Singaporean breakfast
American chef, author, and television personality Anthony Bourdain once stated that Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo are the food capitals of the world where cuisines from every country can be found and anyone and everyone is crazy about food. But when asked, most people would be hard pressed to identify Singaporean cuisine and with good reasons.
Founded in 1819 by Sir Stamford Raffles and with only 195 years of recorded history, Singapore did not have a lot of time to develop its own unique cuisine. The foods and cuisine styles on offer are certainly diverse, but for the gourmand who wants to experience a uniquely Singaporean taste, there are only two choices: the chili crab and the Singapore frog porridge. Both of these are proudly claimed by Singaporeans as national signature dishes, but only one among the two bears the country name in its title and while it is sold and eaten everywhere in Singapore at all times of the day, the Singapore frog porridge is at its best as either a breakfast or brunch entry and paired with one or two servings of dim sum.
It is the 19th century Chinese immigrants who first brought their breakfast tradition to a newly born Singapore where it took roots and persists till today. Despite China’s vast culinary repertoire, the traditional Chinese breakfast is deceptively simple – dim sum and porridge, followed by a cup of steaming hot tea to cleanse the tongue. So simple in fact that while it almost comes across as boring, what most diners do not know is that this breakfast is a small, finely-tuned three-course meal in itself. A basket or two of bite size dim sum (VND30,000 – VND40,000 each) preps the palate then the main entree, Singapore frog porridge, follows.
Proper frog porridge is always served in two separate red claypots, the rice porridge (VND15,000 – VND30,000 per pot), thick and rich in one pot and fresh frog meat, flash braised and steeped in Kung Pao sauce (VND80,000 each), in another.
“The meat must be fresh, unmarinated and unseasoned so that the succulent meat can be tasted,” owner and chef Long explains. And despite the popular joke, frog meat tastes a world of difference from chicken. “The sauce is prepared with herbs and spices. My special Kung Pao sauce recipe involves 14 main herbs. The cooking starts five minutes before eating. We flash cook the meat with dried chili, spring onions, and Kung Pao sauce in a red claypot. The dish is then served to the guests in small porcelain bowls, rice porridge underneath and the frog and sauce in a separate layer on top.”
Adding: “Most people find it difficult to distinguish Chinese cuisine and Singaporean cuisine. There’s not much difference to be honest since so much of Singaporean culture and cuisine is deeply rooted in their Chinese origin, but the frog porridge is where the Singaporean modern spin is at. Chinese food favors strong fatty tastes with plenty of oil. Singaporean food, in this case the frog and sauce, is far more restrained and there is no cooking oil involved at all.”
There is also a proper way to eat the porridge. “Never stir it up,” Long insists. “Scoop it up cleanly so that the porridge, the sauce, and the frog are not mixed up together. Then you can taste the different flavors: the rich porridge, the sweet and salty Kung Pao sauce, the succulent frog meat and the red hot spicy chili. The first spoon is always the best.”
Geylang@Saigon: 134 Nguyen Thai Hoc, D1
Images by Ngoc Tran & Adam Robert Young
