Food Experiment #7: Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee

I’m sick of roasting stuff. Hence this Food Experiment. The Hokkien Prawn Mee.

This dish is a staple in Singapore’s Hawker Centres and, if done well, it should taste of prawns infused into the thick yellow and white noodles. So much so that it should be gravy-slurping good.

As with all food experiments, this is my first time making it. It wasn’t too bad, but lacked bite – more in the verdict.

I found the original recipe from My Wok Life

You’ll Need These Ingredients:

For the Stock

• Prawns, lots of prawns
• Ikan Billis  

For the Dish

• 250g of yellow noodles
• 250g of white bee hoon
• Prawns, lots of prawns
• Beansprouts, lots of it ‘cause I love vegetables
• 150g of pork belly
• 2 eggs, beaten

For the Flavouring

• 2 garlic cloves
• 4 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
• 120ml of oil

Instructions and “Did it Work?”

1. Prepping the Foods

Shell and devein the prawns. Keep the shells for making stock.

 

Tip: I usually start working on them once they’re out of the freezer. If you’re not masochistic, thaw them out first before decapitation and shelling.

Cut up the pork belly into thin columns. Firstly, cut the pork belly into slices, then cut them up into small long columns.

My Wok Life (see link above) details how to make Pork Lard. But I gave it a miss.

Wash the beansprouts and Ikan Billis. Pick out the blackheads from the bean sprouts.

 

2. Making the Stock

Heat up the wok with a big fire. Make sure that it’s hot before starting.

Dry  fry the prawns and Ikan Billis until they’re a little charred. Once it releases the smells – and you’ll know it – add water until it covers the mix.

Bring it to a boil and turn down the heat to low. Leave it for 30 min to leech umaminess out of the prawns. Keep an eye on the stock so that it doesn’t dry out. Add more water or reduce the fire.

Strain and transfer to a pot or massive bowl.

3. Cooking the Noodles 

Yellow noodles are incredibly oily and alkaline tasting. Blanch very quickly (10 sec) in hot water and leave aside to make it lighter.  

Heat up the wok on medium heat. Add oil and wait for it to bubble.

Add garlic and stir fry until fragrant. Add pork belly slices. Midway through – just when the pork belly starts to cook – add sesame oil and soy sauce for fragrance and wankfull sizzle.

Stir fry like you’ve “gone madder than a bastard on Father’s Day” (src: Transmetropolitan). 

Add the noodles. Loosen up the noodles, then add the stock.

* Now I’ve added too much stock for this Food Experiment. Instead of covering the noodles with stock, just add until it’s halfway full.

Cover the wok and let it simmer on low fire. Every now and then, uncover and flip the noodles around so that the bottom doesn’t stick.

We want the noodles to soak up as much of the prawn stock as possible. This should take about 5 minutes.

Once done – the stock should be a thick gravy now – turn up the heat to high, add the prawns and bean sprouts. Stir fry until cooked (3 minutes), then add the eggs.

Two schools of thought about eggs:

1. Some say to add and fry immediately
2. Some say to make a space on the wok, fry the eggs and once it’s a little cooked, incorporate it into the noodles.

I used the former approach for this Food Experiment. But hey, it’s your call.

Once done, plate and serve. The Hokkien Mee should be draped in prawn stock gravy. If not, you’ve overcooked it.

Verdict

Making foods over a naked fire is quite different from roasting. It boils down – and not being pun-ny here – to control of the fire itself. The noodles were mushy and full of prawny goodness.

But it’s not like the Hokkien Mee served in Hawker Centres.

The next effort will include:

• Braise the noodles with half of the stock
• Cook the eggs before incorporating it into the noodles

I guess it should work better that way then.

Cars Parking Baffle Me

I am horribly baffled by cars parking. Drivers endeavour to park as close as possible to the exits and entrances of the building.

I’m seeing this as whenever my girlfriend or father parks their car. To illustrate my point, I’ve taken two photographs from the same spot but shot in different directions.

Shot of cars lined up next to the lift entrance

Shot of cars away from the lift entrance

So many parking lots, so little space.

No wonder cars make us fat.

