Sentosa Island and other Singapore delights

All I remember from my first visit to Singapore was where I stayed and seeing a few sampans idling in the harbour. My second visit memory is when we walked by a store that harboured the aroma of garam masala. A man sat grinding the spice and we ended up purchasing some. Whenever a dish I cooked turned out mediocre, I added this freshly ground spice and the fragrant taste exploded. This time, it was my third visit to Singapore, and each visit, the city seemed to sparkle a little more.

Discovering the delights of real cooking

My mother cooked like most women of her era — boiled cabbage until it was limp and colourless, cooked meat until the final trace of blood was drained and then cooked it some more. Her spices were limited to mixed herbs and Keens curry powder, neither of which altered her dull, lifeless cooking.

masala dosa

My introduction to a masala dosa was in a Brahman restaurant near the Ramanthaswamy Temple in Rameswaram. If I timed it right, a boy in a white sarong wearing a Brahmin string over his shoulder whisked past swinging an urn between tables. Perfumed incense filled the air hovering like mist above the hungry crowd.

Curry or starve

When I first went to India, western fast food hadn’t infiltrated its borders. Travellers either ate curry, or didn’t eat. I had a quick introduction into South Indian cuisine and wondered how I’d survived without the amazing flavours, even though my mouth burned.

the magic of rasam

Whenever I felt “something” coming on, that tummy rumble or slight fever, I nipped into a Rameswaram restaurant and ordered a stainless steel cup of rasam.

Submerged in the tastes of Singapore

I may have gorged myself on South Indian food every morning and night during my last visit to Singapore, but the city had more to offer, so I set aside part of the day to try Chinese or Malay dishes.

Return to Singapore’s Little India

Some how this area of Singapore always draws me back. The lively atmosphere at night and the colourful buildings by day are a plus, but the real reason is Komola Vilas.

Tamarind Moment

Photo courtesy Tau’olunga — Wikimedia Commons

Tamarind is often used in South Indian cooking, but my association is with Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Uppuma

I don’t remember where I first tried uppuma in South India, but I knew it was a flavour my taste buds craved again. After I left India, I scoured a bookshop in Tanzania and came across a South Indian cookbook with the very recipe inside.

Pongal

I ate a Tamil Nadu breakfast while my eyes wandered over a menu painted on the wall above, deciding what to eat for breakfast the following morning.