Rojak

Rojak (囉喏) is a fruit and vegetable salad delicacy commonly found in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia (where it is known as "Rujak").

The term "Rojak" is Malay for mixture, is also used as a colloquial expression for an eclectic mix, and in particular is often used to describe the multi-ethnic cultures found in Malaysian and Singaporean societies.

Mamak rojak (or Indian rojak) contains fried dough fritters, bean curds, boiled potatoes, prawn fritters, hard boiled eggs, bean sprouts and cucumber mixed with a thick, spicy peanut sauce. Traditionally, Indian Muslim (Mamak) rojak vendors use modified sidecar motorcycles as preparation counters and to peddle their rojak. These mobile vendors now use modified mini trucks. The Indian rojak available in Singapore is an assortment of potatoes, eggs, beancurds and prawns fried in batter served with a sweet and spicy chili sauce.

Fruit rojak consists typically of cucumber, pineapple, turnip (jicama), bean sprouts, taupok (puffed soya bean cake) and youtiao (fried dough fritters). Raw mangoes and green apples are less commonly used. The dressing is made up of water, belacan (shrimp paste), sugar, chili, and lime juice. Ingredients vary among vendors with some also using prawn paste, tamarind or black bean paste in the mix. The ingredients are cut into bite-sized portions and tossed in a bowl with the dressing and topped with chopped peanuts and a dash of ground or finely chopped bunga kantan (pink ginger bud). Penang Rojak is another type of Rojak found in Penang, Malaysia. It is similar to fruit rojak, but adds jambu air (Water apple), squid fritters and honey to the mixture.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Monad Says: Rojak is a highly popular local snack in Singapore. The secret to an excellent dish of Rojak is the mixed sweet sauce. In addition, the other ingredients should be freshly selected and cut. More importantly, youtiao and taupok should be grilled over charcoal stove till it is crispy brown. I have sampled vegetarian Rojak from many different places around Singapore. However, none beats this particular Rojak specialty stall that I frequently patronised (“Rojak” @ Marine Parade, near food centre, opposite neighbourhood police post). I love the unique sweet sauce flavoured with freshly made from fruits and vegetables, making it the winning Rojak entree. Marvellous! =)

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Honey Kulzza

Honey Kulzza is a modern indian dish made from fresh fluffy bread topped with a sweet spread of honey, tomatoes, coriander and onion seeds.

Vansh impresses patrons with the style of modern indian dining. From exotic food presentations to the vibrant interiors, the dining experience at Vansh is cosy and delighting.

In the evening, try al-fresco dining at the waterfront, under the stars and beside the glittering link bridge and Tanjong Rhu's as back drop.

(Source: Vansh)

Monad Says: Honey kulzza is a dish recommended by Vansh. It's a unique blend of tandoori aroma, sweetness and mixed spices. This is a side dish that goes well with beer too.

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Lor Mee

Lor Mee (卤面) is a Chinese-inspired noodle dish served in a thick starchy gravy and fat and flat yellow noodles. The dish is popular among Hokkiens in Singapore and Malaysia.

The thick gravy is made of corn starch, spices and eggs. The ingredients added into the noodles are usually ngoh hiang, fish cake, fish, round and flat meat dumplings (usually pork), half a boiled egg, and other items depending on the stall and price.

Vinegar and garlic can be added as an optional item. The dish is also eaten with red chilli. Traditional versions also include bits of fried fish as topping though few stalls serve this version anymore.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Monad Says: Lor Mee is a among the popular local dishes in Singapore. The essence of Lor Mee lies in the dark gravy. There are several versions of Lor Mee to suit individual tastes. It usually comes with assorted ingredients such as marinated Lor Bak (pork), meat balls, fried dumplings, Ngoh Hiang (stuffed meat rolls), etc. I shall recommend this particular stall (“Fish Head Bee Hoon” @ Sims Place - Block 49 Market & Food Centre, Stall #01-44) for its famous fish head bee hoon and Lor Mee. I requested for vege Lor Mee that comes with marinated (‘Lor’) eggs, thick rice noodles, richly flavoured with garlic, a tinge vinegar, spring onions and grounded chilli. I like the gravy, which is fluidic but not too thick and it also contains crispy flakes made from mixed flour and grounded peanuts, which adds a new taste. In addition, you may also request for freshly fried fish slices as an option. It’s delicious! =)

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Kurkuri Mushroom

Kurkuri Mushroom is a popular mushroom dish in Indian vegetarian cuisine.

Agaricus bisporus, known as table mushroom, cultivated mushroom or button mushroom, is an edible basidiomycete fungus which naturally occurs in grasslands, fields and meadows across Europe and North America, though has spread much more widely and is one of the most widely cultivated mushrooms in the world. The original wild form bore a brownish cap and dark brown gills but more familiar is the current variant with a white form with white cap, stalk and flesh and brown gills.

Some grocery stores in the Western world sell this mushroom in canned and fresh preparations. An agaric, its gills are often left on in preparations. It can be found cooked on pizzas and casseroles, stuffed mushrooms, raw on salads, and in various forms in a variety of dishes.

