Asian fast food variations: The Samurai Tamago meal

After the (I must say yummy, yet limited) Ebi Burger [ Nosh of the Day: The new Ebi Burger ] and various specials for Chinese New Year etc etc, here's the latest Singapore Asian fast food variation. I don't fancy eating this one, but it's quite a fun idea! 

The meal includes the Samurai burger with an extra egg (the tamago) and, going with the Japanese theme, red bean 'pie', a tea drink and seaweed shaken fries. I also saw some guys dressed in heavy Samurai costume yesterday near Orchard Road, apparently part of the publicity for the meal. Perhaps I didn't eat enough junk in London, but we do seem to have a lot more interestingly themed fast food over here in the East!

The Welsh Language

This week, I mentioned to some Asian friends in Singapore that part of my ancestry is Welsh, and that my Grandmother spoke some of the language. One friend asked "What does it sound like? Can people who speak British English understand it?" I guess he was thinking - not unreasonably - that Welsh was a dialect or variation of English.

In fact Welsh has absolutely no similarity to English at all, and it sounds completely alien to us! Because the roots of the Welsh language are completely different from English. Welsh, or Cymraeg, is a Celtic language. It is an old language, derived from Common Brittonic, which was the indigenous language of many of the peoples of Britain since the Iron Age, before English arrived and started replacing it in around the 5th Century.

(English is actually a Germanic language, which arrived with the Anglo Saxons and other settlers from that region. During earlier Roman Britain it seems Celtic languages were still used alongside Latin.)

Even within Welsh itself there are dialects, and also apparently polite and colloquial forms of speech. Many of the UK's ancient languages have been dying out, but since the late 20th century, the Welsh have made a concerted attempt to preserve their traditional language. All schools in Wales now teach Welsh as a compulsory subject, and about 20% are Welsh-speaking schools. Today apparently around 15% of the population of Wales is well versed in the language (speaking, reading and writing). There have also been for several decades in the UK, Welsh language television channels. (I remember these from childhood, even though we didn't live in Wales!) 

SO, in answer to my Asian friend's question, this is what Welsh sounds like (serious topics, but the subtitles show how different it is from English):
 

Incidentally (trivia) the longest place name in Britain is Welsh:
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
(Apparently the name translates as "The church of St. Mary in the hollow of white hazel trees near the rapid whirlpool by St. Tysilio's of the red cave".)

The Hawker Centre

This is such a day-to-day and ubiquitous thing in Singapore and Malaysia, that it seems almost daft to write about it. But the fact is, nothing quite like this exists in Europe (and I suspect other parts of the world too..)

A hawker centre is an area of individual stalls offering no-frills local dishes at very reasonable prices. Alongside the stalls will be seating for the diners and sometimes toilets and handwashing facilities too. They can be open-air or sometimes with roofs. Most hawker centres started life in the mid-late 20th century, when the hawker stalls might be mobile / temporary affairs serving basic food to locals. But nowadays, you'll more likely find fixed stalls offering a variety of good food.

A hawker centre should not be confused with a Food Court or Hall - which is a similar-looking, but air-conditioned arrangement you will find in malls or the CBD. In Singapore at least, Food Court stalls offer inferior, franchised, 'fast food' local dishes at a higher price. It is not the same!

Hawker food will often offer some of the best examples of local dishes, perhaps even created by one family over a couple of generations - so listen to locals to find which centre and which stalls they recommend. And again in Singapore at least, most centres are unglamorous but given regular and stringent checks for hygiene by the government bodies who own them. So even for visitors, your meal will be safe as well as tasty (though perhaps not calorie free...)

East Coast Lagoon Food Village hawker centre

Typically, you wander the area to pick your dish, go and buy your drinks while you wait for it to cook, collect your meal - with which you will get chopsticks / cutlery, but no paper napkin (take tissues!) Find a seat, eat. Deposit your empty tray at the special stand. No glamour, no service or tipping, just food.

