Doner Kabab

I had heard about ‘Doner kabab' from friends who had visited Istanbul and Tel Aviv. I was told I have to have to try it if I’m ever in one of these places. Well I haven’t made it to Turkey or Israel yet, but Dubai has been a good window for Mediterranean cuisine if there ever was one.

Happened to pass by Kosebasi Anatolian Turkish Grill in Mirdif City Centre the other day, and found Doner kabab on the menu. So of course I dragged my friend towards the pretty pictures of the menu; it didn’t take long for us to sit down.

Doner Kabab

We ordered the Doner kabab (ground beef and lamb grilled on the spit like those shawarma mounds), which came with an assortment of wheat and sesame bread. We also ordered Cacic (cucumber and garlic salad). They brought along our good old pickled veggies, which I have realized go well with almost anything!

The Cacic was essentially what we Indians would call raita, so cynics, I wouldn’t recommend it to you. I still think it was something different – it had those herbs that added extra flavour to it. It was served chilled, and both the veggies and yogurt were fresh. Considering the ten things that can go wrong with raita/salad/dip, I appreciated the preparation, and found it super refreshing!

Cacic

My friends were right about the doner kabab. The meat was succulent. It was consistent, not too thick, and just short of melting in your mouth. It’s mixed with Turkish spices, so the flavour was new to me – it was kinda mild, not spicy at all – it must have been a mix of many spices. I could definitely taste a hint of cumin (could there be cardamom as well?), possibly some garlic and onions, and at least two or three of the rosemary/thyme varieties. Oh, and this one felt like it was totally buttered up, however I’d like to believe I didn’t gorge on something drenched in butter. Let’s just assume it was cooked generously in olive oil.

Though I can’t be too sure about the exact composition, apparently the meat is supposed to be thicker, like thick chunks. Here, however, they cut off mere slivers of the roast meat for our plate. But I didn't enjoy it any less! And I'll be looking forward to trying out the thick version from a local joint.

I was told that the reason the kabab was so good was (a) because of the Turkish spices and (b) it was fresh off the spit, as opposed to some places that chop off the roasted meat from the spit and keep it aside ready to serve when people ordered it. In this case, they kept the spit cooking the  meat gently so the taste is preserved.

Now, Kosebasi is an award-winning restaurant, known for its high quality, authentic Turkish food. It was the first place I spotted that had Doner kabab, so I jumped on it. I will be going back to explore the menu of course, I had a great time. But wherever you see doner, just try it ok! And let me know how it was and where you tried it! I’ll be on the lookout ;)

Fat Boy’s, Singapore

This is for when you want to indulge.

Every once in a while, you want to just go out and get fat. You want to just eat a whole restaurant. Hungry, moody, rage-y, a burger will settle you down, purr and burp.

Though Singapore has a wide range of burger chains including stalwarts such as Carl’s Junior and MOS Burger, I didn’t get a chance to visit those while I was there. Luckily, I did manage Fat Boy’s, and oh boy, did I get fat.

Picture this:

• Huge, rich, almost-obscene sounding burgers
• Giant mutant potato wedge/fries
• Football matches on their screens
• Ginormous Hoegaardens – $10 a glass, 6:00 pm onwards, everyday!!

How did I not know about this place before?? The place even has a water cooler that you can take unlimited glasses of water! Now as my Accounting professor told us in our first week, "there is no free lunch in Singapore". So yeah, a water cooler, and a friendly server encouraging you to use it is a big deal!

And hullo.. $10 for a Hoegaarden the size of your face?? In a land where a ‘bottle’ of beer is a merely a pint, and every ‘bottle’ comes for at least $14.00 at pubs - a large glass like that, which had to be at least 500ml, served with the Europe’s best white beer, with no happy hour restrictions other than ‘6PM onwards’, is a frikkin steal people!

The Fat Boy’s menu has, in addition to drool-worthy appetizers and snacks, a long list of specialty burgers. Themes like “Jamaican Me Hungry” (Jerk seasoned bacon stuffed Pork patty topped with sundried tomatoes, chewy bacon and homemade coleslaw and smothered with mayonaise on a sesame seed bun) and “The Elvis” (Bacon stuffed Pork patty, grilled bananas and creamy peanut butter on a honey oat bun) tend to catch your eye. The most recommended burger is the “Fat Basterd” (Double beef chuck patties, chewy bacon,cheddar cheese, a fried egg and homemade Fatboy's sauce on a sesame bun), the biggest baddest burger on the menu.