Kurkuri mushroom is one of the recommended dishes at Bombay Cafe. Crispy button mushroom stuffed with mixture of cheese, assorted peppers and spices served with mint chutney and pineapple chutney. It was presented on plate like golden egg-shaped shells.

Bombay Café offers various strokes of Indian cuisine and delivers the authentic popular street-style food. The unique combination of tradition and creativity coupled with its refreshing layout suits the modern urban dwellers. Adorned with the theme of Indian cinema, Bombay Café is set in a cosy and chic ambience with rolling screenings of Indian film and music productions.

(Source: Wikipedia, Bombay Cafe)

Monad Says: This weekend, I have a craving for Indian cuisine...something exotic which I have missed on my menu for quite a while. Several familiar Indian dishes pops up on my mind. I decided to visit Bombay Cafe as it offers a decent selection of vegetarian dishes. Kurkuri mushroom is definitely worth the try...it is made from fresh button mushrooms mixed with the right ingredients and spices to produce a nice flavour. Other traditional dishes such as Palak Paneer (Spinach with Cottage Cheese), Daal (vege gravy) and Naan bread are tastefully prepared and well-presented.

(Website: Bombay Cafe)

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Dim Sum

Dim Sum (点心) is the name of the Chinese cuisine involving a light meal served with Chinese tea. Dim sum cuisine consists of a wide spectrum of choices. It includes combinations of meat, seafood, vegetables, as well as desserts and fruit. The various items are usually served in a small steamer basket or on a small plate. Yum cha (literally "tea drinking") is the actual term used to describe the dining session, especially in contemporary Cantonese.

The Cantonese phrase Dim Sum (点心) means literally "touch the heart" or "order to your heart's content". It may be derived from yat dim sum yi (一点心意), meaning "a little token". Though the English word "dim sum" refers to the Cantonese variety, the idea of a wide variety of small dishes for lunch also holds for other regions of China.

Equivalent terms, such as dian xin in Mandarin, exist in other varieties of Chinese, as a generic term for any of a variety of snacks or small food items. The terms "northern dian xin" or "Shanghai dian xin" (dee-shin) have thus come into use. These dian xin are, however, not necessarily Cantonese dim sum, although the two still share the same written script in traditional and simplified characters. Likewise, the Korean cognate jeomsim (점심) may refer to any kind of lunch. In Australia, the word dim sim is used for a particular kind of dumpling.

The History...

Travellers on the ancient Silk Road needed a place to take a nap, so teahouses were established along the roadside. Rural farmers, exhausted after working hard in the fields, would also go to teahouses for a relaxing afternoon of tea. At first, it was considered inappropriate to combine tea with food, because people believed it would lead to excessive weight gain. People later discovered that tea can aid in digestion, so teahouse owners began adding various snacks and the tradition of dim sum evolved.

In Hong Kong, and most cities and towns in Guangdong province, many Chinese restaurants start serving as early as five in the morning. It is a tradition for the elderly to gather to eat dim sum after morning exercises, often enjoying the morning newspapers. For many southerners in China, yum cha is treated as a weekend family day. Consistent with this tradition, dim sum restaurants typically only serve dim sum until the afternoon; other kinds of Cantonese cuisine are served in the evening. Nowadays, various dim sum items are sold as takeaway for students and office workers on the go.

While dim sum remains a staple of Chinese culinary culture, especially in Hong Kong, health officials have recently criticized the high amount of saturated fat and sodium in some dim sum dishes, warning that steamed dim sum should not automatically be assumed to be healthy. Health officials recommend balancing fatty dishes with boiled vegetables, minus sauce.

Tea Culture...

The drinking of tea is as important to dim sum as the food. A popular tea which is said to aid in digestion is bolay (pu erh), which is a strong, fermented tea. Chrysanthemum, oolong and green tea can be served as well.

It is customary to pour tea for others during dim sum before filling one's own cup. A custom unique to the Cantonese is to thank the person pouring the tea by tapping the bent index and middle fingers together on the table. This is said to resemble the ritual of bowing to someone. Given the number of times tea is poured in a meal, it is a timesaver in loud restaurants, as an individual being served might be speaking to someone else and/or have food in their mouth.

The Varieties...

Traditional dim sum includes various types of steamed buns such as cha siu baau, dumplings and rice noodle rolls (cheong fun), which contain a range of ingredients, including beef, chicken, pork, prawns and vegetarian options. Many dim sum restaurants also offer plates of steamed green vegetables, roasted meats, congee porridge and other soups. Dessert dim sum is also available and many places offer the customary egg tart. Having a meal in a Chinese teahouse or a dim sum restaurant is known as yum cha (饮茶), literally "drinking tea", as tea is typically served with dim sum.

Dim sum can be cooked by steaming and frying, among other methods. The serving sizes are usually small and normally served as three or four pieces in one dish. It is customary to order family style, sharing dishes among all members of the dining party. Because of the small portions, people can try a wide variety of food.

