Roti john !

'Roti' is generally the word in Hindi , Urdu and Malay. It's more used generally for any bread-based or bread-like food , including sandwiches and pancakes. The origin of the 'John' in the name is allegedly due to the Western origin of the Baguette and the tomato sauce used in the dish. Actually , Roti John is a easy dish to prepare ! Firstly , use minced meat ( chicken or mutton ) , sardines, egg and chopped onions on a frying pan and fry it. Then placed into the cavity of a baguette halved length ways. The whole baguette is then briefly pan-fried on the frying pan and then served after being cut into several portions. Another alternative will be placed the minced meat, onions and sauce inside the baguette , then let the baguette dipped into beaten egg, and the whole then panfried on the frying pan. It's will taste the same but the feeling will be different !

Giggson: Basically , Roti john is one of my favourite foods. Even though it's easy to prepare it , but it took patience for one to cook because of its long marinate times. The best Roti John i have ever eaten is at Tampines S-11 , a food court near Tampines Regional Library.

Marcus: It's a dish that you will never want to miss out in Singapore !

8th post- Indian flavours

Roti prata is the Singaporean evolution of the Pakistani and Indian paratha, a pancake bread made of dough composed of fat, egg, flour and water.

Roti means bread in Hindi, Urdu, most other North Indian languages and Malay, while Prata means flat. It is traditionally served with curry or, more rarely, with sugar or condensed milk. In addition, although consumed at any time of the day by some locals, the vast majority tend to consume it as a late night or early morning dish, particularly at 24-hour outlets.
There are two main types of the dish - the smaller but crispy version (made famous by the Jalan Kayu chains) and the flatter and more fluffy version common elsewhere. Both versions are prepared in similar fashion - by flipping the dough into a large thin layer before heating it on a hot plate.
The dish has evolved somewhat differently in Singapore.

In Singapore, economic affluence and cultural influences have created variations reflective of the cosmopolitan character of the city. For instance, it is common to find outlets serving roti prata with flavourings as varied as garlic, banana, chocolate, durian and cheese, which, while common in Singapore, is less so in Malaysia. Also, roti prata variations are more likely to be known by names such as cheese prata or onion prata rather than with a roti prefix, and mostly in the English language. More recently, the dish has also evolved to other sweeter and more crispy variants such as "tissue" and "paper" which are pan-fried with butter, rolled into a cone shape and spinkled with sugar.

Watching this South Indian flatbread being made is almost as much fun as eating it! With a few deft flicks of the wrist, a skilled “prata” man transforms a small, elastic dough blob into a paper-thin sheet, snapping and flapping it through the air. He folds and tucks this into a square, tosses it onto a hot griddle, and fries it to a golden brown. A quick squeeze to fluff up its soft inner layers and flake up its crisp crust, and it is ready to be devoured with a splash of curry gravy, or a sprinkle of sugar for the sweet-toothed.
Prata orders have their own jargon – say “kosong” for a plain prata, “telur” to have an egg cracked into it before it is folded, “plaster” to have an egg cracked over it while it fries, and “bawang” for an onion-stuffed treat. Recent topping innovations include sardines, tomatoes, and even cheese, and ice cream! Small wonder that prata is a popular choice around the clock. Many of Singapore’s 24-hour food outlets sell this savoury dish.

7th post- Ban mian :D

Bǎn miàn is a Hokkien-style egg noodle soup common in Singapore, although the dish itself may vary significantly. Some forms of ban mian, for instance, comprise hand-kneaded pieces of dough, while others use regular strips of noodles.
Ban mian (literally "board noodles") is so named due to the characteristic flat shape of its noodles.

In Singapore, health-conscious individuals are taking to ban mian, due to its relatively-generous serving of vegetables and less use of seasoning and other artificial ingredients. Also known as handmade ban mian (手工板面), it is, however, made using a hand-operated machine in the stall which forms noodles from the dough. The dish is served in soup, usually with pieces of minced chicken or minced pork, ikan bilis (anchovies), vegetables, and an egg, and also commonly comes with sliced mushrooms and fish balls.
In Singapore, the handmade ban mian stalls often offer alternative toppings. For example, one can order ban mian with deep fried anchovies or fresh slices of fish.

Marcus: I do enjoy eating this noodle as it is very traditional, and whenever i eat this noodle, i would think of the effort the chefs who kneaded and cooked them.

6th post- A must during CNY!!

