by samantha lee | main photography by justin loh

Is Singapore the new El Dorado for Hispanic chefs? Appetite

traverses culinary continents to unearth why the Latin American

foodie rush is no myth.

What comes to mind when one

thinks of Latin America? Is

it the snow-capped Andes,

the lush Amazon, or parched

endless deserts? Perhaps it’s

flamboyant Carnival festivals or

the measured sensuality of Argentinian tango? Maybe it’s

the New World discovered by Spanish conquistadors, or

the eternal culture of the Mayans and Incans?

Whatever it is, the sheer variety of associations

illuminates this simple fact: Latin America is an

indefinable entity swarming with different cultures,

peoples, terrain, climates, and of course, food.

Which has finally trickled down to our side of

the world.

Piqued by the recent flurry of Latin American-

themed restaurants in Singapore, we decided to

take a peek at what makes this cuisine tick. We

spoke to chefs and restaurateurs. We consulted

encyclopedias and translation engines. Finally, we

ate, all in the name of research.

A new world unfurled before us. From the alien

names of foods that tumble provocatively off the tongue to

the mind-boggling array of exotic ingredients, everything

pulsated with mesmerising newness.

Unlike the fabled lost gold of El Dorado, this newfound

treasure is real, and it’s here. In this issue, we delve a little

deeper to unearth why this trend is here to stay. >

A

Wh~le New

World

L a t i n F L a i r

Singapore by plane, the unmistakably rich, coconutty flavour of nasi lemak drifted through my palate, evoking home and hawker centres as vividly as the sand between my toes.

For one weaned on Asian and/or Southeast Asian food, delving into Latin American cuisine for the first time is much like meeting a long-lost relative. You’re virtual strangers, yet you notice similar mannerisms, a shared facial feature. Despite (or perhaps because of) Latin America’s vast richness of cultures, climate and terrain, its cuisine has the dichotomous quality of being wonderfully foreign yet comfortingly familiar.

Of course, street snacks ubiquitous in the region such as arepas and empanadas, and indigenous specialities like deep fried guinea pig and alpaca meat don’t frequently make their way to this side of the world. Yet in the basic cuisine of both continents, you find lots of rice − stewed or boiled. There’s seafood, eaten cured or deep-fried.

Vibrant use of spices is encouraged: coriander, peppers, and chilli — lots and lots of chilli. Mexican chef Mario Malvaez of Lucha Loco, observes: “Latin American food is well-balanced. We like to include sweet, sour, spicy, salty and bitter flavours.” The same could very well be said of, well, Chinese food.

Perhaps it’s for this simple reason that local diners are warming so quickly to Latin American fare. “The Singaporean palate is particularly well-suited to our type of food,” says Luna. “For example, ceviche is characterised by a refreshing, citrusy flavour, which locals take to very well.”

Arroz By Any Other Name… A couple of years ago, in the rickety confines of a beach shack in Cartagena, Colombia, I sat down to a simple local meal consisting of whole pescado frito, patacones, and a mound of arroz con coco. I took a bite of the rice, and something clicked in my memory. There, 30 hours away from

desire to share Colombian culture with Singaporeans that led me to create La Barra.”

Upon closer inspection, the Latin American invasion hitting Singapore seems less the tail end of a global trend than the organic progression of the island’s cosmopolitan outlook. People are taking risks. Opening up. Trying new things.

“I just saw a void in the market, and decided to fill it,” confirms Alejandro Luna, Peruvian-Venezualan owner of Sur. “I didn’t know other chefs were thinking the same thing at the same time. It’s great to be part of this new wave.”

Step into each of these three restaurants and their distinct personalities emerge. La Barra’s red, yellow and blue chairs and kitschy folk music diverges from Lucha Loco’s scrappy-chic taqueria-inspired interior, while Sur is an exercise in colourful Latin American rusticity. If ambience is

any indication, one can be sure that the fare is also gloriously different,

mirroring the vast geographical and cultural terrain of the

landmass running from the US-Mexico border down to the southern tip of Patagonia.

