Nowadays, much of what is written about Tibet tends to be about it’s political situation, it’s economy, and how the Tibetans’ culture and ways of life are being eroded by the modern aspects of 21^st Century life which is now prevalent in it’s capital city, Lhasa, and are fast spreading to other outlying areas.

There isn’t a lot written (in English) about Tibetan cuisine, and I have a few hypotheses on why this may be so.

Firstly, travellers will usually be the ones who write about their experiences wherever they end up visiting.  In the case of Tibet, most travellers tend to be overwhelmed by everything else that they encounter (all the sights, sounds, and experiences), that they tend to miss out on writing about what they ate.

Most of the time, all they would remember to write about, was the bowls of Hot Yak Butter Tea offered to them… Everything else that they would have eaten would have seemed somewhat underwhelming, compared to the overall experience of being in Tibet.

Secondly, for the foreign tourist travelling with a tour group (the only way for a foreign tourist to even enter Tibet these days), meals would have been arranged by the Tour Organiser, and Tibetan dishes would probably be featured in a meal or two for the entire duration of the trip.

The travel agent that I had used for my trip to Tibet gave me a bemused look, after I had told her that I wanted ALL my meals to be Tibetan. “Are you sure…?”, she asked, looking very concerned.  “Most Singaporeans will want to eat anything else by the second day!”, she continued, trying to convince me that 6 days of Tibetan meals would make even the most seasoned travellers balk.

But, I insisted that I wasn’t the typical Singaporean tourist when it came to food, and that I had an academic interest in everything to do with food and drink…  After some negotiations, I settled for Tibetan meals to be organised for all lunches for the duration of the trip, leaving dinner to be settled on my own account and breakfast, with the compliments of the hotel I was to stay at. I could see her shaking her head quite sadly, and hear her sighing, as I left the Travel Agency Office.

A month later, when I arrived in Lhasa, I met my Tibetan Tour Guide, perhaps the third reason why Tibetan Cuisine remains such a mystery to foreign travellers.

The Tour Guide was Tibetan, but had spent most of his life outside Tibet, leaving as a child refugee, and living mainly in Nepal, with a few years spent studying in Europe…

He spoke fluent Tibetan, Nepali, Putonghua, English, and even Italian, but, when it came to food, he wasn’t too fluent at explaining what the Tibetan dishes on the menus of the various eateries where we ate, were all about.  The descriptions that he could provide, were rather vague and hazy at best…

I also noticed, that whenever he ordered his meal, it would be chosen from the Nepali section of the menu.  It seemed to me, that he was more comfortable with the cuisine of his adopted childhood home. When I once asked him whether he ever ordered Tibetan dishes, he replied quite sadly, “Tibetan food upsets my stomach…”

The fourth reason becomes apparent once you’re in Tibet.  The usual barrier of language pops up and trying to interpret what’s on the menu becomes extremely difficult…

Nowadays, most eateries catering to foreign tourist/travellers have menus in English, where “Western” or “Fusion” items like Yak Burger, Yak Steak, and Cheese Momos (dumplings) can be found, in addition to Indian, Nepali and Chinese dishes.

However, when it comes to the Tibetan section of the menu, most tourist will encounter strange and exotic sounding dishes, which the wait-staff won’t usually be able to describe, as most of them do not speak anything except Tibetan, sometimes Nepali, maybe some Putonghua, and perhaps, if you’re really lucky, a smattering of English.

The fifth reason, is as suggested by an expatriate hotel and restaurant owner in Lhasa, who was quite succinct, when he said; “Tibetans can’t cook”…  According to this expatriate of more than 10 years, most of the cooks in eateries catering to foreign travellers tended to be Nepalese, whilst those catering to the Chinese, were obviously, Chinese…

So, if Tibetans can’t cook, what then do Tibetans eat?

Traditionally, Tibetan cuisine was based on a few basic ingredients that were available to them in their rather harsh, high altitude environment.  The most important ingredients were, barley, yaks, salt, and tea.

A Yak Butcher stall, Barkhor District, Lhasa.

Yak herders would roam the vast Tibetan Plateau with their herds of yaks, and, as they roamed with their herds, they would gather salt from saltpans and pick various medicinal herbs along the way.  They would then trade the gathered salt and medicinal herbs, along with their yak products in exchange for Roasted Barley Flour, which would be grown by the farmers, and for tea, brought in by traders.