Yusheng , yee sang or yuu sahng (simplified Chinese: 鱼生; pinyin: yúshēng) is a Chaozhou-style raw fish salad. It usually consists of strips of raw fish (most commonly salmon), mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments, among other ingredients. Yusheng literally means "raw fish" but since "fish (鱼)" is commonly conflated with its homophone "abundance (余)", Yúshēng (鱼生) is interpreted as a homophone for Yúshēng (余升) meaning an increase in abundance. Therefore, yusheng is considered a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigor.

Fishermen along the coast of Guangzhou traditionally celebrated Renri, the seventh day of the Chinese New Year, by feasting on their catches.This practice is believed to have started in Chaozhou and Shantou as far back as the Southern Song Dynasty.In Malaya's colonial past, migrants imported this tradition; porridge stalls sold a raw fish dish which is believed to have originated in Jiangmen, Guangdong province that consisted of fish, turnip and carrot strips, which was served with condiments of oil, vinegar and sugar that were mixed in by customers.

The modern yusheng dish originated during Chinese New Year in 1964 in Singapore's Lai Wah Restaurant and was invented by master chef Than Mui Kai as a symbol of prosperity and good health amongst the Chinese.

The taste of the original raw fish dish was standardized with a special sauce using plum sauce, rice vinegar, kumquat paste and sesame oil, and the fish was served with carrots, chilli, turnips, limes, jellyfish, red pickled ginger, sun-dried oranges and other ingredients, turning this simple dish into an exquisite salad with 27 ingredients.The original dish used raw mackerel, although in deference to the popular wishes of customers, salmon was later offered as an alternative due to the growing popularity of Salmon. Since then, yusheng has become a staple Chinese New Year dish in Singapore as well as in Chinese communities in Malaysia and is typically available only during this festive season. In Singapore, it is a must-have during Chinese New Year with government leaders taking the lead in official functions.

Lo Hei: How yusheng is eaten today
Today, this dish is served as an appetizer to raise 'good luck' for the new year and is usually eaten on Renri, the seventh day of the Chinese New Year. In a celebration known as "lo hei" (Cantonese 撈起 or 捞起), families and friends gather around the table and, on cue, proceed to toss the shredded ingredients into the air with chopsticks while saying 吉祥话 ( auspicious wishes) out loud to mark the start of a prosperous new year and it's customary that the higher you toss, the greater your fortunes!
Typical ingredients include: fresh salmon, daikon (white radish), carrot, red pepper (capsicum), ginger, daun limau nipis (lime tree leaves), Chinese parsley, chopped peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, Chinese shrimp crackers (or fried dried shrimp), five spice powder. The dressing is made primarily from plum sauce.

Giggson: I think yusheng is an unique dish because there are many ways you can mix with it.

Marcus: I also have to eat this dish every chinese new year, although i don't really like the veggies in the dish, but i will still take it for good luck. The only thing i like in this dish is the "Shashimi" in it and also the crispy cracker.

follow up of Bak Kut Teh

The famous Song Fa Bak Kut Teh is located directly opposite The Central at Clarke Quay. When I went there on a Sunday night with my family members, the place was filled with customers.I ordered a bowl of bak kut teh , a bowl of pig liver and kidney, a bowl of peanuts , a plate of beancurd (dou ki) and a bowl of rice.

Concentrated with the distinctive aroma of spices and the delightful sweetness of pork ribs, the mouthwatering soup is savory but not overly spicy or bitter. The kidney and liver is not too overcook and u would not taste the blood smell in the it thats why this is 1 of my favourites here.I quite like the food here and it is more enjoyable if u comes on a rainy day as u will feel more warm having a bowl of piping hot soup.

7/10Song Fa Bak Kut Teh

11 New Bridge Road#01-01

5th post-non halai Bak Kut Teh

Bak kut teh (Hokkien: 肉骨茶) is a Chinese soup popularly served in Singapore and also, cities of neighbouring countries like Batam of Indonesia and Hat Yai of Thailand. The name literally translates as "meat bone tea", and, at its simplest, consists of meaty pork ribs simmered in a complex broth of herbs and spices (including star anise, cinnamon, cloves, dang gui, fennel seeds and garlic) for hours.[1] However, additional ingredients may include offal, varieties of mushroom, choy sum, and pieces of dried tofu or fried tofu puffs. Additional Chinese herbs may include yu zhu (rhizome of Solomon's Seal) and ju zhi (buckthorn fruit), which give the soup a sweeter, slightly stronger flavor. Light and dark soy sauce are also added to the soup during cooking, with varying amounts depending on the variant. Garnishings include chopped coriander or green onions and a sprinkling of fried shallots.