At most hawker centres in Singapore, you'll find these standard dishes: 
Chicken rice
Fried carrot cake (actually a savoury radish cake)
Roasted pork / duck etc
Char kway teow
Yong tau foo (a soup, and you pick items to throw in)
Other kinds of fried noodles! 
A 'Western style' stand
Shaved ice desserts
Freshly squeezed sugar cane juice.

If you're lucky you might also find: 
Oyster omelet (definitely worth trying!)
Satays (ditto)
Thai food, Vietnamese, any number of other styles! 

Western style dish & sugar cane juice

Some kind of noodle dish!

Satays & fresh coconut

Ice jelly sea coconut shaved ice

Another shaved ice dessert!

 My favourite Singapore hawker centres are:
Tiong Bahru hawker centre (it's upstairs from the market) for oyster omelet (there's just one guy who does them) and shaved ice desserts. 83 Seng Poh Road, Singapore

East Coast Lagoon Food Village for satays, seafood and a view out over the beach. 1220 East Coast Parkway, Singapore

Zion Food Centre for chicken rice. 70 Zion Road, Singapore

Maxwell Road Food Centre for late night something in a central location. 1 Kadayanallur St Singapore

The one I would actually avoid is Lau Pa Sat - which is the one normally sold to tourists. Yes, it's central but it's CBD prices and I have never yet had an even half decent meal in there.

Happy eating!

Martial Art of the Month: Japan - Kudo

I met a Russian guy at my sports club recently, who told me that back home he practiced Kudo. And showed me a video of it. I'd never seen or heard of it before (I am slightly obsessive about martial arts, so new things are always interesting!) But apparently it's very popular in Russia. The sparring video showed a fast, aggressive sport - including takedowns, ground work (ground and pound?!) submissions and strikes (and actually quite a few kicks I recognised directly from taekwondo).

Kudo is a form of Japanese full-contact karate. There are many, many variations of full-contact karate - nearly all developed in the late 20th century and using different permitted techniques and scoring systems. These styles formed the basis of the popular Japanese MMA movement (in the years before UFC and co became big). From what I can gather, Kudo is the competitive sparring system of the Daido Juku style of karate developed in the 1980s. It combines a broad range of standup and groundwork (I think ground time is limited in competition, however) and allows any strike - including elbows, knees, kicks to the groin and head-butting.

What separates Kudo from mainstream modern MMA (apart from the groin, and usually head butt thing) is that it still adheres to the traditional martial arts principles of etiquette, discipline, spirituality, education, life-long dedication and journey, (known collectively as Budo: 'way of life'). 'Ku' stands for adherence to three philosophical principles, roughly: life as transient/things as formless; interdependence of all things; liberalism/open-mind. 'Do' means 'the way of' as in juDo, kenDo, aikiDo etc. Also like traditional martial arts, there is a belt system for Kudoka (students and practitioners of Kudo).

In competition, fighters wear gi, with a head/face protector and mitts (and I would strongly hope, groin protection!) In some countries there is additional shin and body protection required for females and juniors. Victory is obtained by bringing down your opponent through strikes, or submitting them. The rules info I can find is sketchy, but it seems you can submit more than once during a round and also win by scoring points. A match (or a round in a match?) lasts three minutes, with extra time given if a decision cannot be made during the bout. 

**If anyone knows the rules of Kudo with more clarity, please do post them in Comments!

Anyway, I kinda like this sport. Here's a video - see what you think!

Photo credit: Kudo Federation of Australia

More martial arts of the month:
Martial Art of the Month: South Korea - Yongmudo 
Martial Art of the Month: Cambodia - Pradal Serey (Khmer Boxing) 
Martial art of the month: Indonesia / Malaysia - Silat 
Martial art of the month: Japan - Sumo 
Martial Art of the Month: Korea - Taekwondo

Food of the Day: pulasan

I'd seen these luxurious-looking fruits around in Malaysia and Singapore, and thought they were a posh variety of rambutan. In fact they're frighteningly similar, but apparently not the same fruit (though a related family).

