Fish Tales

Sometime this afternoon I started to get a craving for Spanish-Mexican rice. Random, I know.

Since it didn’t go away I decided to do something about it tonight. And it turned out excellent, with great depth of flavors.

Here’s my own recipe that combines both Spanish and Mexican rice elements.

Ingredients:

• 2 ¼ cups plain long-grain rice
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, cut into ½ inch pieces
• 4 cloves of fresh garlic, pressed
• ¾ cup tomato sauce
• 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
• 3 cups chicken broth
• ¾ cup frozen peas
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• Pinch of cumin

Five minutes to prep

Directions:

In a large frying pan, warm oil on medium heat until is shimmers. Then add rice and sauté until it looks golden-brown. Then add the onion and green pepper and continue sautéing. This can take up to 20-25 minutes, but make sure it toasts and changes color. It really adds to the flavor.

Browned for extra flavor

Use a garlic press to crush the cloves. Clear the center of the pan and place sauté garlic until fragrant aroma emits. Mix into rest of rice.

Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, cumin, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil for two minutes. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Check after 10 minutes and stir to avoid the bottom from burning too much (a little adds flavor).

When finished, stir in peas. Add some frozen corn, if desired.

Buen provecho!

Pizza & Singapore.

Not a combination of words I frequently use to describe a great dining experience. For whatever reason, Singapore struggles to make a good pizza. And, it’s not for a lack of trying. The island nation boasts about fifty pizza establishments. Unfortunately, all below average.

I’m not sure what the problem is. Are regional tastes and preferences THAT much different? Perhaps the bakers haven’t actually tried a top-notch New York pizza, meaning they just don’t know better? Or, maybe they believe they ARE making great pizzas?

I want to know. Would Singaporeans prefer a slice of American pizza or what they’ve already got here?

After nearly two years of asking this question, I thought I’d finally get an answer.

Why?

A Domino’s Pizza finally opened in Singapore! Hopefully, they would let me combine those two words into a positive statement.

Nope.

FAIL #1:

When I called for a pizza delivery they informed me I lived outside their delivery zone. What? How can that be? It’s less than two miles away. Okay, strange. But, I decided to try take-out later.

FAIL #2:

Singapore restaurants hate it when you try to go off-menu and change the prescribed offering. It’s beyond frustrating for me. Especially at places where, as an American, I’m used to mixing and matching to make it just right. It’s just not done that much. Anyway, my favorite pizza is pepperoni, onion, mushroom, green pepper and olive. It’s what I always try to order. But, I don’t always get. Why? It’s not a set, prescribed pizza on the menu.

Luckily, when I visited the www.dominos.com.sg website they offered a “Make Your Own” option. Awesome. There must be a catch. Yep. After adding my sauce, cheese and five favorite toppings I realized they added an $18 SGD “surcharge” that made my 9 inch pizza cost $47.80 SGD. That’s $35 USD, people. For a 9 inch thin crust pizza!

Whatever. I settled for the 12 inch “Extravaganza” for $29.80 SGD.

FAIL #3:

Pizza is expensive in Singapore. Almost double what I’m used to paying in the US.

FAIL #4:

Most restaurants here are way too stingy with toppings. And even sauce. I’ve resorted to almost begging for double or triple sauce. But, it doesn’t work. I get a pizza with a super thin coat of sauce and not enough toppings.

I thought Dominos might be different after I saw the “Extravaganza” on the website!

"Extravaganza"

But, that’s not what I got. Where are the veggie toppings? Sigh.

Not-So-"Extravaganza"

They must not have localized their advertising materials and are still using the American assets.

FAIL #5:

Beef pepperoni. Sorry, but it’s not pork pepperoni. Not even close. I get it. Some residents don’t eat pork for religious reasons, but others don’t eat beef. At least, make both options available.