If anything, it’s the limitless variety that keeps local palates curious and

clamouring for more.

Land of PlentyWith Peru’s meteoric rise

to global gastronomic glory in early 2012, the vanguard

hypercities of New York and London embraced it with open arms. Hong Kong, too, muscled in on the action with several newly opened taquerias and its first Peruvian restaurant, Chicha, in mid-2012.

Finally, in late 2012, an influx of Latin American restaurants materialised in Singapore, re-energising an otherwise lethargic scene populated by Tex-Mex joints and Brazilian churrascarias.

In November, Lucha Loco’s gourmet tacos delighted us with its urbane yet faithful renditions of Mexican street fare. La Barra, a casual dining outlet dishing out Colombian street food opened three months ago, followed by Latin American-themed restaurant Sur, two weeks later. (For our review of Sur, please see Dining Scene, pg.28)

Coincidence or conspiracy? Fears of an outbreak of copycat Latin American restaurants − the bubble tea boom of the early noughties springs to mind −

are nipped in the bud. “We weren’t necessarily following a ‘trend’,”

says Patricia Klammers, Colombian co-founder

of La Barra. “It was passion, and a

FROM LEFT | Lucha Loco's Ceviche de Mango | Taco de Pescado (snapper taco with achiote, red onion salsa, and chipotle mayo) | Evenings see Lucha Loco transform into a boisterous bar.

FROM TOP | Sur exudes rustic Latin American warmth | Shelves stacked with produce evoke bodegas | Arepitas come stuffed with shredded beef, chicken and avocado, or seared pork belly.

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To help you navigaTe This brave new world, here are some common iTems ThaT appear on The laTin american Table.

1. Empanadas: Stuffed pastry that’s baked or fried. In Colombia, they are made with corn flour and spices, stuffed with meat or cheese, then deep-fried.

2. Corn and flour tortillas: Thin flatbreads. Corn tortillas are generally smaller. When folded in half to enclose a meat- or fish-based filling, it becomes a taco or enchilada. Flour tortillas are bigger. When folded in half to enclose a filling, it becomes a burrito, quesadilla or fajita.

3. pataConEs: Fried green plantains. 4. arEpa rEllEna: Filled corncake,

usually stuffed with a savoury meat-based filling.

5. arEpa: Corncake made with ground pre-cooked cornmeal.

6. QuEso frEsCo: Fresh cheese made from cow’s or goat’s milk, and which is creamy, soft and mild. Often used as a topping in Latin American recipes.

7. arEpa dE ChoClo: Corncake with sweet corn

8. CEviChE: Fresh raw seafood cured in a citrus-based marinade.

9. aji amarillo: A Peruvian pepper prized for its full-bodied, fruity and spicy flavour.

10. YuCCa: Known locally as tapioca, it’s mainly eaten fried.

Back to the FutureThere’s no crystal ball foretelling the longevity of any trend. But judging from the roaring business these establishments are enjoying, it seems that Latin American food is poised to soar to Andean heights.

In the coming year, expect to hear news of more La Barra branches, and chef Alvaez’s new Latin American-inspired venture that plays traditional Mexican flavours off against regional ingredients. Though Luna has his hands full with his current restaurant, there is talk of a new tentempié outlet, a casual standing-only concept where diners can sup on bite-sized snacks. And who knows what else the emerging fraternity of Hispanic chefs in Singapore have up their sleeves?

For a glimpse of the cuisine’s vast potential, one can trace it back to its cradle − Peru. The country’s rich cultural melting pot and fantastical abundance of ingredients − sourced from the Andes to the Amazon − are being exploited by wildly creative young chefs, resulting in food the likes of which the world, or even Peruvians, has never seen.

