SINGAPORE - Journalists from across Asia showed viewers just how vibrant the street food culture in the region is in a special live broadcast on Friday evening (April 26).
To mark the 20th anniversary of the Asia News Network (ANN), The Straits Times' STFood online editor Hedy Khoo and Hong Kong's China Daily senior multimedia producer Natasha Fernandes kicked off a Facebook livestream relay that took viewers across seven capitals.
Starting at 5.45pm Singapore time, viewers were brought to the streets of the Republic, Bangkok, Jakarta, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi and Seoul.
Street food showcased included fresh spring rolls in Hanoi and tteokbokki (rice cakes) in Seoul.
ANN board members and editors also tasted food from different countries in Seoul, where an anniversary gala dinner was held later at night, including bak kwa (barbecued meat) and fish skin crackers from Singapore, worm snacks from Thailand, peanut and sesame crackers from Vietnam, and Taiwanese nougat.
ANN is an alliance of 24 media organisations across the region. ST is the founding member of the network.
Ms Khoo and Ms Fernandes, who helms China Daily's weekly food show Taste Buds, were at People's Park Food Centre in Singapore, where Ms Khoo tucked into oyster omelette from stall 01-1080.
The stall had updated its traditional recipe of the popular local dish by omitting pork lard and using vegetable oil, and was recently featured in ST Food's Cheap & Good series.
"The dish is Teochew in origin, but here, it has evolved over time to become a dish that is part of our Singaporean food culture," Ms Khoo said.
"This stall uses Korean oysters and eggs from Malaysia, and the skill of the hawker is evident in how he can produce an outstanding oyster omelette without relying on animal fat for flavour."
Other dishes on the table included Hokkien noodles and char kway teow (fried rice noodles), and sweet treats such as red bean soup, ice kacang (flavoured ice shavings) and freshly squeezed lime juice.
Despite professing a dislike for red bean, Ms Fernandes, a vegetarian, called the red bean soup "comfort food" and said it reminded her of something she would have at home.
Taking a sip of the lime juice, she commented: "That just feels like it's waking me up."
