Indian Cuisine - Aam Kairas

Aam Kairas may be a name that sounds foreign to most.  But for those in the West, if you say 'mango chutney' peoples eyes will light up and mouths begin to salivate.  Aam kairas and mango chutney are essentially the same thing.  However, this recipe represents a more traditional and authentic way to make this pickle.  Whereas, the version you find in Western restaurants is overly sweet, to cater for Western tastebuds.

Ingredients

·         Raw Green Mango – 2 small sized mangoes

·         Urad Daal – ½ cup

·         White Sesame Seeds – ¼ cup

·         Fresh Grated Coconut – ¼ cup

·         Oil – 3 TBS

·         Red Chilli Whole – 2/3 pieces

·         Mustard Seeds – 1 TBS

·         Fenugreek Seeds – 1 TSP

·         Curry Leaves - Bunch

·         Hing – ½ TSP

·         Salt – to taste

·         Jaggery – 4-5 TBS

·         Tamarind – 3 TBS

Instructions

1.      To make this mango pickle, first dry roast the white sesame seeds and urad daal for about 5 minutes.  After that, add the fresh coconut and continue to dry roast.  Once the coconut has turned golden – Place all the ingredients into a blender and make a coarse powder/paste.

2.       In a pan, add oil and begin the tempering by adding red chilli whole and mustard seeds.  Once the mustard seeds crackle, add fenugreek seeds, hing and curry leaves.

3.       Immediately after adding the final tempering ingredients, add your raw mango (which should be cut into medium/small sized cubes).

4.       Once mangoes have been cooking for a few minutes, add salt and jaggery into the pan.  Then add half a cup of water and let it cook for roughly 10 minutes.

5.       Finally, add the powder/paste into the pan (which will thicken the pickle).  As well as adding tamarind for additional sourness.

6.       Cook for another 3-4 minutes, switch off the flame, allow the pickle to cool down, and serve.

7.       Done!

 

Green Raw Mango

Aam Kairas

Yu Hui Vegetarian - Whampoa

If you have a chance to visit one of the many smaller bus terminals in Singapore, you will likely find some of the older and more dilapidated coffee shops.  This coffee shop, located at St. Michael Bus Terminal has recently undergone renovation, and thus has a squeaky clean feel to it.  The purpose of these coffee shops are, of course, to appeal to bus drivers - Who linger around here during their many breaks during a typical day.  I have been to a few of these bus terminal coffee shops, and always enjoyed them, as not many of the general public sit down and eat here.  However, the bad news is that very few have a vegetarian stall.  This coffee shop was an exception, however.  So let's see how the vegetarian food was from here...





Yu Hui Vegetarian
Location: FC111A, St. Michael Bus Terminal, 10 Whampoa Road
Contact: Unknown
Opening Hours: Unknown

I visited this stall on a Saturday, and unfortunately most of the dishes were unavailable.  After a number of my requests were turned down, I finally got a nod of affirmation from the stall owner when I asked '今天有没有炒饭?'.  This Vegetarian Fried Rice comes in two sizes (pictured is the small), which are a dollar different in price.  The rice is quite typical, with there being an assortment of finely chopped vegetables and char siew mixed into the rice.  Although the rice doesn't have much in way of aroma, I still found it to be a simple, yet decent version of fried rice.

Price: $3.00.     6/10


Conclusion - Whampoa is known as one of the best place in Singapore to find great food.  But little is known about the vegetarian options that this area has.  Therefore, this post marks only the beginning of my exploration into this area.  There are many more Whampoa vegetarian stalls that will be reviewed very soon.

Overall Rating
Food - 6/10
Ambiance- 6/10
Service - 7/10
Value - 6/10

Vegan Scotch Pancakes

Many will know a few months ago I reviewed an exciting vegan fusion stall called TJ Vegan Fusion Party Foods, which is sadly no longer operating.  I was really impressed by the quality of the food on offer at this stall, and am delighted that the former stall owner Timothy Teng has agreed to share his great Vegan Scotch Pancakes recipe for this weeks 'Recipe Wednesday'.

Photo: http://mrandmrsvegan.wordpress.com/

By Timothy Teng (Timothy can be contacted at timerty@gmail.com)

I ate my first pancakes when I was 9 or 10 yrs old, when McDonald's first began to introduce them in Singapore. I can still remember visiting the nearest outlet with my mother on the weekends and eating the warm pancakes out of the styrofoam boxes. For the other rare moments, my mother would buy them home and I would eat them while watching my favourite Saturday morning cartoons.

Pancakes are undeniably the comfort food for many kids and adults alike. They are especially comforting to eat right after one has gotten out of bed and craving for something warm, sweet and spongy to prepare oneself for the rest of the day.

