It’s not every day that you get a call from
a blogger friend asking if you’d like to accompany him to a Singapore themed culinary
fest at ITC Maurya,New Delhi. And when
he does, you drop all your plans (even that lunch date with your school
buddies), like a hot potato and say yes-yes-yes.
The Travelling Pop-out Kitchen |
Singapore-Takeout, a one of a kind concept
is a travelling pop out kitchen with more visa stamps on its passport that you
and I can manage in a lifetime. This
multi-city, international culinary show organized by Singapore Tourism brings
the country’s famed diverse cuisine to your doorstep. Even though it’s been over three years since
my last visit to the island country, my taste buds still tingle with the memory
of Chilli crabs at Jumbo, the pungent Nyonya curries, spicy Laksa, Hainanese chicken
rice and baskets of dimsums we sampled at the many restaurants and Hawker
centres. The lion city is a cornucopia
of flavours with Malay, Chinese, Indian and Perankan influences and leaves you
spoilt for choice.
Hun Kwee Jagong- coconut corn jelly. |
This was my chance to revisit my foodie memories in apni Dilli itself. And when you have expert chefs cooking up a storm, you arrive with your heart singing in E minor and tummy doing a merry tap dance.
Chef Benjamin Seck |
On the menu was Popiah Goreng (fried spring rolls), followed by Nyonya Prawn curry with Jala roti, a Singapore inspired Laksa Pulao and anti pasti themed around Asian flavours. The meal would be ending on a sweet note with Hun Kwee Jagong- a coconut corn jelly. With award winning Peranakan Chef Bejamin Seck at the helm and ITC chefs Rajkamal Chopra & Manisha Bhasin giving the Indian touch– we were feeling like excited kids waiting for our Christmas treat.
Jala Roti topped with Nyonya Prawn Curry |
It was more than a treat; it was a journey
as we watched these wizards dish out one masterpiece after the other in the
live kitchen. Chef Benjamin crafting the
Jala roti on his pan was undoubtedly the star of the show. The flour and coconut milk pancake has a
delicate net like structure which is inspired by the intricate lace work found on a traditional Peranakan dress. The unique Peranakan or Nonya food is a unique
blend of Chinese, Malay and Indonesian flavours and combines aromatic herbs
& spices such as lemongrass, chillies, tamarind paste and coconut milk in
its dishes. They say your visit to
Singapore is incomplete till you have sampled the famed Nyonya curries.
The Jala roti topped with prawn in curry
was a clever combination of the melt in the mouth pancake that had so
beautifully absorbed the piquant flavours of the prawn curry.
Laksa leaves |
One of my favourite dishes is the Laksa (a
soupy noodle dish) but what I didn’t know was that Laksa is actually an
aromatic leaf that is ground to a paste to lend flavour to the broth. ITC Chef Rajkamal had reinterpreted this
classic Singaporean dish by incorporating it into a Pulao. The unusual blend of Laksa paste with Indian
masalas had us licking our bowls clean.
Next in line was Chef Manisha’s fusion
inspired signature dish. She had
ingeniously used the methi-dhania papdi as a canapé to serve a lemongrass
ceviche & scampi and drizzled it with a dash of galangal and imlee
chutney. Accompanying it was Chicken
Tikka marinated with Laksa paste to give it a Singapore twist. Her jugalbandi of Asian antipasti was a winner
and she had plated it beautifully.
The Asia inspired Anti Pasti |
The popiah was crisp with a crunchy veggie
and noodle filling but what had our taste buds tingling was the tangy sauce that
complimented it perfectly. Never has a simple
combination of vinegar with chilli paste tasted so good.
Popiah with tangy vineagar chilly sauce |
I was now behaving like a true blue food
presenter on TLC, savouring the yummy delicacies with my eyes closed, jabbering
incessantly about the flavours and textures.
But I made sure that I didn’t let my prankster friends capture my
inimitable expressions on their cameras lest they try to blackmail me with my ugly
pictures.
Time flies faster than light when you are
with friends and good food. And I had to run faster than light when I discovered
that I had nine missed calls from my driver.
But I parted with memories of a luncheon that was so Singapore in its
essence - sparkling conversation, affable hosts and a cuisine that never ceases
to surprise.
They say dining is one of Singapore’s national
pastimes and I now know why. With a tantalizing array of cuisines to suit
everyone’s taste and budget, this gastronomic global destination is a foodie’s
delight.
Singapore I’ll be back and my stomach just
gave a high five!
Pictures and invite courtesy Snow Leopard (my self proclaimed nephew). Thanks Rituparna, Deeba, Madhav and all you lovely people whose name I forgot to ask, for the good time I had.
