131Of this palm
sugar, which he
gets from a private
supplier in Malacca, he says, “One taste of it, and
you get reminded of the good old days.” It has
been said that at the end of days, the salty water
of the sea will disappear, to be replaced by sweet,
fresh water from rivers and lakes, which sustains
life. Salty water would dehydrate a man; water
sweetened with a little sugar would revive a man.
Kudos to our pastry chefs as they find ways to
pulot enti glutinous rice with gula Melaka sweeten our lives! QL
by Chef Raymond Khoo
gu
la(^) M
el
ak
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(^) &
(^) sp
on
ge
(^) w
ith
(^) ma
ngo
(^) sorb
et & (^) candied coconut^ by
Bak
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Leo
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Yu
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(From left to right): Chef Alan Chan, Baker Leonard Yue,
Chef Gotried Schuetzenberger & Chef Raymond Khoo
On tasting the last palm sugar, every voice fell
silent, and expressions of wonder take hold of three
of the four panelists’ faces. Chef Khoo alone nods
slowly, with a knowing smile. “You can smell the
wok they cook it in,” begins Chef Schuetzenberger.
“There is a hint of burnt aroma... probably cooked
over charcoal?” Chef Khoo explains. “This comes
from Malacca, where gula Melaka originated. It is a
home recipe, commercialised at a small scale. They
are down-to-earth, cottage-industry based, very
traditional.” All four chefs love this palm sugar. “I’d
use it for braising traditional Cantonese dishes, such
as pork or duck,” says Chef Chan. “It is not as sweet
as rock sugar, and with the additional fragrance of
coconut.” Chef Khoo uses it for his pulot enti, which
features glutinous rice steamed with coconut milk,
and dyed with blue pea flower. “It has an intense,
strong flavour; the others just cannot compare,”
says Chef Khoo. Apparently, Indonesian palm sugar
may be more commercial, and therefore, cheaper,
but it is lacking in terms of flavour.