A taste of Singapore

Above: Satay is not unique to Singapore, but it is one of many yummy things we miss about our home country. This one's my first attempt at a semi-homemade version using storebought marinade, specially to give Jon's classmates a taste of Singapore.

Satay, chicken rice, and bak chor mee, are just some of many gastronimical delights featured in a repeat episode of food celebrity Anthony Bourdain in Singapore*, we caught on TV recently. And after that, it had me dreaming about the prawn noodles that photographer Russel Wong's wife made for him, and the "die die, must try" chilli crab Seetoh of Makansutra took him to eat!

But this is Missouri, not California or New York, and while there are Chinese, Thai, Indian, Japanese, and Korean restaurants here, there aren't any Singapore, Malaysian, or Indonesian eateries that we can just go to, for a lot of the things we like to eat back home. How I miss also the convenience of a hawker centre or foodcourt a pebble's throw away, with a 101 things to choose from, any time you want to eat out on a shoestring budget -- breakfast, lunch, dinner, or supper!

So, what has Anthony Bourdain to do with this post? Well, you see, Jon's class is having a look at culture and heritage. His teacher asked if Vern could go share with the boys and girls about Singapore. After watching that food show, it gave me some food for thought (literally!), and I thought it would be a nice little treat for Jon's friends if we could let them try some typical food. How better to get a taste of Singapore?

So while Vern started looking for pictures and clips from the Internet for his presentation, I went to work on the part for the kids to really chew on! My husband's only concern was that I was giving myself work, although when I asked him for suggestions of what food to make, he came up with not-so-easy stuff like laksa and rojak! Those would really have me scratching my head, because some ingredients, and even fresh produce, are just not so readily available here. There were other considerations, like peanut allergies, and whether spicy food would go down well with the children.

After a bit of brainstorming, we decided on a simple dessert that as kids we liked -- almond jelly with longan. Subsequently, I added satay also, when I was able to get the ready marinade from the global supermarket.
Although the idea of a kebab may not be that foreign to the local kids, there's something fun about this particular finger food, that I hoped would make it a hit with them. "Chi wan wan", as we say in Chinese, meaning, to "eat it for fun"! And it was my first time making the satay.

My maiden effort made easier, with these storebought mixes. This particular satay marinade won me over, because it supposedly had no MSG or preservatives! The almond jelly mix was the only one I could find, and it turned out OK.


Using chicken breast tenderloin (a "tender" cut, so said the label on the packages), I sliced it into cubes, and left it to marinate overnight in the fridge. The skewers had to be soaked for 30 min in water, to prevent them from splinting, before threading the meat through them just before cooking.



Fastforward to yesterday afternoon...
Vern had a lot to tell the second-graders, but in the short time, it was a glimpse of the Lion City turned city in a garden, he gave them. Also some similarities to America/St Louis, as well as differences. But only one child whose family currently stays on the 21st floor of a serviced apartment, could identify with highrise living.



Everyone had no problem saying "hello" in the four languages, and Gurmit Singh and Jack Neo's rap had them chanting along, "Why we talk like that?"! At the end of the half an hour sharing, the American children knew a bit of Singlish, too. Enough to say "shiok", but not so sure whether you can add "lah" to the end of every sentence!

And then it was on to the food tasting!

In the absence of a grill, I used the oven to bake the satay at 375C for 10 to 15 minutes, and then switched to the 'broil' mode towards the end. We served it just like this, without the peanut sauce (the dip) because of allergies among the classmates, and possibly a bigger cleanup to spare the teachers and ourselves!



The almond jelly, served with longan. The boys and girls told us they were having longan for the very first time!


So, of the two food items, which was the winner? The satay, though not unique to Singapore, but it was shiok enough for Jon's friends to come back for more...

Satay is shiok! Jon's classmates enjoy second helpings of the chicken meat on skewers!


Jon took these pictures, of Vern, and of me doling out dessert, with Ben helping with the disposable cutlery on the side. Ben waited so patiently to be the last one to get the longans, after all the other kids were served theirs!


Then, just before school dismissed, a quick picture of Ben, and "Lord Jonathan" and Jon's coat of arms. One of the other fun things done in class, as part of an ongoing segment on knights and castles (the boys are the Lords, and the girls, the Ladies, but of course!). See what are some favourite things Jon's put on his shield...


Back at home, in the evening...
We had a taste of something more American, that's available in Singapore, too, which was one of the questions the kids asked -- if pizza can be found there.

It was awhile ago when we had this at home, and that's because it's one lunch we do order for our boys from school every now and then, like a treat for them! And it is one American meal they like. But it's not exactly a meal we have that often to designate a "Pizza Night" once a week, as some families here do.


For us, one boy will always want his with sauce, but not the other. I think the next time we should try it with satay sauce! Yes?


This semi-homemade pita bread pizza is easy to make on a busy day. And on a less hurried evening, it's fun for the kids to assemble their own toppings using readycooked ingredients they like, or whatever you can scrounge from your pantry, fridge, or freezer!

*P.S. Can someone enlighten me please -- where in Singapore is that restaurant featured in the Bourdain food show, where you eat off an operating table, and your dining chair is a "gold" wheelchair? I mean, I understand the hype, and see the need to keep up with the latest in the culinary world -- the foam, and test-tubes, and nitrogen-frozen what-have-you's! But like Bourdain, something about the hospital look and feel of that place just doesn't make me want to give it a good prognosis. What about you? Anyone's eaten there before?