Note: All menu descriptions are courtesy http://www.fatboys.sg/food.html.

Bleu Peppercorn burger and Hoegaarden beer at Fat Boy's

I went for something relatively simple, I like my orders a little spicier and stronger. My “Bleu Peppercorn” (Beef chuck patty coated in crushed black pepper topped with a crispy onion ring, and homemade blue cheese dressing on a sesame bun) arrived in a plate of burger and fries that I could not possibly finish. But I did.

The pepper beef patty was so solid, so juicy. And my mind started wandering to the actual production of this beef, it was astounding how the crushed pepper corns were there in every bite! And it was all meat, none of that irritating onion-potato stuff that fills it up. This was solid ground beef. (Btw - the picture doesn’t do the burger size justice. It’s taken from the fries angle. The burger is actually huge, the kind that you really have to open wide to bite!)

And the cheese! Oh the cheese. Blue cheese has this almost unbearable twang on your tongue sometimes, but with this burger it all just came together. The sourish blue cheese, the peppery beef patty and the sweet glazed onions all balanced the flavours out and the result was nom-nom-nom-nom burger that was washed down with a never ending tumbler of beer.

Technorati Tags: Fat Boy's,Singapore,Burgers,specialty burgers,peppercorn,Hoegaarden,beer,fries,wedges

Oriental Delicacies: Frog legs and the like

Frog legs

Now now, don’t be afraid. You must have apprehensions, just like everybody else, about even beginning to try something so disgusting sounding. I’m with you.

Chilli frog legs in claypot,
with dong po pork on the side

But it cannot be denied that when in Asia, you are the tiniest bit inclined to do as the Asians do, be it crunching cockroaches in China or munching bheja fry in India.

So we are talking delicacies. And from the very first day I landed in Singapore, I kept seeing ‘frog legs’ this and ‘frog legs’ that everywhere. They like it as a porridge (congee), they like it fried, they like it with chilli. Singaporeans like their frog legs.

I knew I had to try it, but how to get the image of a frikkin frog out of your head? Well that’s the answer really. You have the kick the image out of your head, else the average Indian would rather take sanyas.

Once I got the image out of the head, I was able to taste it just like any other dish. We ordered chilli frog legs; it sure came loaded with chilli. So the flavour was strong, in case I didn’t want to taste just the meat.

The meat was pretty soft. It was akin to a very soft chicken or a slightly hard fish. We could break pieces easily, and there was plenty of meat to go around. In fact the chilli flavour was so overbearing that I could hardly notice what kind of meat I was picking off. If you weren’t told it was frog, you may not figure it out yourself either! As you can see from the picture, it looks totally unsuspicious :)

So go ahead and try it my friend. It’s a decent dish, something that’s very popular in Singapore, so you should try it at least once! The chilli frog legs usually come in a big claypot, so make sure you go with your friends - cringe and binge together :) Cheers!

Cheapest meal in Singapore?

Ok people, here’s the real deal. This is Singapore street food at it’s best. Not for the fussy kind, not for people who think it’s “too fishy”, not for hard-core vegetarians either (err.. yeah, vegetarians have been known to blur their realities in Singapore). This is the cheapest yummy meal you will get in and around Bukit Timah Singapore!

Most of my “SCORE!!” meals come in the 4 to 5 dollar range, mostly from the famed food courts of Singapore, especially Alexandra Food Court, since that was pretty walkable from where I lived. But one thing I loved to do was explore larger and larger food courts, and walk around all the possible stalls to see just how cheap their regular offerings could get. 

And I found it: $2.50 for a plate of pork rib noodles with Chinese cabbage! But wait, this post isn’t about that. Frankly, that particular stall is not multiple-visit-worthy. What I do recommend is prawn noodles from ABC Food Court. Medium sized plate for a crisp $3.00. 

Hokkien Mee

They call it Hokkien Mee. Staple street food in Singapore and Malaysia. In fact, the two have slight flavour differences, but more on that later. Mee = noodles, Hokkien = cooking style of Fujian province, prawn –> well, the default setting of the noodles is with prawns. 

I don’t even have to tell you which stall in ABC to order this from. Though it is available in every other counter, you will see a consistently long line at one particular stall at the far corner. You will see at least five tables with this particular dish on them as you walk towards that corner. The demand is high for a reason.

