1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List (214 page)

Singapore’s chile crab.

Although fusion cuisine seems quintessentially modern, it is old news to the Peranakan population of Singapore and Malaysia. This group, made up of descendants of the Chinese who immigrated to the so-called British Straits Settlements (Malacca, Penang, and Singapore) centuries ago, has developed an array of warmly spiced, intriguing dishes that harmoniously meld influences from China, Indonesia, and
India into a style all their own. Peranakan is the formal name for this group, as well as their cuisine, but the women are generally known as Nyonya (meaning both grandmother and her home cooking) and the men as Baba (meaning grandfather, who probably does the eating).

Although many restaurants in the United States serve Nyonya food, it is at its best on home ground, most especially in Singapore and in Malaysia’s Penang. As with many Asian meals, it is best if there are four to six adventurous diners so everyone can sample many dishes, beginning with
Nyonya rojak
, a rainbow-colored, sweet-tart fruit-and-seafood salad. Along with the salad, there might be tamarind-marinated pork or beef satay in a tongue-tingling chile-peanut sauce (see
listing
), as well as the silky-soft spring rolls
poh piah
, formed of translucent crêpes rolled at the table to envelop shrimp or crabmeat, cucumber, eggs, and fried garlic, all adding up to a flavorful and filling first course. The follow-up might be
asam laksa
, a hot-and-sour soup made with shredded fish and thick, white rice noodles, flavored with tamarind, onion, fish sauce, Thai basil, and chunks of pineapple. A generous dash of hot chile paste in your bowl will not be amiss.

While you still have room, try chile crabs, the fieriest of the fiery. These hard-shell crabs are submerged whole in a velvety mix of red chiles, garlic, scallions, coriander, tomato ketchup, salted soybeans, malt vinegar, and soy sauce, all of which enhance the firm, ocean-fresh crabmeat that you pick and chew out of the shells. A messy business but worth it. After you have a hot towel to mop up your hands and face, proceed to
otak-otak
, a firm fish cake (preferably made from an oily variety, like Spanish mackerel or kingfish) wrapped in a banana leaf and grilled; or, if prepared Penang-style, it will be steamed and will exude the gentle aroma of coconut cream. As the meal goes along, refresh your palate with the bright pickled-vegetable relishes known as
acar.

Although Chinese-Malaysian in origin,
nasi ayam
, Hainanese chicken rice (see
listing
) always appears on the menu of Peranakan restaurants as well as being sold from street stalls and at night markets throughout Singapore. It is a cool, mellow combination of chicken steamed so gently that its flesh emerges silky and sweet, and rice cooked in the chicken’s delicate, aromatic broth. Also not Nyonya in origin, but likely on the menu nonetheless, is the Indonesian spiced coconut milk stew that is beef
rendang
, slow-cooked for hours until the meat becomes tender and deeply flavorful. Bowls of
itek tim
, however, are a purely Peranakan main-course soup, studded with chunks of duck, pigs’ trotters, cabbage, Chinese mushrooms, salted plums, and lime juice.

For a sweet finish, hope that
pulot hitam
is offered. Served hot or cold, it is a toothsome pudding of silvery-black glutinous rice sweetened with
gula melaka
, dark-brown palm sugar, to be eaten along with spoonfuls of coconut cream. Also delightful are
kuih
, or rice-based cakes and puddings that come in a variety of shapes and colors, but are generally flavored with coconut and the floral pandan leaf sweetened with palm sugar. Brightly tinted and achingly sweet, they bring the Nyonya feast to a suitably festive close.

Where:
In New York and Brooklyn
, Nyonya at three locations,
ilovenyonya.com
;
in Minneapolis
, Peninsula Malaysian Cuisine, tel 612-871-8282,
peninsulamalaysiancuisine.com
.
Further information and recipes:
Cradle of Flavor
by James Oseland (2006);
The New Mrs. Lee’s Cuisine
by Lee Chin Koon (2004);
Peranakan Heritage Cooking
by Philip Chia (2001);
Traditional Nonya Cuisine
by Lucy Koh (2004);
rasamalaysia.com
(search laksa; otak; rojak);
seriouseats.com
(search curry laksa);
saveur.com
(search nyonya udang masak nanas).

Chicken and rice come together to delicious effect in many cultures, but perhaps never so simply as in this version, brought to Singapore by Chinese immigrants from Hainan province and quickly assimilated. Now ubiquitous in that food-centric island nation, chicken rice is as popular at casual street-market stalls as it is in the polished cafés of top hotels, and everywhere in between. It is the go-to dish for the convalescent and for all who need a quick bit of comfort during a stressful day. To be at its coolly fragrant, chickeny best, this rather minimalist dish has to be prepared with the best ingredients and careful, attentive restraint.

It begins with a fresh, plump whole chicken that is gently poached in a heady broth with fresh ginger, scallions, and garlic. Once cooked to moist, silky perfection, the bird is quickly rinsed in cold water to stop the cooking and tighten the skin, then receives a light polishing of oil to add sheen and help retain moisture. Chopped into chunks (bones and all) and served at room temperature, the chicken is bedded down on crisp, cold slices of cucumber under cilantro leaves and minced scallions. Bites are dipped into a salty-sweet sauce of hot chiles, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, and malt or rice vinegar. Beside that appealing platter, there is always a generous bowl of gently warm short-grain rice that has first been sautéed in vegetable oil or chicken fat, along with minced garlic and shallots; steamed in the reserved aromatic stock from the chicken, the rice takes on a mellow flavor that makes it a perfect foil for the chicken and spicy sauce. A cup of the warm, clear stock is usually served on the side, for a final, super-comforting touch.

