Tempura love

coffee blondies, and my favourite savoury pastry atm

chewy coffee blondies with a fluffy middle

The sun beats down as relentlessly as my will to hit all the food spots before I leave Singapore.

Food news of the week:

Ginza Tenharu pays homage to the humble deep fry. Edo-style tempura has something to say for itself, and I talk about my experience below. Burnt Ends Bakery currently has my all-time favourite savoury pastry, what with its sweet bechamel hugging feathery clumps of shredded beef sitting on perfectly crisp, well-laminated dough. I liked it so much I took one home, and I highly recommend their doughnuts and bostock-style banana bread that is toasted with almond cream on top, too.

Science of the week:

Pendulum’s Akkermansia is all the rage now. Akkermansia is a beneficial bacterial strain, of which growth is indirectly promoted by berberine, a nutrient found in exotic things like tree turmeric and Oregon grape.

Insight of the week:

Nolan’s dream sequence style was perfect for Oppenheimer, despite mixed reviews. As the story grapples with who we are, how other people expect us to be, and the implications of what they have done, I loved the juxtaposition of concrete hard science facts, and emotions that were inevitably entangled in this tragic hero story. Thought it strange how scenes depicted bombings on Americans instead of Japanese, though.

Recipe of the week:

The best part about these is the distinct bite of coffee in each square, and I would say they’re something of a blondie-muffin hybrid, with chewy edges and a plump and risen middle.

Coffee blondies, makes 6-7 muffins or one loaf of blondies

Ingredients

100g butter, at room temperature

50g light brown sugar

50g white sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp fine salt

110g plain flour

1 tsp instant coffee

1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions

Preheat your oven to 180C (350F) and prepare 6-7 muffin liners. Alternatively, grease a standard 9×5-inch loaf pan; you can use this mold for the same batter and its quantity.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the soft butter, sugars and salt using a strong metal whisk. Use a rubber spatula to help cream everything together. Once pale and fluffy, add the egg and whisk that in well. Then tip in the flour, baking powder and instant coffee. Use the rubber spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet.

Scoop large tablespoonfuls of batter into the muffin liners, or scrape everything into the loaf pan. Bake for 20 mins. Insert a wooden skewer into the centre after 20 minutes- if it comes out wet then bake for 3-5 more minutes, or until the skewer emerges again with moist crumbs. Let the muffin liners or loaf pan sit for 10 minutes on a cooling rack before cutting and serving. Best enjoyed alone with a cup of coffee. Perfect.

Restaurant of the week:

Few seats, the sweetest chef, and just the right amount of food for a high-quality tempura experience without faff, pomp, or wasted time. Anyone who has eaten Japanese with me knows that I’m obsessed with tempura, which hopefully makes me a more discerning candidate of quality in that realm. If you like wafer-thin tempura batter coats, Ginza Tenharu tucked in the corner of Marriott Tang Plaza hotel should be on your fried food agenda.