when deciding…
June 9th, 2009Our lives, according to me, are made up of decisions that we make every minute of every day in our lives. This is usually determined by our emotions, which isn’t really a good thing all the time. Take eating for instance (since this a site about food…obviously). Can you imagine yourself having a romantic dinner with nothing but warm water and salted crackers? Or attending a funeral where champagne, cocktails, and canapé with a tower of brightly frosted of cupcakes is served? Somehow everything has to “fit in”. Sadly this isn’t the case all the time.
During my recent trip back home, I managed to get tickets to the opening reception of the annual World Gourmet Summit, compliments of my pal A, who was in town from Spain. He was involved in a Spanish Chefs dinner for the summit. Many establishments were there contributing to the splendour of the night, where they were supposed to display some of their work for guests to sample. So it was a good thing? Or was it not? I try as much as possible not to promote negativity on the site… however, I really think this particular point needs to be addressed.
Food was being manipulated for the sake of doing so, which did not give justice to the ingredients used or bring out its qualities. The worst part were the gimmicks. Immersion cookers in fish tanks for display purposes?!! They might as well have used stove tops from their kitchens as tables. And then we have the usual snobby crowd who were easily convinced that this was the current trend. My question is, what part does the fish tank play?
To add insult to injury, there were even chefs serving food directly on ice blocks! Does the “chef” not know that the direct temp of the ice will actually degenerate the quality? Or does he not know that if the ice was meant for display purposes, it, or food served from it is not edible?!! I was so turned off and couldn’t hide the look of utter disgust on my face that A kept asking what was troubling me. Apart from these few gastronomic “geniuses”, they were a few who did know what they were doing. That is, serving food.
The best part of the night might as well have been the free alcohol. I then had a huge craving for some good old-fashioned local dishes, the REAL stuff. And at that moment, the only thing I wanted was some wicked Peranakan food!
So we left and made our way down to Katong, arriving at the doorstep of Kim Choo, the only Peranakan restaurant in Katong still open at 9.30pm. We were greeted by very polite & friendly staff…. One of the highlights whenever I am back home is being spoilt for choice when it comes to having a meal. I always make it a point to have a traditional Peranakan dinner, mostly when we are up in Malacca – that’s where the true essence of fusing food and culture come together. Well before we continue we first need to know who the Peranakans are. In short, they are descendants of the early Chinese who settled in the Malay Archipelago as early as the 17th century.
http://peranakan.org.sg/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=26&Itemid=57
It really is interesting, as it’s really a rich mix of Chinese and Malay culture, like the typical chinaware imprinted with a phoenix which is very Malayan…..lost? Ok… imagine a Chinese tea cup that has teh tarik in it… The food isn’t always but can be quite spicy… really encapsulated with flavours just waiting to explode into a frenzy! The menu comprises stewed meats which is in a way very Malay/Indonesian, of simple vegetable stir fry which is Chinese… ingredients and cooking styles used have both Malay and Chinese influences fused together – from the sticky dessert cakes (nyonya kuih) to evenly-baked golden brown cookies and biscuits. The best thing about eating here was the atmosphere. So here at KIM CHOO’S you get it all – delicious food, great decor with no fuss, a place where great food is served without displaying cooking appliances!
Bakwan Hupiao Soup (meatball and fish maw broth)
Sambal Petai
Petai is what they call stink bean. Bitter in taste and yet there is richness to it. Goes well with spicy sauces. It grows in long pods on a large tree of the Legume family, Parkia speciosa. It is semi-wild.
Ayam Buah Keluak (Chicken with Black nut)
Buah keluak (Pangium edule seed) is a hard shelled, black coloured nut from a tree native to Brazil. Found abundantly in the swamps of Indonesia. The black oily kernel is considered a delicacy. When choosing buah keluak at the market, note that the good ones are heavier. They need to hydrate for a minimum of 12 hours, then crack at the scar and cook to savour the rich, velvety flesh.
Beef Rendang (Spicy Coconut Stewed Beef)
Decor, souvenir shop upstairs; Nyonya goodies shop next door…
So the point is, every chef needs to know how to pair food, RIGHT. It’s common sense. All experimental things should be left in the kitchen until it really is time for them to shine for the diners. I am all for new things, but only if it makes real sense to do so. A common mistake chefs (even I) are guilty of is not realising that what makes perfect sense to do might not always be right. So when we decide to do something, take a minute to stop and think, will this actually make sense?
tks for the effort you put in here I appreciate it!