The name pulasan comes from the Malay word pulas which means twisting - the act which opens the fruit. These guys vary in size from hen's egg to small cricket ball. The deep purple/red skin is thicker than that of a rambutan, with blunt 'spikes' that have an almost velvety appearance. Inside the fruit looks almost exactly the same as a rambutan, with identical shape, colour and stone inside. But the flesh is juicer and a the flavour a little more watery. (For those who haven't tried rambutans, they're not dissimilar from lychees, but with a more tangy, slightly less sugary taste.) 

 

Price-wise, in Singapore at least, these guys cost me a lot more than rambutans do (possibly partly because they are bigger / heavier, so you get less fruits for your cash?) Definitely good to try, though! 

The wonders of Bone Setting Water!

OK, this isn't a martial art, but it's something I've used across my training career in martial arts! Zheng Gu Shui is literally translated as bone setting water. It's a Chinese herbal remedy which works absolute wonders on muscle pains. It was introduced to me by a Singaporean teacher in the UK many years ago, and personally I find it works better than Deep Heat and its compatriots, when it comes to those post-training aches.

Zheng Gu Shui is apparently an old remedy, which does/did actually speed the healing process for broken bones. I have never tried this (I do think it's best to visit a medic for advice if you have any serious problems!) But it works great for aching muscles, stiff neck, and even has helped a bit with a diagnosed back pain, tendonitis and plantar fasciitis. My teacher apparently used to use it along with massage of the effected area.

The product is a brown water, smelling strongly of camphor - which is one of the constituents along with cinnamon bark, and various seeds and roots. So it's not very social from a fragrance perspective - but you can apply with a cotton pad at night, and you will find your achey quads / shoulders / triceps etc do feel better by morning. 

It gives a hot / cold tingling effect when applied to the skin and I can't imagine it would be very good for broken or sensitive skin, so take care. 

In London, a bottle of Zheng Gu Shui from Chinatown can set you back £14 (SG$28). While in Singapore the same bottle will cost you SG$3.50. It's even cheaper in Malaysia. So if you are visiting Malaysia or Singapore, or have an easygoing team member who is, it's a good place to stock up.

Happy training! 

Coffee making

Fed up of instant-sachet-with-chemicals coffee? Or having to schlepp to your nearest Costa for a decent cuppa? In Europe many people have devices to make good, fresh coffee at home. This seems less common in Singapore at least (where perhaps coffee has not been part of the local history in the same way?) In SG coffee lovers in the middle classes seem to opt for electronic coffee maker machines - please don't! Below are some affordable options from East and West for anyone wanting a good home brew.

1. The Cafetiere (plunger-style coffee maker)

This one is most probably French in origin, pronounced cafe-tee-AIR, but also known as a French Press and other names globally. And in my opinion it's one of the easiest ways to make good coffee for one, or a group.

Add ground coffee beans to the cafetiere, boil a kettle, wait for the kettle to cool ever so slightly (so that you don't burn the coffee with scalding water). Add the water, put in the plunger, and squish it down slowly (not completely, but enough to let the water and coffee mingle with a little pressure). Leave it for about 3 minutes to let the beans soak into the water for your drink. Then just pour like a normal teapot or jug. (The plunger stops the coffee grounds floating in your beverage!) I like this one as it can be put onto a breakfast table like a teapot for everyone to pour from, and it won't burn your table. 

The slight downside is washing the cafetiere, which can be fiddly, and leave coffee grains all over your sink. And you need to handle with care to avoid smashing.