"Pa", Roasted Barley Flour or Tsampa, mixed with Yak Butter Tea, and rolled by hand into doughy breadlike balls. "Pa" has a flavour that is reminiscent of Indian Chappati or Rye Bread.

Roasted Barley Flour, or Tsampa, was, and still remains the main staple food of Tibetans.  As this is already cooked, it can be eaten as it is, usually by the spoonful, and washed down with Hot Yak Butter Tea.  Alternatively, the tsampa can be made into a ball of hard dough/bread called Pa, by mixing it, with what else but, Hot Yak Butter Tea.

A typical stall selling Yak Butter, Barkhor District, Lhasa.

Yaks were their main source of movable food, providing not only yak milk, yak yoghurt, yak butter, yak cheese, but also yak meat, which was normally air-dried, and eaten raw.

A typical stall selling Yak Cheese of various age and form, Barkhor District, Lhasa.

A typical Tibetan meal would consist of tsampa, washed down with lots of Hot Yak Butter Tea, some air-dried yak meat, and dessert would be yak yoghurt, perhaps with a bit of wild honey…

So, if the above is a typical Tibetan meal, what then did I eat during my trip to Tibet?

Find out on the next post, Tibet Special Part 2 – Eating in Lhasa.

To celebrate Singapore’s 44th National Day yesterday, a long time friend organised to have several foodie friends drop by to her humble abode to cook a “Red & White” themed dinner.

One of my contributions to the dinner party was a Red-Braised Pork dish which I had been meaning to try for a long time.

This recipe is adapted from Fuschia Dunlop’s treatise on Hunanese Cuisine, the aptly named “Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook“.

According to Dunlop, in Hunan, Red-Braised Pork is often touted as having medical virtues and is eaten as a health food, and, in the words of Chairman Mao’s nephew Mao Anping: “Men eat it to build their brains, and ladies to make themselves more beautiful.”

The recipe is originally from Chairman Mao’s nephew, and was supposedly the one Chairman Mao loved and ate frequently, to the extent of having had his Hunanese chef cook it for him in Beijing.  I have added a few water chestnuts to give it a nice crunchy contrast.

Chairman Mao's Red-Braised Pork

Chairman Mao’s Red-Braised Pork Recipe
(Serves 6)

Ingredients:

750g Pork Belly (Skin On)
3 tbsp Peanut Oil
3 tbsp White Sugar
2 tbsp Shaoxing Wine
30g Fresh Ginger (Old, Sliced with skin on)
8 nos Water Chestnut (Peeled and halved crosswise)
2 nos Star Anise
2 sticks Cinnamon or Cassia
3 nos Dried Chillies
Light Soya Sauce, Salt and Sugar to taste
a few lengths of Spring Onion to garnish
2 nos Fresh Red Chillies to garnish

Method:

1. Plunge the pork belly into a wok of boiling water and simmer for 3-4 minutes until partially cooked.  Remove and, when cool enough to handle, cut into bite-sized chunks.

2. Heat the oil and sugar in a wok over a gentle fire until the sugar melts, then raise the heat and stir until the melted sugar turns a rich caramel brown.  Add the pork, the water chestnuts and splash in the Shaoxing wine.

3. Add just enough water to cover the pork, along with the ginger, star anise, dried chillies and cinnamon sticks.  Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 45-60 minutes.

4. Towards the end of the cooking time, turn up the heat to reduce the sauce (if necessary), and season with light soya sauce, salt and a little sugar to taste.  Add the spring onions and fresh red chillies just before serving.

5. Finally, pour everything into a deep bowl, and decorate with the spring onions and fresh red chillies.

ENJOY…!!!

Such is the stereotype, that Champagne is relegated to the role of the tipple that is used for toasting at these celebratory occasions, and is rarely taken seriously as a wine, to be matched with meals and savoured for it’s finesse and complexity…

Interestingly, the most commonplace occasions other than celebrations where Champagne is imbibed, seem to be at the Night Clubs, where they are used to slake the parched throats of the not so young, but, trendy party goers, gyrating endlessly on the dance floors.

Alternatively, Champagne is often poured at Cocktail Parties, where it is sipped, along with tasty morsels of finger food, canapés, and focused conversations.