Where:
In Singapore
, Chin Chin Eating House, tel 65/6337-4640; Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice at three locations,
tiantianchickenrice.com
;
in New York
, Nyonya, tel 212-334-3669,
ilovenyonya.com
;
in San Francisco
, Penang Garden, tel 415-296-7878.
Further information and recipes:
epicurious.com
(search hainanese chicken rice);
adorasbox.net
(search nasi ayam hainanese chicken);
saveur.com
(search hainanese chicken rice).

When Sir Stamford Raffles claimed Singapore for the British Crown in 1819, he set about designating separate living areas for the varied ethnic groups, especially the large number of Indians he brought along as aides and troops. Their
designated ghetto was around Serangoon Road, an area now known as Little India, a destination in itself for fine Indian crafts and food shops. The centerpiece of the enclave is Tekka Centre, a soaring market pavilion filled with wondrous scents and a cacophony of sounds, as sellers announce their wares to passersby and buyers haggle and chat.

Those wares include rainbows of gold, yellow, red, purple, gray-green, and black spices; lacy green herbs; burlap sacks of sweet-scented basmati rice (see
listing
); prepared masala spice mixes and jewel-bright
sambal
relishes; fish and meat; tooth-achingly sweet confections; and unusual and delectable prepared treats no serious nosher should miss. There is
murtabak
, a sweet-savory pie with buttery layers of a phyllo-type pastry and nuts, spices, chicken, lamb, or pigeon, all topped with powdered sugar, much in the manner of the Moroccan
b’stilla
(see
listing
). There are sumptuous, sunny rice
biryanis
(see
listing
) flecked with chicken or lamb and gilded with spices, and
rojak
, a tart salad of marinated fruits and vegetables plus shrimp or squid.

The cool yogurt drink
lassi
(see
listing
) whether scented with cardamom, fruit, or chiles, is the perfect foil for the spicy food, as is another specialty, a pineapple smoothie consisting only of the fresh fruit blended to a creamy froth before your eyes. Thus fortified, one has strength to head to the second floor of Tekka Centre and explore row after row of luminous brassware, colorful jewelry, and rainbows of marvelous fabrics.

Where:
665 01-201 Buffalo Road, at the corner of Bukit Timah Road and Serangood Road.
When:
Daily, 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Further information:
travelinsider.qantas.com.au
(search serangoon).

Banana flowers, or hearts.

With an alluring flavor that suggests a subtle combination of bananas and onions, plus a hint of bitter almond, the so-called banana flower used in Southeast Asian cuisines actually comes from a species of plantain. Deep mauve on the outside, paling to creamy pink as their petals coil toward the center, the dense blossoms, packed with tiny protobananas, can weigh more than a pound. Because they are bitter when raw, the blossoms are opened and peeled (somewhat like an artichoke) and blanched in boiling water and lemon juice before being added to salads, as in Vietnam; or cooked in coconut milk for curries, as in Indonesia and Malaysia; or fried with curry spices, as in parts of India. Both the harvesting and the preparation are labor-intensive, so the blossoms are generally considered something of a delicacy.

The Vietnamese treatment, a salad called
goi bap chuoi
, is perhaps the most delicious, as it lets the blossom’s unusual flavor shine. The prepared blossoms are tossed with fermented fish sauce (
nuoc mam
) along with peanuts and sometimes sesame seeds, orange and lime juices, and diced
grilled meats such as chicken or pork. Bean sprouts, cilantro, garlic, and ginger may be added, along with grated green papaya or mango. Thanks to the banana blossom’s complex and savory flavor, the salad can also be prepared without meat, as a classic Buddhist vegetarian specialty. Either way, it is typically served in the sturdy, purple-pink outer petals of the blossom, which look like little boats and make for a stunningly photogenic presentation.

Where:
In Hanoi
, La Verticale, tel 84/4-3944-6316,
verticale-hanoi.com
;
in San Gabriel, CA
, Phong Dinh Restaurant, tel 626-307-8868,
phongdinh.com
.
Mail order:
Grocery Thai, tel 818-469-9407,
grocerythai.com
.
Further information and recipes:
The Oxford Companion to Food
by Alan Davidson (2006);
Cracking the Coconut
by Su-mei Yu (2000);
Into the Vietnamese Kitchen
by Andrea Nguyen (2006);
theculinarychronicles.com
(search banana blossom salad);
foodnetwork.com
(search banana blossom salad);
food.com
(search banana blossom guinatan);
heavytable.com
(search cooking with banana flower).

A French-Vietnamese hybrid of a sandwich, the
banh mi
has become a fixture at gourmet sandwich shops, coffee counters, and strip-mall dive restaurants all over the world. Should it fade from the culinary limelight, the sandwich will still exist in the annals of language—it has scored a spot in the
Oxford English Dictionary
as “a Vietnamese snack consisting of a baguette (traditionally baked with both rice and wheat flour) filled with a variety of ingredients, typically including meat, pickled vegetables, and chili peppers.”

Despite its ubiquity, the sandwich’s exact ingredients are hard to pin down. A fresh, hearty, crusty baguette (one of the two ingredients that represents the French colonial influence) is a must, and many of the best banh mi makers go so far as to bake their own. Layered inside will be an array of vegetables and spreads, usually including a slaw of shredded carrots and daikon radish, chile peppers, garlic, fermented fish sauce, cucumber, cilantro, and a pork-infused aioli (French influence number two). The real variation occurs in the creation’s combination of proteins, which may include all or some of the following: ham, headcheese, steamed pork roll sausage seasoned with fish sauce (
cha lua
), minced barbecued pork (
nem nuong
), fried tofu, Vietnamese salami (
thit nguoi
), pork liver pâté, and sardines. Banh mi is traditionally inexpensive street food, but these days it has become high style and so its prices rise accordingly.