I dunno, I used at least 3 teaspoons of the stuff mixed with a little
5-spice in my rice and although it did provide a miniscule kick (I mean,
can barely taste it), I'm not convinced.

I made a whole load of it, so I'm going to make up some more of the
"paste" using a shit load of the "hot curry powder" and I'll see if I can
get something tasting similar to the real thing!

Maybe 2 desert spoons of the powder will do it?

Luke.

"Luke A. Guest"  wrote
in message
news:pan.2005.03.04.15.32.42.973631@n_o_p_o_r_k_a_n_d_h_a_m.abyss2.demon.co.uk...

> I dunno, I used at least 3 teaspoons of the stuff mixed with a little
> 5-spice in my rice and although it did provide a miniscule kick (I mean,
> can barely taste it), I'm not convinced.
>
> I made a whole load of it, so I'm going to make up some more of the
> "paste" using a shit load of the "hot curry powder" and I'll see if I can
> get something tasting similar to the real thing!
>
> Maybe 2 desert spoons of the powder will do it?
>
> Luke.


Hi Luke,

how are you using the curry powder? most powders need to be 'lightly'
fried/cooked to release the flavours & aroma before you can taste & smell
the difference. If all you've done is add the curry powder to fried rice
like adding salt or pepper, it would explain the lack of a 'kick'.

Mix a few tsp. of curry powder with a few drops of water to form a wet
paste. Heat the wok up with oil & very quickly fry the wet paste, keep it
moving to prevent it from burning for a few seconds. You should be able to
smell the difference now. If it's a really potent curry powder... you should
be crying! (hint... extractor fan &.or windows open) Add your rice & do the
rest as per usual. Make sure you don't burn the curry powder or else you'll
have to bin the lot.

Just out of curiosity... what is the exact taste & flavour you are aiming
for? i know you said Singapore fried rice but that doesn't mean much to me.
Is it a chilli hot kick you want? or a curry spicy taste & flavour? if you
tell me, i might be able to help. Sometimes i add something called.... dried
chilli shrimps(homemade & not sold in shops in the UK) & this is hot, spicy
& salty & gives it a kick. This is probably what people in Thailand,
Singapore, Malaysia & Indonesia use to add a bit of kick to homemade fried
rice or noodles. Sometimes this is made with belachan/blacan/kapi/trassi
(dried shrimp paste). Could this be what you're after? HK Chinese Take-aways
in the UK don't use this so it's not very common unless you get your fried
rice from a Singaporean run TA/rest.

DC.

On Fri, 04 Mar 2005 18:05:41 +0000, DC. wrote:


> how are you using the curry powder? most powders need to be 'lightly'


To be lazy, I shifted the rice to one side, added a tiny bit of oil to the
wok, added the curry powder/5 spice to the oil, mixed it around a bit and
then mixed it with the rice.


> Just out of curiosity... what is the exact taste & flavour you are aiming
> for? i know you said Singapore fried rice but that doesn't mean much to me.


Erm, difficult to describe. I take it you've never had a singapore fried
rice from a takeaway? I've had a few from different places and they all
taste the same, just differing in hotness.

I realy wouldn't be able to describe it, you'd just have to buy one and
try it yourself, it's quite a strange flavour.

Luke.

"Luke A. Guest"  wrote in message
news:pan.2005.03.05.17.27.15.773568@n_o_p_o_r_k_a_n_d_h_a_m.abyss2.demon.co.uk...

> On Fri, 04 Mar 2005 18:05:41 +0000, DC. wrote:
> > how are you using the curry powder? most powders need to be 'lightly'
> To be lazy, I shifted the rice to one side, added a tiny bit of oil to the
> wok, added the curry powder/5 spice to the oil, mixed it around a bit and
> then mixed it with the rice.
> > Just out of curiosity... what is the exact taste & flavour you are aiming
> > for? i know you said Singapore fried rice but that doesn't mean much to me.
> Erm, difficult to describe. I take it you've never had a singapore fried
> rice from a takeaway? I've had a few from different places and they all
> taste the same, just differing in hotness.
> I realy wouldn't be able to describe it, you'd just have to buy one and
> try it yourself, it's quite a strange flavour.
> Luke.


