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Finding Joy
Without chilli, food just isn’t the same
It’s more than a condiment. It’s pain, pleasure and memory all rolled into one.
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Chilli may well be Singapore’s most indispensable and omnipresent culinary ingredient. It can be a make-or-break, says the writer.
PHOTOS: CHRIS TAN, ST FILE
A telltale sign that I’m on leave is that I’m stuffing my face at this one hawker centre downtown with mouthfuls of my favourite char kway teow. I’m sweating partly from the chilli and partly from the poor ventilation.
Yet few moments feel as glorious as this one. There is the succulent sweetness of slightly raw cockles, the crunch of beansprouts, and the kway teow drowning in lard, dark sauce and chilli – never leave out the chilli – all combining into a dish that will probably give me a heart attack someday.