Hokkien mee is basically fried noodles. But the way they make it here makes it so much more than that. I’ve seen the uncle and auntie make it - they expertly toss and turn a ginormous spatula in a ginormouser frying pan with two or three types of noodles. And there is this soupy thing – I don’t know whether it’s stock or actual soup or what. It’s used to toss and turn the noodles in for a while, so that the soup effect is gone, but not so much as to make the noodles all fry and dry. 

The end result is almost creamy. The taste is mild but lasting. So you have creamy noodles, without any cream. You have soft soft prawns, without shells. Stirred into gooey goodness. No fried food fat feeling. As if that weren’t enough, a dash of their lime or chilli sauce or both will take it to another level. Have I mentioned it’s $3 for a medium sized plate and $3.5 for a big one? 

If you haven’t tried the hokkien mee at ABC yet, go do it today. If you have, tell me if you’ve had a better one at this price anywhere else!

Chinatown: Dong Po and Harbin Beer

Note:

I selected this post to be featured on my blog’s page at Indian Food Blogs.

Hands down my favourite item on any menu in Chinatown: the Dong Po pork.

Dong Po pork and Harbin beer

The simplicity of it is what makes it a winner. All it is is slices of pork, with fat intact, soaked in vinegary soya sauce, served with a generous portion of kale leaves. But I don’t know why, Dong Po pork is one item I have devoured over and over and over again.

I think it’s the fat. The meat must be taken from a particularly chubby part, I’m not well acquainted with the anatomy. But you eventually forget about the calories, as the fatty taste totally dissolves into the tangy taste of the soya pool below. Yes, it must be the fat.

Or it could be the roasted outer layer of the pork. Man, they cook pork really well in Singapore. I’ve hardly ever tasted red meat in India that is actually tender; chewing becomes most of the experience. However, pork is very popular in Singapore, possibly the most commonly consumed of all the meats. Everywhere in Singapore that I have tried it, beef and pork are cooked to perfection. Either it is super tender, melting in your mouth, or it is just hard enough, so that you actually enjoy the chewy dance going on in your mouth.

Anyway, the Dong Po pork is a case in point. The entire slice is just a delight that melts in your mouth and leaves that wonderful vinegary aftertaste. The crunchy, plain and simple kale leaves complement it nicely by balancing out the flavours. If you’re looking for a spicy twist, then you’ll have to as for chilli sauce.

Adding a refreshing feel to the sitting-in-Chinatown-and-munching-on-succulent-roast-pork thing, was Harbin beer. Another Chinese brew, it again added to the pseudo-exotic setting of Chinatown. It’s a little more solid than Tsing Tao, but equally smooth. Combine it with some crispy snacks, and you are set for an evening of chill-out. Oh and did I mention the mugs filled chock block with ice? Yup, just like with Tsing Tao. I don’t know, I think the Chinese like it this way. I ain’t complaining, it’s as chilled out as can be :) If you know anything about the history of this practice, then let me know!

Harbin beer, served with ice cubes

Overall, eating in Chinatown turns out pretty affordable compared to the proper restaurants that you have to visit to try out the same kind of food. Items like the Dong Po pork and the shredded chilli pork come for S$ 8 - S$ 10, and a full bottle of Harbin / Tsing Tao / Tiger Beer will cost you around 5 – 7 Sing dollars. Two of us used to get away with a sumptuous meal at Chinatown for anything between 15 – 20 dollars. Of course that’s nothing compared to the famous food courts of Singapore, where you can have a brilliant dish and be happy for just 5 dollars. More on that coming up soon… stay tuned! Till then, do not miss the Dong Po pork :)

Chilling in Chinatown with Tsing Tao

A must visit destination for people in Singaporean is Chinatown, for so many reasons – the bright lights, the late hours, the colourful knick-knacks, but above all, the spicy, crazy Chinese food!

I have spent many a meal in Chinatown, at a favourite spot of mine. Just outside Chinatown station, right on the

main road adjoining Food Street, there is a long stretch of Chinese restaurants. One after the other you will see tables and tables of young men and women around large tables, laughing and chatting over large steamboats of chilli pork and grilled prawn sticks. With tables placed right on the kerb, and cute little shrubs separating you from the main road, where there is only mild traffic, the setting makes for an easy, breezy evening filled with bursts of flavours that will make you want to try more!

I ordered my first meal there after meticulously looking through a very long, graphic menu of strange scary sounding items. I finally zeroed in on a plate of shredded chilli pork and one shrimp omelette, neither of which I had tried before. To accompany the meal was a bottle of Tsing Tao, a Chinese beer available in almost every street food joint in Singapore.