Chef Emilio Macias, from the acclaimed Astrid y Gastón restaurant in Lima, Peru, attests to the exciting things happening way over there. “We’re presenting haute Peruvian cuisine that respects the present and recalls flavours and traditions from the past.” To wit: the team is developing an ancient smoking technique, wherein chaco, an edible clay used by the Incans, is infused into aromatic herbs and llama meat. (Head on down to Savour 2013 this April to witness Macias himself in action.)

For now, though, we’re still dipping our toes into this vast ocean of possibilities. All we can do right now is to learn more from the trailblazers proffering their little slice of home to us, and hope that one day, we shall get to try chaco-infused llama meat too.

anticuchos to get to know. Trust us, they’re worth the calories.

The untapped treasure of Latin America’s indigenous produce is difficult to procure here, but its importance to the cuisine merits the extra cost of importation. Luna brings in the neon-hued aji amarillo, a yellow pepper that forms the base of many classic Peruvian dishes. Its full-bodied fruitiness, cut through with a bold piquancy, is unlike any pepper this side of the world. In Lucha Loco, you’ll find imported xoconostle, a sourish cactus fruit used to plump up stews and steak marinades, as well as juicy grilled nopales cactus. Even fruits are given the time of day at La Barra, where the citrus-like lulo and Andean blackberry, mora, are incorporated into shakes.

For executive chef Michael Fraser at La Barra, importing ingredients isn’t enough. “Our goal is to make our own queso fresco, a South American fresh cheese, as well as our own sausages. Right now, we’re flying them over from Colombia, but in the near future, we’ll have the necessary equipment to make it on-site.” This dedication to importing not only the food, but also the methods of creating it, augurs well for the sustainability of Latin American food in Singapore.

The Magic Ingredient(s)Comforting similarities and varied concepts aside, it is the cuisine’s latent foreignness that makes it bleep loudest on diners’ radars. Though no one has tried serving whole cuy (guinea pig) yet, there are enough fascinating culinary elements to keep things exciting.

Street food, in itself, is a whole new world. At La Barra, Colombian arepas are prepared four ways − with choclo (sweet corn), white corn, yellow corn, or stuffed. They can be eaten for breakfast, with eggs and sausages, or lunch, with chorizo and cheese, or dinner, as a stuffed burger. Empanadas, though resembling curry puffs, taste nothing like them: they are made with corn and deep-fried to yield an unexpectedly chewy bite. Sure, you’ve heard of ceviche and tacos. But there’s still the whole extended family of papas criollas, salchipapas, chiles rellenos, elotes, chicharrones, and

FROM TOP | Arepa served with ropa vieja (shredded beef) | La Barra's casual, colourful interior | Beef empanadas.

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appetiteasia.com | 54

Peruvian plattersAfter all that talk about ceviche and

chaco, we don't blame you for wanting to experiment in your very own cocina. Try your

hand at creating these simple, authentic Peruvian recipes, featuring ingredients that

can be easily found this side of the world. Peruvian executive chef Daniel Chavez of Ola Cocina Del Mar brings you the fresh,

vibrant flavours of his motherland, along with a libationary bonus that's guaranteed to get

the fiesta started. recipes by chef daniel chavez |

photography by edmond ho and kiyoshi yoshizawa, jambu studio | additional text: samantha lee | prop styling by yap yip may

choros a la chalaca (mussels peruvian-style)

choros a la chalaca (mussels peruvian-sTyle)serves 4 as tasting portions

1 L waterSalt, to season12 live mussels, cleaned100 g vine-ripened tomato concasse (peel, de-seed and chop the tomatoes)40 g red onion, brunoise1/4 red chilli padi30 g fresh peas, blanchedJuice of 2 limesFreshly ground black pepper, to seasonFreshly chopped coriander, for garnish10 ml olive oil Salt and pepper, to season

1. Bring water to a boil and add 1 tsp salt. Add the mussels and blanch in the water until they open, then chill in an ice bath.