The Garden City is Pretty but Noisy

from www.treklens.com

I like living in Singapore. It works. It’s green and quite clean, despite the hiking prices, and surly and superficial population that’s increasingly more foreign.

In keeping with our government’s mantra: all the trees, shrubbery and grass need to be maintained and trimmed back lest they overwhelm our roads, pavements and viaducts.

It makes sense. After all, you would want your tires and paths tangled up by Lalang?

My only issue is the noise – an eminently first world problem – where leaf blowers, grass cutters and the occasional chainsaw slices and tames the quiet greenery.

Noise is jarring and annoying. I lose focus in earshot of buzz saws, bad karaoke, and back-firing cars (yes, we have those in Singapore too).

Ach. First world problems…a never-ending stream of gripes and trivialities.

What Does it Mean to be Singaporean?

A colleague asked: "What is a Singaporean identity? You eat, shop, drink."

Image source: If Only Singaporeans Stopped to Think

I couldn't answer immediately. On reflection -- and listening to Grace Fu on the news -- I thought back to when I left Singapore.  

The Singaporean is someone who speaks with a staccato inflection; who knows bashas, leopard crawling, CSMs, M-16s, and walking around with a shaven head; who knows that having a bit of everything -- prata, lontong, chicken rice, bak kut teh -- is better than just one type of food available to most people; who lives, drinks and chats with Tamles, Mats, and Mungens. 
The Singaporean is a varied bunch. Some hound kids to the tuition centers; some are big losers with big hearts; others guzzle beer while five-tenning another; while many of us slave in florescent-lit offices and catch up with other cubicle mates now and then.  
The Singaporean has played on big stone slides in the heartlands; who cusses, lim chius and sits with a leg up at the hawker centre. Their favourite pastime being the many complaints about cabbies, rain, MRTs and the government; and what is a Singaporean without the lah, leh and hors...correct or not? 

That's the Singaporean Identity

It isn't about race. It's about the things that are meaningful to us -- part experiences, part people, mostly memory. 

My parent's conception of a Singaporean identity is quite different from mine, and my grandparent's view is vastly alien from mine too. Regardless we will have shared experiences that binds us together (like reservists bitching about their in-camp training or ah-lians in the latest Lao-beng joint), and these are experiences that we discuss and bitch about fondly and sometimes otherwise. 

I am Singaporean because of them. Not because of a government, or this piece of land, or a vague notion of Singaporeaness.

“What is essential to the growth of a nation is a common history -- common sufferings, common memories, and, it may be added, common aspirations." - H.A.L Fisher

In fact, we can go further.  

It's Disheartening

There are so many people coming in at once. So much so that they overwhelm. They bring their own foods, experiences, lingo and ways of thought here. In Chinatown I see a multitude of Mainland Chinese restaurants springing up to cater to new immigrants from China (apparently there's 1 million Chinese Nationals now), and Chinatown has quite literally become China-town.

That was similar to Lucky Plaza in the beginning of the maid era. But it was a drop in the ocean as compared to the the influx of China nationals. 
Change is inevitable. The old will give way to the newly accepted -- like Chinese opera, colour television, and now mobile internet streaming.  

It's OK... no, not really.

All I can do is say: To the many who will arrive in Singapore to work, study, turn a quick buck, or perhaps nest, please fit in. Please share. Please receive. Be good.

But do not expect us to bow to your sensibilities…like this ex-colleague of mine.

Editing Epic FAIL: It Ain’t Right

A letter writer to The Straits Times Forum had his letter entirely edited, and reorganised (“Towards a Native Democracy” at ST Forum).

The dude complains that the meaning of his letter was changed by the edits. Which is kind true upon comparing the original (“A young first-time voter's view of the General Election” at TODAY) with the edited letter – an entirely rewritten piece that’s more forgiving and vague than the original.

But if you read it closely, you’ll see that the meaning really doesn’t change. But it’s been so obfuscated that it seems different (that’s the problem with condensing information –you lose detail).

Rationalisations aside, why did the editor cut, paste, slice and dice the poor writer’s letter into something else? That’s just bad form and if the ST Forum editors get ass-reamed for it, well, they had just bent over for your convenience.

And what the heck is a “first world parliament”?