Hi Luke, I am a Singapore Rice Noodle addict
(Sometimes called Singapore Vermicelli)
It has the same curry flavour.
I have tried but I cannot duplicate the dish exactly.
--
Dave Croft
Warrington
England
http://community.webshots.com/user/crftdv

On Sat, 05 Mar 2005 19:19:53 +0000, Dave Croft wrote:


> Hi Luke, I am a Singapore Rice Noodle addict
> (Sometimes called Singapore Vermicelli)
> It has the same curry flavour.


I don't think that it has.


> I have tried but I cannot duplicate the dish exactly.


Nope, me neither. I've just got something hotter, but not the same.

Luke.

On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 19:59:31 +0000, "Luke A. Guest"
 wrote:


>On Sat, 05 Mar 2005 19:19:53 +0000, Dave Croft wrote:
>
>> Hi Luke, I am a Singapore Rice Noodle addict
>> (Sometimes called Singapore Vermicelli)
>> It has the same curry flavour.
>
>I don't think that it has.
>
>> I have tried but I cannot duplicate the dish exactly.
>
>Nope, me neither. I've just got something hotter, but not the same.


I was eating rice noodles in Singapore earlier this week. I've never
had anything in this country which tastes remotely like them. I did
bring back a jar of Belacan, though, for experimental purposes.


-- 
 
Regards

Mike

mikedotroebuckatgmxdotnet

On Sat, 09 Apr 2005 15:35:27 +0100, Mike Roebuck wrote:


>>Nope, me neither. I've just got something hotter, but not the same.
> 
> I was eating rice noodles in Singapore earlier this week. I've never
> had anything in this country which tastes remotely like them. I did
> bring back a jar of Belacan, though, for experimental purposes.


Erm...ok...what's that then?

Luke.

"Mike Roebuck"  wrote in message
news:eupf51p7q6o2l4v4t2hj4mtslea54vtt5n@4ax.com...
<snip>

> I was eating rice noodles in Singapore earlier this week. I've never
> had anything in this country which tastes remotely like them.


Would these be the dark brown ones? sometimes with fresh cockles, fish cake
& prawns... if it is, the only places i know are a handful of supposedly
'authentic' Singaporean restaurants in London. Most Chinese restaurants in
the UK cook from the Cantonese/HK tradition. Their version of this dish is
called KonChowNgaoHo = dry fried beef ho fun(rice noodles).


> I did
> bring back a jar of Belacan, though, for experimental purposes.


What do you need to know about cooking & eating
belacan/blacan/kapi/trassi... hate to say it but i use to eat loads of that
stuff, it does smell a bit if you're not used to it. ; )

As for the OP, it's just a case of finding what kind of curry powder they
use in the Chinese rests./take-aways here in the UK. Point of interest...
Singapore fried noodles or rice as we know it in the UK, Aust & US, does not
exist in Singapore. It's an invention made up by Cantonese/HK chefs & became
a staple for all HK/Cantonese run rests./take-aways across the western
world. Funny init...

DC.

On Sat, 09 Apr 2005 20:03:13 +0100, "Luke A. Guest"
 wrote:


>On Sat, 09 Apr 2005 15:35:27 +0100, Mike Roebuck wrote:
>
>>>Nope, me neither. I've just got something hotter, but not the same.
>> 
>> I was eating rice noodles in Singapore earlier this week. I've never
>> had anything in this country which tastes remotely like them. I did
>> bring back a jar of Belacan, though, for experimental purposes.
>
>Erm...ok...what's that then?


Prawn chilli paste. Belacan is the Malaysian version. Pataks used to
make an Indian version, called Prawn Balichow, but I haven't seen that
for years. The Filipino version (from memory) is called Alamang
Bagoong.




