Cellophane lanterns - it's Mid-Autumn Festival time again :)

Yep, the autumnal equinox is coming up again, and with it the paraphernalia of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. Crucially, sweet moon-cakes and lanterns. In fact, across Chinese parts of Asia, you will find cities with amazing lantern rigs going up. But the lanterns I love are the old-style, coloured cellophane animals, which I remember from years back in Malaysia. They're so pretty it seems a terrible shame to burn them (which is ultimately the idea at the Mid-Autumn festival!) (Or at least we did that in Malaysia!) These lights are a basic wire frame, with colourful, painted cellophane stretched across it. The wire has a coil to fit a candle inside.

For whatever reason (possibly my own lack of observation?) it's been a while since I saw these for sale in Singapore. Anyway I saw some today. And here they are :)

And if you want to find out more about the Mid-Autumn Festival, you can here, on an inappropriately large link which Blogger won't let me format (it works, though!): 

The Mid Autumn Festival

To look at one of Singapore's municipal lantern displays, click here: 

Mid autumn lanterns at night

 

 

Raclette!

I've said before that European cuisines rarely involve 'cooked-at-table' recipes - as compared to Asian cultures with their multi-various hotpots, sizzling platters etc. Well Raclette is one of the limited European exceptions. And it is getting quite fashionable worldwide now. Apparently.

In London, I always knew it as a French dish. And it is popular in France. But it is originally from Switzerland (which is next to France, and often speaks French too..) Raclette is the name of both the cheese, and the dish involving it. The name actually derives from the French verb 'to scrape off'. And the dish's origins are old, and rustic - it was originally a food eaten by farmers and shepherds.

The cheese is a sort of semi-squashy, smooth one (softer, Edam-ish in texture?) and it is usually produced in large rounds. The dish entails rustic foods with hot Raclette cheese freshly melted onto them. These foods are usually - boiled potatoes, charcuterie (various cold meats) with sides of cornichons (little pickles) and other bits. Ours came with quails eggs, a little mustard for flavouring.

The way it is served varies. The one I knew from the UK involved shaving the melts from a big, heated, half-round of Raclette cheese onto the ingredients. For this week's version, however, we had an oven at the table, and a couple of small 'trays with paddles'. You put sliced, cold Raclette, meats etc onto the trays and heat them in the grill. Then use the wooden paddle to scrape / pour the warmed items and liquid cheese over the potato. The top of the heater also acts as a kind of griddle for meats, but our French host suggested just putting the hot potato pan up there, and warming everything else underneath.

The aim of Raclette (the dish) is that it is a slow, social activity. It should be enjoyed with a dry white wine and relaxed, good, conversation, while dipping in to the food.Often large groups will share raclette for this very reason.

The verdict: Pretty tasty! Also rich, and filling (we shared Raclette for one between two and it was ample!) The cheese is best eaten when liquid and piping hot, as it cools it becomes a little stringy (like Mozzarella) but it is flavoursome. The cornichons add a tart spike where needed. And we were also lucky to have some really good quality meats in the charcuterie, including a delicious, fine, air-dried beef (Bresi?) But the overall feel for me (as a European) was simple, country-fare, possibly due to the boiled potato base.

Raclette is not the cheapest dish to have (outside of France/Switzerland, perhaps?) But it is definitely worth a try. Go with friends and a long afternoon or evening to relax in!

Balonglong, kedongdong...

Lots of food and drink posts at prez, as I'm a bit short on spare time! 

However, this one was a newie on me. I've lived in SE Asia on and off over a few decades and only just discovered this fruit. It was listed as both balonglong and kedongdong (simultaneously) at a local juice pressing stall, so I thought I'd try it. 

The juice verdict: pretty nice. Refreshing, a bit tart. I'd say a sort of combo of sourish green apple + celery. 

But what on earth is balonglong / kedongdong.. ? Well it's a green, plum-sized, tropical fruit, resembling a small guava, but with smoother flesh. It is not related to the guava, but a closer sister to the cashew, oddly. In fact I think I've had it before, sliced, crunchy, with shrimp paste (which is how it is commonly eaten in this region). I just didn't know what it was, or assumed it was sour mango! It is also a traditional component in that yummy local dish 'rojak'.

