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Things you didn’t know about Indian food

Perfume and jewellery-making workshops. Outdoor film screenings and stage productions. Street carnivals showcasing nostalgic snacks from yesteryear. This may sound like the line-up for the latest hipster festival, but it is actually the Indian Heritage Centre’s (IHC) inaugural CultureFest — although it certainly has hip appeal.

Perfume and jewellery-making workshops. Outdoor film screenings and stage productions. Street carnivals showcasing nostalgic snacks from yesteryear. This may sound like the line-up for the latest hipster festival, but it is actually the Indian Heritage Centre’s (IHC) inaugural CultureFest — although it certainly has hip appeal.

With “Kaleidoscope” as its theme, the month-long festival that took a year to plan is a colourful celebration of the living heritage, arts and culture of Singapore’s Indian community. It is one designed to intrigue a wide audience of diverse cultural background. And it has already proven to be a hit.

“From the first two weekends of the IHC CultureFest 2015, there have been close to 17,000 visitors,” said Menaka Gopalan, the assistant manager for programmes and education at IHC, adding that they were “a mix of Singaporeans from all walks of life, as well as foreign visitors”.

Detailing the curatorial direction, Gopalan said: “We have previously held pilot programmes to ascertain the type of programmes that would interest our target audiences — including themes that span the different regions of India. Many of the programmes feature themes that are easily relatable to all Singaporeans, so that they can experience the living traditions of Indian culture.”

This weekend, the public can look forward to activities such as a specially-choreographed traditional folk dance performance by the Singapore Gujarati Society or a theatre production by Daisy Irani and Subin Subaiah from HuM Theatre. Of course, with Singapore being a foodie-haven of sorts, there is a celebration of Indian cuisine, with a cooking demonstration and workshop by local celebrity chef Devagi Sanmugam, and a food fair along Campbell Lane, where one can feast on regional dishes such as pani puri, dhokla, pav bhaji and vadai; or taste an array of uniquely Singapore Indian dishes such as roti prata, Indian mee goreng and Indian rojak.

Of course, as a reflection of a richly diverse culture, Indian food is more than just naan or tandoori chicken. It’s an intriguing cuisine with a lot more to offer than meets the eye — or palate. But before you make a beeline for the bryani stall at the IHC, here are some interesting facts about Indian cuisine that you probably didn’t know about.

ANCIENT WISDOM

Before the days of combi-ovens, the cooks of the Moghul courts in the 16th century were already steam-baking. This technique is called dum pukht, and one classic dish cooked in this style is the dum biryani. The traditional preparation of this iconic delicacy calls for layers of rice, meat and other seasoning ingredients to be cooked over charcoal fire in a tightly covered clay pot called a handi. While the heat from the fire bakes, the steam from the ingredients circulates inside the pot, keeping the dish moist.

SIXTH DIMENSION

Still awe-struck by the discovery of the fifth taste that is umami? Indian cuisine takes that up a notch, with its six primary tastes: Sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent, which is thanks to raw fruits and vegetables.

A GRAVY BY ANOTHER NAME

If your understanding of “curry” is hot and spicy, you might want to think again. In Indian cuisine, curry is technically any dish cooked in a spiced sauce, and this can range from soupy examples, such as rasam, to something thick and velvety, like dhal.

SAME — BUT DIFFERENT

First things first: Despite its name, the leaf of the curry plant is not the key ingredient in curry powder. As a matter of fact, it isn’t even present in some blends. That said, curry leaf is an essential ingredient in South Indian cooking and is often tempered in hot oil before being added to a variety of dishes, from rice and lentil to seafood and meat.

FUSING FLAVOURS

Goa was under Portuguese rule from 1510 to 1961, and an integration of Goan and Portuguese cultures during the four-and-a-half centuries gave birth to the dish known as pork vindaloo. This early example of fusion food takes its name from carne de vinha d’alhos, a Portuguese dish of pork marinated in wine and garlic. By substituting vinegar for wine, and adding red chillies into the equation, the fiery Goan specialty was created.

MAKING HEADWAY

Contrary to popular belief, fish head curry is not a Chinese creation. However, lots of signs do point to it being “uniquely Singapore”. To begin with, the dish is not commonly found in the coastal areas of India, where seafood curries feature prominently in local cuisine. In Singapore, the first records of it trace back to 1952, when MJ Gomez first sold the dish at his shop behind Cathay Cinema. In a bid to appeal to Chinese diners, the enterprising Indian chef incorporated fish head — a delicacy among the demographic — into the typically South Indian fish curry. Since then, both Indian and Chinese restaurants across the island — including the now-famous version from Muthu’s Curry, which started serving it in 1969 — have had their own interpretations of the dish.

The CultureFest food fair is from May 29 to 31, 11am to 9pm, at the Indian Heritage Centre, Campbell Lane. Admission is free

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