ieat writes: Having much deliberation and devious ways of teasing the tastebuds of our Hawker Food Hopefuls, we have finally found the Hawker Food Champion!Ok, I have to admit that the person having the most fun was probably me.  I took my job of chief interrogator quite seriously as it was my job to create the sweat beads on the foreheads of our would be food critic.  So before the taste ...
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ieat writes: Well, judging by the response of the kakis from the first Beef Appreciation class, it looks like I need to start organizing Beef Appreciation Session II!Yes, our participants were introduced to cow anatomy, shown how to cook a beef steak, how to slice it and how to appreciate the difference between grassfed, grainfed, Wagyu and Aged USDA prime Ribeye.  I think the only complain was that everyone wished they could have a whole Ribeye steak to themselves!Once ...
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ieat writes: Epok Epok $1.20Have you ever wondered how I find all the makan places on the blog?  Well, when I first started the blog it was quite easy.  Just look for lists of all the best food places that people have posted on the internet. Once that began to dry up, I started our own forum to let our kakis exchange notes about what they have discovered.  Very soon, we have our very own makan brigade and it's just a matter of asking the brigade Captain, a post currently held by Soundman where to eat lunch in any given week.  Then of course there are the plethora ...
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ieat writes: Front CoverYou might have read about this book on the front page of the Sunday Times recently. Prof Tommy Koh was calling for hawker food to be taught in culinary schools so that we can preserve the integrity of our hawker dishes.Anyway, my publishers Epigram had asked me to contribute photos for this book which is written as a guidebook for tourist who may not know about our local dishes. I was quite surprised that Epigram has made me a Co-Author of the "Carrot Cake" book so now I can actually say that I have published a book! It certainly was not something ...
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ieat writes: Har Cheong Gai $8Once in a while I find myself doubting my own tastebuds.  This happens when I visit a stall that is highly recommended by many people but come away feeling that I must have gone on a day when the chef has decided to take the day off.I have waitied for a very long time to eat at Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood.  I have been warned that this place can get so crowded that you have to wait for a while before being able to get a seat. This place is also very highly recommended by our facebook fans and word ...
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ieat writes: Do you like Charsiew Polo Buns?  I do and I wanted to try baking some myself so I casually asked our favourite Hong Kong Masterchef, Gen Shu if he would be willing to share his recipe with us.  Not only was he willing, but he even volunteered his friend Chef Ip to come over to my place to personally show us how to make the buns! Chef Ip, as ...
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ieat writes: Kopi Si 70 centsWhere in the world can you find a great cup of Coffee at 5am in the morning for 70 cents?  Well, in Singapore all you have to do is to walk into a market and food centre and you will probably be able to find one. I guess that is one of those romantic things about living in Singapore and even romanticer if you happen to live in an HDB block that is just next to a market and food centre.Like most Singaporeans, I grew up living in a HDB flat and it is only quite recently that I ...
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ieat writes: Ok, I haven't written much about Goreng Pisang because, well, its deep fried food you know, and so it has always been something I eat once in a long while.But this "while" has been a little too long. I have neglected to write about Goreng Pisang which is also part a of the fabric of our hawker culture.  Goreng Pisang (its really Pisang Goreng in Malay)  means "Deep Fried Bananas" and is Malay or Indonesian in origin.  When you eat Pisang Goreng from a Malay stall, it is often made with a gigantic banana, properly called a plantain.  Plantains are less sweet than the banana that we are familiar with and ...
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ieat writes: Photo by HolybroSince we are going to be printing T shirts for our upcoming Sandakan Trip, I thought it would be a good time to print it for our readers as well!  The T shirts are modelled after the New Zealand All Black Rugby jersey and will be made of a good quality black dri-fit material so that it is comfortable to wear at a hawker centre and resistent to chilli crab stains.The cost of each T shirt is $20 (it will be less if we have a big order) and we will organize a special makan session for everyone who have placed their orders ...
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ieat writes: Various Chinese Teas from 10 o'clock White tea and moving clockwise to green, yellow, Oolong and Black TeasIf I asked you what is the most expensive beverage in the world, most people would probably think of a bottle of vintage wine or brandy.  But from what I hear from our Tea Merchant from Peh Sin Choon, I reckon the most expensive beverage in the world might just be Chinese Tea.Legend has it that the mother of a Ming Dynasty Emperor was cured of an illness by drinking tea from 4 particular bushes in the Wuyi mountains of Fujian province.  As a result, the Emperor sent ...
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