Rumah Sayang at JEM - Interview Chef Lo Part 2

Other Rumah Sayang Signatures recommended by Chef Lo include:

1. Nasi Ayam Merah ($6) - made up of Chicken fried with Sambal Chili paste added, served with Achar, Sambal Goreng, Omelette egg, 
2. Nonya Laksa ($4.50) - served with dried shrimp, has distinct dried shrimp flavor, fresh coconut fragrant, 
3. Penang Kway Teow ($7) made using chicken ham, prawn, fish cakes, egg, with a tinge of spiciness, mild sourly flavor, 
4. Nasi Pattaya ($7.50) which is adapted here to be less spicy than those served in Malaysia, uses Penang Belachan in the Sambal Belachan chili paste, with fresh shallots to give an added appetizing flavor, 
5. Sweet & Sour Garoupa fried with tomato chili sauce added
6. Sambal Kang Kong
7. Assam Petai
8. Hotplate Tauhu using Black Bean Paste sauce

During the 13 years stint at Red Ginger, owner Jimmy  Lim often send Chef Lo on short stints at some of the F&B establishments owned by his brothers to pick up some other recipes and techniques, cooking styles for use back at Red Ginger. Chef Lo believes that there is ample room to grow for he Asian, Peranakan, Malaysian , Nasi Padang Cuisine here in Singapore as the diners here love spicy food. 

Rumah Sayang is located at:  

JEM, #B1-41, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, 

Singapore (608549)

Tel : 63390938

Rumah Sayang at JEM - Interview Chef Lo Part 1

Chef Lo started out working at kitchens in Malaysia since he was 16 years old, and brings with him about 27 years' experience as a Chef. Chef Lo hails from Perak, Malaysia and arrived to work in Singapore when he was just 28 years old.

Whilst Chef Lo was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, he worked at an F&B establishment and was its Chef specializing in Cantonese Cuisine. Among his specialties were the Steam Sambal Fish, Butter Prawn, Oat Prawn. 

Chef Lo has since worked at Red Ginger for 13 years, since in his 20's. To get inspiration for new dishes, Chef Lo visits other restaurants to try out new dishes and adapt them at Red Ginger. 

Here at the new restaurant at JEM, Rumah Sayang serves Key Signatures dishes which includes these below :

1. Curry Fish Head, 
2. Nonya Chap Chye (great for those who cannot take spicy hot sambal belachan chili), 
3. Nonya Fried Rice served with Chicken Satay (Chef Lo fries the fresh chili with dried shrimps to enhance the flavor), 
4. Tahu Goreng (with crunchy peanut bits), 
5. Nonya Curry Chicken with generous dose of fresh Tumeric and fresh coconut juice (prepared by vendors delivered fresh daily).
6. Sambal Fried Fish with lemongrass (full of lemonly fragrance)
7. Sambal Prawn with Petai beans in Assam juice  to give appetising taste
8. KL Hokkien Mee also known as Tai Lo Mein served with vegetables, seafood, diced chicken meat.

Rumah Sayang is located at:  

JEM, #B1-41, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, 

Singapore (608549)

Tel : 63390938

Rumah Sayang at JEM - Background and Origins

Background - Rumah Sayang is owned by husband and wife team of Jimmy Lim and Lily Chan. Jimmy

used to work for Cold Storage for a good ten years before he started a canteen at IMM for IMM staff. 

Jimmy went on to expand his business into operating Red Ginger at Level 1, IMM serving Nasi Padang,  Peranakan Cuisine with Red Ginger obtaining Halal Certification to provide additional choice of dining for Muslim diners. 

Jimmy Lim comes from a family of 8 boys. His brothers are involve in the Food & Beverage industry for many years, one of whom runs the famous Wan Chai HongKong Tea Room. 

One of the success factors of Jimmy's restaurants Red Ginger and Rumah Sayang lies in his team of loyal, experienced, chefs who are well trained in Asian, Malay, Peranakan, Malaysian Cuisines: veteran Malaysian Malay Chef Mdm Lia who works with him for more than 22 years, Malaysian Chinese Chef Lo who works with him for about 14 years, his own son Chef Jordan Lim, who has great passion for cooking Peranakan Nonya, Malay Cuisine. 

(L-R : Chef Lo, Chef Jordan Lim )
Rumah Sayang is located at:  
JEM, #B1-41, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, 
Singapore (608549)
Tel : 63390938

Rumah Sayang at JEM - Curry Fish Head $18

Curry Fish Head ($18): If you only have time for a dish at Rumah Sayang you must not miss trying out their Signature Curry Fish Head. Core ingredients include : Fish head, tomatoes, lady's fingers, brinjal, long beans, curry paste (lots of fresh Tumeric, fresh young ginger, old ginger, galangal, garlic, chili, dried chili, chili padi, candle-nuts, shallots, onions, curry powder).

How it is prepared : The fish head is cooked ala minute, it is first cooked in hot water till 70% fully cooked for 5-7 minutes in medium heat, then transferred to the curry paste to simmer at low to medium heat for 5 minutes, then ready to serve in the claypot. 

