Business
and work had taken me away from Singapore for a time, to Hong Kong and China
where I lived for several years. When I returned home about two years ago, I
became acutely aware, more than ever, of how food in Singapore had generally deteriorated
over the years.
More
and more chain food stalls, especially in our food courts and modern kopi tiams,
had displaced the traditional, self-operated businesses. Operating costs have also
risen, too fast and too greatly, such that many F&B operators have had to
compromise on quality in order to survive. I realized that when it came to
food, I’ve become the very thing I used to laugh at – a grumpy old man who kept
griping about ‘how things used to be’!
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A hand-written menu specially created
for my friends and I.
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By
sourcing out chefs, such as Gen Shu, with the requisite skills and ‘memory’ or
‘vision’, we could preserve, document, and hopefully even revive the popularity
of dishes that are on the verge of extinction in our local cuisines. This struck
me as a pretty good idea, and became the inspiration for ‘The Jumping Table.’
‘Table’ because it refers to a group of friends or diners seated around a
table; and ‘jumping’ because each meal would take place at a different location
with a different chef and a different menu, hence the ‘table’ will ‘jump.’
My
friends and I enjoyed an inaugural session, which featured a special meal prepared
by Gen Shu. If you’d like to know more about Gen Shu, there’s more about him in
the posting by ieatishootipost.
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| 添福添寿风山水起 |
Double-boiled Lu Mei Soup
For
those who are into Cantonese herbal soups, this would be the “entry level”
candidate. Six herbs form the basis of many herbal soups in traditional
Cantonese cuisine, and they are all found in this soup, along with meat. The
herbs are dried longan, Chinese yam, wolfberries, Yoke Zhung (玉竹), red dates and Chinese barley. Some cooks would include
a couple more herbs such as ginseng and dried figs to add further layers of
taste. Sometimes, a black chicken is used to add “value” to the soup.
This
same soup, without meat, and served cold or hot with rock sugar, becomes the
commonly found Cheng Tng.
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| 一帆风顺年年有余 |
Braised Grouper with Shu Choy
As a
kid, I was used to eating fresh fish that were at least 1 kg and more. The
flesh of such fish would then be thick, with a firm bite. Gen Shu managed to
procure a grouper of a decent size, deboned and sliced thickly. The chef used
an old method to season the fish slices without overly coating the meat with
flour.
Shu
Choy (雪菜) is actually a produce of Zhejiang,
brought to Hong Kong by the Shanghainese emigrants, where it became a commonly
used ingredient of the Hong Kongers. Here, Shu Choy gives a slight sourish
taste to the braised fish.
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| 喜气洋洋金鸡报喜 |
Steamed Chicken with Brandy
wrapped with Lotus Leaf
Steamed
chicken is a down-to-earth Cantonese home-cooked dish. Normally, the dish is
heavily marinated with oyster sauce, ginger juice and Chinese wine. Gen Shu has
decided to use brandy instead of Chinese wine. Back in the 60s, brandy was
considered a luxury drink among the middle-class families, and it would commonly
make an appearance on the dining table in all celebratory occasions.
It was a
pity that Gen Shu didn’t use fresh lotus leaf; however it is almost impossible
to find in Singapore. Nevertheless the dried version left a hint of fragrance
as the dish was served hot.
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| 一家平安龙腾四海 |
Salt & Pepper Baked Prawns
Salt-baked
prawn was a popular dish at Cantonese restaurants here in the 60s. Originating
from the Hakka cuisine, the method of salt-baking was used for many meats such
as chicken, crabs, mullets and others.
The
salt actually enhances the sweetness of the meat during baking without
over-powering the meat with saltiness, since the salt would be removed before
serving. Again, Gen Shu gave a modern twist to the recipe by adding pepper to
the dish, an updated practice common in Hong Kong from the 80s onwards.
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| 满载而归满地碧玉 |
Braised Seafood with Vegetable
In the
past, serving plain vegetables during a feast was considered taboo, as it could
be misconstrued that the host was frugal, or worse, stingy! So, the dish would
be embellished with expensive items such as mushrooms, seafood or meat to
enhance its perceived value.
A sauce
of dried scallops, mushrooms and crabsticks was prepared before adding to the
braised cabbage. The cabbage would absorb the flavorful sauce, making it a
delightful dish.
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| 国泰民安丰衣足食 |
Stir-fried Glutinous Rice
This
dish meant a lot to me, and I had blogged about it earlier. Gen Shu was kind
enough to cook his version in answer to my pleas. The glutinous rice was first
stir-fried, steamed, and then quick-fried with Chinese sausages, dried shrimps
and all.
The
whole process is tedious, that’s why many F&B outlets are unwilling to
offer it. But the end result is superb: every grain of rice coated with the oil
from the Chinese sausages, and with a slight crust.
Look
out for the second outing of The Jumping Table.
Gen Shu Mei Shi She Jia
Toa
Payoh Lorong 4
Blk 74
Food Centre #01-03
SINGAPORE
Photography by: Mark Ong
