IN THE KITCHEN WITH MARTIN: Bay Area chef Martin Yan shows how it’s done at the Singapore Food Show. Photo Courtesy Shirley Fong-Torres
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IN THE KITCHEN WITH MARTIN: Bay Area chef Martin Yan shows how it’s done at the Singapore Food Show. Photo Courtesy Shirley Fong-Torres |
By Shirley Fong-Torres
Don’t break the law while you’re in Singapore," my friends urged as I was getting ready to leave. "They have laws against spitting, chewing gum, and littering-not to mention the caning that young American man received for spraying graffiti on a car!"
While I appreciated their advice, my friends’ warnings were unnecessary. As I boarded the Singapore Airlines 747 in San Francisco, I wasn’t thinking about staying out of trouble; instead, I was looking forward to spending two weeks in the island nation, sampling the culinary delights of its annual food festival, which features some of the most delicious food in the world.
Chef Martin Yan and I traveled on the same flight, a 14-hour marathon with a one-hour stopover in Hong Kong. We left San Francisco at about 1:30 a.m. on July 3, and landed in Singapore just before noon on July 5, having lost a day as we crossed the International Date Line.
Yan makes his home in the Bay Area, but spends most of the year traveling, his time divided between domestic and international commitments. He has made numerous public appearances, in addition to taping more than 140 segments for the Television Corporation of Singapore.
Yan has made quite a name for himself over the years, but more importantly, in raising understanding and appreciation of Chinese cooking, he is doing what he loves. While abroad, wherever he is noticed-on the street, in a restaurant, in a market, or at the airport-people will come up to speak to him, or flash a shy smile and snap a quick picture.
But, behind the humorous anecdotes and speedy cleaver, Yan has a mission that goes beyond his love for cooking and flair for performing. He has elevated Asian cuisine to unprecedented heights, while sharing his vast knowledge and offering cooking tips to his audiences.
Recently, Yan became part of a select team of chefs who are working to promote "New Asia Singapore Cuisine," a style which places emphasis on Singaporean heritage.
Singapore is a tropical island situated at the crossroads of Asia, and its population is a mix of Chinese, Malays, Indians, Indochinese, and Eurasians. One restaurateur describes the local cuisine as a result of "cross-pollination"-a process by which each of the island’s ethnic cuisines has incorporated elements of other regional styles over the years, giving rise to hybrids such as Chinese-Malay.
Seasoned visitors to Singapore plan their holidays around the Food Festival, and try to make the most of their time. In addition to sightseeing and shopping, they will often hold impromptu feasts at food malls, hawker centers, five-star hotels, and traditional restaurants in Chinatown, Katong, and on Arab Street.
Incidentally, eating on the street is quite safe in Singapore, due to the strict cleanliness laws imposed by the government. Chicken Rice, one of the island’s most famous dishes, consists of fresh steamed chicken served with rice cooked in a tasty chicken broth, and is sold almost everywhere.
Most food festivals last for a weekend, or maybe even a week, but in Singapore-where food is a religion-the gastronomic gala goes on for a full month. It opens with a huge carnival in the heart of the popular shopping area of Orchard Road. Food stalls feature Chinese, Malay, Indian, Eurasian, Italian, French, Mexican, North and South American, and Singaporean dishes.
Throughout the month, especially on weekends, food-related activities draw crowds of people looking for an opportunity to enjoy the sun and see world-famous chefs in action. Professional chefs from Europe, Hong Kong, and the Hawaiian Islands participate in the event, and Australia lends a hand by supplying emu meat and tropical fruits.
Among the activities is the Duck Feast, during which more than 1,500 ducks are put on display and cooked in a variety of ways by dozens of local hotel and independent restaurants. Duck is sold throughout the day, with proceeds going to charity.
Another food-related event, the Gourmet Safari, takes place at four of Singapore’s finest restaurants, and features delicacies such as Jasmine Smoked Foie Gras of Goose, Kumquat Chili Jam, and desserts too numerous to list.
Silliness prevails at the watermelon-eating, Coke-drinking, prata-tossing, and banana-eating contests, while serious attempts are made to break the world record for the longest kebab, the highest sandwich, and the longest tropical log cake. In more ways than one, the festival is a paradise for food lovers.
Clarke Quay, named after Sir Andrew Clarke, the second governor of Singapore, is the site of one of Chef Martin Yan’s wildly popular cooking exhibitions. On the day of the show I attended, the area, filled with shops and restaurants, was packed with tourists. It was a hot and humid day, and although he was under a tent and out of the sun, Yan looked a bit warm in his professional chef’s outfit. He did not show it, however, and kept smiling and laughing throughout.
Every year, Yan invites local chefs to join him and work together to produce something special. Yan’s energy is boundless, and the young chefs are always eager to work with the master.
One afternoon this year, he introduced Chef Shen from nearby Yunnan Kitchen. Using a cleaver, Shen quickly transformed a fish filet into a chrysanthemum, and left the audience gasping in awe. On another occasion, Yan introduced Chef John Beriker, a former Californian who now is in charge of the kitchen at J. P. Bastiani Mediterranean Bar & Restaurant.
Although Yan spends a lot of time preparing scrumptious food, he preaches the need for eating in moderation. "The way to maintain balance in your diet is through moderation," he explains. "In our business, we are always tempted by the food we prepare, but we do not eat everything on our plates-instead, we try to do tastings ... until dessert, that is."
Singapore’s food scene is busy and exciting, and choices range from the simple to the sophisticated. Perhaps most popular are the food courts, where everyone dines at one time or another.
Food is independent of status, and perhaps this is why so many different regional varieties are readily available here. In fact, it’s not uncommon to see Rolls-Royces in the parking lots of the food courts. In American terms, this would be roughly the equivalent of seeing Donald Trump’s limousine parked next to a hot dog stand on the streets of New York.
Shirley Fong-Torres is a chef, instructor, author, and operator of the Wok Wiz Chinatown Tours & Cooking Co. She loves to feed people. E-mail her at wokwiz@ aol.com.
| Steamed Fish with Sizzling Lemongrass Oil | |
|---|---|
| Makes 4 to 6 servings
5 dried black mushrooms
for sizzling oil:
for fish dressing:
1. Soak mushrooms in warm water to cover until softened, about 15 minutes; drain. Trim and discard stems. Halve caps. Cut each piece of lemongrass into 5 slanting slices. Julienne 2 green onions and leave 2 green onions whole. 2. Combine sizzling lemongrass oil ingredients in a saucepan; set aside. Combine fish dressing ingredients in another saucepan; set aside. 3. Cut fish 3/4 inch deep along vertebrae on each side of bone. Cut 5 slits lengthwise, 3/4 inch deep, on both sides off fish. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Place a piece of mushroom, lemongrass, and ginger in each slit. |
4. Place whole green onions in center of a heat-proof glass
pie dish; lay fish on top. Prepare a wok for steaming. Cover and steam
fish over high heat until fish turns opaque, 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Sprinkle half the julienned green onion over fish. Heat sizzling lemongrass oil over high heat until hot; drizzle over fish. Heat fish dressing over high heat and cook until heated through; pour over fish. Garnish with remaining julienned green onions.
From Martin Yan’s Culinary Journey Through China (KQED Books) by Martin Yan. ©Yan Can Cook, Inc. 1995
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