It was a blast at the Malay Heritage Centre where the yearly Singapore Food Festival takes place. This year, the festival comprised of weekly core events, cooking workshops, competitions organised throughout the whole of Singapore. The event, “Heritage Flavours 2008” was held for two days in a row, on the 26th and the 27th July featuring traditional Malay cuisine.

The highlight of the event was celebrity Chef Khaled who whipped out many delicious foods such as the wholesome honey yogurt that he shared with the crowd present. A visitor, Mr Jamari tasted the wholesome honey yogurt and applauded Chef Khaled for the richness and the carefully picked ingredients used for the dish. Chef Khaled first discovered his interest in cooking after watching his grandmother cook. She also taught him the basics of cooking which he further improvised to the unique flavours of cuisine he is famous for currently. After having entered a cooking competition in secondary school, he had never looked back since.

Chef Khaled mentioned that out of 30 chefs for a cooking competition, he won first prize. Other than his interest in the culinary aspect, he also enjoys being in the music scene and is a musician himself. When asked about his future plans, Chef Khaled said that he plans to further his skills overseas. Chef Khaled was also invited to judge the best stall at the event.

There was a grand array of over 20 food and drink stalls selling traditional cuisine such as Chempedak, Nasi Briyani and desserts such as Chendol. Madam Fadilah, 45, a mother of two felt that the durian solo (fried durian fritters) was the best she has eaten. Mr Jamari who was anticipating the Food Festival brought his entire family to attend it as soon as he heard about it through the radio. Mr Jamari felt that the food sold could be slightly more traditional and pointed out the tako-pachi, a Japanese delicacy which should not have been listed in as one of the food stalls. Other than that, Mr Jamari enjoyed the rest of the cuisine available at the Food Festival.

At the event, there were cultural performances such as the traditional Malay dance and Silat performers. Lily, a performer has been practicing the Malay Traditional dance for six years and expressed her passion for dance by elaborating on the dance trips she went overseas. She has been to Sabah and Bali for competitions and is diligent in creating her own steps for the dance routines.

The food festival at the Malay Heritage Centre brought in huge amount of crowds on both days. The enriching performances and the glorious array of food available enticed fellow Singaporeans to explore and experience the Malay culture.

The Singapore Food Festival will end on 27th July.