What do you do when you’re spoilt for choice over which kinds of prata to order? I personally order all of them – it’s no wonder that until recently, I knew next to nothing about the sheer variety of other dishes that the Indian cuisine has to offer.
Earlier this month, however, my colleague and I headed down to SUVAI 2015, Singapore’s first Indian gourmet food festival, where we were in for a treat. As part of this year’s Singapore Food Festival, this event saw not only local chefs, but also culinary experts hailing from Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand showcasing Indian cuisine in all its glory. Tikka look at 5 interesting Indian dishes you have to try.
Chef Jonathan Lee’s Mysore Lamb Ribs were quite something. The spices penetrated deeply into the meat, working well with the gamey taste of lamb that was prominent yet not overpowering. Robustly flavoured as each of the components were, they worked surprisingly well together. The meat itself was fork-tender, the slightly charred exterior adding a hint of smokiness to each mouthful that brought all the elements of the dish together. My colleague and I both agreed that this was one of our favourite dishes of the day.
Luckily for you, Chef Jonathan’s dish was inspired by the Stir Fry Mysore Mutton at Muthu’s Curry, so you’ve got plenty of opportunities to sample the dish for yourself. Alternatively, Chef Jonathan is the head chef at Artichoke, a restaurant serving Middle-Eastern cuisine, where I imagine he works his magic as well as he did at Suvai, so do check that out as well!
Muthu’s Curry
Address: 7 Dempsey Road, Singapore 249671
Opening hours: 11.30am-3pm, 6pm-10pm (daily)
Artichoke
Address: 161 Middle Road, Sculpture Square, Singapore 188978
Opening hours: 6.30pm-9.45pm (Tues-Fri), 11.30am-2.45pm (Sat-Sun). Closed Mondays.
Forgive me for ever thinking that the one definitive way to construct a good burger is to pile the cheese on – Chef Devagi Sanmugam’s Masala Chicken Sliders with sweet apple chutney, green chilli, and tangy achar was a real game-changer. This dish was leaned on the sweeter side – the masala spices were mellow, complementing the pronounced sweetness of the apple chutney. The chicken patty was succulent and extremely juicy as well.
With 22 cookbooks under her belt, Chef Devagi must definitely be doing something right, and this dish was testament to that.
If east-meets-west is your kind of thing, try SAHA for regional Indian dishes with an innovative twist, such as their Lamb Khasta Rosti Tacos.
SAHA Restaurant and Bar
Address: 9A Duxton Hill (2nd floor), Singapore 089593
Opening hours: 12pm-3pm lunch (Mon-Fri), 6pm-11pm dinner (Mon-Sat). Closed Sundays.
Chef Irfan Pabaney’s Jalapeno and Mint Chicken did not disappoint either. Morsels of chicken were grilled to perfection before being coated in a dressing of jalapeno, mint, coriander, and lime, and tossed with a generous portion of mint and coriander leaves. The mint and coriander gave a refreshing kick to the otherwise earthier flavour of the dish, but what took the prize was the creaminess of the dressing which melded all the flavours together brilliantly.
Chef Irfan also raved about his favourite Indian dish, Chicken Chettinad, a spicy and aromatic curry. What better place to have this dish than the eponymous Chettynad Curry Palace?
Chettynad Curry Palace
Address: 49 Upper Weld Road, Singapore 207406
Opening hours: 5.30am-11.30pm (daily)
Okay, so this isn’t strictly an Indian dish, but it was too good not to include. On Chef Thanyadar Suteedechanon’s menu were Indian-inspired Thai dishes. We went for the Larb Moo, a spicy minced pork salad served on a poppadom. I loved how thoroughly marinated the pork was – the tanginess of the fish sauce was easily discernable, but well balanced out by the lime. The crispy poppadom was a clever addition to the dish, offsetting the chewier texture of the minced pork salad. This dish was piquant yet homely, beautifully layered in terms of both flavour and texture.
If you’re after innovative, contemporary Indian food, Yantra’s inventive fare that pushes the boundary of Indian cuisine is bound to hit the spot. Their Tandoori Mushrooms feature portobello mushrooms stuffed with enoki mushrooms in a yogurt and turmeric marinade; also try their Lal Mirch Ka Paneer Tikka, oven-glazed cottage cheese marinated in Indian spices, because cheese.
Yantra
Address: 163 Tanglin Road, #01-28/33 Tanglin Mall, Singapore 247933
Opening hours: 12pm-3pm lunch (daily), 6.30pm-10pm dinner (Sun-Thurs), 6.30pm-10.30pm (Fri-Sat)
Butter Chicken or Chicken Tikka Masala are brilliant choices if we’re talking Indian food, but Fish Curry is also a strong contender. Chef John See’s Fish Curry was lighter and less milky than typical Indian curry, and leaning towards the sour side – it was more of an Indian-inspired rendition of our local fish head curry. The generous and extremely fresh piece of fish was the real stunner – firm and silky, the natural sweetness of the fish blended impressively well with the spice and slight sourness of the curry.
Chef John had a chirpy, enlivening air about him, joking that despite being ethnically Chinese, he might really be Indian on the inside. It is little wonder that he recommends Sakunthala, a restaurant serving up Indian-Chinese fusion cuisine. Give their Fish Head Curry a shot; their Biryani dishes boast a number of good reviews too.
Sakunthala
Address: 66 Race Course Road, Singapore 218570
Opening hours: 11am-11pm (daily)
SUVAI 2015 was a gastronomical delight; aside from the food, we also could not miss the action of the Guinness World Record attempts. I mean, you would have to intentionally avert your gaze away from the 11-metre long cooking pot containing 15 tonnes of curry to possibly not see it. Other than breaking the Guinness world record for the largest cooking vessel ever made, SUVAI and its team of 66 chefs also smashed the existing world record of 10.3 tonnes of curry, set in 2005 in the United Kingdom, churning 15 tonnes of vegetable curry that day which was later distributed to homes and dormitories around Singapore in the spirit of SG50.
You’re probably wondering what 15 tonnes of food looks like, and it’s something like this:
Now that you’re more well-acquainted with Indian food, go forth and conquer!
This post was brought to you by Suvai 2015.
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