Nah. The original versus the edited

A young first-time voter's view of the General Election by Chua Sheng Yang It is undeniable that the Government has done an amazing job in raising Singapore to the status of a first-world country in a short space of 40 years and that they continue to implement sound policies to ensure the economic engine drives us forward. However, there is always the danger that the overemphasis on policies designed to fuel economic growth could result in the sidelining of policies that might improve the welfare of citizens at the expense of growth. (As one participant at a recent forum with the Prime Minister put it, Singaporeans no longer just want a competent Government but also one that shows empathy.) This scenario is more plausible should a "group-think" mentality emerge within the Government, with no Opposition voices to provide a different perspective. It is interesting to note that of the new PAP candidates introduced, few felt that any policies needed review or change, despite many Singaporeans having recently raised numerous issues affecting our lives. Does this suggest that, if elected, they would vote along party lines instead of what they personally believe to be in the best interest of their constituents? Or do they think that the Government is doing a perfect job without room for improvement? Either way, both scenarios could have negative implications for the country. The detractors of a two-party system are right in saying that it can lead to an inefficient system of government, where differences in ideology result in an impotent Parliament. I personally have been a strong opponent of two-party systems as implemented in the West. I feel this is where Singaporeans need to define the two-party system some say they want. It is not unthinkable that a two-party system can result in cooperation between both parties to achieve the best result for Singapore, if Singaporeans make it clear that is what they want from their political system. As a young Singaporean likely to have the opportunity to vote for the first time and have an impact my country's future, I have paid close attention to the candidates unveiled by each political party. While the PAP has revealed candidates of unquestionable pedigree, both in terms of educational background and careers, the nagging feeling remains that they are candidates I cannot fully identify with. Would they be able to identify with my concerns on the cost of housing, transportation and the general cost of living? For example, one candidate remarked that lowering public transport fares could lead to the operators being unable to cover operating costs, as is the case in many countries where transportation is subsidised. Yet the company he mentioned reported a net profit last year of more than S$50 million. Perhaps as a layman, I cannot understand the intricacies of finance. On the other hand, the Opposition has revealed a slew of candidates comprising Singaporeans from all walks of life and ones that I can identify with more closely. Yet internal strife dogs the parties and they seem unable to coordinate their efforts to run an effective election at the moment, with disputes over how to carve up the battleground. A more unified approach, such as each party contributing one member each to run in a GRC, would appeal more. However, such thinking is simplistic given the many different political agendas. Another concern is the repeated caveats by the Opposition that they are not yet ready to govern, which causes people to hesitate in voting for them as they do not want an unexpected election result where the Opposition is put into power. Either way, this is shaping up to be a watershed election that I am eagerly looking forward to. This Today reader is a 31-year-old management consultant and a voter in Yuhua. from TODAY

 

Towards a native democracy A TWO-PARTY system can lead to an inefficient system of government where ideological differences result in an impotent Parliament ('WP's fictional First World Parliament' by People's Action Party MP Indranee Rajah'; yesterday). I firmly oppose Western-style two-party systems, but we must define the system of democracy we want by being selective of MPs. We should define how we want our electoral system to work. It is not unthinkable that a two-party system can result in inter-party cooperation to achieve what's best for Singapore, if we make it clear that is what we want. While the Government has done an amazing job in raising Singapore to First World status within a short span of some 40 years, and continues to implement sound policies that drive us forward, we should not assume that the Government can do no wrong and that all policies will always lead to public good. The latter is even more plausible if a group-think mentality emerges within the Government, with no opposition voices to provide a different perspective. For instance, few of the new PAP candidates felt that any of our policies needed review or change, despite many Singaporeans having recently raised many livelihood issues. If elected, will PAP newbies vote along party lines instead of their personal convictions about what's best? Or do they think that the Government is doing a perfect job and has no room for improvement? Either way, both scenarios may have negative national implications. It is not desirable to have an antagonistic opposition whose main aim is to prevent the functioning of government. I hope Singapore's system can evolve so that the opposition serves to provide valuable input on policies in the public interest - and that such input will be seriously considered by the Government instead of being dismissed out of hand. Hopefully, we will make fact out of fiction and develop our own version of a First World Parliament that will benefit the world as well. Chua Sheng Yang from ST Forum

Obituary: Grandfather

He died relatively quick, after 1 month of sleeping in the hospital. That’s a lot better than my grandmother.

