I spent plenty of time in Singapore over the years, and I always enjoyed touring the food hawkers’ areas. My favorites were Tiong Bahru Market, Bukit Timah, Chomp Chomp Food Centre, People’s Park, and Lau Pa Sat. I never made it to Glutton’s Square, although the place is still legendary on the island and with world travelers in the Seventies.
Hawker food is amazing stuff. I know, most of the travel guidebooks tell you not to eat their wares, you’ll get sick. Balderdash (excuse my Tagalog). In Singapore, at least, food safety is a top priority of the government and the workers. (I also found hawker food in Penang, Malaysia and elsewhere in Indochina, Taiwan and China to be tasty and safe. Your mileage may vary.) The meals are sometimes simple, often complex and flavorful, and always interesting: Hainan Chicken, Beef Kway Teow, Bak Kut Teh, Wonton Mee, Satays of all sorts, and the strangest dessert I’ve ever had, Bo Bo Cha Cha.
Singapore’s national icon is the Merlion, which links this small island city-state immutably to the sea. Seafood abounds, prepared in an almost bewildering variety of tastes, techniques and ethnic styles. For hawker food, local varieties and supporting ingredients abound, of course. Many dishes are wrapped into banana leaves (and others) and steamed or grilled. The banana leaf protects delicate seafood, while also offering up moisture during the cooking. Surprisingly, the leaf doesn’t add much of its flavor to grilled dishes, which means you can spice the fish most any way you want and it’ll come out great.
Here’s a recipe I want to share with you, from the Chile Underground’s Book of the Month for June: Steven Raichlen’s Planet Barbeque. This dish is very much like the banana leaf-wrapped goodies I sampled from the hawkers in Jurong, near the Bird Park. I make mine a touch zestier than Raichlen:
At first, you’ll find banana leaves a bit tricky to use, but if they give you too much trouble, simply tie them up using twine. Once you get the packages shaped you can use extra toothpicks to force the leaves to stay closed. (Remove the twine before grilling.) Believe me, the result is worth the learning curve! You can serve this entrée at a casual weekend dinner and really impress both your friends. Most any good-quality, white-flesh fish works as well. Make a pitcher of one of those girlie tropical adult beverages, steam up some saffron rice and add in a tossed salad and you may get a chance to make new friends as well…
Enjoy the (Mythical Merlion Cuisine) Heat!
Powered by Zoundry Raven
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
How do I get from Bangkok to Koh Samui? I am planning on taking the overnight bus from Bangkok to Surat Thani which arrives at approx 8am. From there I need to catch a ferry to Koh Samui. What ferry service should I take? How far is the train station from the ferry docks? What is the best way to get from the train station to the ferry? Is going from Bangkok to Chumphon an easier way to get to Koh Samui? All parts of the question are equally important for me. Thanks a ton for your help!
First off, thanks for stopping by! Unfortunately, I’ve never made the trip you’re talking about. I’ve only been in Bangkok for a short while, and never made the trip to Koh Samui. Maybe one of our alert readers will have an answer for you?