"singapore" news and stories

Don't you hate it when you ask someone what flavor they would like and they say they don't care, whatever, or surprise me? Well, one Singapore company has come up with the solution for your indecisive friends with the launch of new sodas appropriately named Whatever and Anything.

Anything is their carbonated soda which comes in six flavors: Cola with Lemon, Apple, Fizz Up, Cloudy Lemon and Root Beer. Whatever is non-carbonated teas that come in Ice Lemon, Peach, Jasmine Green Tea, White Grape, Apple, and Chrysanthemum Tea flavors.

So what's the big surprise? The cans aren't labeled beyond the names of 'Anything' and 'Whatever', so you truly don't have a clue which flavor you are getting beforehand.

(via TrendHunter.com)

A Thai scientist has managed to strip the durian, a Southeast Asian delicacy, known as the king of fruit, of its signature funky aroma. What's next, fatless bacon?

Songpol Somsri, who grew up on a durian orchard, crossed more than 90 types of the spiky fruit to create Chantaburi No. 1, which is said to smell as mild as a banana. As anyone who's read Tony Bourdain's A Cook's Tour can tell you, a durian's natural aroma is nothing at all like a banana. So noxious is the fruit's aroma that it's banned from Singapore's subways. Bourdain characterizes it thusly: "like you'd buried somebody holding a big wheel of Stilton in his arms, then dug him up a few weeks later." That aside Bourdain likes them. He really, really likes them.

I can understand his attraction somewhat. Several years my fellow blogger and intrepid eater, Jonathan, sampled one with some friends. Sure, the flesh is custardy, creamy, smooth and sweet. But it has a a definite funky undertone, kinda like garlic steeped in jet fuel, that stays with you for several hours. That aside, I say leave the durian as nature made it, in all its stinky splendor.

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One of the less well know areas of global cuisine is that of the South Pacific, as you are much less likely to find a Malaysian take-out restaurant in a randomly chosen city than a Chinese, or even a Japanese, restaurant. Fortunately, Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia offers up much more than a sampling of recipes to anyone interested in learning about - and tasting - the flavors of the region. Author James Oseland is an expert, or at least exceptionally well versed, in the cuisine of Singapore and the surrounding countries. He devotes a significant portion of the book to providing the reader with the background on the foods, ingredients, tastes and techniques. The notes on ingredients are particularly useful, as many will be unfamiliar to someone who has never attempted some of these dishes and will have to be found at a specialty grocer. Oseland does offer acceptable substitutions for some of the ingredients, making it possible to get close to authentic results even if you are in an area where other resources are limited.

Despite the fact that some of the dishes require unfamiliar ingredients, by the time you get to them, you'll have a good overview of the cuisines you'll be working with. The recipes include dishes like Fragrant Fish Stew with Lime and Lemon Basil, Black Pepper Crab and the Soto King's Chicken Soup.

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The annual foodie-fest that is the Singapore Food Festival will begin on the 1st July.

According to the Singapore Tourist Board chilli crab is the favourite dish among tourists - so what a better way than to kick of the festival than with a mega chilli crab festival (Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza).  The dish will be one of the many local delights that will be highlighted at the festival through food carnivals and cooking competitions.

The festival attracted more than 300,000 visitors last year and the organisers - Reed Exhibitions and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) - hope to top the figures this year. To tie in with the World Cup season, the festival will also feature unique dishes based on a football theme but there is plenty more occuring for those trying to escape the footie.

The Singapore Tourism Board, said that "During this period, there's the Great Singapore Sale, there's the Arts Festival that's on-going, so there's this buzz there. There's this vibrant event scene in Singapore, so be it eating, dining (or) shopping, there is something for everyone during this period."

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When you hear the phrase "peanut butter and jelly," chances are you think of a childhood snack or a tasty lunch, tucked away in a brown paper bag. The idea might not inspire the same mouthwatering temptation that it did when you were ten, but perhaps this updated version of the classic pair is enough to. Kuidaore used Thomas Keller's take on peanut butter and jelly as inspiration to put together these phenominal treats: grown up peanut butter cups with yuzu pate de fruit "jellies".

They may not be neatly spread between two slices of bread, but I know that I certainly wouldn't turn up my nose after finding either of these in my lunch.

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