January 30, 2009
Viva Mexico
I hadn't had Mexican food in a long while, so I was delighted when I was invited by Sixth Sense Communications & PR Consultancy to go for a media tasting at Viva Mexico together with eating buddies Skinny Epicurean, Superfinefeline and Nibble & Scribble.
The interior of Viva Mexico is bright and cheery which is typical of Mexican colours. I apologise for the shadows in the following pictures - the lighting was very dim so the pictures didn't turn out very well!
The first appetizer was the Acapulco cocktail containing shrimp, fish, octopus and squid in a mix of sauces accompanied by bits of lemon, coriander and onion. The octopus and squid gave the cocktail a chewy texture. It's an interesting cocktail but the sauce was a tad too sweet for me. I felt that it masked the hints of tangy flavours. The cocktail is served with some crackers on the side for you to dip into the sauce and munch away.
The next starter was called Chile relleno de jaiba and it certainly isn't for the faint-hearted. It's chilli filled with crab meat inside with a light batter surrounding the chilli. The picture above shows the cross section when the chilli's been cut in half. The chilli is seriously spicy, so only go for it if you can take chilli. If your palate is anything like me - no good with chilli - stay away. I can't comment much on this dish because I barely touched it as the little bit I ate had already set my tongue on fire.
The Tamales larranzair was the first of the mains to arrive on the table. This is a southern Mexican delicacy containing steamed corn dough filled with chicken, raisins and mole which is a chocolate-tinged sauce. I liked this dish and thought there was a good balance of flavours. I am personally not a big fan of raisins in general so I put the raisins aside. I'm not sure how it would taste eaten with raisins, but I certainly liked it enough without them! I liked the hints of sweetness rendered by the mole.
A soup called Chilli poblano soup was to follow. This is usually served at Mexican weddings and other special occasions. Even though it was made from chilli, the soup was very mild in spiciness. There were only traces of the chilli and I didn't have any trouble downing all of it. In addition to the cream there was also sweet corn in the soup. I really liked the soup and would recommend it.
Tacos Doradosde was then served. We had the vegetarian version which is filled with potatoes and served with lettuce, tomato, cream and cheese. It can also come filled with beef. This dish is very filling and is definitely enough as a main for one. The taste wasn't mind-blowing, but it wasn't bad either.
Following the tacos was the Shrimps Diable. Apparently, 'Diabla' means 'devil' and this is supposed to be a spicy dish of shrimps with tomato, chipotle chilli and guajillo chilli, served with rice. I say 'supposed' because the sauce wasn't that spicy at all and this suited me fine 'cos I'm hopeless with chilli. Sometimes my friends suspect if I'm really Singaporean what with my aversion to chilli. Anyway, what I really liked was the rice which had a smoky flavour to it.
The last of the mains was the Beef Fillet with Cuitlacoche Mushrooms. This was very flavourful and it's really delightful to slice through the beef fillet and see it filled with mushrooms. The pink of the inside also indicated that the beef wasn't overcooked.
Dessert came in the form of the Pumpkin en tacha. This is a home recipe from Executive Chef Mario Galan's grandmother and it's a fresh pumpkin slice with piloncillo (a Mexican sweet concentrate that reminds me of gula melaka), cinnamon, cloves, pepper and guava. For those who don't have that sweet a tooth, this dessert is likely to come across as overly sweet for their palate. But as I have an extremely sweet tooth and I adore pumpkin, I liked it.
For drinks, I chose the Tamarind Margarita which tasted good, so don't be put off by the sound of Tamarind. There are other flavours such as mango, lime, strawberry, amongst others to choose from. I took a sip of the Skinny Epicurean's mango margarita and really liked it as well. If you're a tequila fan, take your pick from 19 different ones! I didn't try any that night as I didn't want to drink too much alcohol, so I can't recommend any.
In any case, I enjoyed discovering new flavours and dishes, and many thanks again to Viva Mexico and Sixth Sense Communications for hosting us!
Viva Mexico
23 Cuppage Road, Cuppage Terrace
Tel: (65) 6235 0440
vivamexico@palatevine.com.sg
January 28, 2009
新年快乐，万事如意
Chinese New Year's Eve's reunion dinner was spent with my immediate family and my uncle's family. There were 10 of us in total and the only person was my sister who's now living in Sydney. Reunion dinners should be enjoyed with lots of people...the more the merrier, don't you think? Of course, it's hard work for the cooks and my mum laboured all day for the night's lovely dinner. Kudos to the chef!!!
