Violet Oon offers her great tasting Curry Powder Collection for your enjoyment. Inspired by the Indian culinary tradition of Singapore, the curry powders are made from the finest quality spices – cloves, cinnamon, star anise, cumin, fennel, black pepper, white pepper and dried turmeric roots are just some of nature’s treasure house that go into the curry powder blends. The Meat Curry Powder and the Chicken Curry Powder bring back memories of childhood days spent in planters’ homes in the Malay peninsula. Seafood Curry Powder makes a delectable fish curry in the Fish Head Curry Tradition of Singapore’s Little India. Both the Kurmah Powder and the Tandoori Mix offer milder spice creations inspired by the curries of North India.

TASTY SINGAPORE
TIMELESS RECIPES

A great and fun cookbook was launched in May 2007 by INTERNATIONAL ENTERPRISE SINGAPORE and features recipes created by Violet Oon to feature the wide array of Singapore's food products. Over 20 Tasty Singapore Brand Ambassadors are represented and to date, there are more than 30 of our food brand ambassadors.

Famous names like Prima, Chng Kee's by Sin Hwa Dee, Kwong Cheong Thye, My Mum’s Cuisine, Tai Hua, Bachun and Hai’s represent the sauces and Tee Yih Jia’s Spring Home Roti Prata as well as Spring Roll Skins are represented along with a wide range of proudly created in Singapore beverages by names like Super, Food Empire, Gold Kili and Owl International. Then there are the dim sum by Khong Guan as well as Sim Mui Heng and from Tat Hui comes the Koka noodles.

This book presents a wonderful collection of favourite local recipes that reflects Singapore’s culinary heritage. Co-developed by Violet Oon, a leading Singapore culinary icon, the book represents innovative menu ideas which are specially created for the four seasons using Singapore manufactured products bearing the Tasty Singapore mark. This book is unique as it presents two version of preparing the menu ideas – the traditional and easy-to-prepare recipes.

Tasty Singapore, the branding for Singapore food industry, is an initiative of International Enterprise Singapore in collaboration with the Singapore Food Manufacturer’s Association and the Singapore Manufacturer’s Federation, and supported by Spring Singapore. To order and find out more, go to: http://www.tastysingapore.com/publications.

Purchase @ IE Singapore Resource Centre for only S$40.80
Published by IE Singapore (2007)

TASTY SINGAPORE BRAND AMBASSADORS in
TASTY SINGAPORE TIMELESS RECIPES COOKBOOK:

1. Amoy Canning Corporation (Singapore) Ltd
2. Bachun Food Industries (Pte) Ltd
3. Country Foods Pte Ltd
4. Chye Choon Foods Pte Ltd
5. Food Empire Holdings Limited
6. Gan Hup Lee (1999) Pte Ltd
7. Gold Kili Trading Enterprise (Singapore) Pte Ltd
8. Hai's Pte Ltd
9. Kim Hing Food Industries Pte Ltd
10. Kong Guan Dumpling / Pau Manufacturer Pte Ltd
11. Kwong Cheong Thye Pte Ltd
12. My Mum’s Cuisine Pte Ltd
13. Owl International Pte Ltd
14. Prima Food Pte Ltd
15. Seng Hua Hng Foodstuff Pte Ltd
16. Sime Darby Edible Products Limited
17. Sin Hwa Dee Foodstuff Industries Pte Ltd
18. Sin Mui Heng Industries Pte Ltd
19. Super Coffeemix Manufacturing Limited
20. Tai Hua Food Industries Pte Ltd
21. Tat Hui Foods Pte Ltd
22. Tee Yih Jia Food Manufacturing Pte Ltd
23. Thong Siek Food Industry Pte Ltd
24. Tong Garden Food Products (Singapore) Pte Ltd
25. Unicurd Food Company (Pte) Ltd
26. Viz Branz Limited

FRESCA SOUNDS AND EVEN FRESHER VEGETABLES

Uncle Desmond (he's in the picture with me on our HOME page where I'm marketing) and nephew Victor herald their presence even before you come upon their stall selling super fresh vegetables in Singapore's famed KK (also known as Tekka) Market in Blk 665 Buffalo Road, off Serangoon Road.

Fresh sounds surround you, embrace you, entice you - it could be Andrea Bocelli singing his heart out one day, Nat King Cole crooning A Wonderful World the next time you go marketing for veggies and Ella enthusing over That Man of Mine on yet another visit.

It is not by accident that the Desmond and Victor Chias’ name cards bear a picture of a luscious tomato on one side proclaiming Chia's Vegetables Suppy and on the flip side, the card with its splash of red proclaims "fresca sound - leading our way of life".

How come music features so importantly in the Chia's lives? Are they closet jazz musicians at night? They say that neither knows how to play a musical instrument but that both of them just love jazz and bosa nova. They started playing these songs in the market for their own pleasure and found that it drew customers to their stalls as did the flutes of Pan.

But you are not only enticed by the music, it is the vegetables on display that can bring tears to your eyes. The stall at #01-201, Tel: 6294-4901 not only offers top grade choices of vegetables for Asian and in particular South East Asian cooking, but it is also the Mecca for those who cook European and western style food. On any day you will find an Ang Mo shopping - most usually a chef who has come to select his vegetables for his famous restaurant, cafe or cooking school - that should give you a hint as to which chefs shop at the Chia's.

On one side is a great selection of fresh drumstick, baby brinjals (eggplants) for Thai cooking, baby lady's fingers (okra), kai lan, bok choy, pink ginger flowers (bunga siantan), laksa leaves, Thai basil and sometimes, in season, the eye scrunching sour blimbing fruit - on the other side is a fresh selection of herbs like basil, rosemary, thyme and tarragon, fennel bulbs, zucchini, baby carrots, squash, aragula and other vegetables in season.

It all started with Desmond's grandfather, who had a stall in the original KK Market just across the road in Serangoon Road, in the old original wrought iron colonial building that was the market.

Desmond's father took over in 1982 when the market moved to its present location, at the bottom of a block of HDB flats. Desmond has been in the business for 30 years. Victor, who is 31 years old now, has been in the business since he was 16 years old. Both of the younger Chias have been only green grocers all their working lives.

Desmond said that both he and Victor are English educated as was every Singaporean of his generation so they cater both to the locals as well as foreigners.

"We cannot imagine doing anything else because we love it and though this is not an air-conditoned super comfortable environment we are used to it and our achievement comes from customers who go home happy with what we have to offer."

And yes, of course the music that soars above the market din makes it all such a pleasant selling and buying environment!

So pleasant in fact that Chia's Vegetables Supply has been written about by bloggers and has also made its presence felt on Singapore websites.


FAST FACTS

© All pictures by UV Picture Library

Back to top