There was a time not too long ago, when my culinary adventures started and ended with chicken. For a very long time, I was not a “yeah, I’ll try that” kinda gal. Simply put, if I couldn’t decipher what was on my plate, I didn’t want it. I stuck with the things I knew.
Then I met my husband, who on our first date sucked down gizzard and eel. I watched, mesmerized…as I ate my chicken. There was no need to be afraid of the unknown, of something I hadn’t tried yet. Because if that guy could live to tell the tale, then it must be alright. It was at that moment that I realized I was done with the familiarity of food chains. I was done with the comfort of sticking to the same old thing.
I was done with chicken (well, sort of).
Yeah, I’ll Try That
It wasn’t until the mister and I started traveling together out of the country that I really started to embrace the “yeah, I’ll try that” way-of-life. I’ll try just about anything once. And traveling can really make someone a “yeah, I’ll try that” kind of person. Because to experience a culture through their food is just like experiencing cultural history in a hands-on museum, but way more intimate. Our culinary adventures in Singapore were no different.
Kaya Toast, Yeah, I’ll Try That.
Kaya Toast is like toast on crack. It’s not just toast, but a heaping helping of mildly soft-boiled egg, some sweetened jam like-sugar and butter all piled on to delicate wheat bread. Kaya toast is served with a strong coffee or black tea. It’s breakfast food and it’s snack food. We stopped not once, not twice, but about five times for kaya toast. And for two people, it was only 5.50 USD.
Shui Kueh, Yeah, I’ll Try That.
Having only experienced Singaporean food at a place in Los Angeles called Singaporean Banana Leaf, I could’ve sworn everything was either served on a leaf or wrapped in one. That assumption was mostly wrong! Until we tried Shui Kueh at the Tiang Baru Hawker Center. Shui Kueh is steamed half-spheres of rice cake topped with chili sauce and preserved radish and wrapped in a banana leaf.
Delicious Shui KuehChicken Biryani, Yeah, I’ll Try That.
In Little India, there’s a place called Bismillah Biryani that serves pretty much only one dish: Halal chicken. It uses similar seasonings as curry, but with less musky flavor and a side of yogurt mix. Ordering the dish is kind of like ordering from a mafia don. Very few words are exchanged and you get one thing and one thing only. And that’s biryani. Capiche? (I’m kidding. The owner is actually really nice. He talked to us about the Bollywood movie that was showing in the restaurant).
A twist on the same ol’ chickenSweet Red Bean Beignet, Yeah, I’ll Try That.
At the Maxwell Hawker Food Court in Chinatown, there’s a nondescript food stall that serves only one item: a beignet-style dessert stuffed with sweet red bean paste and topped with sesame seed and light powdered sugar. It’s only about a 1.00 USD for 6 of them. But the catch is, you kind of have to bag the beignets yourself.
Grab the beignet with the large chop sticks. Red Bean DeliciousnessMilky Fish Fillet Soup, Yeah, I’ll Try That.
Also located in the Maxwell Hawker Food Court, there’s a certain food stall that seemed to have a never-ending line. Their speciality was filet-cut fish served in creamy glass noodle soup with bok choy. The savory taste of the fish mixed well with a hint of sweet milk and chili oil. It’s also very inexpensive.
Hainanese Chicken Rice, Yeah I’ll Try That.
I came upon a roadblock when trying to describe Chicken Rice. Asking my husband what that goosepimple-ish skin was on our chicken rice dish, he looked me square in the eyes and said:
“…that’s their skin.”
So, for 27 years, I didn’t even know that my beloved chicken dishes were skinless (at this point, you should probably feel sorry for my husband whenever I do the cooking. I sure do).
Chicken rice is fairly self-explanatory. It’s a large amount of chicken cooked delicately in chicken broth, topped with cilantro and served with rice. The chicken is served with a chili dip made of ginger and thick dark soy sauce. We ordered a side of gai lan (Chinese broccoli).
There it is: Chicken RiceFried Scorpion, No, I Will Not Try That.
…Because anything bug-like is where I draw the line … for now. Until then, I’ll leave the bug-eating to the mister.
Missed Part 1? See it here.
When was your “Yeah, I’ll Try That” moment? Anything you refuse to try?
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