Here's what we had:
Yu Sheng 鱼生
Bean curd spring rolls filled with minced pork, prawns, water chestnuts, spring onions and black fungus
A traditional Cantonese dish to have during CNY is this stew made out of dried oysters, black moss, sea cucumber and Chinese mushrooms. Oysters are known as 蚝 which sounds the same as the word 好 meaning 'all things good and well' in Cantonese, thus it's something auspicious to have during the new year. Black moss is known as 发菜 which sounds the same as 发财 meaning 'to prosper', so it's also another auspicious thing to eat.
Clear soup with bamboo pith, crab meat and bean sprouts
Thai Red Curry with Duck - a dish contributed by my aunt
Chicken Adobo - a Filipino dish made by my grandma's maid
The centre piece was the Abalone with Spinach and Wolfberry. Abalone resemble gold ingots (元宝) used in ancient China and are meant to represent wealth and prosperity in the year ahead.
We were stuffed by the end of it and desserts were the pineapple tarts, almond cookies, love letters and other biscuits that we had at home. Our post-dinner activity was the decorating of the Chinese New Year tree, a type of willow my mum buys from the nursery every year. My cousins and I made lanterns and cranes out of hongbaos and hung them up on the tree. The tiny firecrackers are ones that my mum bought many years ago but still make their appearance every Chinese New Year.
And just because it's the Year of the Ox, I took a little toy from my sister's room and placed it here for good measure. :)
Happy New Year and may the Year of the Ox be a good one for one and all!
January 19, 2009
Wall Decals
Apart from food, I also like reading about interior decorations and furnishings. I love scouring design websites and magazines and even if I can't own all the pretty things featured on them, I like looking at the designs and marvel at the ingenuity, creativity and talent possessed by the people who create them. I don't have the kind of talent they have to be a creator, but I figure at least I can be an appreciator.
But when the occasion comes where I can buy some of these lovely things that I can incorporate into my life, I gladly do so. So it was that I ordered some wall decals from dVider as I wanted to spruce up my room and add some decoration to the flat I share with my parents, sister and a dog. I also bought some wall decals from Blik. Both stores websites don't deliver to Singapore so I had to get a friend in the US to order it for me and he then sent it to me via normal registered mail.
I love wall decals as they are easy to put up, and they add so much interest to a plain wall. What's best is that it can be easily removed without destroying the paintwork. Great for the commitment-phobe. Haha. But take note that these decals once removed, cannot be reused.
Anyway, I was very excited to receive my wall decals back in July 2008. It's taken me more than half a year to put up the first of four designs I bought. Last night, after deciding that I should put at least one up for Chinese New Year to add to the festive mood, I put up the red chrysanthemum decals on the two glass sliding doors that lead out to the balcony.
The decals were initially supposed to go onto a wall that's beside my red front door. But the wall surface wasn't very even so the stickers didn't transfer onto the wall. Plan B was to place it on the sliding doors. This proved to be a better option as the decals were in a more conspicuous spot and added a lot more interest to the area than it would had it been at the corner wall. A wrong thus became a right. Fabulous.
This is how they look when the doors are open. I'm very pleased with the results as the decals really suit the Chinese feel of my home's interiors. What's more the red chrysanthemums resemble the ones embroidered on the table runner that's placed below the glass on my wooden dining table.
At age 30, I'm having fun playing with stickers again. :p
January 14, 2009
Top Ten Chefs of Ancient China
I came across this article about Chinese food history that I thought may be interesting to translate for those of you who want to learn more about the subject. This gives a list of the ten most famous chefs in ancient China. Please note that romanisation of names are given in Hanyu Pinyin and the number indicates the tone.
1. 伊尹 (Yi1 Yin3)，was the advisor to 商汤 (Shang1 Tang1), King of the Shang dynasty (1600 – 1046 BC). Yi Yin enjoyed the accolade of the 'King of Cookery' and his famous herbal soup, 伊尹汤液, that's named after him remains popular till this day.
2. 易牙 (Yi4 Ya2) also known as 狄牙 (Di2 Ya2)，was a renowned chef during the Spring-Autumn Period (722 - 481 BC) which corresponds to the first half of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. He was well versed in the techniques of frying, brewing, roasting, broiling，and was an expert in flavouring. Thus, he was well liked and much favoured by the Duke Huan of Qi who reigned from 685 - 643 BC.
3. 太和公 (Tai4 He2 Gong1) lived during the tail end of the Spring Autumn Period and was a chef in the state of Wu (吴国). He was skilled in the cooking of seafood and was famous for his broiled fish.
4. 膳祖 (Shan4 Zu3) was a famous female chef in the Tang dynasty (618 - 907). She managed to cook all the famous dishes mentioned in a famous literary work called 《酉阳杂俎》by Tang dynasty novelist Duan Chengshi (段成式).
