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Sanur Indonesian
Restaurant
So here we are, on the tip of the
Malay Peninsula and surrounded by indigenous Malay
cuisine of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Enough of
the imported cuisine; let’s graze Malay in
Singapore.
Who are the Malays?
“I cannot but
consider the Malayu nation as one people, speaking one
language, though spread over so wide a space, preserving
their character and customs, in all the maritime states
lying between Sulu Seas and the Southern Oceans.” – Sir
Stamford Raffles, ‘On the Malayu Nation’, Asiatic
Researches, 12 (1816): 103.
Anthropologists trace
the origins of Malays to the proto-Malays of
northwestern Yunnan, in China. The current
deutero-Malays are descendants of the tribal
proto-Malays mixed with modern Indian, Arab, Thai and
Chinese blood. The original shamanistic beliefs and
external influences like Siamese, Javanese, Sumatran and
especially, Indian culture have influenced Malay
culture. Thousands of years of trade resulted in
inter-marriages with Indians especially Tamils and
Gujeratis such that Hindu ritual survives in Malay
culture as exemplified in the second part of a Malay
marriage ceremony and ceremonies of State. It was not
until 15th century that Islam started to convert the
many Malays. Bali remains a stronghold of
Hinduism.
‘Malay cuisine’ - excerpt from ‘Tourism
Malaysia’:
Malay cuisine is rich and spicy arising
from the use of hard spices and a wet spice mixture of
rempah and coconut milk. Malay cuisine varies from
region to region. Kelantanese cuisine, akin to Thai
cooking for example, has a sweetish taste due to liberal
use of coconut milk and sugar in cooking. On the other
hand, the cuisine of Kedah is spicier due to the
influence of Indians who arrived here centuries ago
during the spice trade. For the adventurous, there is an
array of popular Malay dishes to tantalise their buds. A
favourite with Malays is nasi lemak, rice cooked in
coconut milk served with anchovies, squids, eggs,
cucumber and sambal (chilli paste). An East Coast
favourite is nasi dagang, fragrant unpolished glutinous
rice steamed with coconut milk and served with tuna fish
curry. Nasi kerabu, another rice-based dish native to
Kelantan, is served with local herbs and salted fish. A
Malay banquet would not be complete without the ever
popular satay, skewered chicken or beef marinated in
spices, the grilled over charcoal fire. It is served
with peanut gravy, rice cubes, cucumber and
onions.
Sanur
is a beach near Denpasar City on the Indonesian island
of Bali. However, Sanur Restaurant is in a large
shopping mall on Orchard Road in Singapore.
Keropok
udang. [keropok = crackers, udang = prawn]
Prawn
crackers are perfect nibbling delectations while
deciding what to order from the menu. Their secret
function is to make you thirstier so you order more
drink like this:
.jpg)
Lime
juice and a jug of beer.
Refreshing drinks for the
spicy food ahead. Alas, there was no Tiger Beer (gasp)
in this establishment; incredulous but true. Tiger beer
is otherwise ubiquitous in Singapore.
I know its sad
but you WIS folks are probably just looking at the
wristwatch in the background instead...sigh.
.jpg)
Tauhu
telur. [tauhu = tofu, telur = egg] [kichap / kicap = soy
sauce, manis = sweet]
Malay meals do not really have
starters but this popular snack comes closest. This
portion was enough for four snackees  . Firm tofu is bound with egg mixture and
deep-fried to form a ‘basket’ to hold raw shredded
cucumber and bean sprouts. Kicap manis is drizzled over
the creation.
.jpg)
Nasi
kuning or nasi kunyit. [nasi = rice, kuning = yellow,
kunyit = turmeric]
Malay meals are eaten at a
communal table with rice as the main component
accompanied by a selection of dishes. As a special
treat, nasi kuning adds a festive fragrance to the
affair. Strips of fried egg and fried onion garnish
top-off the dish.
.jpg)
Sayur
lodeh. [sayur = vegetables, lodeh = mixed vegetables
cooked to pulp]
A mixture of vegetables is cooked
with coconut milk and spices until well done. Cabbage,
long beans and carrots are compulsory and other
vegetables can be added for extra interest to the mild
curried sauce.
.jpg)
Rendang
daging. [rendang = fried in coconut oil, daging =
meat]
This is the famed coconut-based dry curry of
Malay cuisine. Every mother is famous for her recipe and
every village has its champion; usually the judge’s
mother. 
The basic ingredients are beef, grated
coconuts, shallots, garlic, ginger, galangal, lime
leaves, turmeric leaves and chilli paste.
The
ingredients are constantly stirred over a very, very low
flame for hours until an unctuous creamy sauce barely
coats the meat. The rendition at Sanur Restaurant is a
little saucy (wet) for my liking but allows a lot of
rice to be consumed and to go a long
way.
.jpg)
Sotong
bakar. [sotong = cuttlefish, bakar =
burnt]
Cuttlefish grilled after a kicap manis
marinade was still succulent. The ‘burnt’ designation is
important as marine invertebrates exude a particular
aroma when slightly burnt round the edges. It is this
seafood ‘haze’ which is so distinctive and evokes
gustatory response.
“Please sir; I cannot tell a
lie.” I forgot to take a photo until after the last
delicious morsel had been devoured , so this is actually a photo of a photo of
the sotong. But you get the flavour of the ‘matter in
hand'....errr....’matter in
tummy’.
Conclusion:
Sanur Restaurant is an
unpretentious eatery with simple décor. Without frills,
it was quite trattoria-like. The service was
unintrusive, knowledgeable and efficient. The menu is
relatively sparse but well executed. There is no wine
list to really discuss. This is a PuristS’ foodie place,
short of exploring the Malay district of Geylang Serai
in Singapore. People come here just for the food;
ergo...the place was packed even on a mid-week evening.
Quod erat demonstratum.
Pictures and Text
Copyright Melvyn Teillol-Foo,
2003
MTF
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