-fried egg noodles, leafy greens or shredded cabbage and an assortment of seafood in a small amount of gravy made from soy sauce. Not to be confused with the Penang Hokkien Mee, which is made in soup, and the Kuala Lumpur Hokkien Mee, which is slightly darker in colour. Usually there are huge, succulent prawns, fish cake and squid accompanying the noodles, and their fresh flavours coincide excellently with the raw greenness of the blanched leafy vegetables. I could go on and on about how the sauce beautifully coats the long strands of the noodles and how the small amounts of fried pork lard added in gives an amazing aromatic boost to the dish, not to mention heighten its flavours to unimaginable levels. So during my last visit to Singapore, I finally decided to find the recipe for this dish… I mean, I have to have something to combat my cravings when I'm in Malaysia, right? The key method to make this dish a success is to braise it. To do this, the noodles have to be first subjected to high heat in a wok, just to brown them and give them a slightly crisp outer layer. Stock is then added to them and they are cooked on a low heat in a covered pot until the stock is absorbed and there is a small amount of gravy in the wok. It is very important to ensure that they are braised quickly to avoid having soggy noodles-mush, in other words. The stock used is also very important as it provides the necessary flavours to make this dish a flavourful one. I use stock made from prawn heads and pork bones for an amazing flavour. One thing to note about egg noodles are they should always be refrigerated upon buying them to ensure they stay fresh. It's best to buy them a few days before they are needed. To serve this dish, you would need a slice of lime and a small amount of spicy, thick sambal. Sambal is a condiment made from chillies that is popular in many Asian countries, especially Indonesia and Malaysia. The lime gives this dish a tangy twist, while the sambal gives it an extra "oomph" — that spiciness that mingles with the lime juice which perfectly complements this dish. Ooooh, I need a plate of it now! SINGAPORE HOKKIEN MEE Prep time: 10 minutes Cooking time: approximately 1½ hours (about 1 hour for the stock) Serves 4 Ingredients: 300g pork knuckle and pork belly 300g prawn head and shell, for the stock, peeled and deveined ½ bulb garlic, peeled ½ medium-size pot water 1 packet Singapore Hokkien noodles 200g Chinese chives 2 whole chicken eggs 2 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 tablespoon fish sauce 1 teaspoon sugar Salt and pepper for seasoning Method 1. For the stock, boil pork knuckle and pork belly in some water for about 15 minutes. Discard the water. Bring ½ pot of clean water to a boil. Add prawn head, shell, pork knuckle, pork belly and garlic. Boil for approximately 1 hour, over low heat until stock is reduced by 2cm. When stock is done, strain into another clean bowl and cut pieces of pork belly into small 1cm strips. Discard the remainder of ingredients. 2. In a heated work, add oil and scramble eggs. 3. Add pork belly and peeled prawns and fry over high heat until prawns are cooked. 4. Add Hokkien noodles, fish sauce and continue frying for further 2-3 minutes over high heat. 5. Add about 3 ladles of stock into the wok and mix ingredients thoroughly. 6. Cover the wok and let the noodles braise in stock for 3 minutes. 7. Once the cover is removed, add chives, salt and pepper to the noodles. 8. Divide noodles into 4 separate plates and serve immediately. For more recipes, please go to www.chopstickdiner.com. |
| Food agenda: IKA World Culinary Olympics Posted: 21 Sep 2012 08:14 PM PDT LONDON, Sept 22 — Weeks after the athletic Olympics wrapped up in London, the culinary equivalent takes place in Germany, where next month top chefs from around the world will compete to take home bragging rights for their country. Here's a look at the top food events taking place in the next few weeks.  IKA World Culinary Olympics 2012. ©IKA October 5-10 Erfurt, Germany Though the title of culinary Olympics is often ascribed to the Bocuse d'Or cook-off that takes place in Lyon, France, that event is biennial. The IKA World Culinary Olympics takes place every four years. In October, chefs from 45 countries will gather in Erfurt, Germany, to go for gold. 14th annual San Sebastian GastronomikaOctober 7-10 San Sebastian, Spain It's the cradle of high gastronomy in Spain, and for that matter, the world, especially when it comes to avant-garde culinary invention. For four days in October, the area hosts the annual Gastronomika festival, that invites chefs from around the world to showcase the latest in innovative, culinary invention, cooking and food. This year, France is the guest country of honour, and from the early programme announcement, looks to boast a stellar showing, with attendance confirmed by Pierre Gagnaire, Michel Bras, Alain Passard, Anne Sophie-Pic, and Inaki Aizpitarte. 5th annual New York City Food & Wine FestivalOctober 11-14 New York, NY, USA In five short years, this New York City food festival has become a star-studded event, bringing together well-known food celebrities popular with TV audiences. Events vary from food seminars, "grand" tastings, demos and child-friendly sessions. A highlight is Modernist Cuisine author Nathan Myhrvold's "Dinner to End All Dinners" that promises to be heavily influenced by his fondness for molecular, science-based cooking. Tickets for festival events are on sale now. SIAL ParisOctober 21-25 Paris Billed as the largest food expo in the world, this year's edition of SIAL is expected to attract 140,000 professional visitors from 200 countries, and 6,000 exhibitors from 100 countries. Highlights this year include SIAL Innovation, the most popular observatory that attracts 75 per cent of attendees looking for pioneering and trendsetting products. The SIAL d'Or will also feature the most innovative products in 29 countries that became a commercial success in the past year. 18th annual Salon du ChocolatOctober 31-November 4 Paris The world's largest event dedicated to cocoa and chocolate returns to Paris, this time under the banner of "The New World". The theme will explore new and emerging consumers such as India, Korea and China as well as new chocolate producers, trends and flavours. The perennial favourite, meanwhile, is the showstopping fashion show in that models strut down the catwalk draped in chocolate dresses and contraptions. About 120,000 visitors are expected over five days. Hong Kong Wine & Dine MonthNovember 1-4 Hong Kong ForbesTraveler.com named the four-day event in Hong Kong one of the top international food and wine festivals in the world in its inaugural year of 2009. As with editions past, the focal point will be The Grand Tasting Pavilion that will feature premium wines, workshops on how to pair desserts with champagne, ice wine and sweet wines, as well as wine and cooking classes. Top chefs from Hong Kong are expected to make an attendance. All this is set against the dramatic skyline. Flavour! Napa ValleyNovember 14-18 Napa Valley, California, USA A food and wine festival in one of the culinary capitals of the US, Flavour! Napa Valley is a star-studded event that features area food celebrities such as Michael Chiarello, Thomas Keller and special guests like Masaharu Morimoto and Scott Conant. Along with culinary demonstrations, the five-day festival is heavy on wine tastings with top sommeliers. Vinexpo Rendez-Vous in New York is cancelled. The consumer wine show was to have run November 16-18 but has been "postponed". — AFP/Relaxnews |
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