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The Expat Alchemist, Wine, and a Singapore Fling

 

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I am not a sommelier. I have never trained as one, or worked as one. But recently, I flew to Ankara to sommelier (can I use that as a verb?) at a special event hosted by the Singaporean Ambassador at his residence there. Am I that big of a deal in Turkey? As much as I’d like to say yes…in actuality no. I’m friends with the chef. The current Singaporean Ambassador to Turkey, Jonathan Tow, is a wine enthusiast. He found my website because, well frankly if you’re Googling for information in English about Turkish wine, I’m just about the only thing that pops up. Realized I knew the chef being feted at this event, and the dream team was born!

But before the event, a little background about said chef.

The Expat Alchemist

The Expat Alchemist, aka my friend Kay, sprang out of her other persona, Pop Up Dinners Istanbul. Kay originated the pop up restaurant in Istanbul and for a number of years now, has created amazing dinners. There are some great restaurants in Istanbul, of course, but authentic flavor ethnic food, especially South East and Far East Asian flavors get watered down significantly to cater to the local palate or to make up for ingredients that cannot be sourced in Istanbul. Pop Up is the only place to get some of these foods.

Kay grew up in Singapore. Her mother is Dutch, her father was Anglo-Indian so I imagine she fit in quite well with the melting pot Singapore has become. She learned her love of food and cooking from her father. When they left Singapore for England, she and her father became, as she says, “great foragers”. At the time, England did not have as many retail outlets for ethnic ingredients as it does now. They spent a great deal of time finding substitutes for things in order to recreate the food and flavors they loved so much from home. It is exactly this spirit and creativity that has allowed her to make such amazing food in Turkey. That is also why she considers herself to be an alchemist.

COVID affected Kay and Pop Up as much as it did any restaurant. She found a different outlet for her cooking creativity. Cookbooks. Her cookbooks (available soon in Turkey!) will provide recipes for traditional foods but with easily sourced substitutes. No galangal? No problem. Can’t find pandan? She’s got a substitute for that. The first book due out is on Punjab recipes and a full Singaporean cookbook will follow soon after.

A Special Meal On Singaporean Soil

Kay came to Ambassador Tow’s attention through one of his staff members who has been to several of her past pop up dinner events. After a number of conversations and learning that she was in the middle of preparing several cookbooks, the embassy made her an amazing offer: come to Ankara to cook a special meal for a select group of restaurateurs and influencers. Not only would Kay present this meal, together with the embassy she also put together a truncated version of what her future Singaporean cookbook would be. Ambassador Tow unveiled this version of the cookbook after the meal.

The cookbook includes illustrations by Kay’s sister Singaporean Sera Yunzi Press. Her Punjab and the full Singaporean cookbooks will also include Sarah’s illustrations.

Kay and Sarah arrived Friday afternoon with all the ingredients and their equipment and from Saturday morning, cooked up a storm in a makeshift, outdoor “kitchen” at the residence. I did not arrive until Saturday afternoon but was set to work immediately upon arrival. Kay makes magic under just about any cooking circumstances and this night was no different.

Prior to the event, Kay asked me if I would be interested in pairing wines with the dishes she planned to make. I do not like food pairing. Despite the many blogging groups I participate in by doing just that! We did have fun trying a bunch of different wines before the event and eventually landed on three.

Spring Rolls with Paşaeli Çakal Üzümü 

Spring rolls feature heavily during Chinese New Year in Singapore – they represent one of the seven lucky foods. As a hope for the coming year, their shape and colour, stacked on a plate, signify gold bullion bars.

I paired the spring rolls with Paşaeli’s Çakal Üzümü pale rosé. The wine’s inherently tropical flavors, streak of minerality, and lively acidity play very well with Asian foods generally and manages to not get overwhelmed by the sweet chili dipping sauce.  

Ingredients:

• 200 grams cabbage, shredded finely
• 200 grams carrot, cut into matchsticks
• 100 grams bean sprouts
• 100 grams red pepper, thinly sliced
• 150 grams onion, thinly sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 3 cm piece of ginger, pounded into paste
• 3 TBS oil
• 200 grams thinly sliced chestnut mushrooms, or 6 shitake mushrooms soaked in boiling water for 20 minutes, then thinly sliced
• 50 grams vermicelli noodles, cut into manageable pieces, soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes and drained
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 3-4 TBS soy sauce
• salt to taste
• 3 tsp sesame seed oil
• 35 Phyllo pastry sheets – 20 cm x 24 cm
• oil for frying
• a little egg to seal the pastry edges

Method:

1. Fry the onions until soft; add in the cabbage, carrot, mushrooms, ginger, and garlic. When wilted, add in the red pepper and fry for 1 minute.
2. Add in the soy sauce and white pepper. Just at the end of cooking time, add the beansprouts with the vermicelli. Ensure there is no water in the mixture (boil away if there is).
3. When cool, mix in the sesame seed oil. Refrigerate until needed.
4. Cut the pastry to size and roll from the longer length. Place a TBS of filling at one end, roll once and tuck the two sides over to seal the edges. Then roll to the top. Dab a little egg on the edge to seal. Place on greaseproof paper or cling film to stop the pastry from sticking to the surface.
5. Deep-fry in oil that comes at least halfway up the spring roll, turning once. Drain on paper towel. 
6. Serve with sweet chili sauce.
   

