We went to the Tech Ghee Court (Hawker Center) Saturday morning for breakfast and my first site visit as part of my article investigation. Hawker Centers are different from the food courts as they are non air conditioned open market in the various suburbs. The place was vibrant, filled with glorious food smells and fresh produce. We decided to have a local favourite breakfast, Kaya Toast. Kaya is a jam made from coconut milk and eggs flavoured by Panda leaf and sweetened with sugar. It is spread on toast topped by thin slices of butter and another slice of toast, typically served with soft boiled eggs and Kopi (Local Coffee).
The lady served the toast at our table, the eggs in a plastic container with boiling water and the Kopi. I sipped my coffee and proceeded to remove the eggs from the water only to have the lady run across and shout, No No, six minutes. She removed the eggs and brought a fresh batch with some more instruction, Six Minutes. Not showing my embarrassment with a smile we now waited Six Minutes and then I glanced over to the lady and she gave me the thumbs up. Removed the eggs and got rid of the shells. You splash soy sauce over the soft eggs, dip the Kaya toast in it and enjoy. Heaven!!!!. The Kopi is like coffee with a tiny weeny bit of milk and very sweet. I enjoyed it but Zelma found it to sweet.
The rest of the market was a fun and interesting experience filled with people, little shops and loads of fresh produce stalls.
Sunday was the big rugby day with the Boks playing Australia in the quarter finals. England lost to France the previous game and I had my concerns over the upcoming game. Of we went to Picotin, a local Pub out at the Singapore Turf Club. We went early and turned out to be a good idea as we found the second last unreserved spot inside the pub. The waitress explained that if we left the spot unguarded we would be out the door. It's a real pub with three inside areas and two outside areas and by 12h00 it was packed to capacity. We were flanked by Aussies and one South African so it was going to be interesting. Lots of All Black and English supporters also in attendance.
We treated ourselves to lunch and immediately I ordered the special, Baked Snails as I am a huge fan and did not think I would find this here. Mains order was Honey Glazed Ribs and Chips for me and Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding for Zelma.The snails arrived not looking like I have ever seen it and very green but after the first bite I was hooked. Main course was top notch. We enjoyed some beers with the crowd and unfortunately the Bokke could not capitalise on their dominance and lost in a nail biting game. Really enjoyed the whole afternoon apart from the goodbyes and having to congratulate the Aussies, but still I did. Obviously missed all our friends. Wish you were here :)
The snails puzzled me so after getting home I had to investigate. Turns out it is typical French style of preparing snails called Escargots de Bourgogne. We visited Paris a few years back but I never had snails over there. Too Expensive. I remembered my Gerard Depardieu cookbook (The Actor from the movie - Green Card for those who do not know), which is French Cooking so I looked it up and here is the recipe. I highly recommend this preparation to any snail lovers and it is quite different from the traditional Cheesy Garlic Snails. Very Simple and delicious.
Cook the fresh snails (Tinned ones do not need cooking) for 10 minutes in Brine (Salted water) and drain. Mix 100g butter, 2 Cloves Crushed Garlic and 1 Bunch finely chopped Flat Leaf Parsley together. Put Snails in snail pan, top with sauce, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and baked for ten minutes. If you really want that cheese flavour, top with a slice of Gruyere Cheese before baking.
Here is an alternative recipe link served in the shells. http://leitesculinaria.com/1860/recipes-snails-with-herb-butter.html
PS. If you have not seen the movie worth a watch. Nice love story from the 90's
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKvu2gwFftM&feature=related
Took the dogs for their weekly walk late Sunday afternoon and relaxed for the rest of the remaining bit of weekend.
Hope you all had a great weekend and enjoy the week.
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