Dim sum dishes can be ordered from a menu or sometimes the food is wheeled around on a trolley by servers. Traditionally, the cost of the meal is calculated based on the number, size, and sometimes color of the dishes left on the patron's table (more below). Some modern dim sum restaurants record the dishes on a bill at the table. Not only is this tidier, it also prevents patrons from cheating by concealing or stealing the plates. Servers in some restaurants use distinct stamps so that sales statistics for each server can be recorded.

(Source: Wikipedia)

* Dim Sum Guide (DiscoverHongKong)

Monad Says: Dim Sum is highly popular in Hong Kong and commonly available at many places. One of the best place for dim sum experience in Hong Kong is at Maxim's Palace Chinese Restaurant (美心皇宮大酒樓). Due to its popularity, be patient and take a queue number for your table. The service staffs would push carts around stacked with baskets of har gow (shrimp and bamboo-shoot dumplings) and char siu bao (barbequed pork buns), or buckets of fresh tofu. I've rated Maxim's Palace 5* due to its wide variety of tasty dim sum selection!

(Website: NY Times Travel Guide)

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Takoyaki

Takoyaki (たこ焼き or 蛸焼, Takoyaki) (literally fried or baked octopus) is a popular Japanese dumpling made of batter, diced octopus, tempura scraps (tenkasu), pickled ginger, konnyaku, and green onion, topped with okonomiyaki sauce, green laver (aonori), mayonnaise, and katsuobushi (fish shavings), originated in Osaka. Making takoyaki requires a takoyaki pan, a special frying pan made of cast iron with hemispherical molds. There is a similarly named dish called ikayaki but it is a broiled whole squid and bears no resemblance. "Yaki" is derived from "yaku" (焼く, "yaku") which simply means "to bake or grill" in Japanese, and can be found in the names of other Japanese cuisine items such as teriyaki or sukiyaki.

Although takoyaki can easily be made at home if the equipment is available, it is usually considered to be fast food and mostly sold on the streets. Frozen takoyaki are also available, and there are restaurants in which customers can make their own takoyaki at their tables. Takoyaki is especially popular in the Kansai region, but has risen in popularity in other parts of Japan. In the Kansai region, takoyaki is eaten as a side dish with a bowl of cooked rice. Elsewhere in Japan, it is eaten without rice as a snack food.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Monad Says: There are many different takoyaki outlets in Hong Kong. Gindaco is the only one that I give 5* rating for its famous specialty, takoyaki! There are several outlets in Hong Kong. I patronised Gindaco at Causeway Bay and Mongkok outlets. I decided to try their egg mayo takoyaki set with a macha drink...One of the best takoyaki I've tasted so far. The hot and crispy takoyaki balls were served on a specially made boat-shaped tray richly flavoured with okonomiyaki sauce, mayo and seaweed flakes. Highly recommended! =)

(Website: Gindaco)

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'Fragrant' Tofu

'Fragrant' Tofu (臭豆腐 or stinky tofu) is a form of fermented tofu, which, as the name suggests, has a strong odour. It is a popular snack in East and Southeast Asia, particularly China, Taiwan, and Indonesia where it is usually found at night markets or roadside stands, or as a side dish in lunch bars.

Wide regional and individual variations exist in manufacture and preparation. Most typically, it consists of tofu, which has been marinated in a brine made from fermented vegetables for as long as several months. The brine can also include dried shrimp, amaranth greens, mustard greens, bamboo shoots, and Chinese herbs.

'Fragrant' tofu can be eaten cold, steamed, stewed, or most commonly, fried. It is often accompanied by chili sauce. The color varies from the golden fried Zhejiang-style to the black typical of Hunan-style 'fragrant' tofu.

From a distance, the odour of 'fragrant' tofu is said to resemble that of rotten garbage or manure, even by its enthusiasts. In spite of 'fragrant' tofu's smell, the flavor is surprisingly mild. Some have compared it to the taste of blue cheese. It is said that stronger 'fragrance' produces better flavour. Many foreigners, and even many Chinese and Taiwanese people dislike 'fragrant' tofu, particularly on first encounter. It is definitely an acquired taste.

In China, 'fragrant' tofu is made and consumed in different ways around China. For example, dried 'fragrant' tofu made in Changsha and Shaoxing are both famed but made and tasted with great differences. The most famous shop for 'fragrant' tofu in Changsha is made with yellow beans submerged in seasoning. 'Fragrant' tofu sold in Tianjin are mostly made in Nanjing style, with light smell.

In Hong Kong, this has been another one of the street trademark food along with fishball and beef ball. The street style is rather plain. It is deep fried fresh at street hawker stalls and sometimes dai pai dong. It is purchased by the bag, and is well known for the grease and oil. It goes with hoisin sauce as the tradition.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Monad Says: This is definitely a controversial dish for many people. On my recent trip to Hong Kong, I followed my sister's recommendation and sampled the popular 'fragrance' tofu at Mongkok. Its legendary 'fragrance' can really kill from far...but nevertheless, it tastes great! I added spicy curry and chili sauces...It's crispy on the outside and soft inside...Try to finish this delicacy while it's still hot. Hmmm...I took some time to adapt to the 'fragrance' from this unique snack but it's worth a try! =)

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