Mekong River & Singapore River ● Different but Same

Singapore River and Mekong River cannot be any more different. One is nearly 5,000 km long (4,909km to be exact), the other is..... 3km or 3.2km to be exact. One runs through six countries - China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. The other runs its entire course in the tiny island state of Singapore, itself only 729 sq km in total in land area.

History of Lahpet ● Myanmar Pickled Fermented Tea Leaf ● Unique Myanmese Tea Culture

Recently, I tried Myanmese pickled fermented tea leaf. The olive greenish colour fermented tea leaves were soaked in oil and blended with bits of raw garlic and chili pepper. The fermented tea leaves were soft, very gently chewy and moist, wrapped in oil. It tasted somewhat unfamiliar at first. It has a certain subtle smell (like pickled bamboo shoot), slightly tannic in the mouth and tasted bitter with a bit of spicy heat from garlic and chili. (There are non spicy versions too.)

Now I am hooked. 

History of Vietnam Rice Paper Spring Roll Goi Cuon

Besides pho and banh mi, another iconic Vietnamese dish is gỏi cuốn or Vietnam spring roll. Okay, there is also Vietnamese coffee 😄

Gỏi cuốn is literally "salad roll" but is conventionally called "spring roll".

Food as Living Edible Monument ● Stories of People & Kingdoms through their Cuisine

Monuments are usually made of stone or metal. Unlike artefacts made of wood or leather which can be burned to ashes by enemies, drowned by floods, swallowed by forests, or simply reduced to dust by time, stone and metal can withstand the passage of many seasons.

Origin of Cambodian Fish Amok Trei ● Thai Hor Mok ● Lao Mok Pa ● Malay Otak Otak

Cambodians consider amok trei their national dish, Thais believe that hor mok was created in their Royal kitchen, Laos have their mok pa while the Malay archipelago has a similar dish called otak otak or "brain". So where did this dish come from and what is the relationship between Cambodian amok trei, Thai hor mok, Lao mok pa and Malay / Indonesian otak otak?

History of Vietnamese Coffee ● Tastes Better with Arabica

Coffee culture is a relatively recent phenomenon in Vietnam being brought here by the French only in the 1850s. But, today Vietnam is the world's second largest coffee bean exporter and have their own distinctive style of coffee.

History of Sticky Rice ● A National Dish of Laos

The most famous sticky rice story is the story of loyal minister Qu Yuan whose suicide during China's Spring & Autumn period (770 - 476 BC) over 2000 years ago is still commemorated today by Chinese communities around the world by eating sticky rice dumplings on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar.

The Origin of Som Tum Papaya Salad May Surprise You

Go anywhere in Thailand or any Thai restaurant around the world and you will encounter som tum, the ubiquitous green papaya salad. Many of us assume som tum (or som tam) is a Thai dish - in the world's eyes som tum is as quintessentially Thai as tom yam and pad Thai.

Disputed History of Fish Sauce & A Surprising Twist 魚露

Umami, savoury, salty, amber tea colour fish sauce is used in the whole of Indochina and south coast of China as an ingredient, flavouring, seasoning, marinate and a dip. The versatile sauce is most popular, even essential in the dishes of Indochina and south China.

History of Phở ● National Dish of Vietnam ● From Red River Delta to Mekong Delta to the World

"The history of Vietnam lies in this bowl". Camila Gibb, The Beauty of Humanity Movement.

Mighty Mekong ● River of Fish, Rice & Life

The nearly 5000 km long Mekong starts high up in the snowy Tibetan Plateau and flows south through Yunnan, China (where it is known as Lancang 澜沧), and every country in Indochina (Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam), before draining into the South China Sea.

The Mekong is the twelfth longest river in the world, third longest in Asia. The longest rivers in Asia, the Yellow River and Yang Tze also start in the Tibetan Plateau but run east across China towards the sea.

History of Myanmar / Burma for Foodies ● National Dish Mohinga & Lahpet Thoke

Compared to cuisine of its neighbours like Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, India and China, Myanmnese food is relatively obscure to foreigners. 

Most people overseas would not have heard of, let alone tasted mohinga or lahpet thoke, both considered Myanmar's national dishes eaten throughout the 676 thousand sq km (larger than France) country of 54 million people, and more than 130 ethnicities.