We Can, Singapore

Every so often, we bash Singapore and Singaporeans with incredible amounts of vitriol. Just read the comments in The Online Citizen.

From wn.com

I’m guilty of that as well.

But every so often, I come across posts that talk about the good things in Singapore. Most of it is written by expats – I can see your eyes roll up already –, but there are truths in them and I’m struck by how we take it all for granted.

Here’s an example:

- 3$ lunches that don't include hotdogs

- dragonboating OUTSIDE all year round

- perma-tan

- affordable massages

- taxi uncle talks

- "can" and "cannot"

- "hmmm...it's a long weekend, where should I fly to? The beach, the jungle, a cool Asian city..."

Yes, this little red dot (and sometimes her leaders) could do things better, but let’s not can ourselves, can?

Source: Things I will miss about Singapore when I move back to Canada

Nasi Padang in Singapore

In 2006, I spoke to the owner of Warung M. Nasir.

He said, “The only way to eat Nasi Padang is to mix it all together. I don’t know if we’ll ever change how we’ll eat it.”

Nasi Padang at Warung M. Nasir

How true it is.

Nasi Padang is a mishmash of different vegetables and meats accompanied by rice. I remembered having it in Indonesia, a takeaway where a paper cone was filled with rice and topped with whatever we wanted: Banana flower curry, Beef Rendang, thick, chewy pieces of Tauhu in black sweet sauces, elegantly fried chicken slathered with minced green chilli and perfect sunny-side up eggs.

In the travel time from restaurant to hotel, the juices, gravies and curries had seeped into the rice. When we unwrapped  the paper cone, we got an incredible flavourful mess of meats and vegetables amongst fluffy rice grains.

Nasi Padang at Warung M. Nasir

Singapore has Nasi Padang as well.

Some of which touted good food, like Warung Nasir’s Beef Rendang; some of which are authentic, like Minang House in Lucky Plaza; most of them being more Malaysian than Indonesian.

But the best part never changes.

We eat our Nasi Padang all mixed together; rice, gravies and whatever vegetables and meats that we fancied – just like my packet of Indonesian Nasi Padang.

Where to Makan

Warung M. Nasir
Address: 69 Killiney Road
Tel: +65 6734 6228
Daily: 11.30 am to 9.30 pm
Read HungryGoWhere review

Minang House (Lucky Plaza)
Address: 304 Orchard Road #02-04 Lucky Plaza
Tel: +65 6887 4702
Read SweetRings’ review

Glee: Flash Mob

If you were at ION Orchard on Saturday, 12 Feb, 5pm, you might have seen this bunch of kids prancing, jumping and dancing to Glee Anthems.

It’s actually a flash mob organised by Star World to promote Glee season 2. According to the folks, “The flash mob was made up of almost 70 performers, consisting of a few professional dancers, students and volunteers. Many of them were canvassed on the Glee Singapore Facebook page, where it took almost 800 man hours pull this together.”

I didn’t make it because of a sudden massive downpour. From what I saw in the video compilation – the kids were having fun and the dance steps are nifty. Niiccee…

The “having fun” bit is the most important of it all. If you’ve watch Glee, once Rachael, Finn and gang get it up there on stage, they’re rocking it our and thoroughly enjoying themselves.

God, that reminds me of the good times.

Oh yes, remember to catch Glee Season 2 on Starworld-Starhub.  And keep an eye out for the Justin Bieber experience. Now that’s a hoot.

 

More Glee Flash Mobs on TwitVid

It’s a Great Great World

Finally a show that I enjoyed. And even better, it’s not a foreign flick from Hong Kong, USA, or some other filmmaking “powerhouse” country.
It’s a Great Great World is directed by Kelvin Tong and stars pretty much everyone in Mediacorp.
The film revolves around a series of vignettes about folks in The Great World Amusement Park. It’s sparked off by a fashion photographer (Oliva Ong) who’s on a quest for the stories of people in Black & White photographs taken by her grandmother. She finds an old man who recounts each photograph – the most poignant and compelling story being his own (and last vignette).

