Singaporean Chilli Crabs

I already had my menu set to make Chinese Deep-Fried Chicken Wings with Spicy Salt and Vegetarian Goya Champuru (Okinawan Bitter Melon Stir-Fry with Tofu and Eggs) before my dad left town. But, when I went to the grocery store and saw crab on sale for $4.99 a pound, I had to include the addition of Singaporean Chilli Crabs.

In preparation for my trip later this year, I bookmarked a bunch of Singaporean dishes to try including the famous chilli crab. A chili pepper, tomato, brown sugar, shrimp paste, eggy sauce? Sounds right up my alley. I had two fist-sized hybrid red jalapenos that I had frozen from my tour of the Huy Fong Foods, Inc. Sriracha factory that I was saving for a special dish. This was it! Red jalapenos aren't really spicy for me, so added with the other ingredients and the butter from two crabs and the overall dish should just have a nice kick.

While I did save the shell for photos, if you're making it at home, I'd omit and save the sauce for the pieces of crab you'll actually eat. My brother and his wife and I savored each claw and leg. I fried up some Banh Phong Tom (Vietnamese Shrimp Chips), which were perfect for scooping up the extra sauce. But, steamed rolls, rice, or even Mi Xao Toi Bo (Vietnamese Noodles with Garlic Butter) Maggi Seasoning Sauce would go great with this dish as well.

Will the Singaporean Chilli Crab I eat in Singapore this summer taste as good? I kinda doubt it? If you've eaten the real thing and make my version, you'll have to let me know which comes out the winner!

Singaporean Roti John with Sardines

Considering how much I love the Banh Mi Ca Moi (Vietnamese Sardine Sandwich), when I came across mention of a sardine sandwich in Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan's "A Tiger in the Kitchen: A Memoir of Food and Family," I knew I had to try making it. Her friend, who is a chef, suggested cutting the fishiness of the sardines with sesame oil. I don't know if it really made that much of a difference for me since I like sardines, but you could certainly try that if you wish.

Read my recipe for Singaporean Roti John with Beef which includes the background history of the British, Malay, Indian, Singaporean influences that went into the creation of this sandwich. Since the sardines are already cooked, this version is a little quicker since you don't have to cook the meat before adding the eggs. I removed the bones and mashed the sardines with the eggs, scallions, and chili paste. Drizzled sesame oil to cook the mixture before placing the toasted bread on top. If you really want to cut the fishiness of the sardine sandwich though, I'd suggest stuffing it with slices of cucumbers and tomatoes.

Singaporean Roti John with Beef

"Food -- or makan, as we call it -- is a national obsession," said Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan in "A Tiger in the Kitchen: A Memoir of Food and Family." "In the fifteen years that I've lived in the United States, I've often said to American friends that, when it comes to Singapore, I miss the food first and then my family. They think I'm joking."

(Tan is a former classmate, although Facebook and food have brought us closer that four years of undergrad ever did.) In the first chapter of her food memoir, Tan waxed nostalgic about bak kut teh (Chinese pork bone tea soup), Hainanese chicken rice, ice kacang (Malaysian shaved ice), Singaporean Chilli Crabs, and Singaporean roti John.

Most of the dishes I'm familiar with, but the last was new to me.

"The influence of the British -- whom the locals called Johns when Singapore was a colony -- inspired the Malay dish of roti John, which features a baguette topped with beaten eggs, minced mutton, and onions that's then quickly panfried and served with a spicy tomato dip," Tan described.

That sounded delicious, as did her descriptions of making kaya jam and pineapple tarts. But, as I wasn't about to make 100 pineapple tarts or 60 mooncakes or 80 otak (Singaporean spiced grilled fish paste), the recipes in her book weren't quite feasible for me.

A bit of Googling and I came upon this YouTube video by the Singapore International Foundation about roti John at the Shukor Stall Makanan Istemewa featuring Sufiah Nordiyana, granddaughter of the hawker who invented and/or popularized the dish in 1976.

I've changed the methodology a little bit, to scale down for cooking for one as opposed to hundreds. I used Vietnamese-French bread and substituted the mutton with beef, but kept the egg and onion. I also added a chopped scallion for some color and a dash of curry powder and garam masala as a nod to the Indian origins of the dish. Since I wasn't quite sure what the tomato chili sauce tasted like, I drizzled Thai Shark Sriracha, which is sweeter than the Huy Fong Foods, Inc. version.

British, Malay, Indian, Singaporean, the various influences that went into creating this dish, resulted in a delicious sandwich that was perfect for lunch. And again for dinner.

