Lunchtime in Singapore around the office is fairly quiet - the markets take a breather because the local clients generally take their lunch breaks seriously... and that's not a surprise in the food-frenzied island city that is Singapore. I was happy to jump on that bandwagon with two clients, Toto and Raymond, who were excited to show me to their local favorites after discovering my rivaling enthusiasm for food (and subsequent documentation thereof in the very blog that you are currently perusing). So we started our local lunch adventure in little india to get some spicy south indian. The staple of a south indian meals is rice and the accompaniments are very spicy. Coconut is widely available in the south so is used in southern cooking, and I've mostly seen it in the form of a chutney that you can eat with rice or dosa, a very thin and savory pancake used as an alternative to rice to soak up curries and chutneys...mmmm. We got a vegetarian meals that have different curries, a chutney and sauces in round mini saucers. The rice comes on a banana leaf and there are no utensils for this southern meal, so get your scoop on! Don't forget the cool, sweet and tangy mango lassi to cut the spice.
Malaysian food is also a realm of spice, though different spices... and this was not a vegetarian meal as you can tell from my mouth full of squid tentacles below. Toto, I suggest you quit trading and go into photography cause that picture is a winner! HOT... or perhaps art is your calling because the below diagram of our meal is priceless (thank you!!. The squid dish (please refer to #2) was in it's own ink and was delicious. We tried a variety of sides for our rice at Sinar Pagi Nasi Padang Restaurant that were served on a banana leaf, including chili prawns, tofu and veg, and fried eggs. The coconut and yellow curry sauce was a favorite as well as the egg-like brown potatoes that were soft and sweet. After meals like these it's a wonder we could hobble back to work and focus on our computer screens. Come to think of it, they were dozing a bit during my post-lunch demo (yes, I saw your yawns!!!) ... but oh, so worth it.
- Nasi putih “ Steamed rice on banana leaf”
- Sotong Hitam “Stewed squid in ink”
- Brinjal “Stir fried eggplant topped with chilly paste”
- Sambal Goreng “spicy salad of tofu, bean cake and long beans”
- Perkedel “fried mashed potato”
- Kuah Curry “curry gravy”
- Telur Goreng “egg omelet”