Good fluffy pancakes used to be only available in a dairy version, while the non-dairy homemade ones tend to be dense and gluey. But using my special vegan recipe, everyone can surely once again enjoy fluffy pancakes without any harmful dairy and shortening.

My version of pancakes is of the thick English style often referred to by the name of drop scones or Scotch pancakes. They are quite different from the larger and flatter American-style version.

Vegan Scotch Pancakes Recipe

Makes 2 to 3 servings

Ingredients: 
1 cup plain flour(use a finer type of flour for more cake-like texture)
2 tablespoons chickpea/garbanzo/besan/gram flour(you can use the type sold in Indian grocery shops)
1 tablespoon brown sugar(optional)

1 teaspoon baking powder(less than 6 mths old)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda(less than 6 mths old)
2/3 cup soy milk or any other non-dairy milk
1/3 cup water

2 teaspoons vanilla extract(optional)

1 tablespoon oil
 2 tablespoons of a home-made egg substitute
(grind about 1 1/2 cups of flaxseeds in a food processor for 1 min(it's not possible to grind them too fine) or use ready-milled flaxseeds. Add about 3/4 cup water and process to form a slimy paste, then add about 1/3 cup chickpea flour and process again to form a yellowish 'eggy' paste)

Directions:
1. Mix the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.

2. In a measuring cup, mix the water and the soy milk then add it to the dry mixture. 

3. Use a rubber spatula and stir to form a smooth batter.

4. Add 2 tablespoons of the egg substitute and a tablespoon of oil and mix until the batter turns 'eggy'.

5. Scoop or pour the batter onto a heated greased pan to form small round-sized pancakes. You can add fruits such as fresh blueberries to the top of the cooking pancakes at this time. Flip the pancakes over when bubbles have appeared and cook until the bottom is browned.

Variation:

For oatmeal pancakes, replace 1/4 cup of plain flour with oatmeal.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve with maple syrup or jam. Top with a scoop of vegan margarine(Olive Gold) for a salty flavor. Add fruits on the side such as caramelized bananas and peaches. You can also make a delicious caramel-like sauce with peanut butter, dark brown sugar and some water. Eat slowly and enjoy.

Photo: http://mrandmrsvegan.wordpress.com/

Where can I get that 1960's feeling in modern Singapore?

The four years that I have been living in Singapore have been a roller coaster ride of highs and lows.  I actually first came to Singapore with virtually no money at all to my name.  Making the decision to move to Singapore was a scary one - I was not lured here by some billion dollar MNC like most ang moh's, it was 100% my choice.  But, looking back retrospectively, I am sure coming to Singapore was a decision well made.

There was, however, one thing I have always regretted.  I have always longed to see what Singapore was like 40-50 years ago.  Before the mindless destruction of almost all natural land, before obsession with materialism and money swept the nation, before everyone submitted to the 'kiasu' fast paced lifestyle - That has now become the norm in this country.   The Singapore of the past was a more dirty, smelly, messy, disorganized and unhygienic place - Sounds like a bad thing?  Not at all, because when you conglomerate all these nuances together - It becomes a personality - The one thing Singapore lacks the most in 2013.

This post is in conjunction with the Singapore Blog Awards 2013.  Please take the time to Vote for Hungry Ang Mo!

Prior to Singapore gaining independence, hawkers were only found on the streets of Singapore.  Some stalls fixed in one location, and open all day.  Others opening only at night.  Back then, there was no such thing as a 'vegetarian' hawker stall.  These hawkers typically specialised in just one dish - Such as wanton mee, kway teow soup etc.  These food streets were notorious for selling dirt cheap food (a bowl of noodles was as low as 10 cents), which tasted fantastic - My idea of heaven.

The 1960s in Singapore marked a significant shift in the way people ate hawker food. The government launched a project that would scoop hawkers up off the streets and place them in less conjested areas - Such as carparks, back lanes and empty spaces of land.  This change, which happened in the late 1960's was a temporary solution.  Eventually, this led to the hawkers being permanently relocated to official hawker centres in the 1970s and 1980s - This incidentally is when the first 'Vegetarian' stalls were found.  Most the vegetarian restaurants from the 1960s have closed down.  Arguably the most famous olden style eatery was Loke Woh Yuen Vegetarian Restaurant (that had a history of over 80 years in Singapore), which sadly closed down in 2011.  There is one, however, that was running in the 1950s and 1960s and is still alive and strong in 2013.  That restaurants name is Zen Fut Sai Kai Vegetarian Restaurant.