Then, there are also the Hotel Sunday Brunches where many individuals are seen to be literally chugging away at the Champagne, like there wasn’t going to be a tomorrow…

The Champagnes that regularly appear at these “volume” outlets, tend to be from the larger producers, with the “Grand Marques” taking the largest cut in the pie that is the marketplace, due to their obviously larger available volumes, higher profiles due to much advertising, and their ability to muscle their way into the marketplace due to the strengths of their brands.

Due to the dominance of the “Grand Marques” in the marketplace and the marketing that enhances their desirability, these are the brands that people are most familiar with, and will ask for by name, something that is quite rare where regular wines are concerned.

Lower down in the pecking order of the Champagne market, there are specialist producers that produce Champagne on a much smaller scale, and sometimes, give the “Grand Marques” a run for their money, where quality is concerned.

These Champagnes very often only appear in smaller restaurants and specialist retailers, as they do not look for the same type of exposure, or sales volume as the Champagnes of the “Grand Marques”.

One such example is from the house of Champagne Marie Demets, a small producer from Guye-Sur-Seine, in the Southern part of the Champagne region, and, which used to supply grapes to Champagne Bollinger.

According to the available literature, Champagne Marie Demets was formed in 1987 when Marie Brement married Alain Demets.

Marie’s family have cultivated the land for many generations and Alain, who used to rent vines from the Brement family, took over the domaine on Marie’s father’s retirement.

This small grower produces all its Champagne from their own twelve hectares planted with mostly Pinot Noir.

I happened to encounter their Non Vintage Brut Tradition Champagne at a tasting, and I was so charmed by it, that I made an unprecedented purchase of a dozen bottles…

Champagne Marie Demets Brut Tradition NV

Made from 95% Pinot Noir, and 5% Chardonnay, from 100% Grand Cru vineyard sites, the Champagne Marie Demets Brut Tradition NV showed a vibrant medium gold colour, with a fine, persistent mousse.

On the nose, this Champagne displayed a distinctly creamy, and biscuity bouquet, with some hints of honey.

On the palate, it was dry, with pinot fruit that was rich, full flavoured, and fresh, with some yeast and biscuit notes, and, a light hint of nuttiness lingering in the finish.

This Champagne was beautifully balanced, with considerable elegance and finesse.  Furthermore, it was also absolutely delicious, and, eminently drinkable.

I have enjoyed this Champagne as an aperitif, and with simple pleasures like Cantonese Roast Pork (Siew Yoke), Deepfried Battered Whitebait, Deepfried Frogs Legs with Ginger Chips, Squid Tentacles with Salted Egg coating, and even Steamed White Pomfret Teochew-style.

From the case of 12 bottles, I now have just 3 bottles left, and I look forward to the day when the local importer here in Singapore (Lollapalooza Asia) brings in the highly acclaimed Marie Demets Brut Rosé NV.

I have this theory that this trend was probably started by people trying to emulate the suave, British Secret Service Agent from the extremely successful Hollywood franchise of the James Bond – 007 movies, where being seen to order a “Vodka Martini, shaken, not stirred”, would make the consumers feel associated with the glamourous winner that Mr Bond was portrayed to be?

Or could it be something else?

Over the last three months, I happened to end up in a few different bars and somehow, ended up ordering Vodka Martinis at all the bars I visited.

And, as I used to manage a Martini Bar in my past life, I do tend to take an inordinate amount of interest in how the Martinis are mixed whenever I order one in any other bar.

Martinis at M Bar - Morton's of Chicago, Singapore.

Here are some notes about the different Vodka Martini experiences from each bar:

Il Lido Bar – Sentosa

I sat at the bar and ordered a Grey Goose Vodka Martini.  It was made shaken and using a mixture of Martini Extra Dry and Martini Bianco vermouths, and strained into a chilled Martini glass.  It arrived with the requested Lemon Twist, and was served without olives.

I found Il Lido’s Grey Goose Vodka Martini too “sweet” for my taste.

Privé Bar – Keppel Bay Island

As Privé Bar does not have bar seating, I sat at a table close by, so that I could observe the bartenders’ methodology.

I ordered a Grey Goose Vodka Martini, and was very pleased to see the bartender use the rarely seen (in Singapore) methodology of shaking the Martini Extra Dry vermouth with ice first, pouring the residue into the sink, and then transferring the ice to a mixing glass, and elegantly stirring the mixture with the Grey Goose Vodka.  The finished drink was strained, with flair, into a well-chilled Martini glass.

