Hotpot

My voice is almost gone....

Weird thing is, it doesn't hurt at all. But I sound like a frog.

And I wish I knew the reason. Okay maybe I do. And it has got nothing to do with the hot pot I'm going to rave about right now.

For those of you who have been wondering where in the world did I go... not updating this lil food blog of mine for eons...

Well, it's okay because I'm back! Was so busy with my final exams and the YISS (Youth in the Spirit Seminar) that happened the day after my final paper. So it was really a mad rush.

Just came home a few hours ago and finally got to rest properly!

So, where was I? Ah my lost voice and hot pot. Yep. My voice is almost gone, but it's okay because it was worth it. Quite like how it's worth it, to burn my mouth when eating hot pot.

Just that both are a bit different. The reason for my voice being this way was probably because I was shouting too loud during praise & worship. Coupled with chocolates and belachan. That's a deadly combi!

The YISS was awesome and right now, I feel as though I've fallen in love with God all over again. You're probably wondering what all this has got to do with hot pot? haha well, I guess it is simply that hot pursuit.

The pursuit for something beyond what this world can offer. It's like when I eat chilli. I really love it, I get a kick out of it, but each time, I'm looking for the hottest option... I eat different chillies and sauces, wanting to find the hottest one...

And whether is it a hot pot or sambal belachan, it always warms me up. There'll be this warm tingling sensation that slowly settles in my tummy and it's so good that I just crave for more.

But before I go off tangent, allow me to give special mention to what must be the cheapest hot pot i've ever eaten. One that I might not eat so often anymore since I've graduated!

This Sichuan stall is so amazing. Located at NUS Arts Canteen, there's always a looooong queue. I like their food because it's spicy :) But the cool thing now is their hot pot. It's kind of new. They didn't use to have it. And my, it's really cheap! At only $5 you get this:

I tried eating the entire thing alone when I was so hungry. I managed to finish it but felt so full. So this time, I shared with my sis who followed me to school the other day when I went to study in the library...




Somehow it was just nice for the both of us. Check out the piping hot spicy soup. Mmmm it's heavenly I tell you! Pun fully intended. It's especially good to have during cold weather.. like now!

I guess I will miss the cheap NUS food! :)

An Fu Restaurant

Does this scare you???

"Not for the faint-hearted" the email stated.

That disclaimer was quite redundant I thought. Especially since it clearly stated Sichuan. hahaha... not that I would be fazed, but seriously, it only made me look forward to it. The email had a long menu attached to it, most of which just made me curious. Having never experienced authentic Sichuan cuisine, I was more than game.

It was to be a fiery night with a generous amount of peppers and chilli oil.

RED was the colour of the night. Everything looked RED.

I went home with red lips still pounding from the heat and believe me when I say that my lips were still stinging this morning.

This is what you get when you voluntarily indulge in yet another of the deliciously exciting Makansutra gatherings organised by Makansutra forum members. The exuberant K.F. Seetoh was there too. The entire restaurant was filled with us foodies, some of whom are food bloggers like myself.

Perhaps I'll just cut and paste the entire menu here:

Cold dishes:
1) Cold chicken in spicy sauce 口水鸡
2) Sliced pork in garlic sauce 蒜泥白肉
3) Pork tripe in chilli oil 红油肚片
4) Black fungus in Vinegar and ginger sauce 醋姜黑木耳
5) Preserved mixed vegetables 开胃什锦

Hot dishes:
1) Tyrant Crab 霸王花蟹
2) Salt and pepper prawn cake 椒盐虾排
3) Chongqing Fried chicken with dried chilli 重庆辣子鸡
4) Water boiled beef served with plain noodle 水煮牛肉配拌面
5) Hometown style Duck 家乡风味鸭
6) Cold Wok Fish slices 冷锅鱼片
7) Assorted mushroom and fungus in chicken oil sauce鸡油真菌
8 ) Ma Po Dou fu 麻婆豆腐

Dessert:
Water melon with white fungus.银耳西瓜盅

See what I mean? I really didn't know what I got myself into. All I know is that I was going to go with an open mind and empty stomach. Thank God I'm a chilli person. My chilli threshold is rather high.

There are plenty of photos and since almost everything was cooked in Sichuan peppers and peppercorns, it won't make a difference if I try to describe every dish one by one. The food was yummy, though I heard that this wasn't as authentic as it should be. Well well, a Sichuan greenhorn like me won't be able to tell the difference anyway.

Enjoy the photos and if you cannot take spices, I reckon that you just scroll quickly.. haha lest you be frightened by the oily redness. They do use plenty of chilli oil mind you.

People who cannot take chilli should NEVER visit this restaurant. I mean it! hahaha... okay I'll just go ahead and tell you about this person at our table who simply cannot take spices. That poor dude was sweating so much and hardly touched the dishes. I found it hilarious but not in a rude way... haha... oh gosh... I bet he regretted coming.

Anyway, I'll let the photos tell the story...


Cold chicken in spicy sauce


Sliced pork in garlic sauce

Okay, this one.. I have to talk about. The highlight was more to do with the garlic sauce. It's basically this bowl of red chilli oil with minced roasted garlic... Very fragrant and tasty... The pork tasted great with the sauce. Put lots of it on my rice.


Pork tripe in chilli oil



Black fungus in Vinegar and ginger sauce



Preserved mixed vegetables

That which you see is a very webbed duck's foot. I didn't eat the foot but I ate most of the vegetables. The foot looked raw! No way was I going to eat it... Hardly anyone at our table ate it. Well only one but I think he just put it on his plate. haha.


Tyrant Crab

Ahh... this one is HOT. there were sooooo many Sichuan peppers under the crabs. When I was eating it with my bare hands I knew that my eyes would sting when I try to take out my contact lenses from my eyes tonight. This is the bomb.


Salt and pepper prawn cake

A mild dish, this was rather light and easy on the tummy.


Chongqing Fried chicken with dried chilli

Tried to figure out if it was duck or chicken but concluded that it was chicken. The duck one came out soon after and it looked as if they used the same sauce. My duck photo was too blur so didn't put it up.


Water boiled beef served with plain noodle

You cannot see the beef because the thick oily chilli laden soup has covered it! But I like this dish. The beef was tender. The sauce was tasty too. But like I said, there's so much oil.... Half the time we were wonder if the people in Sichuan province really consumed that much oil everyday.


Cold Wok Fish slices

Totally fell in love with the fish. Tender and melts in your mouth. But I made the mistake of drinking the oil. You see that glistening layer on top? Yea that's the oil. I thought it was clear soup. hahaha


Assorted mushroom and fungus in chicken oil sauce



Ma Po Dou fu

This was a tad disappointing. There wasn't enough flavour. Sure it was spicy but it was flat as well. No omph!



Oh the pot sticklers (guo tie) were yummy...

and haha I took the liberty of taking a photo of the chilli oil of one of the dishes so you have a better idea of what I mean when I say oil-laden dishes.



Scared yet?

Here's the harmless dessert:


Water melon with white fungus

Someone actually wondered if the dessert was going to be spicy as well. Haha, I wouldn't be surprised if it were! They served dessert earlier because apparently some peoples' tongues were on fire and needed serious dousing!

Honestly, the food was not that scary. Well to me at least. I thought it could have been spicier. I think I really like Sichuan food. Can't imagine how it must taste like back in their hometown...

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An Fu Restaurant
#01-06/07 Balestier Road
Tel: 6254-3266
Open 11:30am to 3am