2. Phin (the Vietnamese coffee maker)

This is one of the cheapest and easiest of methods (at least if you are in Vietnam or nearby, where these makers are available!) It was designed for the special (and I must say extremely good) Vietnam style coffee, which is dripped slowly through this device to create a very rich brew (and often mixed with condensed milk.) The downer is that traditionally it will only do one cup at a time. So it's great for one person, or you have to purchase several. (I think there are modern, giant versions out there, but no idea how well they work!)

I have only used this type once, but you basically take it apart, place the main part on top of your cup. Then add three heaped teaspoons of the Vietnamese grounds and put the perforated metal filter on top of the coffee. Pour in hot water. As for all coffee, water should be just a fraction cooler than boiling. Put the main lid on top of the device to keep the water warm. Gravity will take the water through the coffee grounds into your cup. Obviously the slower it drips through, the richer your brew, and apparently it should take about five minutes for one cup. You can temper the speed of the dripping by adjusting the filter part.

In Vietnam I believe you add the condensed milk to the cup first, and let the coffee drip through onto it. You can either mix it in after the coffee is done, or leave it to savour at the end of your drink. The coffee grounds used are generally quite grainy and can come plain or with chicory! This device works fine with other blends and styles of coffee as well.

3. The Coffee Percolator (cooker-top coffee maker)

Known also as the Perky Copulator in my family, I think due to somebody's mispronunciation. (Don't let this put you off ^^). This device seems to have mixed US/French origins.

Like the above two makers, the coffee percolator uses coffee grounds, which you can buy ready made from a supermarket or coffee vendor. Connoisseurs often prefer to buy the beans and a grinder to do their own, fresher version.

Unscrew the device, remove the 'cup like' perforated filter piece. Fill the base with water about 4/5 of the way up. Replace the filter cup and fill it with coffee grounds, patting them down until flat. Screw the jug part back on. Place onto a cooker ring to heat. The water boils and pushes up through the filter, getting steeped in coffee before it collects in the jug. You'll hear the 'kkkkrrrrkkkkrrrr' when it's nearly ready and can carefully check if the jug is full. Switch off the cooker. Pour. 

Cleaning is a little easier than the cafetiere, as after brewing, the grounds are usually dry and compacted and can be emptied easily into the bin. But you might also need a metal 'mat' for some gas cookers, to allow it to balance safely while heating. You will also need to periodically replace the rubber washer (and perhaps other parts) over the lifetime of this device. (I had one in London for over 15 years!) So before you buy, make sure that there is a local shop which sells parts, and the right size / brand.

4. Yes - expensive electronic coffee makers

Really, if decent coffee is your goal, this is not the way to go. Some will make fancy cappuccinos and other options, but you can buy cheap devices to do that if you really want it.

The downer with electronic machines is that:

a) They cost an arm and a leg to buy

b) You will be continuously tied into buying wasteful throw-away parts such as filter papers and capsules from the same manufacturer (a cash drain and a bit crap for the environment)

c) Some types will only fit / allow you to use capsules of their own branded coffee - which are both exorbitantly over-priced, and limit you to the types of blends and roasts you can drink 

d) They can also be noisy, and difficult / expensive to service

e) They just have no character!

If you want your kitchen to look like a fancy Starbucks, please go ahead and purchase one of these. And I guess if you go for the REAL, industrial Starbucks type machine (costing several $thousand!) you'll probably get a very good brew. But if you're a regular person / household and want to enjoy and experiment with good beverages, go for one of the other options!

Incidentally if anyone has intel on other traditional Asian coffee devices or methods, do add in comments. I know that there are other SE Asian coffee styles (for example the great, thick, nutty Melaka peranakan style coffee from Malaysia) but I actually have no idea what machinery is used to make them! 

A couple more Asian coffee posts:
Singapore / Indonesia: 'Civet Cat Coffee' (no s**t!)
Civet Cat Coffee - THE TRIAL  
  [Btw apologies for the appalling layout of text in this article - Blogger's formatting is malfunctioning yet again - I hope the content is still vaguely interesting!]

Available photo credits:

Legend Cookshop

Miami New Times blog