It was fun, Aunitus Purbus. I still have to write my piece. And after reading yours no one will read mine :(
ReplyDeleteBut saving grace, I have all those ugly pics *Evil Laugh* :D
If you publish those pics, I will have my goons inject you with Cow Pee. (Even more evil laugh)
DeleteSingapore cuisine is a potpourri of Chinese,Malay and Indian influences.Eating out is a major past time here.
ReplyDeleteActually Eating,Shopping and Movies..
P:S:For a second I thought you were coming to Singapore and got all excited and made a mental plan on how,when and where to meet you.Sigh
You have no idea how much I shopped in Singapore. And the gorgeous shoes you get there. I can come just for their sake :D
DeleteBtw we can meet, the next time you are India.
That was one amazing event. Yummy food & yummier conversations ...
ReplyDeleteThe taste of Jali roti and Nyonya Prawn still lingers in my mouth.
Deleteahh looks so yum Purba
ReplyDeleteWish you were there,would have had a blast.
Deletei have been in sing for one year now and i dont think i have tried so many dishes here. btw-blue lotus i am here in singaopre- do u wanna meet up?
ReplyDeleteReally! why not?
DeleteEvery time I stepped out of my hotel I saw people eating :) And Indian food is pretty popular out there.
definitely..mail me at NainaLJ@gmail.com.We'll plan up for CNY.
Delete@Purba:We just used this post for bloggers meet in S'pore.Sorry!
AAaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
ReplyDeleteIn other words, I'm extremely tempted to jump into any restaurant and order their entire menu. Will wipe off their bread basket and their horrible mocktail options as well.
Incidentally, I didn't know that Singaporean cuisine stood out on it's own. I mean, it's a nation-state that was formed in the last century, right?
*its ..
Delete(Ugh, basic grammar 101.)
You mean a century is not enough to have a cuisine of your own?
DeleteAnd you have to be a seafood(not see-food) lover to enjoy Singapore.
I see I see :)
DeleteTime to plan a holiday trip there!
Sounds interesting, I have always believed that non vegetarians quite luck to try out different cuisines, I am a vegetarian alas!!!
ReplyDeleteAgree... they end up with a limited choice especially on foreign shores.
DeleteThat was a love treat of Singaporean food! What perfect timing of your write as I will be there this weekend:) What more could I have asked for! BTW looks like you are going a la Vir Sanghvi, fine dining and writing about it:)
ReplyDeleteI wish I could do it every week! Is anyone listening out there!
DeleteAnd Rahul I can give you contact details of Singapore Tourism officials. They"ll be too glad to help :)
Wow! Delicious looking pictures:P Slurp slurp:P Glad you had a great time!
ReplyDeleteYep and I met quite a few of my blogger friends there :)
DeleteReplyDelete
Wow...this must have been fun. Reading it really feels like an account of a TLC presenter :-)
ReplyDeleteKhi...khi :D She's pulling my leg now. Yep! the left one looks longer.
DeletePurba,
ReplyDeleteTrust you to make one feel left out. Your descriptions made my mouth water and feel sad at having missed this opportunity.
Take care
Invites were extended to food bloggers, I was the odd one out :)
DeleteDo you know you could actually be on TLC with that kind of post? I pictured you with eyes closed and hmmm...ing your way through all those ummmm...dishes which had stuff I might not want to taste but would love to see you enjoy :) Ah there was one pic that caught my attention...
ReplyDeleteHehehe...when you are having this kind of food the mmmmmms come out spontaneously.
DeleteThe Popiah Goreng and Laksa Pulao were 100% vegetarian. You would have enjoyed it.
By far Singapore is one of the few places that I have relished. Food makes it a wonderful place. That's what a Delhi foodie always seeks for, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI would love to do a foodie trip with Delhi Bloggers and eat myself silly :D
DeleteI am more of a street food junkie. Call a Foodie Meet someday.
DeleteYum yum yum...you make me hungry for more - talented humorist and look-like-a- foodie blogger too! Wonderful to meet you in person, share a table and banter ...food tastes better with friends! It was a delectable meet in every way Purba!
ReplyDeleteYou should do some dessert demos for amateurs like us. Believe me, it will be a hit!
Deleteyeah i know , when i had gone to singapore oh boy i had eaten too much..
ReplyDeletewherever u go food is there rehdi's, people on road , all over.. 50 satay satay :) you say it twice evertyhing he he he
I ate like a pig there
Bikram's
Yep..food for every budget, every palate - you can't go hungry in Singapore.
DeleteWonderful!! The pictures are delicious :-)
ReplyDeleteThe food was as delicious.
DeleteSo you chatted with the chefs too...Unfortunately, there isnt much for vegetarians when it comes to sea food.
