Tastes like Singapore

Chef Haikal Johari gives us an exclusive virtual taste tour of the island nation as part of its annual food festival

Since you cannot travel to Singapore right now, the world’s highly anticipated event on every foodie’s calendar, The Singapore Food Festival (SFF) — now in its 28th edition — has evolved into a hybrid format of virtual and live events. The Singapore Tourism Board in India has partnered with Foodhall for a month-and-a-half-long campaign to showcase Singaporean cuisine via fun and engaging consumer activities, pop-ups, a limited-edition menu at their in-house café and recipe ingredient boxes curated by chef Anahita Dhondy (available on Zomato and Swiggy). There will also be  virtual masterclasses with Singaporean chef Haikal Johari, executive chef at Michelin Star restaurant Alma by Juan Amador, for a select few.

Before the event this week, we caught up with chef Johari for an exclusive e-mail interview. He explains how Indian cuisine has become a significant part of the Singaporean food culture. “Besides Indian restaurants in Singapore serving authentic South and North Indian dishes, fusion recipes are the norm now. The rich, robust flavours, unique to Indian cuisine are altered to cater to the Singaporean palate. For example, the masala chai is made with lesser masala while  aloo gobi is cooked in butter or cheese instead of oil. Several Indian restaurants here also serve Chinese, Thai and Malay food with their own spin to it.”

Food in Singapore is a marriage between various cultures and this is what makes it unique. Adding further, chef Johari tells us, “The Indian parathas are famous in Chinese and Malay restaurants where they are recreated and served with cheese, sugar, or other toppings. Indian spices like cumin and some blended spices are common here. The Indian-style cauliflower now features in many multi-cuisine restaurants.”

The chef’s favourite laksa is a spicy Singaporean noodle soup dish made by his mother. “It is a rich and thick gravy bursting with flavours. Every time I returned home from overseas trips, my mother made it for me and I felt travelling all the way to Singapore just for it; it was worth it,” adds Johari. His favourite place to eat street food in Singapore is Newton Circus, the iconic hawker centre that has an array of cuisines and great ambiance. It is perfect for late-night supper.

Hainanese chicken rice

Ingredients
>> 70 gms poached glazed chicken
>> 5 gms aroma powder (spice/broth mix for soups)
>> 180 gms cooked rice
>> 30 gms sliced English pickle cucumber 
>> 30 gms soy ginger sauce
>> 1/2 cup fresh coriander
>> 30 gms sambal oelek (Indonesian chilli paste)
>> 5 gms white wine vinegar
>> 30 gms wilted spinach
>> A few toasted sesame seeds

Method
Take water in a pot and add some aroma powder, sliced ginger, coriander stem, crushed ginger, bay leaf and bring to a boil. Remove from flame. Add cleaned chicken breast and leave it inside for 10 minutes. Remove, and place it on a tray. Apply soya glaze and cook in a pre-heated oven for three minutes at 200 degree Celsius. Now assemble the rice on a plate and add sliced chicken breast on top. In a small bowl, add sliced cucumber, salt, white wine vinegar and mix. Place it atop the chicken breast. Sauté the spinach in a pan with oil and garlic. Serve on top of the dish and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Cook it right

>> Chicken rice requires a perfect mix of big and small chillies in the right quantities
>> The quality of rice also makes a difference to the flavour
>> The chicken needs to be cooked perfectly so that it does not become dry
>> The dish needs to be cooked 30-40 minutes before serving, to maintain the flavour

A paradigm shift

In the last eight to 10 years, Singapore has become self-sustained as young farmers are getting passionate about growing quality produce. An impressive number of fish and vegetable farms, and fruit orchards have emerged. Another shift is that instead of focusing on sauces to cover up proteins, many prefer lighter versions of sauces.

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