Zen Fut Sai Kai Vegetarian Restaurant
Location: 147 Kitchener Road
Contact: 62912350
Opening Hours: Tue-Sat 10.00am - 9.30pm

The interior design remains almost entirely unchanged from 1953.  The only change being the installation of air con.  The central picture is Mdm Ko Oie Tim, the creator and founder of the restaurant.

The cover of the menu.

Hungry Ang Mo posing with the family staff and owner of Zen Fut Sai Kai.

 

After interviewing the staff and owners of this eatery, I found it amazing to discover how well the dishes available have been kept unchanged.  Every single dish on the menu is exactly the same as those from the 1950's and 1960's - There have been no changes.  This establishment has remained so preserved and unaltered, that it really feels like going back to the 1960s as soon as you step foot inside.

Every time I visit this establishment, I always like to kick my meal off with the Kum Loo Wantan.  Admittedly, I am not a fan of fried food.  Therefore, the fact that I crave for this dish should be seen as a testament to the quality of this dish.  The skin of the wantons don't have that icky greasy component, which typically deters me from choosing fried food.  Instead, the skin is light, crunchy and has a juicy stuffing in the center.  This stuffing is chiefly comprised of diced mushrooms.  Served on the side is a mild sweet and sour sauce, which the wantons can be dipped into.

The signature dish, which the owners pride themselves on the most, is the Kwai Hou Loo Mee.  On a visual level, this dish was expertly crafted and looked simply exquisite on the plate.  The top layer is beancurd sheets, which are chopped in a way which resembles mock chicken.  It has a golden brown outer skin, which was a little salty, but quite flavourful.  Below this is a mixture of beancurd and mushroom stem mock meat, which has been soaked in a thick and rich special sauce - Which in many ways resembles the sauce one typically gets with a good kway chap.  Excellent dish.

A dish that highlights the importance of quality and freshness of ingredients is the Vegetarian Egg Puffs with Asparagus.  Don't be fooled by the misleading English name - There are no eggs in any dishes served at this restaurant.  The 'puffs' can be more accurately described as beancurd dumplings, something that is quite unique.  The straw mushrooms are large in size and incredibly fresh.  The asparagus was cooked just perfectly.



Conclusion - There are several eateries in Singapore, such as Happy Realm and Miao Yi, which have been around for 25-30 years now.  However, if you want to step into a restaurant and truly feel like you have been transported back in time, to the 1960s, then there is only one place to visit - Zen Fut Sai Kai.  This brilliant restaurant allows us to take a glimpse into the history of vegetarian food in Singapore, which is a remarkable thing.


Note - Credit to http://www.myhawkers.sg for black & white images

Indian Cuisine - Kerala Koottu Curry

The vegetarian cuisine from the region of Kerala is one that I am quickly falling in love with.  This region typically produces milder flavours, that is heavily reliant on coconut for flavour and thickening.

This week I am sharing Koottu Curry, which is a popular Kerala Sadya curry.  Traditionally, this curry has urad daal 'dumplings' added inside.  As I didn't have urad daal, I didn't include this.

Ingredients

·         Potatoes – As many as desired

·         Shallots – 10/15 small shallots

·         Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 TBS

·         Green Chilli – 2 medium sized green chillies

·         Red Chilli Powder – 1 TSP

·         Cumin Powder – 1 ½ TBS

·         Coriander Powder – 1 TSP

·         Garam Masala Powder – 1 TSP

·         Turmeric Powder – 1 TSP

·         Mustard Seeds – 1 TBS

·         Curry Leaves – Roughly 20 leaves

·         Fresh Coriander Leaves - Handful

·         Coconut Cream – 200ml

·         Oil – 3-4 TBS

·         Salt – To taste

Instructions 

1.        In a pan add oil.  When the oil has heated, add mustard seeds and wait for them to crackle – This is when the true flavour of the seeds is released.  Once they have crackled, add curry leaves.

2.       After 30 seconds, add diced green chillies, ginger garlic paste and shallots.  A lot of time, when making this dish, the shallots are added whole.  Personally, I roughly chopped them first.  But the more traditional version of this curry adds whole shallots.  Add salt immediately after adding shallots.

3.       After cooking the shallots for 4-5 minutes - Add cubed potatoes (that have been boiled until about 70% cooked) into the pan, and fry them for 2-3 minutes.

4.       Add all the spice mixtures (garam masala, turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder and red chilli powder) into the pan and stir well.  Add a cup of water, to prevent any of the spices from burning.  Cover and cook for 5-6 minutes, until liquid comes to a boil.

5.       Finally, add coconut cream into the pan and stir well.  Allow to come to a boil once more and serve.  Garnish with diced fresh coriander leaves.

6.       Done!