ReplyDeleteWhile in Singapore I couldnt get a veg burger at Mc Donalds.Had to do with two buns and some lettuce.
Pity you had to go to a Mc Donalds in Singapore. Did you try Sarvana Bhawan in Little India?
DeleteoOOOOOO what fun! I got hungry after reading this, went down to "panda delight" and had excruciatingly bad noodles.
ReplyDelete*sulk*
If and when you are in Gurgaon we"ll go to Monk. Their noodle and sticky rice bowls are out of this world!
Deletegod i wanted someone to write something so i know if i can make jokes about the event in my article.
ReplyDelete@alka i was veg and i AGREE!
You were veg out of choice. Will wait to read your version.
Deleteoh yum! I'm getting hungry watching this post. I'd love to go to Singapore for a week just to pig out on all the sinfully delicious gastronomical goodness.
ReplyDeleteGreat shopping, amazing food and the river-front is buzzing with life.
DeleteWell now I'm in a dilemma, I'm on a diet and you just described amazingly delicious food in Delhi. Nicely or I should say tastefully written.
ReplyDeleteBut the best part is the dishes are light and bursting with flavours. The fish ball soup is a dieters delight.
DeleteAlmost drooled all over my laptop!! Those dishes look absolutely smashing Purba!
ReplyDeleteBtw...did you change the layout of the blog? Either that or my eyes have gone little pinkish :P
I did change the template and my site is now purba-ray.com but the colour is far from pink :)
DeleteOh Yum! Oriental food is my weakness. Yes, it is. *Flashback* Mmm, prawn curry...
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment Purba. I'm glad you liked LwW. And I look forward to having you visit it again!
--------------
Gayatri
Look who's Wearing (LwW)
When it comes to Pan Asian, there's so much to choose from -Vietnamese, Korean, Malaysian...So much to eat, so little time....sigh..
Deleteso much food here, more than what a foodblog can offer. although i m not a foodie but loved going through it and of course ur narration rocks as always.
ReplyDeletewas searching for ur new post on indi, didn't realize u moved ur blog to a self hosted domain. supercool post!!!
Not a foodie!!! But we Bengalis live to eat.
DeleteAnd finally someone noticed my new url - thank God for that!
Wow ... that brought back some fond memories. Unfortunately my travel to lion city does nt happen no more. I miss the pan asian food for sure.
ReplyDeletePrateek did a damn good job with pics too.
Yep...Prats did a fantastic job. Strangely when it comes to clicking me, he fails miserably :D
Deletedelicious.........
Deleterosesandgifts.com
My good so many names and so much food and such a petite and pretty Purba...deadly combination for sure...
ReplyDeleteI wish I'd remember some of these names when I go this cuisine way:-)
The Ray family is a bunch of foodies and loves experimenting (Btw I meant the kitchen) :p
DeleteEnjoyed the write-up! Oh I loved Laksa too.. although I wished there was more masala in the seafood :P True Indian-ness, hehe.
ReplyDeleteIndian coastal cuisine has plenty of spice. Malwani, Malabari, Goa...yum yum yum
Deletesounds interesting!! the coconut corn jelly sure is inviting!!! wud dilli be hosting something in similar line during march? :O
ReplyDeleteWish I could predict it. But Delhi is a foodie's delight :)
DeleteWOW !! Now I am "j" :D
ReplyDeleteOoops :O
DeleteSlurp!
ReplyDeleteI was drooling throughout the post as you described the chefs dishing out cuisines and what they (the dishes) tasted like.
Never knew Singapore has such fulfilling pastimes. :D
Cheers,
Blasphemous Aesthete
Hahaha...fulfilling pastimes indeed. You can never get bored in Singapore.
DeleteWow.. a very unique concept to showcase the culinary delights of a city that boasts of so many flavors. All entrees looked mouth-watering-ly delicious, spiced up even more by your flavorful writing. :)
ReplyDeleteI wish our tourism board could start a similar concept. We can easily woo the world with the mid boggling variety our cuisine offers.
Deletewhen i went to sing, my veggie buddies restrained me from trying the local dishes! rascals i say! looks awesome purba!
ReplyDeleteHow could they do that! That city is a foodie's delight. Don't tell me you survived on Dosas and idlis!
DeleteNo i chose dunkin donuts and McDonalds instead!!
ReplyDeleteI work and stay in singapore. please do inform if u r coming.
ReplyDeleteSure I will :)
DeleteI am now not certain the place you’re getting your information, but good topic. I must spend some time finding out more or figuring out more. Thank you for magnificent info I was in search of this information for my mission.
ReplyDeletelove sms