The next leg of our trip takes us to Singapore, where the heat and humidity immediately started taking its toll on the family. Unlike Taiwan, where the food is primarily Fujien based (but great all the same), Singapore food is a wonderful mish mash of multiple cultures.
Our first lunch outside was at a peranakan restaurant with the groan inducing name of Peramakan (makan being the Malay word for 'eat'). Peranakans are the straits Chinese or locally born Chinese - descendants of the earliest Chinese immigrants to the region, who often intermarried with the local population. Their cuisine is a unique blend of Chinese and Malay cultures. Interestingly, the owners are Christian with Bible phrases adorning the walls. The food was excellent and reasonably priced (this is Singapore remember).
Clockwise from left: Seafood sambal, a salad of banana buds, papaya and starfruit (locally called belimbing), beef rendang, ladies fingers (or okra) and otak (steamed fish cake). The last item, a strange looking black dish, is ayam keluak, which is chicken braised in a sauce made from various local spices and keluak nuts. The nuts are poisonous in the wild (we do love living dangerously here at inflated reality) and require days of soaking in water before they can be used. The little McDonald's coffee stirrers are used to scoop out the flesh of the nuts which tasted nutty and just slightly bitter.
As always, dessert is the pièce de résistance of any meal, and for that we had a pengat durian, or durian mousse, with a cooked yam base. Like the Richard Blanc brûlée, heaven in a cup. Sadly, the rest of the clan begged to differ. Happily though, that meant more for yours truly!
Ice kacang, another staple local dessert with finely shaved ice, rose syrup, evaporated milk and a base of goodies such as jellies, red beans and sweet palm seeds. Topped with sweet corn and little jellies.
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