Go Local

RECIPES

go local

Singapore boasts a food scene as eclectic as its ethnic diversity. Celebrate our nation’s birthday by whipping up some local delights at home!

Singapore’s cuisine is an amalgamation of all the cultures found on the island — from immigrant Chinese and Indian traditions to indigenous Malay practices. It is also common to find dishes that reflect the coming together of all these cultures on one plate. One example is rojak, a fruit and vegetable salad that combines the use of ingredients typically used in both Chinese, Malay and Peranakan cooking.

Get into the spirit of National Day by whipping up these dishes and pairing them with local beverages!

Recipes courtesy of Periplus Publishing, reprinted from Singapore Favourites.

SINGAPORE ROJAK (SERVES 4) INGREDIENTS

½ 1 200 g

1 60 g 2 slices 1 1–2 1

cucumber, sliced small turnip, peeled, quartered and cut into thick slices water spinach (kang kong), cut into lengths and blanched in boiling water for 1 minute square firm tofu, shallow-fried until golden brown, then sliced into 8 pieces bean sprouts, blanched for 10 seconds, rinsed and drained pineapple, cubed unripe green mango, peeled and sliced Chinese crullers (yu tiao), cut into 6–8 pieces (optional) wild ginger bud, sliced (optional)

METHOD

1 To make the sauce, grind the chillies, palm sugar and dried shrimp paste, tamarind juice, black prawn paste and salt to a smooth paste in a blender. Transfer to a bowl, add the peanuts, stir and set aside.

2 Place the rest of the ingredients into a serving dish. Drizzle the sauce on top and toss to mix. Serve immediately.

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WELLNESS FOR ALL

SAUCE

2–3 1 Tbsp 1 tsp 2 Tbsp 1 Tbsp ½ tsp 75 g

large red chillies, deseeded and sliced palm sugar (gula melaka) or brown sugar dried shrimp paste (belacan), toasted tamarind pulp, soaked in 125 ml water, squeezed and strained to obtain juice black prawn paste (hae ko) salt raw peanuts, dry-roasted and coarsely crushed in a blender or pounder

To complement this light appetiser, try it with a cool, tall glass of Allswell Plum Juice. The refreshing sourness of the drink will go pleasantly well with the salty and sweet sauce of the rojak. You can even substitute the tamarind juice in the recipe with 2 Tbsp of Plum Juice for a quick and easy way to introduce a ‘sour’ element to the tasty sauce.

TEOCHEWSTYLE STEAMED FISH (SERVES 4) 1

INGREDIENTS

whole pomfret or other white fish, cleaned or 700 g fresh fish fillets ½ tsp salt ½ tsp sugar 1 Tbsp soy sauce 2 tsp rice wine 4 cm fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into slivers 2 dried black Chinese mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes, tough stems discarded and caps thinly sliced 2 spring onions (scallion), cut into short lengths 2 tsp oil 1 tsp sesame oil 2 sour plums or 50 g thinly-sliced salted pickled mustard cabbage (kiam chye) Pinch of pepper Fresh coriander leaves (cilantro), to garnish METHOD

Allswell Longan Red Date Drink is the perfect accompaniment to this classic Chinese dish. Not only does this drink complement the ‘clean’ taste of the fish, it also contains nutritional benefits. Red dates contain a high concentration of vitamins C and A. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), it is believed that eating or drinking red dates can stimulate the production of white blood cells, which strengthens the body’s immunity. In addition, longan is considered by TCM practitioners to be good for improving blood circulation and digestion.

1 Make diagonal slits on both sides of the fish.

Place the fish on a plate and rub the salt and sugar on both sides. Drizzle the soy sauce and rice wine over the fish and set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.

2 Scatter half the ginger, mushrooms and green onions on a heatproof dish, then place the fish with the marinade over it. Scatter the remaining ginger, mushrooms and green onions over the fish and drizzle the oil and sesame oil on top. Place the sour plums or salted pickled cabbage on the fish and put the plate on a steaming rack inside a wok or steamer, half-filled with boiling water.

3 Cover and steam the fish over high heat until cooked, about 10–15 minutes depending on the size and thickness of the fish. Add more boiling water as needed. The flesh should be white to the bone when fully cooked. Season with pepper and garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Jul-Sep 45

RECIPES

VEGETARIAN BEEHOON (SERVES 4-6) INGREDIENTS

4 Tbsp 1 5

1 clove 1–2 1 1 200 g 100 g 2 1 Tbsp 300 g 1 1–2 2–3

cooking oil medium onion, halved and thinly sliced dried black Chinese mushrooms, soaked in hot water to soften, stems discarded, caps thinly sliced garlic, minced red chillies, deseeded and thinly sliced medium carrot, peeled and coarsely grated or sliced medium green bell pepper, deseeded, cored and cut into thin strips firm tofu, deep-fried until golden brown, then cut into strips bean sprouts, rinsed and cleaned eggs, lightly beaten soy sauce dried rice vermicelli (beehoon), soaked in hot water to soften, then drained and cut into 10-cm lengths spring onion (scallion), cut into short lengths red chilli or 1-2 Tbsp fresh chilli sauce small green limes, quartered to serve

METHOD

1 Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat and stir-fry the onion until soft, about 2 minutes.

Add the mushrooms, garlic and chillies, and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the carrot and bell pepper, increase the heat to high and stir-fry for 2 minutes.

2 Add the firm tofu and bean sprouts, and stir-fry briskly for 30 seconds. Add the egg and allow it to set a little, about 15 seconds, then stir-fry briskly to mix well. Add the soy sauce and stir-fry to mix well.

3 Add the vermicelli and spring onion, and stir-fry until heated through, about 1 minute.

Transfer to a serving dish and serve with small sauce bowls of fresh chilli sauce or sliced chillies and lime on the side.

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WELLNESS FOR ALL

Complement this healthy dish with Allswell Starfruit Juice to beat the heat. In TCM context, eating or drinking starfruit is said to be ‘cooling’. The five-pointed fruit is also believed to relieve sore throats and alleviate hangovers. In addition, the juicy pulp of the fruit is rich in vitamin C and B vitamins such as vitamin B5 that helps lower cholesterol as well as vitamin B9 which helps to reduce the risk of stroke and heart attacks.