Bak kut teh was introduced to Singapore in the 19th century by Chinese workers from Canton, Chaoshan and Fujian.
Bak kut teh is usually eaten with rice or noodles (sometimes as a noodle soup), and often served with youtiao (strips of fried dough) for dipping into the soup. Soy sauce (usually light soy sauce, but dark soy sauce is also offered sometimes) is preferred as a condiment, with which chopped chilli padi and minced garlic is taken together. Chinese tea of various kinds (the Tieguanyin variety is especially popular in the Klang Valley area of Malaysia) is also usually served in the belief that it dilutes or dissolves the copious amount of fat consumed in this pork-laden dish. Bak kut teh is typically a famous morning meal. The Hokkien and Teochew are traditionally tea-drinking cultures and this aspect runs deep in their cuisines.
Klang is often associated with bak kut teh as it was the first place to commercialise the dish and is famous for her many bak kut teh restaurants. Indeed, the dish is reported to supplement the meagre diet of port coolies and as a tonic to boost their health. However, bak kut teh is said to originate from Quanzhou in Fujian, China or Chaoshan, where it is still made today. The nourishing meat soup was brought over to South East Asia with the Chinese diaspora.

4th post-HaiNanese Chicken rice

Hainanese chicken rice is a dish of Chinese origin most commonly associated Singaporean cuisine, although it was found in Hainan, China itself.The version of Hainese Chicken Rice that found in Singapore combines elements of Hainanese and Cantonese cuisines along with culinary preferences in the Southeast Asian region. It's one of the most common food you can find in Singapore because within each coffeeshop in Singapore , you should be able to find it !

Preparation
The chicken is prepared in traditional Hainanese methods which involve the boiling of the entire chicken in a pork and chicken bone stock, reusing the broth over and over and only topping it up with water when needed, in accordance with the Chinese preferences for creating master stocks. This stock is not used for rice preparation, which instead involves chicken stock created specifically for that purpose, producing an oily, flavourful rice sometimes known as "oily rice" with Southeast Asian pandan leaves added sometimes.

The Hainanese prefer using older, plumper birds to maximise the amount of oil extracted, thus creating a more flavourful dish. Over time, however, the dish began adopting elements of Cantonese cooking styles, such as using younger birds to produce more tender meats. In another variation, the bird is dipped in ice after cooking to produce a jelly-like skin finishing, commonly referred to as Báijī (白鸡) for "white chicken", in contrast to the more traditional Lǔjī (卤鸡, stock chicken) or Shāojī (烧鸡, roasted chicken). In Singapore, where modernity has made the maintenance and long-term storage of master stocks unfeasible, the meat is cooked by boiling in water flavoured with garlic and ginger instead, with the resulting stock used in the preparation of the rice and also in the accompanying soup.

The dish is usually served with several dips, including chilli sauce and pounded ginger. It is common in Hainan to also offer a third sauce involving oyster sauce mixed with garlic, while dark soy sauce is more commonly served in Malaysia/Singapore. The Malaysian/Singaporean version of the chili are also much hotter, reflecting its Southeast Asian influences, and may also involve a mixture of chilli with garlic. Most dishes are served with sliced cucumber, reflecting the Chinese preference for introducing some variety for a more complete meal.


The Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice stall in the Maxwell Food Center is one of the popular outlets in Singapore selling chicken rice. In Singapore, Hainanese chicken rice is served at stalls and food courts. There are Hainanese chicken rice stalls that have established franchise or branch outlets, and these include Five Star Hainanese Chicken Rice, Boon Tong Kee, Loy Kee and others which have many outlets island wide. The price range is around S$2-4 (the latter if the dish includes a drumstick). Some stalls serve extras such as a hard boiled egg, chicken liver, firm tofu and kailan as side dishes, each dish usually costing around S$0.50 to S$1.50. Some may serve set meals which include these side dishes.
Hainanese-owned coffee shops tend to serve a variety of Hainanese cuisine, with chicken rice being the main highlight. Other Hainanese dishes include pork chop, vegetables, fish, eggs and char siew. Most of these shops are air-conditioned, and are mainly concentrated at Purvis Street and Seah Street.
One of the more renowned high-end Hainanese chicken rice dishes can be found at the Chatterbox coffeehouse at the Meritus Mandarin Singapore in Orchard Road, and priced at S$21.00. This dish has won many national cuisine awards for the hotel. It is served on a large, circular, wooden tray, on top of which is a plate of steamed or roast chicken garnished with cucumber, tomatoes and lettuce topped with light soy sauce, a bowl of rice and a bowl of chicken soup, and condiments comprising chilli, dark soy sauce and ginger sauce. The rice is prepared with chicken stock as well as a special pack of garlic-based ingredients. The soy sauce is also specially prepared by the head chef and its recipe is said to be a closely guarded secret.