Myanmese cuisine is unique due to its geography and history going back as far as 10,000 BC when humans first settled here during the stone age.

History of Ketchup • Magical Sauce from South China • Long Lost Cousin of Fish Sauce

Ketchup is a magical sauce though we tend to take it for granted in Singapore cuisine. It's often in our bak chor mee, wanton mee, chili crab, ku lou yuk, many sweet and sour dishes, etc. Its presence in Singapore cuisine is not often highlighted, sometimes unnoticed 😬 🤔

History of Cambodian · Khmer Cuisine · Ancient Food from Mekong River & Tonle Sap Lake

Khmer cuisine refer to the food of Khmer people. Cambodian cuisine refer to the food of Cambodia which includes several other ethnicities such as Cham, hill tribesmen, Lao, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc. Cambodian cuisine has Indian, Chinese and French influences due to the country's history.

Some well known Khmer dishes include prahok, fish amok, pomelo salad, samlar kako, coconut pineapple curry (samlar k'tis), coconut prahok dip and num banh chok. Most may sound unfamiliar but I shall explain more later in this post.

Foodie History of Laos ● Land of Mother Mekong & Children of Sticky Rice

Among Southeast Asian countries, Laos has a relatively low profile. Lao cuisine is also relatively unheralded compared to the dishes of its neighbours Thailand and Vietnam. But, the truth of the matter is, many of us tasted Lao cuisine without knowing it. Most Thai restaurants have dishes from the Isaan region of Thailand - 80% of Isaan dishes have Lao roots. Some of these are synonymous with Thai cuisine, e.g., sticky rice, som tum, and larb are derived from Lao dishes.

To understand how this came about, we need to delve a little into the history of Laos.

Where Burmese Eat in Little Myanmar Clementi · Shwe Kant Kaw Myanmar Cuisine · Mohinga & Lahpet Thoke

Mohinga, a noodle soup dish from Myanmar is considered its national dish. I tried a few mohinga in Singapore, and like this by Shwe Kant Kaw Myanmar Cuisine - a humble, low profile hawker stall run by three Myanmese aunties at block 325 Clementi.

Stall name: Shwe Kant Kaw Myanmar Cuisine

Address: 325 Clementi Ave 5, Singapore 120325

Nearest MRT: 10 minute walk from Clementi station

Tel: 9183 3546

Hours: 9:00am - 9:00pm

Mandalay Style Burmese Restaurant @ Little Myanmar Peninsula Plaza

Continuing my exploration of Myanmese cuisine in Singapore with Mandalay Style Restaurant. This was my third restaurant tasting at Singapore's "Little Myanmar" at the basement of Peninsula Plaza - the others were Yanant Thit and Inle Myanmar. Four of us, all new to Myanmese cuisine, enjoyed our experience which stretched our culinary horizons a little.

Restaurant name: Mandalay Style

Address: 111 North Bridge Rd, #B1-01 Peninsula Plaza, Singapore 179098

Nearest MRT: City Hall station

Tel: 6962 8895 ☎ 8314 9585

Hours: 12:00 noon - 10:00pm (opens at 10am on Sun)

Inle Myanmar Restaurant · Taste of Traditional Burmese Cuisine in Peninsula Plaza Singapore

Inle Myanmar Restaurant at the basement of Peninsula Plaza is the second foray in my Burmese food exploration in Singapore. There are about 10 Burmese food stalls and restaurants here in Singapore's "Little Myanmar".

Restaurant name: Inle Myanmar

Address: 111 North Bridge Road, #B1-07A Peninsula Plaza, Singapore 179098

Nearest MRT: 5 minute walk from City Hall station

Tel: 63335438

Hours: 11:30am - 8:30pm

Yanant Thit Burmese Chinese Restaurant @ Little Myanmar Peninsula Plaza

Starting my hunt for Myanmese food in Singapore today. The first step of my Myanmese journey 😄

Restaurant name: Yanant Thit Restaurant

Address: #B1-07C, 111 North Bridge Rd, Singapore 179098 (shop inside Peninsula Plaza)

Nearest MRT: 5 minute walk from City Hall station

Tel: 6837 2575

Hours: 9:00am - 9:00pm