Hello Dearest Readers! I know I know, it’s been too long between To Market To Markets but if you knew how much work was involved in doing these you’d hopefully understand why To Market To Market is the quarterly column where I talk about the best of the items that I am sent (only the stuff that I like makes it here so call me your unofficial taste tester) and thanks to these brands, you get the chance to try them too instead of wondering what they taste like.

Just leave a comment at the end of the story telling me which product you’d like to try and why. The giveaway ends at Midnight AEST on the 12th of June, 2011. And one important thing, I will announce the winners on the 13th of June on this story and post the winner’s names. Now the difference is that it is up to you to contact me (the reason why these have been such headaches is chasing people’s details). So come back on the 13th and look for your name and who knows, you may have won something delicious!

Carlton Draught Wagyu Beef

Now if this prize doesn’t make you the most popular gal in town I don’t know what will. You won’t be complaining of a man shortage once word gets around that you have not only $300 worth of grass fed wagyu steaks but also a six pack of Carlton Draught beer! Now just to explain this clever concept, twenty prized wagyu cows were reared by Jaq Wagyu on two tonnes of hops and ten tonnes of malted barley which is what is used to brew Carlton Draught. The resulting wagyu is tender with a distinct flavour profile-and it does taste different from regular wagyu I promise! We barbecued it up and it was a big hit with the family and in laws with one member eating two entire steaks by himself.

Thanks to  Carlton Draught,  one lucky Not Quite Nigella reader will receive a tray of Jaq Wagyu beef fed on Carlton Draught and a six pack of Carlton Draught both worth $300! As it needs refrigeration, delivery can only be made to Sydney Metropolitan areas.

Helga’s

“Did you tell them that we already have their bread here?” Mr NQN asked me when a loaf of Helga’s new quinoa and flaxseed bread was sent to us. It’s true, we had two loaves already going but of course I had to try a slice of this quinoa bread which is low GI with quinoa that very popular grain that is high in protein as well as flaxseed. The bread was spongey and soft and with just the right amount of bits in it.

Thanks to  Helga’s,  ten lucky Not Quite Nigella readers will receive a box containing three loaves of the quinoa and flaxseed bread. As it is bread, delivery can only be made to Sydney Metropolitan areas.

Tasmanian Rain

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In my last Singapore post I showed you about the high end of Singapore. And although it has been a good 15 years since my last visit before that we used to visit a lot. My mother is Singaporean and every few years we’d get on a plane to visit my aunt, uncles and countless cousins. I can tell you these five things about Singaporeans:

1. Singaporeans are obsessed with food. Like seriously obsessed. They will spiritedly debate the merits of their favourite chicken rice, char kway teow, oyster omelette place and then cluck at you good naturedly for going to the wrong place or give you a loud bellow of “Approved!” for selecting the right place.

2. They love high end and they love low end food. By low end I mean cheap hawker centre meals where deliciously fragrant and flavoursome food can be had, in the heat and humidity, for a mere $1 per drink or $2-$4 per main meal. The high end here is higher than the high end is a lot of countries with the most expensive meals costing about $400SGD per head.

3. They love to shop and the shops are open until late to cater for this love.

4. They don’t seem to sleep much. They’re too busy working, eating and shopping.

5. They are obsessed with food. They really are. So it’s no wonder that with a mother from Singapore I would be similarly devoted. It was in my genes…

So it would seem only fitting that we see Singapore, the other Singapore beyond the glittery 5 star jewels with some of the locals of Singapore. These people will uncover to us the hidden gems, the best places to eat where Singaporeans eat and the places about which they furiously debate.

Geylang Serai Food Market

No trip to Singapore is complete without a visit to a hawker centre. All of us were up early at the crack of dawn and ready to partake in Tony Tan’s food tour of local hawker centres and shops where he gives us a his view on the food and history of Singaporean cuisine. We start at the Geylang Serai food market where the hawker food sits on the level above the wet market below. It’s a predominantly Malay muslim market so the food is mostly halal.

Tony Tan

We start with the stands around the outside of the markets that sell dried shrimp and palm sugar. There are differences in the palm sugar here-we are used to paler palm sugars in Australia whereas here it is darker. Tony shows us belacan which is the pungent shrimp paste used in laksa and all sorts of other delicious dishes. There is also a fascinating black nut, the Buah Keluak which is poisonous and fishermen use to stun fish before they catch them.

The poisonous Buah Keluak black nut once buried in alkaline  ash

The black nut is then boiled and roasted

When the fish eat the nuts they become dazed and float to the top making them easy to scoop up. The nut is poisonous without treatment but after treatment becomes deliciously edible (and we’ll get to try this later).  Treatment involves burying it in alkaline ash and then boiling and roasting it which semi prepares it. It is then mixed with spices and the filling is then stuffed back into the shell and cooked. And I can’t help thinking about whoever thought of this process really must have wanted to eat this!

Tongkat Ali – Viagra for women and men!

Another interesting item is the Tongkat Ali which is the bark of the tree that is used in tea and coffee to increase how shall we say…stimulation. It is said to be like Viagra for both women and men! We tried some but sadly didn’t feel any effect which is probably a good thing as our other halves were at home in Sydney…

The Wet Market

We enter the wet market and it is so named because the ice used to pack and keep the fish for selling makes the floor very wet. Starting at 5:30am there are all types of fish for sale in the ten or so stands that sell fish with prices marked per whole fish rather than by weight. There is a stand with fresh cockles being scooped up.

Scooping cockles

The two types of coffee that make up Singapore coffee

Tony holds two types of coffee beans in his hands. One is roasted in margarine and sugar and has a glossy coating to it and another looks more like a regular coffee bean. He urges us to put one of each in our mouths to taste the difference. Singapore coffee is a 50/50 blend of these beans.

We pass a stall where “Auntie” (everyone older is pretty much auntie or uncle) is chewing on a betel leaf wrapped in betel nut. She is also making pot pourri out of flowers and shredded pandan leaves to leave around the home which she packages up in newspaper and staples shut. Tony tells us that many of the older generation have become addicted to chewing on the betel nut and this leads to problems like involuntary drooling but the initial feeling is that of relaxation. He buys a few for us to try as Alison and I want to give it a go a bit later as they suggest having a toothbrush handy as it turns your mouth brown (as if involuntary drooling didn’t sound unglamourous enough!).

But enough shopping, we’re hungry! All of these smells is enough to make a girl suddenly want breakfast and as in Asian countries, the best places for food are the ones with long queues. We line up at this stand which is popular for their Nasi Padang dishes and Tony tells us that the owner has also made the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Beef Lung

Pork is one meat that isn’t sold here because it is a predominantly Muslim market but meats such as beef, chicken and goat are popular and they also sell offal including beef lung, spleen and tendon. As we are getting hungry (it’s lunchtime according to our Sydney based tummies), we follow Tony around to gather the best of what the hawker centre offers including the beef lung above. I try a bite and it is flavoursome and quite firm in texture and actually quite pleasant indeed without the overtly strong offal smell that some offal has.

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