"Waterfall" mushrooms
lemongrass mushroom skewers with tomato salsa and toasted rice powder
Happy new year everyone! I hope you have been well. While I don’t always follow through with New Year resolutions, I find that the first week of a new year is always a great time to clarify what is meaningful to me and to align myself with the kind of life that I want. This year, my resolutions are:
Journal daily: This is a practice I started in November 2024 after learning on a podcast that few people recall what happens in more than a few weeks of each year and how journalling could be an antidote to the fleeting sensation of life. The suggested approach is to write about a story-worthy moment—however small—that happens in the day. By the end of the year, you’ll have many moments to look back on—not just the gratitude-worthy moments, but also those that make us feel other no less worthy and valid emotions.
Actively integrate into the Netherlands: Since moving here in May 2023, I’ve been on the fence about this. Learning a new language and building a professional network in a new country takes time, and as a Singaporean raised on pragmatism, I had been weighing the potential investment of time and effort against the probable duration that we’ll stay in the Netherlands for. However, recent conversations with locals have challenged my views and convinced me that regardless of uncertainties, I should immerse myself in the Netherlands to the fullest and leave no room for regrets.
Gather around the table and kitchen with others: This has been a practice for us ever since we began living together and had a space to ourselves, and this year, I want to continue it with greater intentionality of nurturing a community and embedding ourselves in this country—something fulfilling in and of itself, regardless of how long we choose to stay for.
Continue satisfying my kitchen curiosities: I have a saved folder on Instagram to which I add interesting or delicious food ideas that I want to give a go in my own kitchen. Since the middle of last year, I’ve been actively cooking and baking through the folder and find my life richer for it. In fact, the recipe that I’m sharing in this newsletter is inspired by a recurring trend in my saved folder: skewered mushrooms.
Singapore Noodles now has more than 4,000 readers from 66 countries. I appreciate you being here and hope you enjoy today’s newsletter!
Pamelia
I recently wrote a commentary for Channel News Asia on one of the most pressing issues discussed in Singapore today: the sustainability of the hawker trade. A major challenge faced by hawkers is the unwillingness of consumers to pay more for hawker food. The overall price range for hawker food items in 2023 was between SGD3.50 to SGD5. Hawkers operate with extremely thin profit margins, sometimes as low as 20 cents a bowl, and can see sales plummeting by 40-50% when they raise prices by just 50 cents. In my commentary, I addressed three points regarding hawker pricing:
When people argue for raised hawker prices, they often make their case by comparing the prices Singaporeans are willing to pay for something foreign (e.g. pasta) vs local dishes (e.g. bakchormee) and suggesting that this indicates some sort of internalised bias. In my view, the disparity doesn't necessarily reflect an undervaluing of our local cuisine but rather the bucket we've placed hawker food in: everyday food. This seems to be at the crux of our hawker conundrums, that we as a society have become so reliant on hawker food for our everyday meals that prices have become artificially depressed.
Netizens often claim that commentaries pushing for elevated hawker prices skirt the real issue: hawker rents. However, from statistics available online, rent only represents less than 10% of a hawker's cost. The biggest cost components for hawkers are the cost of ingredients (59%), followed by manpower costs (17%).
A common point that tends to be brought up in defense of "cheap hawker food" is the impact of raised hawker prices on low-income groups. However, why should hawkers take on the responsibility of buffering the effects of income inequality when they—according to published data—typically have some of the lowest salaries in Singapore? Having hawkers bear the cost of subsidising meals for the poor is thrusting yet another burden unto them.
Link to the full commentary here. If you’d like to discuss this issue with others, you can do so via the forum.
“WATERFALL” MUSHROOMS
Have you seen the skewered mushroom trend on your social media feeds as well? You basically toss mushrooms with a flavourful dressing, thread them onto wooden skewers, and sear them over a grill or in a hot pan until they are well-charred. I’ll be honest, I’m not as into mushrooms as others are. I like them, but I’m not crazy over them the way some people can be. Though one of the richest sources of umami you can find in the plant kingdom, I find most mushrooms very watery. That said, when I came across videos such as this one below all over my social media feed, the results looked so fantastic that I had to give them a go.
Oyster mushrooms, more than any other type of mushroom, are ideal for being skwered. They layer terrifically, aren’t too watery, and have lots of frilly edges to catch the sauce. While these aren’t that common here in the Netherlands, we do have king oyster mushrooms at the Asian grocers which are less watery than other types of mushrooms such as portobello.