The drink arrived well chilled and with addition of 2 olives on a pick, and the requested lemon twist.

Privé Bar’s Grey Goose Martini was one of the cleanest/driest Vodka Martinis I’ve tasted in a very long while, and watching the bartender work with such flair and technical prowess, was such a pleasure.

BLU Bar – Shangri-la Hotel Singapore

I sat at the bar, and ordered my (by now) usual Grey Goose Martini with a twist.

I observed that it was mixed in the correct way (stirring), but the bartender was very liberal with the Noilly Prat vermouth, and the stirring was anything but elegant.

When the drink arrived, it did not have the requested lemon twist, but was served only with olives.

I returned the drink, asking for the twist, and to cut a very long story short, it arrived quite a bit later, re-made, and this time, with the twist, but no olives.

The martini tasted OK, but it had a little too much Noilly Prat for my taste.

M Bar – Morton’s of Chicago

I was at M Bar at the end of last week, originally to catch up with some people for a bit of networking.  But in the end, I did not meet the intended people, but ended up with a different group, and had to have a dose of strong drinks due to a very frustrating week at work.

As usual, I ordered Vodka Martinis (this time they weren’t Grey Goose) with a twist, and these arrived shortly after, with a slight, and temporary, cloudiness caused by very fine air bubbles, and bits of “ice-shrapnel”, all of which are vital clues to indicate that the martinis were shaken (The bar was full, and I wasn’t seated at the bar, so had to use visual clues to determine how the martinis were mixed).

The Vodka Martinis at M Bar were extraordinarily clean tasting (due to the fact that they don’t use any vermouth at all), with quite a round mouth-feel from what is probably a grain-based Vodka.

The first two Vodka Martinis were a little too angular and somewhat lean/austere, so when I ordered the third Vodka Martini, I asked for olives in addition to the lemon twist.

I liked the third one best, as it had a little more dimension due to the olive brine, which tends to leach out of the olives into the drink, giving it just that little bit more flavour to make the drink more interesting.

As you can see, the Vodka Martini experience from each bar was different, confirming the widely held belief that there are as many variations of the Vodka Martini, as there are bars.

And in my opinion, there is no such thing as a bad Vodka Martini, only a Vodka Martini that I don’t like.  Unless, of course, the Vermouth used, has been sitting around too long in the bottle, and is no longer fresh.

Anyway, I’d like to finish off this post with a tiny little bit of trivia:

I was browsing through some news websites, and came across an article that led me to conclude that the Vodka Martini will continue to be quite popular, due to a Presidential “endorsement”…

According to a Senior White House Correspondent for a prominent American News Broadcaster, Vodka Martinis may feature regularly at White House Cocktail Parties, as the new President of the United States, Mr Barack Obama, “has been known to enjoy a Vodka Martini time and again”…

Now, would anyone care to guess which vodka President Obama prefers in his Vodka Martini?

Regular nama-sake, a.k.a. nama-zake, or hon-nama, is bottled and released without any pasteurisation.  These are usually released in spring or summer, and tend to be more vibrant, raw and edgy.

Draft (Nama) Saké made for the autumn release, is also called “nama-zume”, or more commonly, “Hiyaoroshi”.  These undergo a pasteurisation process, which takes place after the fermentation and pressing, and is “settled” for 6 months before being bottled and released without a second pasteurisation.

This practice supposedly gives the brew a harmonious autumn-like richness, and a taste that’s full, and round.

The practice of not pasteurising before bottling, also leaves Hiyaoroshi Saké vulnerable to deterioration, and thus, must be shipped, and sold refrigerated.

Here are 4 examples of the 2008 Aki-no-Hiyaoroshi or Autumn Released Draft Saké available in Singapore.

Aramasa Akitaryu "Hiyaoroshi" Junmai Ginjo Nama

Aramasa Akitaryu “Hiyaoroshi” Junmai Ginjo Nama

Origin: Akita Prefecture.
Grade: Junmai Ginjo
Seimaibuai: Not indicated.
SMV: Not indicated.
Acidity: Not indicated.
Alc: 15 – 16%
Bottled: 10/2008

Tasting Notes:

Pale straw in colour, with aromas of rice and “wet towel”, slowly developing into cherry blossoms, as it got air and a little warmer.

Quite dry, with flavours that are a little melon-like with apples and rice in the background. Rich, and with quite a bold freshness, with good palate weight and a very clean finish.

