Jaan - freshest ingredients taken to new culinary heights

Singapore is indeed a food paradise. Every time I return, I am struck by the choice of good restaurants and eating places. From hawker establishments to gastronomic restaurants, you're spoilt for choice.

This time, my friend, who is a chef at Jaan, invited me over to sample a complimentary lunch. Helmed by British born chef de cuisine Kirk Westaway, Jaan currently ranks 11th place in Asia's 50 best restaurants awards and creates modern French culinary masterpieces. I was excited to sample their signature dishes.

Located on the 70th floor of Swissotel Stanford, the view of the Singapore skyline is stunning. The sea of buildings below is testament to the rapid development of Singapore - from colonial times through postmodern and on to present day Singapore. The colonial Raffles Hotel sits next to Sir Norman Foster's latest skyscraper which boasts a bold undulating roof. Further away, rows of housing board flats stand in symmetry and on the other side we could see the marina barrage and the iconic Marina Bay Sands casino. Against this backdrop, we were served a beautifully executed lunch. Here are some of the highlights below:

Our starter was a majestic Irish oyster with artichoke puree and caviar. The artichoke was a good contrast to the rich succulent oyster. I must say this was my favorite dish.  

One of Jaan's signature starters was the Heirloom Tomato with burrata cheese. It was composed beautifully. I was told later by the culinary team that this is a hard dish to execute as it is quite intricate.

The team at Jaan really knows how to whet an appetite. For one of their signature dishes (rosemary smoked organic eggs with ratte potato) They brought out a basket of eggs and cracked it open in front of us; it was accompanied with a dramatic smoke effect. We were intrigued from the start to the last bite of the dish.

Our main dish was a forest pigeon, roasted with rosemary on a bed of hay.

The immaculately prepared chocolate dessert was a fitting end to a magnificent meal. I would definitely recommend Jaan. I heard there is a waiting list for a table but the wait is worth it. Thanks to the young dynamic team at Jaan, the freshest of ingredients are taken to new culinary heights.

http://www.jaan.com.sg/

Fried Rice Challenge

So I just conducted a cooking course for 8 moms! One of the most common request from my students is how to make Fried Rice. The thing is, fried rice is the perfect food to make for your family. Here's all the left over ingredients I found in my fridge (clockwise from top) eggs, mushrooms, asparagus, coriander, dill,  garlic, dried fish, spring onion, shallots and  left over sausages. I added them into my fried rice and had a satisfying meal in 10 minutes flat. It's quick, not wasteful and loved by the kids.

Here are some secrets to making fried rice.

1/ Use leftover rice. It's dry and the best texture for making fried rice
2/ Don't be afraid to experiment with ingredients, just cut them into small slices so that it complements the rice
3/ You can flavor fried rice with soya sauce (Chinese style) fish sauce (Thai style) or dark soya sauce (Indonesian style) just go slow with the seasoning. It's hard to go back once you're heavy handed with the salt ratio
4/ Some other suggestions for ingredients: firm tofu, ham, prawns, peas, broccolini and any vegetable stem (cut the same way as the asparagus above)

And once again, here's a recipe for my friends who can't seem to get their fried rice right (I've used the ingredients in the picture above as an example):
1/ Chop your ingredients (see picture above)
2/Add garlic and onions, fry until soft, push to one side.
3/ Add 3-4 beaten eggs (seasoned with salt), scramble and cook in wok, push to one side
4/  Add hard ingredients (asparagus, sausages)
5/ Add soft ingredients (mushrooms, herbs)
6/ Add leftover rice
7/ Add soya sauce (I used 1-2 Tbsp, depending on the quantity of rice) stir and mix

So get out there and make a fried rice this week. Post a picture of the fried rice on my jalan spice Facebook page (successful or unsuccessful) and I'll be happy to give you tips.

Happy Cooking!