HW
- Snow-aged
Niigata Wagyu,
$89, Noka. - Ayam Buah
Keluak, $19.90,
and Babi
Assam, $18.90,
Godmama. - Chef Chong
Jun Xiang of
Indigo Blue
Kitchen.
W
hile it has
often been
thought of
as street
food, or something you
consume at home, Asian
cuisine is now at the
forefront of Singapore’s
fi ne-dining scene.
Increasingly,
restaurants in
Singapore are off ering
discerning consumers
more nuanced ways of
enjoying Asian cuisine.
They’re providing a
fi nely varied selection
of ingredients and
a whole new level of
sophistication in their
presentation.
These chefs have
crushed the notion that
the food they cook must
adhere unwaveringly
to tradition. Instead,
expect textures, fl avours
and looks that elicit
gasps when the dishes
arrive at the table.
This new vanguard
is working to ensure
that its ascent is more
than a fad. For as palates
become more developed
and refi ned, the food
and beverage industry
naturally follows suit,
thus elevating Asian
cuisine to the pinnacle
of the dining experience.
At Indigo Blue
Kitchen, traditional
Peranakan dishes are
fi ne-tuned for modern
tastes by a passionate
team of young local
chefs, with Chong Jun
Xiang helming the
kitchen.
He explains: “The
expectations of today’s
diners are diff erent.
The amount we pay for
food has increased, and
the focus is now on the
ingredients. We want
to off er better-quality
ingredients to justifythe prices, and because
diners expect that level
of refi nement.”
Into Indigo’s Bakwan
Kepiting Soup goes
1kg of premium mud
crab – which makes 20
balls hand-rolled with
prawn, minced pork
and crunchy julienned
bamboo shoots.
Bakwan kepiting is
traditionally a delicately
fl avoured chicken and
pork broth, and crab
meat isn’t commonly
used for it. So this
rendition tastes far
more robust, with the
crustacean shells giving
it a briny fl avour.
“People think the
ingredients in Asian
dishes are simple and
cheap, but it’s not true.
We painstakingly source
the best,” he tells Her
World.
To get the best
fi shballs for the rich
curry dish Otak-otak
Jantan, Indigo Blue
Kitchen’s owner,
Desmond Lim, buys
them from his favourite
stall at Tiong Bahru
Market. The dish also
has fi nely cut turmeric
leaves and beancurd
stuff ed with fi sh paste.
“The fi shballs are
fi rm and bouncy, and the
superior quality makes
all the diff erence,” he
emphasises.12122 HERWORLD SEPT 2019