Next up is this large portion of Fish Head Curry; a whole angoli fish or Emperor Red Snapper (Lutjanus sebae) semi-stewed in a rich, thick orange curry with assorted vegetables and a generous helping of Indian spices. The final result is a aromatic and fragrant dish with mellowed spiciness, good to go with the Dum Biryani Rice.
Of course, you can’t have biryani rice without the mutton (at least for me). The delicious soft tender chunks of lamb meat in the Mutton Masala comes cooked in Indian style spiced onion tomato gravy. While the Mysore Mutton is prepared with dry red chilli and cashew nuts served on a piece of banana leaf.
Chicken 65 is a spicy, deep-fried chicken dish originating from Hotel Buhari, Chennai in India. The flavour of the dish can be attributed to red chillies but the exact set of ingredients for the recipe can vary. It can be prepared using boneless or bone-in chicken and is usually served with onion and lemon garnish. As the why this dish is named Chicken 65? Although Chicken 65 is well established as being the invention of A.M Buhari of the Buhari Hotel chain, its popularity as a dish has spawned several myths about its origin. One account claims that the dish emerged as a simple meal solution for Indian soldiers in 1965. Another account claims that it is a dish containing 65 chilli peppers devised by an enterprising hotelier. It is also claimed to relate to a requirement for the meat to be from 65-day-old chickens. Still others claim that it means 65 pieces of chicken. Unfortunately, while the chicken is flavourful, it is also dry so this just doesn’t cut it for me.
While the rest of my colleagues took the Lime Juice, I went for Chendol, an iced sweet dessert that contains droplets of green rice flour jelly, coconut milk and palm sugar syrup. It is commonly found in many countries throughout Southeast Asia. Next to the green jelly, additional toppings might be added, including diced jackfruit, sweetened red azuki beans, or durian. Was told that they ran out of red beans for my Chendol but I still went ahead with the order and was glad that I did. The cold fragrant coconut milk and sweetness of the gula melaka syrup is enough to brighten up this dessert.
Before I sign off, here is a photo of Deepavali Light Up 2019 in Little India. As one of the major cultural festivals in Singapore, Deepavali (also known as “Diwali” or the “Festival of Lights”) is a celebration that marks the triumph of good over evil.