How do you bowl over a food connoisseur? Eke unexpected flavours from everyday ingredients. Here, we spotlight familiar foods that have caught the attention of the most progressive palates: those of the chefs.
How do you bowl over a food connoisseur? Eke unexpected flavours from everyday ingredients. Here, we spotlight familiar foods that have caught the attention of the most progressive palates: those of the chefs.
SLIPPERY ALTER EGO
Few market stalls carry fresh sea coconut as it spoils too quickly in the heat. While the glistening milky flesh is typically used with red dates and white fungus in traditional Chinese desserts, we spotted an interesting take on the tropical fruit in new modern European restaurant Pyxie Moss. Here, British chef Tim Ross-Watson uses the sweet fleshy meat to stand in for raw shrimp in his cheeky vegetarian spin on seafood ceviche. The sea coconut is sliced, diced, then lightly cooked in extra virgin olive oil.
SICHUAN AND CHEESE
Unlike black or chilli peppers, Sichuan peppers have slightly tart notes that set the stage for heat to follow. A key ingredient in Sichuan hotpot, it has found its way into Western dishes like grilled cheese panini at new restaurant Birds of a Feather. The gentle heat from the peppers lends itself well to desserts, too – the chocolate fudge and Sichuan pepper log cake from Resorts World Sentosa this festive season is a stellar example.
BLACK MAGIC
Buah keluak is a truly bewitching ingredient. The native fruit of mangrove swamps in Malaysia and Indonesia is known to contain traces of cyanide and is toxic if not treated properly. Yet its earthy black meat is delicious enough for one to risk the danger. Usually used in hearty Indonesian or Peranakan cuisine, buah keluak now graces the menus of Michelin-star restaurants like Candlenut and The Kitchen at Bacchanalia. At the former, the meat is mixed with Valrhona chocolate and turned into a luscious ice cream, paired with salted caramel crumb.