FAIL #6:

It’s 2010. We just celebrated Earth Day. But, you’d never know it in Singapore. They use more plastic, styrofoam, and non-recyclable materials than you can imagine. And don’t even get me started on the lack of robust recycling programs. Anyway, Dominos didn’t break the trend.

They put my pizza box in a big, heavy plastic bag. Each napkin in its own plastic bag. Each red-pepper flake in a smaller plastic bag. My can of Coke in another plastic bag. Even my refrigerator magnet was in a separate plastic bag! In total, I walked out with one pizza and nine plastic bags. Nice.

A little pizza with your plastic?

FAIL #7:

The 30 minute delivery guarantee is way cool guys. Not something found in America anymore because of speeding delivery drivers hitting pedestrians and all. But, thanks for giving me a refrigerator magnet to remind me that you won’t deliver to my house.

Easy to remember number. Doesn't matter.

OKAY, NOT A FAIL:

The storefront and location is great. Retrofitted into an old colonial style shop-house building. Right next to one of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants.

Killiney Road shop-houses

Last week a visitor from the US asked me what grocery store items I missed most.  Ahh… where to start? There are so many things. Here’s a short-list:

		Cherry Coke Technically it’s ‘Coca Cola Cherry’. But no matter what you call it, you aren’t finding it in Singapore. It’s been my sad story for a while now.
		Tillamook Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese There’s no such thing as extra sharp cheese in Singapore. And, sharp is nearly impossible to find. Just plain old cheddar. And, it’s usually white… not orange. Isn’t cheddar supposed to be orange?
		Oregon Berries I know, I know. You can find berries at the store in Singapore. But, they are not great. I’ve mostly given up, because it usually ends in disappointment. Once you’ve eaten picked-that-morning berries in Oregon, nothing else tastes quite as good.
		Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups It’s only the best combination of peanut butter and chocolate ever. Even the 7-11 around the corner doesn’t stock it. And, no, I’m not counting the not-so-sweet Canadian export version occasionally available. Nope, not gonna cut it.
		Barbara’s Jalapeño Cheese Puffs All natural. No artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. And they’re my favorite snack not found in Singapore.
		USDA Prime Top Sirloin Australian beef is certainly better than no beef. And, for sure, it’s the best option in Asia. But, nothing beats an American USDA Prime Top Sirloin steak. Don’t mess with Texas. Or the Midwest. Or anywhere in the US for that matter. Best. Beef. In. The. World.
		Kellogg’s Low Fat Granola The real breakfast of champions. Oh, how I miss this granola. Without raisins, of course.
		Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips They struggle with tortilla chips in Asia. Makes sense – it’s only an ocean away from Mexico. Sometimes you can find Tostitos Restaurant-Style white chips. But, give me my YELLOW corn chips, please.
		Great Harvest Bread Nothing beats fresh bread straight out of the Great Harvest bread ovens. Either plain whole wheat or five-grain. And, on Saturdays, the cinnamon rolls are tough to pass up.
		Red Baron Singles – Deep Dish Mini Pizzas These used to be my guilty little pleasure. Not anymore.
		High-Country Teriyaki Beef Jerky Okay, so maybe this is only found in Montana grocery stores. But, at least the High Country online store ships anywhere in the continental US. But, not to Singapore.
		Cherries I’ve already written about buying cherries in Singapore. Yes, the stores have cherries and, they are good. But, they are expensive, expensive, expensive! So, they are getting filed under not available here.
		Skor Another candy bar makes the list, but this is my favorite of all time. Hard butter toffee with a milk chocolate coating. No one in Asia has heard of it. Sorry state of affairs.
		Crest Regular Toothpaste It’s not something anyone spends much time thinking about. What, maybe a few minues a day? That is, until it doesn’t taste right. Then you think about it more. And it bugs you everytime you’re at the grocery store and all they sell are Colgate products.
		Advil Who wants to mess around with unknown brands when it comes to getting rid of a headache? No one, that’s who. Singapore has a pain killer called Panadol. It isn’t as effective. I’ll take the advanced medicine for pain!