It’s a Great Great World sprints away from the inglorious pack with its copious use of dialect, from Cantonese to Hainanese and everything in between, by the characters. For one, it’s authentic; could you imagine everyone speaking Mandarin back then? I can’t. Another thing: it’s refreshing to have someone other than Mark Lee (e.g. Joanne Peh) cuss and hold a conversation in Hokkien. Perhaps that’s what we’re missing in our quest for National Identity – the heart that comes from speaking our own dialect. 

This movie has a Do Not Disturb vibe all over it. Not surprising, given that Kelvin Tong’s the director. If you like that TV series, you’ll probably enjoy It’s a Great Great World.  If you’ve never heard of it, go watch the movie anyways, it’s a lovely reminiscence of the past.

Update: Yahoo! Fit to Post ran a story on the copious use of dialect in the show. Do you think we should include more dialects in our shows?

24 hours in Changi Airport…

Stayed in Changi Airport for 24 hours. Blur like Sotong, but hey I got a story out of it. And if you’re thinking of visiting Singapore, visit the airport.

There’s plenty to see, do and of course shop.

Travel chaos has hit parts of Europe, hitting the holiday plans of thousands of tourists. Many have been left stranded as key airports like London's Heathrow shut down due to severe weather.

 

And when you are not snowed in, airports generally are transitory places: fly in, hustle for bags, then into a taxi, perhaps with duty-free goodies.

 

However, stuck with nowhere to go, an airport can be torture. Admittedly it is not going to snow in Singapore anytime soon, but this is probably the best place to camp out an an airport anywhere in the world.

 

Changi Airport, recently voted the World's Best Airport, has plenty to eat/see/do/shop -- so much so that this writer came away rested, inspired and without a single aching muscle. Beat that Heathrow!!

More at: I was trapped (voluntarily) in Changi Airport ... and I loved it!

Utterly Art: Affordable Art Fair

I found Utterly Art back when I was researching & writing Eat, Drink, and Be Merry: Singapore. It’s a simple white box where art pieces are displayed in all its glory.

For them, it’s about the emerging artist. Managing partner, Dr Pwee Keng Hock, actively seeks out new artists to showcase in their fortnightly shows which have since numbered into 250 art exhibitions in Singapore for nearly 300 artists and photographers from Southeast Asia and farther afield.

Talk about being prolific!

What’s more, I like his answers to my standard questions.  

Utterly Art Gallery | Galley: Utterly Art

This post contains additional material that I couldn’t fit into an article for CNNGo (5 galleries to visit at the Affordable Art Fair).

What is your gallery all about?

We like to showcase both established and emerging artists. We have put on many first solo shows for artists, as well as first overseas solo shows for our Filipino artists, whom we specialize in. Many of our artists have subsequently won awards, and their artworks collected by museums or auctioned in top-ranked auction houses.

Why take part in the Affordable Art Fair?

It fits our demographic. Emerging artists do not cost so much, and even many established artists in SE Asia are very affordable, although they are very good. Much of the art we sell costs below 5-figured sums, which is the limit for AAF.

Reflection Follows by Josue Mangrobang Jr. | oil on canvas, 3x3ft, 2010 | Galley: Utterly Art

Wouldn’t selling art cheaply devalue it?

In the first place, wouldn't you expect the work of young and emerging artists to be relatively inexpensive?

Our gallery has never artificially pushed up the prices of art way beyond what the artist would expect for it, but this is NOT true of some other galleries who may mark up prices of work. They might be situated in expensive downtown locations, have high rentals and need to make sales targets just to meet manpower, running costs and rents.

We are well-known for offering good prices, and our database of seasoned collectors who support us again and again testifies to the good value of our works, and the subsequent performance of the artists in the market testifies to the quality we offer.

Which artwork do you admire?

I’m not really sure what you mean here, but all art stands on its own merits -- whatever its costs. It would be a piece that attracts me, speaks to and connects with me, with technique and content that I admire. Whether I can AFFORD to buy it is a separate issue -- but it won't stop me from admiring it. Alas there may be a trend of investment-oriented collectors who admire works just because they fetch high prices in auctions.

