Curry Noodles & Chinese New Year Goodies

Hello Makan Kakis, this week we have a brand-new Foodie Friend! Please meet award-winning pastry chef Janice Wong, who’s as much an artist as a chef with her innovative, boundary-pushing creations and the founder of 2am: dessertbar, 2am: lab and Janice Wong Singapore.

Renowned for her gorgeous chocolates, she popped by the Gold 905 studio to chat about her latest Chinese New Year Collections, including her favourite Pork Floss & Bak Kwa Sesame cookies, hand-dipped chocolate-covered Pineapple Tarts and limited edition edible Piggy Banks with Gold Coins, all of which you can see here or purchase at her stores in Paragon & Raffles City

From Kaffir Lime to Laksa Leaves, her visits to Hawker Centres inspire many of the punchy flavours in her confections and Chef Janice is constantly challenging herself to find that sweet spot between innvoation and consistency. So have a listen to our on-air conversation and also find out where she likes to go for local flavour inspirations. You’ll want to scroll down especially if you love Curry Noodles!

HEAR:

• Click here to listen/ download podcast as Chef Janice talks about her stores, restaurants and her passion for all things chocolate.
• Click here to listen/ download podcast as Chef Janice talks about her latest Chinese New Year Goodies.
• Click here to listen/ download podcast as Chef Janice recommends where to go for her favourite Curry Chicken Noodles!

SEE:

photo via Heng Kee Curry Chicken Noodles Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/raytay6767/

Chef Janice really loves a good bowl of Curry Noodles and having grown up in the Hong Lim area, her top choice can be found at the renowned food centre there. In her opinion, it all boils down to their super-special chilli, which is made in huge batches once every 4 days and has a secret ingredient that she suspects may be black bean. What you get is a really nice flavour that extends the length of taste for the chicken broth.

Kway Chap: Year of the Pig with a Little Duck Thrown In!

Greetings & Salutations, Greedies! Happy New Year and we’re back after a teensy hiatus, just in time to welcome a returning Foodie Friend who can always be counted on to bring us new & unusual makan recommendations. Since we last talked food with Chef Shen Tan, she has embarked on a wildly popular private home dining supper series, cheekily called OWNSELF MAKE CHEF, featuring quality ingredients and ingenious riffs on familiar, local dishes. What you get is South East Asian flavours you’ll recognise, but elevated and no less delicious – sop buntut with Wagyu beef or twice steamed Nasi Lemak with grilled King prawn and lard sambal, anyone? With 13 (and counting) specially curated themed menus, Chef Shen’s culinary creativity is on the up and up! She even offers cooking classes now (fully booked till March, but hey, book now and you can get a class in April!), so that you can eat and learn how to make her bold style of food.

HEAR:

• Click here for Part 1 of my catch-up with Chef Shen & Ownself Make Chef.
• Click here for Part 2
• Click here to listen to this week’s piggy, ducky, beautifully braised episode!

SEE:

And of course when Chef Shen isn’t busy cooking up a storm for her guests, she’s out and about discovering new makan obsessions to share with us, one of which is a Teochew braised duck that she absolutely adores. Melvin is a second generation hawker who is carrying on his father’s legacy with this stall at Chinatown Complex. His mother still helps him and business is brisk because they serve really delicious food!