Mushroom skewers are all about the dressing with which the mushrooms are tossed. It has to be sufficiently sweet and have enough body so that it thoroughly coats the mushrooms and is able to develop a decent amount of char. One back-pocket recipe that has been in my repertoire for more than a decade is one that Thais use to marinate their barbecue chicken, or gai yang ไก่ย่าง. Its core ingredients are coriander, lemongrass, fish sauce, garlic, and sugar. The key is to make sure that the lemongrass is finely ground so that it isn’t chunky or fibrous; a small blender or coffee grinder works wonderfully. It is fabulous with chicken, pork, tofu, and mushroom. Frankly, anything that it touches is made better.
Because king oyster mushrooms are big and unwieldy for skewering, I cut them in half crosswise, then sliced them into thick strips. From here, I experimented with two approaches:
Sear the mushrooms in some oil, toss them with the marinade, and skewer them.
Toss the raw mushrooms in the marinade and skewer them.
I would have loved to grill the skewers over charcoal, but because it’s not barbecue season here in the Netherlands, I grilled them in my wide cast-iron pan. The seared mushrooms, being already cooked through, browned evenly and quickly. They were ready in minutes, though they were somewhat difficult to manage, sliding around the skewer as they were flipped. The raw mushrooms, on the other hand, required a low flame and more patience so that the mushrooms cooked through in the same time as the charring.
Taste-wise, the seared mushrooms came out on top. The flavour of the marinade sang clearer, they had more depth of flavour, and the bite was nice and springy. The skewers made with raw mushrooms were juicier but tasted more watery and had a strong mushroomy flavour, which might not be a bad thing if you love the pure flavour of mushroom.
I made a quick little salsa to eat with the mushrooms, inspired by waterfall beef (nam tok neua น้ำตกเนื้อ), a popular salad from the Isaan region of Thailand. The name alludes to sound that the sizzling juices make as they drip from the meat while being grilled over charcoal, like falling water. The grilled beef is and tossed with a tangy and spicy dressing and fresh herbs. Toasted sticky rice powder (khao khua ข้าวคั่ว) is an essential ingredient that lends a smoky, crunchy element. This is not difficult to make at home: just toast a small sprinkle of glutinous rice in a dry pan, then grind it to a slightly coarse powder with a pestle and mortar.
As the mushroom skewers proved too difficult to eat (oyster mushrooms would probably offer a better experience than king oyster mushrooms), with the mushrooms sliding around the stick, I arranged them on a plate without the skewer before spooning over the salsa and sprinkling over the khao khua. The resulting mushrooms are so full of flavour that they can stand on its own as a side dish or light lunch, or made even more satisfying when served over hot rice… if you have the time, steamed glutinous rice, in particular, would be so delicious with this.
RECIPE (VEGAN)
Makes 4 servings
For the marinated mushrooms:
15g/ 1/2 oz coriander leaves and stems
3 garlic cloves
Bottom half of 1 lemongrass stalk, thinly sliced
3 lime leaves (frozen or fresh)
1/2 tablespoon turmeric powder
3/4 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
5 tbsp oil, divided
400g king oyster mushrooms
4 wooden skewers
For the toppings:
1/2 tbsp glutinous rice
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp chopped coriander
2 tbsp chopped mint
1 tomato, finely chopped
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
For the marinated mushrooms, combine the coriander, garlic, lemongrass, lime leaves, turmeric powder, sugar, soy sauce, and only 3 tablespoons of oil in a small blender or coffee grinder. Grind to form a smooth paste. Pour this into a large bowl.
Set a wide, preferably cast-iron, pan over high heat. Cut the king oyster mushrooms crosswise in half, then slice into 1cm/ 1/3 inch strips. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan, then arrange the mushrooms in a single layer. Cook for 2 minutes on each side or until the mushrooms are golden brown.
Transfer the mushrooms to the bowl with the marinade. Leave the pan on the stove. Thread the mushrooms onto the wooden skewers. Add the skewers to the pan and sear over high heat for 2 minutes on each side until well charred.
For the toppings, place the glutinous rice in a small pan and set it over medium heat. Stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the rice turns golden and smells like popcorn. Tip this into mortar and grind with a pestle until a slightly coarse powder results.
Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Remove the mushrooms from the skewers and arrange them on a serving plate. Spoon the salsa over and sprinkle with the glutinous rice powder. Serve immediately.
This is clean yo