5. 梵正 (Fan4 Zheng4) was a nun and famous female chef during the Five Dynasties period (907 - 960) who made a name for herself after she made a platter of food to look like a scenery akin to a piece of artwork. She used food sculpturing techniques to make her dishes evoke beautiful images of flowing streams in the mountains accompanied by song and poetry.
6. 刘娘子 (Liu2 Niang2 Zi3) was a female chef in the palace during the Southern Song dynasty. She was Chinese history's first female palace chef and was given the nickname '尚食刘娘子' meaning 'Trendy Gourmet'.
7. 宋五嫂 (Song4 Wu3 Sao3) was a civilian cum female chef in the Southern Song dynasty. She was famed for her fish soup and fish dishes.
8. 董小宛 (Dong3 Xiao3 Wan3) was a famous prostitute who lived during the late Ming and early Qing dynasty in the district of Qinhuai in Nanjing city. Her specialties were vegetables, cakes and snacks. She was especially good with peach and melon pastes, and pickled vegetables. Her fame spread throughout Jiangnan which refers to the part of China that is south of the Yangtze River. She was the originator of the famous Yangzhou snacks 灌香董糖 and 卷酥董糖 both of which are like a kind of sugary biscuit.
9. 萧美人 (Xiao1 Mei3 Ren2) was a well-known dimsum chef in the Qing dynasty. She was famous for her steamed buns (mantou馒头), cakes, and dumplings. Famous Qing dynasty poet, food critic and gourmet Yuan Mei (袁枚) praised her in his book 《随园食单》 - calling her dimsum delicate and exquisite, and they were as light and pure as snow. 《随园食单》 was published in 1792 and is considered to be one of the most authoritative books on traditional Chinese cuisine and cooking techniques. It is ironic, though, that Yuan Mei himself never knew how to cook.
10. 王小余 (Wang2 Xiao3 Yu2) was a famous chef during Qing Emperor Qianlong's (乾隆) reign from 1736 to 1795. Her culinary skills were superb and she was very knowledgeable about food. Yuan Mei's book ,《随园食单》, owes much of its content to insights provided by her.
Go here for the original Chinese text.
January 11, 2009
CNY Dinner Tasting at Yan Ting, St Regis
The year's eating has started off on an auspicious note - my first Chinese restaurant meal of 2009 was at a dinner tasting hosted for food bloggers by Yahoo Flickr and Yan Ting 宴庭, the Chinese restaurant at St Regis Hotel.
For something to tickle our tastebuds, we were served a small plate filled with two morsels of pan-fried radish cake (萝卜糕) and yam cake (芋头糕). The former was soft, smooth and flavourful with delicious bits of wind-dried sausage (腊肠) in it. The yam was slightly harder in form, but it was no less delicious. The slightly sweet and spicy homemade chilli bean sauce (豆瓣酱) served on the side complemented both very well. To wash down the oil, we were served seven-year-old Pu-er (普洱) tea which tasted really good I must say. As tea connoisseurs will know, the older Pu-er is, the nicer it tastes, and the more expensive it gets too! Pu-er, which are sold as cakes of disc-shaped compressed teas, can cost thousands of dollars per cake.
吉庆满门 （三文鱼生）Prosperity 'Yu Sheng' with Salmon
Next up was the Prosperity 'Yu Sheng' with Salmon. Personally I'm a big fan of Yu Sheng. The different colours symbolise that life should be what the Chinese call 七彩缤纷，i.e. full of colour, variety and excitement. The yellow strips are Japanese pickled radish and the red strips are dried papaya. We were told by the Yan Ting manager and sommelier, Danny Chan, that the oil that was poured over the salad was fried together with shallots so as to have its flavour infused into the oil. The plum sauce was specially concocted by Executive Chef Chan Siu Kong and it contains apple, orange and pineapple juice, enhancing the aroma and taste of it.
The aftermath of the tossing yielded a delicious salad that had salty and sweet flavours in a fine and delicate balance. The crushed peanuts, cashew nuts, and crackers (symbolising gold ingots) added texture with their crunchiness.
川流不息 (三宝炖鲍翅) Doubled-Boiled Shark's Fin with Three Treasures
The star of the night for me was this dish. It requires several hours of preparation what with having to simmer the broth for about three to four hours and then having to double boil it together with the mushroom, bamboo pith and shark's fin. The result of which was, of course, a light yet extremely flavourful broth that set well on the palate with all the goodness flowing down the throat.