Unexpectedly, the chilli in the chilli pork turned out to be the main attraction in the plate! Like I hadn’t consumed enough dry red chillies in my 7 years in Karnataka. Though the chillies here were like a whole other level! My friend couldn’t even take it. Me having a higher ‘spiciness’ threshold, I could still stomach it, but had to still filter some of it out. The pork, however, was nice and crunchy. And bits of chilly every now and then, coupled with chunks of green kale leaves, gave every bite of the pork a good punch.

The shrimp omelette was interesting – I guess the egg taste and fishy taste generally go well together. We were content with the order that day, but it’s not something I’d go back for, unless there were some super spicy variation of it :)

The Tsing Tao beer was a revelation. Guess what they put in it! ….Ice! Loads and loads of ice. And they keep it coming too. I know I know, to beer enthusiasts that may seem counterintuitive. I mean why would you add ice to chilled beer (an already light drink :-/). To chill it more? I don’t know, but it does work, in some twisted way!

Tsing Tao beer in itself is pretty good – light but solid enough to keep you going. It’s got the slightest tingly taste, that you don’t get in your regular lagers. And it went well with all the snacks I’ve ordered it with in Singapore. It is also cheaper than your average beer in Singapore!

So there you have it. My first step in exploring new food in a new town – iced Tsing Tao, chilli pork and shrimp egg! (Actually it was my second, I’ll save my first for a time when you get used to the unusual items on the menu that I have tried…) Don’t waste another weekend, go to Chinatown and start exploring! You do not want to leave Singapore without getting a feel.

Coming up…

 

The world of Middle Eastern salads.. Fatoush, Tabouleh, Rocca!








And my favourite food destination: Singapore! Stay hungry :)

Moroccan Tea and Turkish Coffee

Ah Moroccan tea. 

I had read that one of the must tries when you eat Arabic food, is to accompany it with mint tea (warm and fragrant). So I thought I would survey the beverage menu the next time I went to a cafe or sheesha bar.

The friendly neighbourhood sheesha joint, Kamanana Cafe, has a dimly lit but comfy setting. Their couches are generously endowed with giant embroidered cushions (may it be known - I LOVE CUSHIONS). 

We had just finished classes, it was early evening, so we were just looking to chill for an hour with a sheesha. We ordered double apple, not for lack of choice of flavours, as their sheeshas were available in mint, grape mint, apple mint, double apple, double mint, double grape, rose, strawberry, and what have you.

From the beverage menu, we honed in on Turkish coffee and Moroccan tea. The Turkish coffee arrived in two tiny cups of dark aromatic brews, whereas the tea was served in a quaint Aladdin lamp type teapot and two beautifully bejewelled green glasses.

The Turkish coffee was unlike any coffee I had tasted before. It was sweet, but not sugary. It was strong, but not heady. It was also thick, and well, yeah it turned out to be a little muddy at the end, because the coffee powder started depositing at the bottom of the cup. I’m guessing they’re not big on stirring and making frappucinos out of their caffeine fixes out here? Other than that, the flavour was very pleasant, but not for the faint!

F*F Tip: Speaking of coffee, check out Sarah’s discovery of the how, when, where, what and why of coffee: http://backtothegrindblog.wordpress.com/ 

The Moroccan tea was the clear winner. A light green concoction containing at least 5-6 herbs, it tasted sweet and refreshing. It did not hint an overbearing dimension of any one flavour, but I could definitely taste some mint and lemon in there. And could it be just a pinch of sugarcane added too? Crushed tea leaves completed the drink.

It may be noted that the actual brew can go terribly wrong, with flavours being almost absent, since I’ve sampled it at other outlets. Either way, it’s usually salvaged by the decorative silverware they put out for you, giving you a magic carpet ride sort of feel, even though you may just be sipping plain tea.

Overall, the combination of apple sheesha, Moroccan tea and Turkish coffee was super rejuvenating and exotic. A brilliant way to spend an evening after a long hard day. Definitely coming back for more!

                                     

Where have you sipped your best Moroccan tea?

Hommos with Pita Bread

International City, Dubai, is a huge residential complex, host to thousands of professionals from scores of nationalities. Divided into the England, Russia, France, Italy, Spain, China, Persia, Greece, Morocco, Thailand & Indonesia clusters, it has a wide variety of cuisines in little restaurants and cafes spread out across these clusters.

