Best Things Under S$10: Chef Devagi Sanmugam

SINGAPORE — Chef Devagi Sanmugam, the cookbook author, cooking instructor and entrepreneur of culinary service provider Epicurean World, is a familiar face on our TV screens, having appeared on several cooking variety shows both in Singapore as well as overseas. More recently, she was a guest judge in this week’s episode of Wok Stars, Channel 5’s latest cooking variety show.

“When judging, I look out for a few things. If they have enough skills — it’s not just about cutting properly, for example, because you can teach even a child those skills,” she said. Balancing flavours properly and matching the right ingredients are also important, she explained, as is presentation and “smell”.

“Lastly, I look out for the hygiene of a person. I cannot stand chefs who use accessories like rings while cooking, having long fingernails, or hair that’s not tied up. It puts me off. ”

When she goes out to eat, she has strict criteria. “For me I would look for food that is not too oily or fatty. I’m rather conscious of the amount of fat I’m putting into my body, and I also like traditional food. However, my priority is always more vegetables and less fat.”

> Breakfast: Sliced fish noodles (Fresh Fish Seafood Soup, Sembawang Hill Food Centre, 590 Upper Thomson Road, Closed on Mondays. Price: S$3)

“I always look for soupy meals like the sliced fish noodles at Sembawang Hill Food Centre. I like that the fish stock is made of real fish bone instead of the ikan bilis cube that other places like to use. He boils the noodles in the soup, and the fish is not overcooked. What’s good is that they also give lots of vegetables, making it a one-dish meal.

> Lunch: Laksa and popiah (Xiao Chi Dian, Kopitiam, Thomson Plaza Food Court)

“I’ve been eating here for about 10 years now. The laksa gravy is good — they adjusted the recipe, not putting too much coconut milk into the broth, and they know how to thin down the sauce. In other places, they tend to leave it on the fire, making the soup thick. I also like that their laksa gravy is always the same texture every time. Also, they are very willing to add more vegetables when it’s requested. And as for the popiah — it’s a Nonya popiah with egg roll sheet that’s soft, and the garlic chilli sauce that they use is homemade so I like it. The laksa costs S$4.50 and it’s S$2.30 for popiah — but they usually give me a discount!”

> Dinner: Barbecued stingray with cincalok sambal (L.A. BBQ Seafood, Blk 848 Yishun Street 81. Price: From S$7)

“For dinner I like this Chinese BBQ stall that sells grilled fish, grilled prawn, and it’s here that I indulge in the grilled stingray with sambal. The cincalok sauce they use contains fermented shrimp, lime sauce, shallots and ladies fingers (okra); and it’s different from your usual belachan. The sauce makes it sour and hot, and entices you to eat more and more. While belachan is usually dry, the cincalok is a wet sauce. I like spicy food, but I don’t bother with Indian food outside because I can cook it at home. Instead, I like to eat Chinese and Nyonya food because the Chinese take a lot of time to boil their stock when they cook — even if it is with MSG.”

Catch Wok Stars on Wednesdays, 8pm on MediaCorp Channel 5.