Food Tasting Notes: I like it that this fish head is cooked my favourite Nonya Peranakan style. By looking at the color of the curry gravy, you would have concluded Chef Lo uses a lot of fresh Tumeric to create that beautiful rich yellow hue. The gravy is thick and creamy. The vegetables are cooked thoroughly, the fish meat is tender and fresh, and is sweet to the taste. 

Rumah Sayang is located at:  

JEM, #B1-41, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, 

Singapore (608549)

Tel : 63390938

Rumah Sayang at JEM - Nonya Chap Chye $6

The Nonya Chap Chye ($6) is one of the signatures at Rumah Sayang at JEM. It is made with core ingredients : carrots, black fungus, cabbage, garlic, Tang hoon, mushroom. The vegetables are stir fry till they are cooked tender through. The cabbage and carrots are crunchy and sweet. Garlic serves to add a dash of spice to this dish, giving it a savory flavor.

Rumah Sayang is located at:  

JEM, #B1-41, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, 

Singapore (608549)

Tel : 63390938

Rumah Sayang at JEM - Crispy Ayam Penyet $7.50

The Crispy Ayam Penyet ($7.50) at Rumah Sayang at JEM is served with :

1. crispy chicken fillet (the frozen chicken has been marinated overnight with mee soto powder, garlic, onion, serai overnight, then coated with crispy powder, deep fried for 3 to 4 minutes, flattened and sliced),
2. side vegetables - raw cucumber, raw long beans and raw cabbage, 
3. tempeh from supplier (drizzled with Thai Chili dressing)
4. white rice
5. dipping sauce of ketchup manis with chili padi & sambal chili

The sambal belachan chili is made with ingredients: sambal belachan, chili padi, fresh chili which is stir-fried together, then blended at the IMM Central Kitchen. 

The kechap manis is mixed with chili padi, then blended to give it a distinct sweet, mildly spicy flavor. 

Food Tasting Notes : The Ayam Penyet skin is crispy on the outside due to various types of flour used, yet retains its juiciness on the inside. Although restaurant uses frozen chicken,  yet the fried chicken fillet tastes tender and juicy. 

The tempeh beans are still quite moist and chewy unlike tempeh from other restaurants that are dry and hard. 

The raw cabbage and long beans adds crunchiness to this dish. The sambal belachan chili is pretty spicy, the ketchup manis with chili padi is moderately spicy and they both goes well with the chicken. 

Rumah Sayang is located at:  

JEM, #B1-41, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, 

Singapore (608549)

Tel : 63390938

Rumah Sayang at JEM - Sambal Prawns $13.50

This is the Sambal Prawns ($13.50) with Petai beans and onions served at Rumah Sayang, prepared by Chef Lo. The core ingredients for this dish include: fresh large prawns, fresh onions, Petai beans, Assam paste, sambal paste. 

Food Tasting Notes : Chef Lo uses fresh juicy large prawns that are butterflied and de-veined. The prawns are bigger in size than those used in the Penang Kway Teow and Laksa. The fresh onions are sliced thinly and fully infused with the flavor of the Assam paste. The Assam paste has a distinct dried shrimp flavor in it, very flavorful, mildly salty, not that spicy at all. This dish taste sweet largely in part due to generous dose of the onions. The Petai beans are fried al dente and lends a crunchy bite to this dish. The sourly taste comes from Assam paste, sweetness comes from the onions and sweet prawns. Overall a great comfort dish to savor. 

 Rumah Sayang is located at:  

JEM, #B1-41, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, 

Singapore (608549)

Tel : 63390938

Rumah Sayang at JEM - Tahu Goreng $4

Tahu Goreng ($4) at Rumah Sayang at JEM is made with core ingredients: Tau hu, peanut, ginger flower, lime juice, lemon juice, chili, sugar, Thai chili sauce, plum sauce, fresh chili padi, orange color sugar (commonly used in puttu mayam) that gives the gravy a strong orange hue. 

How it is prepared : The ingredients for the gravy are only blended lightly to maintain a crunchy texture. This is the authentic Malay version of Tahu Goreng where no suntan is used in the gravy. Only when diners order, then the warm gravy is drizzled onto the ala minute fried Tau hu. 

Food Tasting Notes : The Tau hu is beautifully fried, the texture is so smooth, silky, soft, with a melt in your mouth feel. The gravy containing Thai Chili sauce, lime juice, lemon juice, ginger flower, with fresh chili blended lightly together with the peanuts tastes sweet, spicy, and is crunchy. The color of the gravy is more reddish than brown. This is one dish that is unforgettable and I strongly recommend you must order, both the presentation and taste are great, and indeed made a lasting impression - the after taste of the peanut lingers in my palate long after I had savored the dish.  

Rumah Sayang is located at:  

JEM, #B1-41, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, 

Singapore (608549)

Tel : 63390938 

Rumah Sayang at JEM - Achar

The Achar served at Rumah Sayang made with chili paste, lime, assam, white vinegar, a dash of meed red curry powder to give it a mildly reddish color. The cucumber, pineapple and carrot is infused with the vinegar and tastes crunchy and vinegary, very appetising. The Achar gravy is mildly sweet because Chef Lo uses a dash of sugar in it. 