Hommos

Wardat Lebanese Restaurant has come to be a personal favourite of mine. It's a quiet place tucked in the between China and Morocco clusters, and it has the friendliest staff serving up authentic Lebanese food.

I had never been a fan of hommos before. I mean how good can a tasteless blob of chickpea paste be? Every hommos I tried at famous Lebanese food chains in India had bland, course hommos. At Wardat however, I realized just how much you can play around with flavours in hommos. QED: Lebanese food is awesome!

So it turns out hommos comes in different flavours and spices, and at Wardat, are always to served with a generous dose of pickled vegetables and an unlimited supply of freshly baked, beautifully fluffy pita bread. 

There is the plain hommos, that comes with ‘tahina’ - a sesame seed based sauce - a great dip for both pita and pickled vegetables.

Hommos with Cumin

Then we have hommos with cumin, an adaption for Indian palates if you will. I had tasted this in Singapore at Pita Pan as well. Sprinkling generous heaps of cumin (jeera) powder, it adds a great twist to the joyous process of scooping up just the right amount hommos, olive oil and spices in your piece of bread.

All the hommos dishes are served with a pool of olive oil in the centre or on the side. Fear not, supposedly-health-conscious ones. Olive oil is good for you, and is the least fattening of all them oils. In fact, it’s the use of this oil in all the dishes that makes Lebanese cuisine overall one of the healthiest ones, despite the occasional fried items and refined flour (maida).

Pita Bread at Wardat Lebanese Restaurant

Speaking of, one of the main reasons I keep going back to Wardat is its incredible and infinite supply of soft fluffy pita bread (that’s right, didja know that pita bread is so common here that it’s frikkin unlimited?? I love this country!). In mall outlets, and most restaurants, we usually get ‘kaboos’ bread, you know, the broad and flat one? that is just a lighter colour roti? But the pita bread here is small, thick, soft, ‘phulka’, and fresh out of the oven. It’s also amazing how fast it comes out to the table, it’s always hot hot! Not to mention, so tasty that I inevitably end up just rolling pickles and tahina/labneh into it and having finishing dinner with another snack!

Hommos with Meat

Non-vegetarians rejoice – there is something for your carnivorous tendencies too. The ‘hommos with meat’ is essentially hommos whipped up with spices and olive oil with little chunks of roasted lamb added to the dish. You get your taste of meat, and I do attest that it is a great combo. But with so many varieties of hommos out there, I’d recommend you try them for the flavours rather than the veg/non-veg distinction.

Which brings me to my favourite hommos variety of all (so far) – hommos Beiruti.

Hommos Beiruti (can you spot the the green bits of parsley?)

Hommos Beiruti (or Beirut, as it is referred to in some joints), is regular hommos mixed with parsley. It’s surprising, but just the addition of that one element changes the taste of the simple hommos completely. The  herb gives the dish a nice and tangy taste, strong, almost as if it were mixed with solid yogurt. It gives you that sharp aftertaste too, the kind that you can feel going up your nose and settle down with ultimate satisfaction. Combine that tangy creaminess with almost-sweet and toasty pita bread, and you have a meal that you will want to keep coming back for and ignoring all the other items on the menu for too!

Here is a snapshot of what you get when you order hommos at Wardat: 

Have you ever sampled a delicious Lebanese hommos? Please do recommend!

"Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first."

Oh just what is the point of doing the same things, eating the same food, all day, every day? 

If you like learning new things, exploring new cultures and cuisines, tasting new flavours, then, well, it's nice to meet you.

I'm Ara. After visiting 17 countries, growing up in 2, and growing up too much in 3, my taste buds have developed a constant tickle, and my tickle bone a constant tingle. Emotional eating and cross-cultural cohabitation define my existence, and nothing gives me more joy than having a fantabulous meal bursting with flavour and stamping me as a wannabe global citizen.

I am currently a student, drudging my way through textbooks and YouTube videos, trying to up my pseudo-intellect. Having not won Kaun Banega Crorepati (Who Wants to be a Millionaire in Hindi) yet, I have an affinity towards that dark dingy roadside stall with the world's best Schezwan noodles for 25 Rupees (about half a US Dollar at the time of writing this). 

Having been fortunate to spend the last few years travelling for work and education, I have collected precious gems from around the world - great meals for less PTSD (post-traumatic spending disorder). I want to share these gems with you. So that you can sample the fare, taste the tingle, and leave those beautiful places knowing you didn't miss out on the local cuisine because you couldn't spare the time or cash. 

So indulge. Stay hungry, stay foolish, and eat dessert first.