Sunday, May 06, 2007

Peranakan food - Joo Chiat Rd


Peranakan food
Originally uploaded by daveyll.
I love Peranakan (Straits Chinese) food. Why? Because I love the richness of Malay spicing and sauces and the tang and lightness of Chinese cooking techniques.

I'm eating with my friends K&K who discovered this a while ago. We eat Ayam Buah Keluak (Chicken Curry with Keluak fruit), Beef Rendang, Sambal Kangkong with small shrimp or scallop and the highlight: Assam Pomfret. The fish was soft, translucent and perfectly cooked. The meat tender yet firm; the sauce tangy but rounded.

I had a dessert of sago gula melaka. The coconut milk was not from a can (but perhaps not freshly made that day either) but the gula melaka (palm sugar) was of high quality. Lots of caramel and other hidden subtle notes blended aromatically.

They served with a nice touch - the gula melaka was poured over a ball of shaved ice; very cute.

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