So, there you have it. The top 15 items missing from my Singapore grocery store. And, I’m craving every one of them right now. Except the Advil, of course. But, I probably would be if I ate all that.

P.S. I do get great things in my Singapore grocery store that are not available back home. Like the most excellent mangoes ever. And great Thai fragrant rice. And tasty curry spices. And, many more things. So, this post isn’t a complaint… just a summary of my homesickness for familiar foods.

Just call me iron chef, Greg-san.

After two weeks on my new ‘get fit’ diet, I haven’t fallen off the wagon. Yet.

Although, I am finding cooking healthy takes a bit more effort than, say, take-out.

Like the chicken teriyaki stir-fry I made tonight. About thirty minutes to make, versus… mmm, zero for take-out.

Anyway…

The recipe only requires 3 teaspoons of oil. So, it’s pretty low fat.

Start by preparing all the ingredients:

Cut two chicken breasts into bit-sizes pieces and marinade with 2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce and 1 tbsp sherry cooking wine.

Dice 1 medium sized onion and press 4 cloves garlic and a 1 inch, peeled ginger root.

Slice 1 green pepper, a half carton of mushrooms, several baby carrots and a few pineapple rings (dried with a paper towel).

Takes about 15 minutes to prepare everything

Warm 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil on medium heat, until it shimmers.

Put the chicken into the pan. Don’t stir. Let the meat brown on one side. Then use tongs to turn each piece and brown the opposite side.

Brown both sides for extra flavor

Take the chicken out of the pan and set aside. Rinse the pan.

Warm 1 teaspoon of oil, until shimmering. Then sauté the onion, ginger and carrots in the pan for several minutes, stirring occasionally until brown.

Smells really good, especially the ginger

Clear the center of the pan and add the garlic. Press flat. Cook until fragrant.

Next, throw in the green peppers and mushrooms. Pour in a bit of water, if things are sticking to the pan.

Fry until the vegetables are cooked.

Add the pineapple and sauté for two minutes.

Lower the heat to medium-low.

Add the chicken and pour ⅓ cup teriyaki sauce into the pan. Stir until all the ingredients are coated with sauce.

Serve with rice.

As Rachael Ray would say... YUMMO!

Expensive. That sums up my grocery shopping experience in Singapore during the last eighteen months.

Especially for cherries.

Why must my favorite fruit cost so much!

Expensive cherries @ Singapore Paragon Marketplace

A conversion for those who need it:

1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds.

$47.90 Singapore dollars = $34.03 US dollars

Do the math.

Rainier Cherries cost nearly $15.50 USD a pound!

That’s a lot, especially considering cherries are in-season in Australia right now.

By my calculations, that’s about $13.50 a pound more than I’m used to paying.

That’s the pits.

I’m not sure how many people in Singapore ever heard the iconic Wendy’s campaign tagline, “Where’s the Beef”. But, back in the mid 80’s it took America by storm. Everyone was saying it.

It’s a classic case of older being better, considering their current slogan is, “You know when it’s real”. Blah.

Anyway, this week when the inaugural Wendy’s opened in Singapore, the more famous phrase entered my mind – especially when I stopped by for a snack.

More later on why the doors were open

It’s been nearly two years since I’ve eaten a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger and a chocolate FROSTY!

Too bad I didn’t get either one.

Quarter pounder and mini vanilla Frosty

I left the restaurant thinking of several variations of “Where’s the —-“.

Where’s the chocolate?
How could they run out of chocolate for the Frosty’s? Seriously. That’s the most important item on the menu.

Where’s the rest of the Frosty?
A small really means small. They should just call it a Frosty Shot.

Where’s the spoon?
How can you eat Frosty without a spoon? Not right.

Where’s the Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger?
Not on the menu. The best burger Wendy’s makes. Not on the menu.

Where’s’ the dollar menu?
Okay, I get this one. Exchange rates, etc.