   

Beef Satay and Arda Bornova Misketi

Opening after sundown, the first Satay Club was by the side of Hoi How Road (c. 1940-1970), close to two cinemas and a main bus depot. Hawkers brought their small barbecues and set up shop there, placing a few low, fold-out tables for diners. the hawkers squatted on short wooden blocks at small charcoal burners, fanning the flames of the fire to get the ideal amount of char and smoke onto the meat skewers. the 10-stick portions of satay were served on banana leaves, and a bowl of spicy peanut sauce was already on the table. A hawker’s cooking station would remain until he ran out of satay or when the final bus was in, and the last of the cinema audience had left the area.

I paired the beef satay and peanut sauce with Arda’s semi-sweet Bornova Misketi. Using grapes from Solera’s vineyards, this was the first time for Arda producing a Bornova Misketi. What I love the most about this wine is how elegant and almost ethereal it is. Misket, especially when on the sweeter end, can often hit you over the head with its aromatics. Here, fragile citrus blossoms mingled with white rose petals and ripe melon. Semi-sweet but with beautifully balanced acidity that kept the wine light. The sweetness here played so well with the spicy peanut sauce and the flavors in the satay marinade. But also it just tickled me to serve a semi-sweet white wine with a beef dish!

Ingredients (satay):

• 1 kg chicken, lamb, beef, or pork (or a mixture of all)*
• 1 TBS coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 medium-sized red onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 stalk lemongrass (substitute: rind of one lemon without pith)
• 1 cm fresh galangal (substitute: ginger)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1/2 cup tamarind water, made from 1 TBS tamarind pulp steeped in 1/2 cup boiling water for 10 minutes
• 1 heaped tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 4 TBS oil
• 50 bamboo skewers

*Use only tender cuts of meat, i.e. leg of lamb, entrecote, etc. 

Method:

1. Cut the meat into 2cm x 1cm pieces and set aside.
2. Heat a frying pan and dry-fry the whole spices (coriander, cumin, and fennel seeds), stirring constantly until their fragrance comes through (about 1 minute in a heated pan). Grind to a powder. 
3. In a liquidiser, pulverise the onion, garlic, lemon grass, galangal, until fine. Add the ground spices and combine all the other ingredients except the oil. Leave to marinade for a minimum of 6 hours, overnight, or up to 2 days. 
4. Meanwhile, soak the bamboo skewers in cold water for a minimum of 1 hour (this prevents the sticks from catching fire). Thread pieces of meat onto the skewers. Brush with the oil. Barbeque over charcoal, fry in a cast iron grill skillet, or grill until cooked.
   

   Photo courtesy of Ambassador Tow

Ingredients (peanut sauce):

• 8 dried chilies, seeped in boiling water for 10 minutes
• 2 medium red onions
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 stalks lemon grass (substitute rind of 2 lemons*)
• 1 cup raw peanuts**
• 4 TBS coconut oil
• 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
• 1 1/2 TBS tamarind pulp, seeped in 1 cup boiling water for 10 minutes
• 2-3 tsp brown sugar
• 1 TBS fish sauce
• salt to taste

Method:

1. Mash the tamarind a little when it starts to soften in the boiled water. This will release the pulp which holds the sourness and flavour. Strain and use the liquid only.
2. Roast the peanuts in the oven, or dry fry in a pan, until they take on a medium brown colour. Watch carefully, as they burn quickly. Pound into a chunky consistency. 
3. Liquidise the chillies, onion, garlic, lemon grass. Add a little oil to help turn the blades.
4. In a saucepan, add the remaining oil to the liquidised ingredients. Fry this until the oil separates from the paste and the smell is strong. 
5. Reduce the heat a little before adding the tamarind water, coconut milk, sugar, and salt. Cook for another minute. 
6. Add the ground peanuts and stir, cooking for a minute. If the sauce gets too thick, you can thin it with a little hot water. Check the seasoning and the sour to sweet ratio, add more sugar or tamarind if necessary. Turn off the heat and serve at room temperature.

*If using lemon rind in place of lemon grass, you might need more sugar to balance the sauce.

**You can substitute the raw peanuts with half a jar of chunky peanut butter; omit the sugar in the recipe in that case.

Hainanese Chicken Rice and Vinkara Hasandede

Chefs who migrated from the Chinese island of Hainan created this dish in Singapore. They took ideas from their homeland, incorporating Cantonese techniques and adding a Singapore flourish. Hainanese chicken rice has become the unofficial national dish of Singapore.

