SATS Lounge Terminal 2
Laksa is a Singaporean classic and oh my did it live up to its hype. Sitting in the SATS lounge, I was not in a great mood after a 14-hour flight. We sat down and got something to eat. There were a few options but the one that caught my was the laksa. It was not something that I’ve had before but had heard a lot of, so I had to try it. Laksa is a rich creamy broth with noodles, and sometimes seafood such as prawns, shrimps or even veggies like tofu and bok choi. In my case, I had tofu and some oyster mushrooms. Both these options are extremely porous and soft foods so it perfectly complemented the rich broth. I say this because they acted like a piece of bread and absorbed a lot of the broth adding a whole new dimension to the tofu and mushroom, two already funky foods. The type of noodles they used was classic rice vermicelli, the common noodles for a laksa. A perfect noodle for a rich broth that complements the Asian cuisine and the rich flavor and spices of the broth. My only complaint was that the noodles were a tad undercooked and tough. This may have happened because they boiled the noodles right in front of us but still a little disappointing.
Finally, the star of the dish, the broth. The broth I mentioned before had a deep and rich flavor with some spices and funky flavor that tasted like seafood. From what I could discern, the broth seemed to be composed of some paste and coconut milk. The paste seemed to be composed of chilies, shrimp and anchovies, lemongrass and some other spices. For the coconut milk, they may have added some spices, similar to a red curry at a Thai restaurant. Overall, the whole dish came together, with a rich broth, funky toppings that absorbed the flavors from the broth and delicate noodle.
Chicken Rice at Food Court Terminal 2
Another dish I had for lunch while I was in Singapore was the chicken rice. The signature dish in Singapore, it did not fail to impress. There is not much to say for this dish. It was a light balance of a beautifully marinated chicken (some chili and probably soy sauce). The rice for me was above and beyond expectations. It looked very simple, just steamed rice with some garnishes but it was much much more. From what I could tell, the rice was soaked in chicken stock which added so much flavor that it tasted like two chicken dishes. My only wish was that the dish would have been presented with some garnishes or vegetables for some freshness to the dish, but overall, great experience.
The dish I wanted to relate this to was the chicken meal at David Chang’s latest restaurant, Majordomos. David Chang is a young and upcoming chef who has recently found much success and established himself in the restaurant industry. One of his most famous dishes is the boiled chicken. On a new take on cooking with chicken, David Chang instead of frying it, putting it in the oven or stir frying it, decides to boil it. First, he boils the full chicken and presents that over rice with three different sauces. To add flavor to the rice similar to chicken rice, he uses the water from the boiled chicken. He also uses the bones and the “chicken water” to make a soup. I thought this dish resembled the chicken rice I had and it was an interesting story on the younger generations embracing age old traditions.
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