-- 
 
Regards

Mike

mikedotroebuckatgmxdotnet

On Sat, 9 Apr 2005 20:12:00 +0100, "DC."  wrote:


>"Mike Roebuck"  wrote in message
>news:eupf51p7q6o2l4v4t2hj4mtslea54vtt5n@4ax.com...
><snip>
>> I was eating rice noodles in Singapore earlier this week. I've never
>> had anything in this country which tastes remotely like them.
>
>Would these be the dark brown ones? sometimes with fresh cockles, fish cake
>& prawns...


Yes, although I ate other noodle dishes, too.


> if it is, the only places i know are a handful of supposedly
>'authentic' Singaporean restaurants in London.


I will have to keep an eye open for those then.


> Most Chinese restaurants in
>the UK cook from the Cantonese/HK tradition. Their version of this dish is
>called KonChowNgaoHo = dry fried beef ho fun(rice noodles).
>
>> I did
>> bring back a jar of Belacan, though, for experimental purposes.
>
>What do you need to know about cooking & eating
>belacan/blacan/kapi/trassi... hate to say it but i use to eat loads of that
>stuff, it does smell a bit if you're not used to it. ; )


I know. It's just that I have a number of Australian recipes for
Oriental dishes, and a number of them call for Belacan. So I bought
some. I never had a problem with the Filipino and Indian versions, so
I doubt that I will with this one.


>
>As for the OP, it's just a case of finding what kind of curry powder they
>use in the Chinese rests./take-aways here in the UK. Point of interest...
>Singapore fried noodles or rice as we know it in the UK, Aust & US, does not
>exist in Singapore. It's an invention made up by Cantonese/HK chefs & became
>a staple for all HK/Cantonese run rests./take-aways across the western
>world. Funny init...


The noodles I ate were not specifically called Singapore noodles, but
they might well have been given that name when served abroad.


-- 
 
Regards

Mike

mikedotroebuckatgmxdotnet

Mike Roebuck wrote:


> On Sat, 09 Apr 2005 20:03:13 +0100, "Luke A. Guest"
>  wrote:
> 
> 
>>On Sat, 09 Apr 2005 15:35:27 +0100, Mike Roebuck wrote:
>>
>>
>>>>Nope, me neither. I've just got something hotter, but not the same.
>>>
>>>I was eating rice noodles in Singapore earlier this week. I've never
>>>had anything in this country which tastes remotely like them. I did
>>>bring back a jar of Belacan, though, for experimental purposes.
>>
>>Erm...ok...what's that then?
> 
> 
> Prawn chilli paste. Belacan is the Malaysian version. Pataks used to
> make an Indian version, called Prawn Balichow, but I haven't seen that
> for years. The Filipino version (from memory) is called Alamang
> Bagoong.
> 

The blachan/belacan I have gotten does not contain chiles.

-- 
Jean B.

"Jean B."  wrote in message
news:3c216lF6lirgcU2@individual.net...
<snip>

> The blachan/belacan I have gotten does not contain chiles.
>
> -- 
> Jean B.


True... if it's with chillis, chances are it's a sambal like sambal belacan
or a chilli sauce type paste like sambal olek. Blacan/Belacan/Kapi/Trassi on
it's own is a sun dried brown block or round cake.

DC.

On Tue, 12 Apr 2005 16:41:47 +0100, "DC."  wrote:


>"Jean B."  wrote in message
>news:3c216lF6lirgcU2@individual.net...
><snip>
>> The blachan/belacan I have gotten does not contain chiles.
>>
>> -- 
>> Jean B.
>
>True... if it's with chillis, chances are it's a sambal like sambal belacan
>or a chilli sauce type paste like sambal olek. Blacan/Belacan/Kapi/Trassi on
>it's own is a sun dried brown block or round cake.


You're probably right. The label indeed says Belacan Chilli.

It was all I could find, at very short notice, unfortunately.