Where’s the air conditioning?
Broken A/C. 90 degrees, high humidity, no fans. And heat pouring across the counter from the kitchen. Oh ya, and profusely sweating employees.

A little sweat with your food?

Where’s Wendy’s? Not in Singapore.

Yep, that famous American Dairy Association ad slogan applies to us, way out here in Singapore.

Just not quite as much.

Why’s that?

Because the milk in Asia just doesn’t taste right. It’s hard to put a finger on it, but to generalize… it’s sour. In the “the expiration date is nearing” kind of sour.

We’ve tried all the brands. Same problem. Even the more expensive Australian imports.

All sour.

So, when I noticed a new brand at the Cold Storage grocery store, I nearly moo’d myself.

California Sunshine Ultrafresh.

Got (California) Milk?

The name says it all.

What a great branding strategy. No fancy names. No gimmicks. Just let everyone know the milk is from California. That’s enough.

And, the price is about the same as the Indonesian milk down the shelf.

Did I mention they make chocolate milk too? They do. And, it’s fabulous.

I think it all has something to do with the California “Happy Cows”. They do make better milk.

Correct that. The best milk (at least in Singapore).

New apple "juice drink" at my office

Sugar, water, MILK SOLIDS, conditioners, flavoring, coloring.

What’s all that doing in my juice!?!?

Oh, that’s right. It’s is a “juice drink”.

Silly me.

Since arriving in Singapore, I’ve learned a few things. And one of them is this… if the words “juice drink” appear anywhere on the container, keep shopping. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a watered-down, artificial drink the manufactures attempt to enhance with additives.

Sometimes the words are difficult to see. So, look carefully.

What got me thinking about this? Yesterday, my office switched (hopefully temporarily) juice brands. From a real juice to a “juice drink”. I think I must be getting what I pay for from the pantry refrigerator stocked with free beverages.

Not my kind of juice.

This must not be an isolated occurrence, because the supermarket shelves are overflowing with “juice drinks”. They look so deceiving with their band names. Peel Fresh, Fruit Tree, and even Sunkist. I’m not fooled. They look tasty, but I see those two words.

There's a reason it's only $2.55

This whole situation makes me miss my all-natural, not-from-concentrate, no-additives, inexpensive Florida orange juice, with pulp. Sure, it’s available here. But, for an arm and a leg.

Great price @ $7.50. Normally $9.10.

Rolly-poly fish heads. Fish heads, fish heads. Eat them up, yum!

Okay, I don’t personally know about the “yum” part of that famous chorus. But, I do know one thing.

Many Singaporeans enjoy eating fish heads.

This delectable ingredient finds its way into soups, curries and other regional specialties. While this feels completely foreign to me, I’m told it’s quite delicious. And, people who discard the head actually waste the best tasting part of the fish.

I’m not making this up. Reliable sources tell me this.

Reliable sources.

Fish head restaurant near my condo

Mine... all mine.

I’ve spent fourteen months scouring the island for Cherry Coke. Chasing shadows. Following whispers. Tracking rumors.

All leading to nowhere. You can’t find it.

How can that be? There are five million people here. Does no one prefer Cherry Coke? Seriously, people!

Because of this, I’ve been relegated to the lesser Coke. Just the plain old secret formula. Yawn.

I’ve officially given up searching. The rollercoaster ride is over. I’ve accepted my fate.

I even talked to one of the main Coke distributors here. There’s a reason why I can’t find it. Apparently, Singaporeans think Cherry Coke tastes too much like cough medicine. And, it sits on the store shelves.

Cough medicine?

So, there I have my answer. Either I import it myself, or go without.

Luckily, fortune happened upon me this morning. My manager, visiting from Hong Kong, bestowed a charitable gift upon me. Never has a six-pack of Cherry Coke been so valuable.*

*Apparently, I will be receiving Cherry Coke in lieu of stock options this year.