Frog Porridge We have cast ourselves head long into the unknown. Left behind our lives of comfort and familiarity. The heaving night streets of Singapores red light district, the first port of call on our saga deeper into uncharted delights. Bustling street vendors furiously peddling ethnic oddities and exotic experiences clutter wide side walks with plastic tables and beer branded banners. The air, hot and thick with anticipation of my first intrepid mouthful, lays heavy with an intoxicating cocktail of spices and charred meats, tended expertly over low smoldering coals. With a pint bottle of Tiger Beer fresh from the corner convenience store in hand, and my first authentic road side laska firmly in my sights, it seems as though we have come to the right place. After ordering the first taste of the evening and dodging the disapproving glares of locals, we try to navigate the mayhem to a table. Our obvious rookie status blaring like a billboard all over our neon, saxonite complexions, we awaited our first treat of the evening. We were not disappointed! This unassuming bowl of magical brown broth and udon noodles, minus all the fuss and extra trimmings associated with a pretentious Ponsonby pretender, exceeded expectations. After a brief warning for not drinking the establishments house beer, and feeling energized after our initial tasty triumph, we did what any traveler new to a strange land should do; observe the locals eating habits, and attempt to assimilate. A particularly appetizing platter of what we discovered to be clams, stir fried with red onion, capsicum, and black bean sauce, seemed to be littering the tables of satisfied patrons all too frequently to be passed up. We had found the next victim/revelation! Making short work of this masterpiece, we sat back in our plastic thrones of self satisfaction, only to be joined by a lone diner and self professed connoisseur of local delights. After he commented, much to our delight, that we must have spent considerable time in the area to know to order black bean clams, and after some careful probing, Mr Derrick Tan told us that, if we were feeling adventurous there was a place one street over that sold the best frog legs around. How could we resist? Such was my determination to uncover this new challenge that we did several laps of the busy city block. Dodging seedy strumpets and their elderly clientele, we finally came upon our quarry. Clay pot frog porridge, was not only not as horrendous as the name would imply, it was simply sublime. Two clay pots arrived at the table steaming in the 30ºc evening. One with a perfectly overcooked rice porridge (congee) and the other a thick, dark, gravy laden with spring onion and toasted dried chili, and of course frog legs. The french seem to think they have cornered the market on this under appreciated delicacy, but, let me tell you, they aint got nothing on this humble street side purveyor of sheer amazingness! With the red light district starting to shift from catering for a dining crowd to more carnal pursuits, and being well feed, and jet lagged, we retired to contemplate the adventures of tomorrows meals. After a thoroughly successful first expedition, I can only try to shake off my excitement long enough to get some much needed sleep. Weve got a big day of eating to get through tomorrow after all.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 16:16:46 +0000
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