2. Mix the tomato concasse, onion, chilli padi and peas and season with lime juice, salt, pepper , coriander and olive oil.

3. Spoon the mixture on top of the mussels and let the mussels marinate for 5 mins before serving.

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Ea§Ea§recipes

recipesrecipes

8 pcs live prawns80 g clean calamari 8 live mussels 200 g fish fillets4 scallops80 g cooked octopusSea salt, to season40 g thinly sliced red onion, for garnishCoriander leaves and fresh seaweed, chopped for garnish

1. Mix all the ingredients for leche de tigre (except the ice cubes) and let the mixture sit for 30 mins in the chiller. Then add ice cubes and whiz for 1 min.

2. Blanch the prawns, calamari and mussels and allow them to cool on ice. Mix the chilled seafood with the fish fillets, scallops and cooked octopus, then season with salt.

3. Marinate the seafood mixture with the leche de tigre for 1 min and serve on a chilled plate. Garnish with onion, coriander and seaweed.

“Leche de tigre, translated to mean ‘tiger’s milk’, refers to the marinating liquid of the ceviche and it is the most important part of the dish. Adding the ice ensures that the leche de tigre remains cold, especially after blending.

Otherwise, the flavour will change dramatically.” — Daniel Chavez

leche de tigre:150 ml freshly squeezed lime juice120 ml clear fish stock20 g celery stick6 garlic cloves, centre germ removed1/4 chilli padi30 g red capsicum, deseeded40 g red onion, peeled and choppedSalt 40 g fresh fish fillet2 ice cubes

cebiche miXTo (miXed seaFood ceviche)serves 4 as tasting portions

conchas a la parmesana (graTinaTed scallops wiTh parmesan cheese)serves 4 as tasting portions

4 scallops, on the shell Sea salt, to seasonFreshly ground black pepper, to seasonA splash of whisky120 g freshly grated Parmesan20 g unsalted butterLime wedges, for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2. Clean the scallops and reserve the coral.

3. Place the scallop meat and coral on the shell and season with salt, pepper and whisky.

4. Top each scallop with 30g Parmesan cheese and 5g unsalted butter and bake in the oven for 5 mins until the cheese has fully melted.

5. Remove from the oven and garnish each shell with a lime wedge.

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lomo salTado (sTir-Fried beeF wiTh poTaToes and onions)serves 4 as tasting portions

500 ml corn oil2 Idaho potatoes, sliced French fries-style250 g beef tenderloinSea salt, to seasonFreshly ground black pepper, to season1 yellow chilli (aji amarillo, optional)1 red onion, julienned2 vine-ripened tomatoes, thick julienne10 ml red wine vinegar15 ml dark soy sauceSteamed riceFresh coriander, for garnish

1. Heat up corn oil in a pan over high heat. When oil is hot, deep-fry the potatoes, drain, then set aside.

2. Cut the beef tenderloin in thick strips and season with salt and pepper. Stir-fry for around 30 secs, then remove from the pan and set aside.

3. Add the yellow chilli and red onion to the pan and continue to stir-fry.

4. Add the tomatoes and deglaze with red wine vinegar and dark soy sauce.

5. Return the beef to the chilli-onion-tomato mixture and then add the French fries. Give the mixture a light stir to combine.

6. Serve with steamed rice and garnish with fresh coriander.

pisco sourserves 1

112 ml (or 4 oz) Pisco Puro28 ml (or 1 oz) sugar syrup28 ml (or 1 oz) freshly squeezed lime juice28 ml (or 1 oz) pasteurised egg whites4 ice cubesFew drops of angostura bittersLime zest, for garnish

1. Chill the serving glass prior to making the cocktail.

2. Mix all the ingredients (except angostura bitters and lime zest) in a cocktail shaker and mix energetically for 1 min, until the mixture starts to foam.

3. Serve and garnish with a few drops of angostura bitters and lime zest.

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