I paired this with the Vinkara Winehouse Hasandede. Hasandede, like the Hainanese Chicken Rice, is delicate but impactful with its citrus, tree fruit, floral notes, and textural body. The wine helped highlight the complex flavors in the dish without competing with or overwhelming them.

Ingredients (for the chicken):

• 1 small chicken (1.3 – 1.5 kg)
• salt to taste
• 3 spring onions, 2 whole and 1 thinly sliced for garnish
• 2 medium-sized cucumbers
• a little oil

Ingredients (sauce for the chicken):

• 4 TBS tamari, or reduced-sodium soy sauce (use only 2 TBS if using regular soy sauce)
• 1 TBS sesame seed oil
• 4 TBS mirin or 2 TBS vinegar
• 2 tsp sugar, 2-4 TBS water

Ingredients (for the chili sauce):

• 4-6 large red chilies
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 cm piece ginger
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 TBS lemon or lime juice

Ingredients (for the spring onion sauce):

• 4 spring onions (mostly the whites) chopped
• 2 cm piece of ginger, grated
• 2 TBS oil
• 1/4 tsp salt

Ingredients (for the rice):

• 2 cups aged basmati rice
• 1 1/2 cups reduced chicken stock
• 10 whole garlic cloves, peeled
• 10 slices of ginger, unpeeled, cut diagonally into thin slices
• 1 tsp salt

Method:

1. Wash and dry the chicken, being careful to not break the skin. Salt inside and out. Rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, but preferably refrigerate overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking to bring to room temperature. 
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. When it has reached a rolling boil, carefully place the chicken, breast side down, into the water. Cover and bring to a rolling boil again. Once there, remove from heat and rest for 30 minutes. 
3. Meanwhile, prepare the chili sauce by mixing all the ingredients in a blender until smooth. Add a tablespoon of water if the blades needs some help. 
4. Mix sauce for the chicken, If using a mirin substitute, melt the sugar in the water and vinegar and let it reach room temperature before mixing in the other ingredients.
5. Prepare the spring onion sauce. Pound ginger with chopped spring onions and salt until you have a rough paste. Heat the oil to smoking point. Add the onion paste and mix vigorously until it emulsifies. 
6. For the rice: In a frying pan, add 2 tablespoons oil and fry the whole garlic and sliced ginger. Do not let them mix/touch each other while frying. The ginger should reach a dark brown color on both sides and the garlic needs to almost burn. Charring them will give the rice a smoked flavor. Don’t be afraid to bring these to a dark char just short of incineration! 
7. Once 30 minutes has passed, bring the chicken to boil once more. Keep the lid on, and when the water reaches a rolling boil, remove from heat and let rest another 30 minutes.
8. Prepare a large bowl of iced water with a tablespoon of salt. Remove the chicken from the stock (after 30 minutes). Hang for one minute over the stock so the liquid can drip back into the pan. Then plunge the chicken into the iced water and leave for 10 minutes, turning one (this will give it the gelatinous skin that is a signature of the dish and also stop it from cooking further). Remove and dry in a colander. Rub a little sesame seed oil over the skin.
9. Add the two whole spring onions to the stock and reduce by 1/3. Check the seasoning. 
10. Wash the rice until the water runs clear. Drain well.
11. In a saucepan, add the rice and the chicken stock. Add the burnt garlic and ginger with the oil from the pan. Cover, and cook on a low heat until you see that the rice has absorbed almost all of the stock. Turn the heat off; the the lid closed tightly for another 10 minutes for further steaming time. 
12. Remove the ginger pieces and squash down the garlic so the insides (and a little of the charred skin) remain with the rice. Remove the rest and put the ginger and garlic into the soup/stock. Let the soup boil for another 10 minutes. Keep the rice covered for 10 more minutes while the soup boils and takes on the flavour of the ginger and garlic. Fluff up the rice before serving. 

Assembly:

1. Cut the chicken into pieces. Take the breast meat off the bone and slice. Split the thigh from the leg, separate the wings from the carcass, but keep on the bone. Serve the rice separately or on individual plates. Decorate with sliced cucumber.
2. Mix the soy chicken sauce and drizzle over the chicken and a little on the rice. Serve the remainder in small bowls for more drizzling. 
3. Serve the chili and spring onion sauces on the side.
4. Check the seasoning of the chicken stock. Strain out ginger and garlic. 
5. Place a bowl of the stock beside each serving of chicken, with a sprinkling of sliced spring onions. 

Again, thank you to Ambassador Tow and the Singaporean Embassy for the honor of participating in this event!

And, if you’re in Turkey, be on the look out soon for the Expat Alchemist cookbook series!!