-- 
 
Regards

Mike

mikedotroebuckatgmxdotnet

"Mike Roebuck"  wrote in message
news:ev3o51lqe5dh74ol52hbqu680am4g2qb6s@4ax.com...
<snip>

> You're probably right. The label indeed says Belacan Chilli.
>
> It was all I could find, at very short notice, unfortunately.


where are you in the UK Mike? i might be able to source some for you or at
least tell you where to find some ; )

DC.

On Tue, 12 Apr 2005 16:41:47 +0100, DC. wrote:


> True... if it's with chillis, chances are it's a sambal like sambal belacan
> or a chilli sauce type paste like sambal olek. Blacan/Belacan/Kapi/Trassi on
> it's own is a sun dried brown block or round cake.


This isn't the stuff I'm looking for is it? To make a "Singapore" type
dish?

Ta,
Luke.

On Tue, 12 Apr 2005 23:05:41 +0100, "DC."  wrote:


>"Mike Roebuck"  wrote in message
>news:ev3o51lqe5dh74ol52hbqu680am4g2qb6s@4ax.com...
><snip>
>> You're probably right. The label indeed says Belacan Chilli.
>>
>> It was all I could find, at very short notice, unfortunately.
>
>where are you in the UK Mike? i might be able to source some for you or at
>least tell you where to find some ; )


In Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.

(So is Luke)

Ta :-)



-- 
 
Regards

Mike

mikedotroebuckatgmxdotnet

On Wed, 13 Apr 2005 00:24:30 +0100, Mike Roebuck wrote:


> In Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.
> 
> (So is Luke)
> 
> Ta :-)


Er...yeah...good memory!

At least for now anyway.

Luke.

"Luke A. Guest"  wrote
in message
news:pan.2005.04.12.23.01.37.163923@n_o_p_o_r_k_a_n_d_h_a_m.abyss2.demon.co.uk...
<snip>

> This isn't the stuff I'm looking for is it? To make a "Singapore" type
> dish?
>
> Ta,
> Luke.


Whoaa... that's a loaded question mate. To make a "Singapore" type dish like
Singapore fried rice/noodles that you find in your local take-aways here in
the UK.... No! For that you'll need some kind of curry powder/paste that
all, if not most of the TAs use here. I'll ask my local TA one day & see if
they'll tell me. As you might have worked out from my posts, i'm Chinese &
Singapore fried rice/noodles isn't on my list of things i'd eat from a
Chinese TA, that's if i go to a Chinese TA in the first place. Normally i
just fire up my wok & DIY. But you are right from your previous posts that
it's a curry powder or paste that the TAs use & probably buy in bulk from
cash & carry wholesellers. In fact... try asking a C&C & i bet they'll know
exactly which one it is that the TAs use. I have a stack of old Chinese
recipes, mainly rests. & TA type meals & curry powder is simply listed as
'curry powder... the ones you get from supplier'. As curry powder is
'foreign' to traditional Chinese cuisine, not many Cantonese/Chinese
chefs/cooks bother to make their own, preferring to buy from the C&C. So
there you go Luke... but i reckon there's more to just getting the curry
powder/paste, i think you'll need to know what other ingredients goes into
making Singapore fried rice/noodles like MSG, soy etc. Also frying up curry
powder in the wok actually kills the flavour... you'll need to make a wet
paste with the dry powder & fry it on a medium heat to release the flavours
into the oil before continuing with the stir fry. Ready made pastes are
easier as it's already wet & when fried in oil it releases the flavours
quickly. Whatever you do, don't overcook the paste or it'll go bitter.

Now if you're after recipes for Belacan/Blacan/Kapi/Trassi... that's a
different matter altogether. This stuff really smells for the uninitiated &
i keep mine wrapped in it's original heavy duty silver foiled wrapper &
inside a airtight tupperware container at the back of my fridge.