Excellent with fatty Roast Pork and even Cantonese Barbecued Pork Ribs.

Ichinokura "Autumn" Tokubetsu Junmai Nama

Ichinokura “Autumn” Tokubetsu Junmai Nama

Origin: Miyagi Prefecture.
Grade: Tokubetsu Junmai
Seimaibuai: Not indicated.
SMV: +1 ~ +2
Acidity: 1.5 – 1.7
Alc: 16 – 17%
Bottled: 09/2008

Tasting Notes:

Very pale, almost colourless. Quite fruity on the nose with melons and apples dominating, and rice quietly in the background.

Quite obviously fruity, yet dry at the same time, with melon and apples echoing the nose, as well as, some slightly spicy white pepper and shiso notes.  Rich and full-bodied, a really smooth texture, yet elegant, and finishes clean.

Quite interesting with a Goma-dressed Mizuna Salad.

Shirataki Jozen Mizunogotoshi "Autumn" Jumai Ginjo Nama

Shirataki Jozen Mizunogotoshi “Autumn” Junmai Ginjo Nama

Origin: Niigata Prefecture.
Grade: Junmai Ginjo
Seimaibuai: 60%
SMV: Not indicated.
Acidity: Not indicated.
Alc: 15 – 16%
Bottled: 08/2008

Tasting Notes:

Almost colourless, with melon notes on the nose, and perhaps a hint of peach in the background.

Very dry, with some of the same aromas echoing on the palate, especially melon, with some quiet rice notes in the background. Bold, fresh and quite rich and with a smooth texture, and,  a quick,  clean, and dry finish.

Excellent with Oden or Pork Yakiniku.

Urakasumi "Hiyaoroshi" Tokubetsu Junmai Nama

Urakasumi “Hiyaoroshi” Tokubetsu Junmai Nama

Origin: Miyagi Prefecture.
Grade: Tokubetsu Junmai.
Seimaibuai: 60%
SMV: +1 ~ +2
Acidity: 1.4
Alc: 16 – 17%
Bottled: 09/2008

Tasting Notes:

Aomas of nashi pears, rice, and hints of nutmeg and perhaps melon.

On the palate, it shows a very light hint of sweetness, and is quite richly flavoured, with rice dominating, and hints of caramel in the background. Full-bodied, deep and weighty, with a creamy and lush texture.  Well-balanced, and enjoyable.

Try with grilled oily fish or perhaps sushi featuring oily white fish like hamachi.

Other than the regular “brews” that appear on the shelves all year round, there are seasonal examples that appear only once a year for a limited period of time.

Seasonal Saké are released only 3 times a year, during Spring, Summer and Autumn, and most of them tend to be un-pasteurised (Draft/Nama), thus giving them a certain freshness, and fragility.  These Saké require refrigeration, otherwise, their fresh flavours will fade, and flatness develops.

In this post we look at 3 examples of the 2008 Natsu-no-Namazake or Summer Released Draft Sake available in Singapore.

Urakasumi Junmai Namazake

Urakasumi Junmai Namazake
– Miyagi Prefecture

Displaying exuberant aromas of white flowers, and ripe red apples.  Dry, with good freshness on the palate, with a medium body, and a very clean finish.

Drink nicely chilled, with Japanese Cherry Tomatoes, or Tsukemono Moriawase (assorted pickles).

Mineno Hakubai Syakubito Honjozo Namazake

Mineno Hakubai “Syakubito” Honjozo Namazake
– Niigata Prefecture

Layered nose of rice, white flowers and spicy shiso sprouts.
Dry, with white pepper notes on the mid-palate.  Fresh, yet round and rich with quite a full body, and some alcohol heat, with the same spicy white pepper echoing on the finish.

Drink chilled with a Baked Sockeye Salmon Fillet, or any other grilled oily fish with a strong flavour.

Ichinokura "Hyakkoi" Tokubetsu Junmai Namazake

Ichinokura “Hyakkoi” Tokubetsu Junmai Namazake
– Miyagi Prefecture

Light notes of melon and apples on the nose, with just a hint of rice.
Dry, with almost sweet fruit notes and a bold freshness.  Quite rich and full-bodied, a really smooth texture, and finishes with a clean, slightly fresh aftertaste.

Drink well chilled with a Braised Veal Osso Bucco, or a hearty Pork Belly Stew.