Singlong Black Pepper Sauce (Sos Lada Hitam)

Since I was making a seafood fest for lil' sis's 21st birthday bash, it was a great chance for me to try Singlong Black Pepper Sauce for crabs from the box of goodies I received from Asian Supermarket 365. The sauce sells for $2.89.

Teh Tarik (Malaysian "Pulled" Milk Tea) and Pandan Kaya (Malaysian Screwpine Leaves and Coconut Jam)

When the folks at Asian Supermarket 365 asked if there were any products in particular that I wanted to try, I had some idea in mind based upon what I had read on various food blogs. I first heard of kaya spread from Tigerfish of Teczcape, who made a kaya and butter sandwich. She said it's a common breakfast or snack in Singapore too. Coconut jam spread on toast sounded intriguing. So I definitely knew I wanted to try some when given the opportunity. So I had a nice afternoon tea for one with a packet of Aik Cheong brand Teh Tarik, $5.99 for 15 sachets, and ChanHong Pandan Kaya-Coconut Spread, $3.39 for a 400 g jar. The tea, a blend of black tea with non-dairy creamer and sugar, was very smooth. Each packet makes a big cup of tea, I just poured half into a smaller teacup for a prettier photo. The pandan kaya spread tasted like sweet eggy coconut milk. I think when I make the pandan chiffon cake, this will make a nice filling between layers. I was trying to figure out where to categorize my posts from the bounty of Malaysian and Indonesian goodies I got from Asian Supermarket 365. I do think they do provide a valuable service for many people who might not have access to such products. I think the best way is to simply include links to the posts when I prepare a package, like this one, but on that list in my Terrible Twos post since I already had each product typed out. Blah. Blah. Blah. You wanna hear who won right? The winners of the three $10 vouchers from Asian Supermarket 365 are: Vicki of A Work in Progress Ning of Heart and Hearth and Hong P. of Secret Garden Studios And the winners of one item from my "backlist" of recipes are: Hong P. (What can I say, he literally paid to double his chances. Thanks for the donation to my Figs with Bri fundraiser!) Jonathan of Days of the Dragon Hedgehog of Diary of a Novice Cook Please email wanderingchopsticks (at) gmail (dot) com so I can send you the online code for your vouchers. Of course, you are under no obligation to blog or write about their products, but the folks at Asian Supermarket 365 would appreciate it if you do. For the winners of my prize, please send me your mailing address, the item of your choice in case you changed your mind from what you commented on before, and I'll send it off when I get a chance. If you didn't win, for a $10 donation to my Figs with Bri fundraiser, you can get a chance at 5 items of your choice. Deadline is June 30. For those of you who didn't win the vouchers, the folks at Asian Supermarket 365 have nicely offered a 3% discount to Wandering Chopsticks readers, just enter code "WC30608A" at checkout. Expiration date is June 30, 2008. If the discount is popular with my readers, they said they might extend the expiration date. ***** 1 year ago today, and we had a winner at last year's drawing too. 2 years ago today, still my favorite Hong Kong-style cafe, Baccali Cafe & Rotisserie - Alhambra.

Yong Tau/Tow Foo (Chinese Stuffed Tofu)

Don't see any tofu you say? Well, yong tau foo (Chinese stuffed tofu) was created in the 1960s in Chew Kuan restaurant as a dish of only stuffed tofu, and now can mean any of a variety of stuffed vegetables. It is a popular dish in Malaysia and Singapore. The stuffed tofu and vegetables may also be served with a clear soup and noodles.

I had frozen the cha ca (Vietnamese fish paste) my youngest aunt had given me a few months back. For the recent death anniversary dinner of my ba noi (paternal grandmother), I decided to defrost the cha ca and stuff it. But instead of making my usual Dau Hu Nhoi Cha Tom voi Sot Chao Ot (Vietnamese Shrimp Paste-Stuffed Tofu with Fermented Bean Curd Chili Sauce), I remembered Rasa Malaysia had stuffed okra and chili peppers. It was so gorgeous that I decided to prepare it that way as well, but substituting the chili peppers with sweet baby bell peppers. I also had some Brussels sprouts sitting around, so I halved those and stuffed them as well.

I haven't made cha ca since I was 12 years old, so you'll have to wait for that recipe. Or maybe that's just as well because I remember adding baking soda to fluff up the fish paste. Then I got clever and added more baking soda because that would make the fish paste even fluffier right? Well, it did, but it also made the fish paste incredibly bitter. So for now, you can either buy from the store, or use my recipe for shrimp paste. You can find fish paste at most Asian grocery stores either in the fresh seafood counter or frozen. Depending on the variety of fish, the paste may be either pink, pale gray, or gray.