What struck me the most, though, is this fruit's ridiculous list of names worldwide! (Check the Wikipedia link below). Ambarella is a common one, apparently. It is called Kedongdong in Indonesia and Malaysia, and Balonglong in next door Singapore (or 'buah longlong' - buah means 'fruit' in Malay, which is the historically indigenous language in Singapore). It is also known as buah amra in Malaysia, apparently - I'll check this out with Malay pals.  

Anyway, always nice to discover new things! Look out for this guy if you're in the region :) 

Juice

Fruit

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spondias_dulcis


Other tropical fruit posts: 

Food of the Day: pulasan

Sweet and soursop

Nosh of the Day: salak

Nosh of the Day: Pearl Jambu

Today's Ad - Black Nut Gives You Wings

Not Red Bull, Black Nut. I am hoping that the replication is deliberate. And presumably they haven't been sued because it could also be read as a statement of fact: this restaurant really does give you wings! (Barbecued and otherwise...) Anyway, not often you get witty ads like this in Singapore, and it always makes me smile when I see it at bus-stops :)

 

Matcha of the Day: Kiwami o-matcha

Kiwami o-matcha 極みお抹茶 (or 'ultimate matcha') is currently being served at Tsujiri, my fave outlet in Singapore for green-tea treats. So I thought I'd try it on my way in to work today.

It's does not look like its poster. What I got was this fab, stripy-camouflage thing! The dark stripes are actually a high quality matcha mixed with honey, and drizzled around the cup before they add the ice-blended matcha. In fact the milk is also supposed to be higher quality than usual.

Brits might be surprised to hear this, but even regular-priced authentic Japanese outlets can be very exacting about their product. They WILL test regular milk against Hokkaido milk, for example, and see which one their customers will like. (Tsujiri certainly does, as their boss once asked me to try soft ice-cream made with different milks, and give her my opinion!)

Anyway, The Verdict: It was nice, though I also like the regular ice-blended version. The sweetness is honey sweetness, rather than syrup, and there is a stonger taste of (bitter) matcha. I guess it's more like how nature would have intended a matcha slushie to be! The milk was a little richer, but I couldn't taste it hugely against the stronger honey/bitter elements.

Either way, it's only an extra 30c, so why not try it? I might certainly order it again.

Tsujiri in Singapore: http://www.tsujiri.sg/

More reading on this blog: Matcha Addiction: An Introduction
Or just click the Matcha Addiction menu!

Nosh of the Day: Bijin Nabe

Japan has a bunch of hot soupy stewy things, which cook in a heated pot at the table. The pot is called 'nabe' 鍋 and the various stews are called 'nabemono' 鍋物 (nabe things). Nabemono include dishes like Sukiyaki, Shabu-shabu, Oden, and Chankonabe (the rampantly nutritious soup fed to Sumo wrestlers!) The cooking-at-table concept is quite common in East and South East Asia (it's almost unheard of in Europe).

Something I'd seen advertised in various Japanese eateries in Singapore was the 'chicken collagen + yuzu' soup recipe. Despite the fact that the title sounds more like a Hollywood cosmetic procedure than a recipe, I was kind of curious.(Yuzu is a Japanese citrus fruit btw). And a well-versed, Japanophile foodie friend suggested trying a chicken collagen + yuzu nabemono in Singapore. (Perhaps not?) ironically the name of the restaurant is Bijin Nabe ('beauty nabe')!

In fact when I've consequently mentioned it to Japanese friends, they've been puzzled and said they've never heard of 'chicken collagen + yuzu'. So perhaps it's a new, or Singaporean 'Japanese' invention?? It was very tasty, though. And quite a fun ritual preparing it. Here's how it went:

This is the chicken collagen. And there's chicken meat underneath.

Collagen heats at the table. Simmers.

Once cooked, the chicken is served. A portion of soup is given for tasting.

Yummy additions arrive! Veggies, shrimp, chicken sausage meat, tofu. A selection of dipping condiments is also brought out - including a strong-tasting yuzu one. 

Waitress adds ingredients in correct order.

Eat the bits as they cook. Ingredients all add to the soup flavour too. At the end, noodles are added quickly for a final noshdown (you could also opt for rice).

Sky Magic drone display

Can't stop watching this! So elegant! Tech meets tradition in such a cool and classy way. In Japan, needless to say. It's actually a PR stunt by a Japanese company that offers drones and shows. And if viral, consumer buzz is what they wanted, the have certainly got it. Watch in full screen for best effect :)