Sambal Belacan.
1/4 inch/5mm thick slice of belacan off the block or cake. (It's more common
to find square blocks these days, each block is about 1 & 1/2 inch wide.)
Toast it under the grill or lightly dry fry it in a frying pan until both
sides take on a white/grey-ish colour which means it's cooked. Add this to a
mortar & pestle & pound with 2-3 chopped up large red chillis until a paste
is formed. Season with salt & sugar & a squeeze of kalamansi lime. You can
use a little lemon or lime juice as a replacement & maybe just a little more
sugar to counter the lemon or lime juice. Kalamansi lime is both sharp but
also a little sweetish. It's a miniature lime found only in SE Asia. Now
that you have sambal belacan, you can use it as a condiment, add it to your
fried rice or noodles or you can add a few shallots to the above recipe
during the pounding & you end up with a paste that is often used to fill &
baste fish that are grilled over charcoals.

Sambal Belacan is used/eaten like a condiment in Malaysia & Singapore. You
have a variety of condiments there, salt, pepper, soy sauce, fresh chillis
in soy, pickled green chillis, chilli sauce, etc. But certain dishes or
people brought up eating Straits Chinese/Nonya/Perenakan cuisine... sambal
belacan is almost without fail on the table & some people add it to
virtually everything they eat. It is highly addictive to some, others hate
it! Talking about hating it... i'd better give you a tip about roasting/dry
frying it. Open Your Windows & have the Extractor on FULL !!! I normally
burn some incense after to get rid of the smell. Now this is only for making
sambal belacan. If the recipe calls for belacan to be added to the cooking,
you don't have to toast or dry fry it first. Basically Belacan needs to be
cooked before eating or you'll end up with a very bad tummy. Belacan is made
from freshly caught tiny shrimps that are sun dried on the beach, then
salted & sundried then pounded & sun dried again & pounded & dried again.
The more sun drying it takes makes the flavour more concentrated & also
stops it from going mouldy. The whole process takes a few weeks. It can be
quite 'unhygienic' to some hence it's always better cooked. If you need more
info or recipes using belacan, let me know. HTH.

DC.

"Mike Roebuck"  wrote in message
news:e4mo511ml85gsl5b8lts2k812461p390gr@4ax.com...
<snip>

> In Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.
>
> (So is Luke)
>
> Ta :-)


Hi Mike, found a few places where you can buy it online, afraid i don't know
many places 'up north' except the regular Chinatown type location/places. If
you have a Chinatown or a Thai supermarket near you, try asking for it.
Kapi/Kappee in Thai or belacan/blacan/dried shrimp paste in a Chinese
supermarket with a Malaysian food category.

http://www.seasonedpioneers.co.uk/portal.php?Type=Ingredient&Name=Kapee+Shrimp+Paste&source=google&ad=authenticshrimppaste

http://www.thai4uk.com/acatalog/shop.html look for shrimp paste.

http://www.sawasdeefoods.co.uk/thai_pastes.asp look for shrimp paste under
the Thai section. There's also a couple of bottle type shrimp paste sauces
in the Filipino section but i'm not too sure about those.

I need to stress, each brand or country has it's own way of making it & it
might taste different from any previous ones you've had before.
Traditionally it is made with freshly caught tiny shrimp about the size of a
fingernail & these critters are seasonal, so it's only made twice a year. If
you find a brand you like, keep buying it or maybe stockpile it ; ) The ones
i use most often are from Penang (P. Pinang) in Malay & i get mine from any
Asian supermarket that sells Thai/Malaysian ingrdients. HTH.

DC.

On Wed, 13 Apr 2005 11:08:13 +0100, DC. wrote:


> Whoaa... that's a loaded question mate. To make a "Singapore" type dish like
> Singapore fried rice/noodles that you find in your local take-aways here in
> the UK.... No! For that you'll need some kind of curry powder/paste that
> all, if not most of the TAs use here. I'll ask my local TA one day & see if
> they'll tell me. As you might have worked out from my posts, i'm Chinese &
> Singapore fried rice/noodles isn't on my list of things i'd eat from a


Yeah, I used to work in a Chinese (years ago) and I saw a jar of paste he
used to create a singapore fried rice, it ws really potent stuff, couldn't
stay in the kitchen cos it was choking me! But it was definitely a jar or
black paste with a label, but don't remember much more about
it...should've asked him to teach me to cook the food, oh well!

Luke.