The shark's fin was a substantial piece and 鲍翅 is the dorsal fin. Its other name is 裙翅 (literally translated 'skirt fin') so called because the piece of fin wraps around to look like a skirt. Delightful name. Hidden beneath the skirt are the mushroom and bamboo pith.
Pampering our tastebuds even further, Danny brought out a bottle of Riesling Kabinett. He told us that German Rieslings are good for pairing with Cantonese food because of their high acidity that leads to their sweetness. Boy was he right. I loved the wine as it was crisp, clear, light and slightly sweet - a great pairing with the food that we were having as the wine didn't overwhelm the natural flavours of the fine cuisine we were served.
福满人间 (发财生蚝配黄焖豆根鲍片) Prosperity Oyster with Braised Sliced Abalone
The next dish consisted of an oyster sitting on a bed of onion strips and baked with cheese together with bits of bacon, mushroom, and black moss (发菜). The combination was a delightfully tasteful one with the cheese giving a slightly creamy texture and taste. In contrast, the sauce that accompanied the slice of abalone, beancurd and spinach was light and was a fantastic complement.
富如东海 (清蒸东星班配鲜虾腊味糯米饭) Steamed Coral Trout 'Tong Sing' Grouper accompanied with Wok-Fried Glutinous Rice with Wind-Dried Sausages
The steamed coral trout was good and cooked just right. It's easy to get fish wrong as it's so easily overcooked! The wind-dried sausages that accompanied the rice were delicious with its fine balance of sweet and salty flavours and we were told that Chef Chan orders it from a boutique supplier in Hong Kong.
The tasty wok-fried glutinous rice takes quite some time to prepare, unlike normal fried rice, because it requires the constant pouring in of broth into the wok as it's being cooked - similar to the cooking of Italian risotto as the rice soaks up the broth. The result was rice that wasn't overly sticky or heavy, something that surprised me because I'm usually not a fan of glutinous rice as I hate that sticky texture.
年年纳福 （脆皮年糕配百年鸿运）Traditional Azuki Bean Paste with Crispy Glutinous Rice Cake
The dessert platter consisted of three things (I couldn't photograph all three nicely in one frame so I've split them here) and the one shown above consisted of a strip of crispy glutinous 'year cake' (年糕 - left)) made from cane sugar and a strip of water chestnut year cake (马蹄糕 - right). The batter was melt-in-your-mouth light and crispy. Really nice.
In the middle of the platter lay two traditional Cantonese desserts - deep-fried sesame ball (笑口枣) and deep-fried dumpling filled with nuts (角仔). Personally I was a little disappointed with these two as I felt they tasted rather flat. Perhaps they could have done with slightly more sugar. Nevertheless, I like the name 笑口枣 as 笑口 means to break into a smile. With a little imagination, the sesame ball looks like someone breaking into a smile with its curved shape. All very auspicious sayings and symbols for the new year!
On the right of the platter sat a bowl of traditional Cantonese red bean soup dessert. The beans used were Japanese Azuki beans and accompanying it were lotus seeds (莲子), lily bulb (百合), and tangerine peel (陈皮) that had been aged for 30 years! Gosh, it's probably the first time I've eaten something as old as me. Somehow, I feel a certain kind of reverence to have had something like that.
九如献瑞年糕 Nine Fish Year Cake
We were also shown the special Year Cake 年糕 that the chefs have come up with this new year. The Nine Fish Year Cake (S$68) comes in a set and this display totally grabbed my heart. I loved the lifelike appearance of the koi with the realistic orange markings on their scaled, curved bodies. Served on a square glass platter with a slight blue-green tint and decorated with purple orchid blooms and sprigs of ivy, the presentation evokes poetic images of a happy family of nine koi swimming in a pond set amidst a lush traditional Chinese garden filled with the blossoming flowers of spring. This would make for a great gift I reckon, as the pronunciation of the number '9' sounds like the word 久 which means everlasting. Hence the number symbolises everlasting unity and bonds of a family.
The menu for the night was a slight variation of Yan Ting's Abundance 年年有余 6-course Set Menu (S$108++) for the new Chinese New Year period. The only item we didn't have was the crispy soft-shell crab with pan-roasted rack of lamb scented with Uigur Spices (it sounds great just by its description!). But seriously, we were already stuffed after eating the five courses. For those with bigger stomachs, there is also the 8-course set menu. A vegetarian set menu (S$108++) is also available.
I really enjoyed the meal and company, and many thanks again to the people at Flickr and Yan Ting!
Yan Ting 宴庭
The St. Regis Singapore
29 Tanglin Road
Tel: (65) 6506 6866