Rumah Sayang is located at:  

JEM, #B1-41, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, 

Singapore (608549)

Tel : 63390938

Rumah Sayang at JEM - Laksa $4.50

This is the Laksa ($4.50) served at Rumah Sayang at JEM. I can straightaway confirm that Chef Lo uses a lot of tumeric in this dish as can be seen from the bright yellow color of the Laksa gravy. The Nonya Laksa that Chef Lo at Rumah Sayang uses is the thick vermicelli. The other core ingredients added are : thinly sliced fish cakes, tau pok, tau gay, fresh large prawns.

Now tumeric is an Asian spice used as a core ingredient in making rempah for use in making curry. Here is a bird's eye view of the benefits of using this spice in our food. 

Food Tasting Notes : The Laksa gravy tastes moderately spicy, with a distinct coconut flavor in it, and spots a bright yellow hue, understandably a fair amount of turmeric is used here. The texture of the gravy is smooth, watery, with a dash of laksa curry leaves that adds to the give it a distinct aroma. 
The two large prawns are fresh, juicy and turgid, yet tender to the bite. The tau pok is cooked thoroughly till tender, and is chewy to the bite. The fish cake is sliced thinly and tender, does not taste fishy at all.

Rumah Sayang is located at:  
JEM, #B1-41, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, 

Singapore (608549)

Tel : 63390938

Rumah Sayang at JEM - Nonya Fried Rice $7.50

The Nonya Fried Rice ($7.50) is served with fried rice, two sticks of chicken satay, fried sunny side up egg on the side, a side salad of onions and cucumber strips. It differs from the Nasi Pattaya because Chef Lo uses Tom Yam paste and Thai chili sauce, lime leaves, onions in the Nonya Fried Rice. The core ingredients used in Nonya Fried Rice are : eggs, onions, lime leaves, Thai white rice, diced prawns, diced chicken breast, chicken ham, cabbage, lemongrass, good grade dried shrimp, Tom Yam paste, Thai chili sauce.

How it is prepared : To make the fried rice, the onion is first marinated with the lemongrass and lime leaf and fried together with the Thai fragrant whole grain white rice, to it is added the Tom Yam paste, followed by other core ingredients : prawns, cabbage, chicken ham, diced chicken breast, onion, dried shrimp. 

To prepare the dried shrimp for use in the fried rice, the dried shrimp is deep fried, then pounded, and seasoned with sugar and salt to enhance the flavor. 

The Tom Yam paste in the fried rice is made using Thai fish sauce, lemongrass, onion, lime leaf - and fried together with the pounded dried shrimp to form the paste. 

The chicken used in the chicken satay is marinated overnight at IMM Central Kitchen with a whole lot of good stuff including key Indian spices : star anise, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, fennel seeds, cardamom, a little pepper, salt, sugar. The chicken pieces are skewed individually on a weekly basis at the IMM Central Kitchen and then delivered to the outlets. When the Nonya Fried Rice order is placed, the chicken satay is first deep fried, then grilled and cooked to perfection, and served immediately.

At IMM Central Kitchen, the peanut satay sauce is made weekly using key Indian spices: star anise, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, fennel seeds, cardamom, a little pepper, salt, sugar and blended lightly with whole peanuts and set to marinate overnight. Chef Jordan shared that the peanut gravy for the chicken satay is specially made with the peanuts blended at low speed for a little while only in order to give a not too smooth texture and a more crunchier bite. According to Chef Jordan : the peanut satay sauce is very concentrated with generous dose of crunchy peanut bits, home made and stewed and is more crunchy than the Tahu Goreng (which is made with Thai Chili sauce). The satay sauce exudes a strong peanut flavor. 

Food Tasting Notes : Just as the fried rice is being served, I can smell an intense Tom Yam flavor. The Thai rice is fried with Tom Yam paste, lime leaf, lemongrass, onion, shallots, (a bit of ) fish sauce, - the taste is mildly sweet, not spicy at all as no chili is used. The Tom Yam paste gives a very appetizing bite to it.  Core ingredients used in the fried rice are fried egg, prawns (not butterflied, not de-veined, they are blanched 70%, then diced and cooked with fried rice as per order), onions, chicken ham (lends a sweet taste), cabbage, lemongrass, chicken breast meat. The sweet taste of this Nonya Fried Rice differs from the Nasi Pattaya in that the Nasi Pattaya is spicy sweet. 
The chicken satay is very well marinated, is tender and juicy. The satay sauce is made using peanut, garlic, onions, shallots, lemongrass, no Ginger flower, has a distinct lemongrass fragrance, tastes very sweet, nutty, due to the generous dose of peanuts used in the sauce, is very flavorful, tastes more sweeter than spicy. I would liken the taste of the peanut satay sauce more inclined to the Javanese style. 

Rumah Sayang is located at:  

JEM, #B1-41, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, 

Singapore (608549)

Tel : 63390938