Last Updated on 2016-05-19 , 1:35 pm
Most Singaporeans love their zi char. You can find us having this form of a meal usually for dinner on the weekends with our family and/or friends. Zi char is loosely translated as “cook, fry” in English and is enjoyed best with a big group of loved ones around a table, preferably with some cold beer and great conversation.
My family and I indulge in some good zi char occasionally over the weekends and here are the top 8 best zi char dishes I can recommend to you the next time you go for one.
Cereal Prawns
This is at the top of my list. From the sweetness of the fried oats to the crispy deep-fried prawns, I can never get enough of this. Made by frying oats with a lot of butter and milk powder to get that awesome fragrance, it is then tossed together with succulent deep-fried prawns for that wonderful mixture of crunch and deliciousness.
Salted Egg Yolk Crab
I have to say this to make things clear. Chili crab is still a big hit during zi char sessions but recently, with the advent of salted egg yolk dishes, its combination with crab is so awesome, it’s really rather crazy. This dish is best eaten with a big group of people who love crab as much as you do. Get your hands in there, crack open a shell and dip the tender meat into the savoury salted egg yolk sauce. Put it into your mouth and indulge in that fantastic taste.
Sambal Kang Kong
You can’t have a complete zi char meal without vegetables now can you? And what better way to get some greens into your diet then with a big plate of kang kong fried with loads of sambal! If cooked well, this dish can be so incredibly delicious, it is quite ridiculous. Best eaten with a bowl of hot white rice and pushing a mouthful in with a pair of chopsticks. Do it like our forefathers I say!
Marmite Pork Ribs
I’m sure you are scratching your head now and wondering, “Did she mean coffee pork ribs?” Nope. I mean Marmite pork ribs. Pork ribs deep-fried until golden brown and super tender and moist, it is slathered with a good serving of Marmite sauce that sends your tastebuds to high heaven. One bite of this and you will be be forever changed.
Hei Zou aka Prawn Roll
This dish has been one of my favourite zi char dishes since I was just a little girl. This is made by using mashed prawns that are mixed together with bits of water chestnuts and pork, wrapped in beancurd skin and then deep-fried until it becomes a piece of awesome goodness. This is best consumed after being dipped in some sweet plum sauce that is usually served on the side, but having it as it is is perfectly fine too.
Dong Po Pork
You have had deep-fried pork and steamed pork but have you had braised pork? Dong Po pork is a classic Chinese dish that uses “3-layer pork”, the part where there is the skin, 3 layers of fat with lean meat in between each layer. A relatively big piece is then soaked in a mixture of dark and light soya sauce and many other seasonings before it is braised to tender, succulent perfection before it’s served in front of you and your guests. A dish to die for.
Hot Plate Bean Curd
Another one of my favourites. I love beancurd and this dish takes it to a whole new level. Served on a hot-plate, thus the namesake, this dish comes with a base of omelette that nests deep-fried beancurd rounds with stewed vegetables such as baby corn and mushrooms and prawns. Everything on this dish can be eaten, down to the omelette at the bottom. Paired with some hot rice, it can make any bad day seem right again.
Steamed Fish Hong-Kong Style
How can you have a good meal without steamed fish? Most of us love a good steamed fish dish to even out the rest of the other dishes that may be too oily and thus too heavy on the palate. Steamed fish Hong-Kong style is a relatively simple concoction of fresh steamed fish and a generous dressing of a sauce made from light soya sauce, oil and spring onion garnish. This is also the best way to have fish to ensure you are getting it fresh.
Top Image: Maxene Huiyu / Shutterstock.com
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