Utterly Art

Where: 229A South Bridge Road
Tel: +65 6226 2605

The Affordable Art Fair

Art can be affordable.

In fact you should be able to buy artworks from between S$100 to S$10,000, with 75% going for less than $7,500.

Really. No joke.

Artists: Yann Chatelin & Alexandre Dupeyron | Gallery: Vue Privée

That’s the premise upon which The Affordable Art Fair was built on. The Fair which showcases 60 galleries from 17 countries aims to make art accessible to the viewing public, and the public accessible to the artists. Singaporean galleries include Indigo Blue Art, Sunjin, Red Sea Gallery and Vue Privée.

Curious, I spoke to Fair Director, Camilla Hewitson, on the Fair. Her answers are below, and if you’re thinking heading to the Fair, it’s happening from 19-21 Nov at F1 Pit Building (1 Republic Boulevard). Entry costs S$10.

This post contains additional material that I couldn’t fit into an article for CNNGo (5 galleries to visit at the Affordable Art Fair).

Why an affordable art fair in Singapore?

We currently have AAFs in many different cities around the world such as London, New York and Sydney but never before in Asia.

Singapore, with its diverse museum and gallery scene, growing arts industry and strong economy, is the perfect place to launch our first Asian edition!

What are you looking forward to during the fair?

Of course, the variety of art, the Education Programme that we have in place and the thrill of bringing this to Singapore. One of the main things though, with any new AAF, is that of seeing the new crowd coming to the fair and buying.

On average, circa 50% of our visitors are people who have not bought original artwork before and many make their first ever purchase at the AAF. This then starts to develop the art market locally – and that is amazing to see.

We also curate a recent graduate show, with artists from the Singaporean art schools – so I am looking forward to seeing these artists.

Spanish Fire by Mandy Tay | Gallery: Tay Gallery

What are some of the more exciting art pieces in the fair?

Vue Privée gallery is showcasing some exciting photographs by artists: Yann Chatelin & Alexandre Dupeyron. Watch out also for young talent Mandy Tay who originates from Singapore!

The fair in 5 words

Fun, relaxed, inspiring, eye-opening, and inclusive

The Affordable Art Fair

When: 19-21 Nov
Where: F1 Pit Building
Website: http://www.affordableartfair.sg/

Hossan Leong: Singapore Boy

“Any ACS boys? All grow up to become con-men … I should know, I’m one.”

I wrote and filmed Hossan Leong for an interview with CNNGo.com. Hossan’s one of Singapore’s funniest comedians and he has some of the strongest and funniest insights into our society.

The crowd laughs because it’s funny. More importantly, they know it’s true. That’s Hossan Leong for you -- the “Singapore boy” who turns mundane observations into side-splitting jokes.

Here’s more….

Interview with Hossan Leong

Leong isn’t just a comedian. He’s also an award-winning stage actor, radio show host, director, and knight as he has received the Order of Arts and Letters from the French government for his ongoing promotion of cultural ties between France and Singapore…

Read more: Hossan Leong: Making comedy in Singapore, with a little help from his friends

Soooo…. we’re flooded

A flash flood in Orchard Road has gotten the social sphere buzzing like bees. After all, the gahmen has taken steps to drain water away. They’ve also made the bold (and now untrue) proclamation that it’ll never flood, which most netizens have dug up and soundly panned.

I’m actually quite nostalgic about it. As Bukit Timah, when I was a kid, used to be prone to heavy floods that reached up to my waist. I hated it whenever I had to wade from school to home in latte-coloured waters.

Peter Chan, who blogs at http://goodmorningyesterday.blogspot.com/, reminisced…

In 1977, I faced an even more challenging moment when my Mini Clubman was caught in a flash flood along Napier Road, just outside Tyersall Avenue. Tactical “interplay” between clutch and first gear ensured that I got through the flood waters. When I inspected the car, I could squeeze water out of the car seats. No wonder my pants were always damp for next couple of months.

It wasn’t the best of times. While I don’t miss the floods, it was a part of my growing up. How things have changed!

Read Singapore Under Water by Peter Chan for more yesteryear tales.