Cover Chef Damian D'Silva
Chef Damian D'Silva
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The legendary chef-partner of Rempapa tells us about the origins and signatures of Eurasian cuisine, and shares his recipes for debal curry and curry Mohylu
Damian D’Silva knows more than a thing or two about Eurasian cuisine. Exposed to Eurasian and Peranakan culinary influences as a child, D’Silva, now the chef-partner of beloved restaurant Rempapa, is now one of the most legendary proponents of Eurasian cuisine in Singapore with decades of experience under his belt—a cuisine that, unfortunately, remains obscure to many Singaporeans.
“The most logical answer to the origins of Eurasian cuisine must have been when the Portuguese conquered the Malacca Sultanate in 1511,” D’Silva tells us of Eurasian cuisine’s origins. But he notes that Malacca also fell under the control of the Dutch from 1641 and later the British in 1824, creating a Eurasian cuisine in Singapore that is shaped, “in one way or another”, by “every colonial master” that have left their mark in the region.
Eurasian cuisine is, according to D’Silva, “a mix of the different ethnicities that were present then and embraces the uniqueness of every culture while ensuring a touch of Kristang (Eurasians with mixed Portuguese and Malaccan descent) inventiveness”. Key spices might include cloves, cinnamon, and star anise, as well as wet spice mixes like lemongrass, candlenut and galangal. However, besides commonly known dishes like feng, debal, ambiler and sugee cake, there is no universal “signature” element or dish, but staple ingredients and dishes based on one’s heritage. “When I was younger, I became acquainted with two Eurasian families of Irish and German heritage who rarely ate spice,” D’Silva says—quite unlike his own family’s cooking.
As for the reason why Eurasian food is not well-known in Singapore, D’Silva points towards the small size of the Eurasian community, the unfamiliarity of spices, and the long preparation time that’s “unsuitable for the younger generation”. Ingredients may not even be available—some spice mixes are rare today “because the spice maker has grown too old or is no longer living”. Nevertheless, D’Silva believes that if “Singaporeans together and celebrate our diverse cultural ethnicity by embracing and accepting our different eccentricities”, Eurasian cuisine, alongside lesser-known cuisines such as that of the Chitty and Jawi Peranakans, Hock Chew, Foochow, and the Orang Luat, can return to the spotlight. “We will have a cuisine that has no boundaries and should be celebrated by everyone.”
In that spirit, we’ve asked D’Silva for two curry recipes—the more well-known debal curry, and the more obscure curry Mohylu—that are easy to make at home. Exploding with flavour and spice, these are the perfect introductory dishes to bring a slice of Eurasian cuisine to your home.
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Debal curry
Above Debal curry with pork knuckle
Debal curry with pork knuckle
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INGREDIENTS
“Debal is usually eaten after Christmas, when all the leftovers are placed in a huge pot and stewed with a fiery paste. Vinegar an important ingredient and is added to keep the dish from going bad even after a couple of days! I believe Debal has become synonymous with a Christmas dish in an Eurasian household.” —Damian D’Silva
Part 1: Spice paste
- 80 g of dried chillies (boiled in water, drained and removed stem)
- 80 g of old ginger (skinned and chopped)
- 300 g of local shallots (peeled, topped and tailed)
Part 2: Curry
- 100 g of young ginger (skinned and finely julienned)
- 1 kg of Bombay onions (skinned, topped and tailed, and quartered)
- 3 tbsp of Colman’s powdered English mustard
- 10 to 12 tbsp of rice vinegar
- 1 l of water
- 2 kg of pork spare ribs (cut into 3-inch lengths)
- 5 smoked pork knuckles (cut each knuckle into 4 pieces)
- 1 kg of smoked bacon bones (cut into 2-inch lengths)
- 1 kg of roast pork (babi panggang) (cut into 1-inch lengths)
METHOD
- Place ingredients from Part 1 in a blender and blend until a fine paste is achieved and set aside.
- Add 1 cup of cooking oil into a pot, preferably peanut or coconut oil, and heat up the oil.
- When the oil is hot, add the quartered Bombay onions and sauté till soft and slightly caramelised around the edges.
- Next add the blended paste and sauté till done. This would usually take around 20 minutes on medium heat.
- Add the spare ribs and julienned ginger, and cook till liquid arises. If there is no liquid, just cook the ribs for around 20 minutes on medium flame, add 1 litre of water and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add the smoked pork knuckles and bacon bones.
- When the skin on the pork knuckle is soft, the pork ribs should be cooked, if it's not, simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes before adding the roast pork.
- Lastly mix the vinegar with the English mustard and add this mixture to the pot and stir well.
- Cook for another 10 minutes, add salt to taste.
Read more: Life Lessons in the Kitchen: How These Chefs’ Childhoods Shaped the Way They Are Today
Curry Mohylu
INGREDIENTS
“Curry Mohlyu was cooked when there was abundant fish. Granddad used to make fishballs to execute this dish and distributed it to all our neighbours. It was a dish that we ate often as seafood was more popular back then because of its availability. Historically, most Kristangs were fisherfolk that lived off the sea. However, this can be contradicting if your heritage is other than Portuguese.” —Damian D’Silva
Part 1: Rempah
- 40 g of galangal, skinned
- 8 dried chillies
- 2 stalks of lemongrass (white part only)
- 30 g of turmeric, skinned
- 7 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 230 g of shallots, peeled
- 100 g of grated coconut, toasted
- 35 g of belachan, toasted
- 6 pieces of candlenut
- 4 tbsp of coriander powder (toasted and ground)
- 2 tbsp of black pepper (toasted and ground)
Part 2: Fishballs
- 1 kg of mackerel whole fish
- Ice water with salt (a tablespoon of salt to 2 cups of water)
Part 3: Curry
- 6 brinjal, about 15cm long, slice it half length, deep-fried and drained
- Coconut oil
- 1 tbsp of lime juice
- 2 tbsp of rice vinegar
- Coconut milk from one and a half coconuts. Add 2 cups water for diluted coconut milk.
- Garnish fried garlic and shallot
METHOD
Part 1: Rempah
- Combine all the spices for the rempah into a spice blender and blend until finely ground.
Part 2: Fishballs
- To remove the flesh from the mackerel, fillet the fish and scrap off the meat from the bones and skin with a spoon. (Keep the fish bones for fish stock).
- Mince the fish meat with the back of a knife till a fine texture is achieved.
- Wet hands in ice salted water, knead and slam the fish paste into a large bowl for about 70 times and add salt water when the paste gets sticky. You want to achieve a sticky and smooth consistency.
- Wet the hand, squeeze the paste, scoop out a portion with a spoon and drop it into a bowl of ice salted water.
- Soak the fish balls in the ice salted water for at least 2 hours to firm up the shape.
Part 3: Curry
- Heat up the oil in a saucepan, add the spice paste and cook it over medium heat. Stir it constantly for about 15 to 20 minutes till the paste is cooked.
- Add the diluted coconut milk and let it simmer for a while (about 5 to 7 mins).
- Add the deep fried brinjals.
- Add the fish stock and cook it till about gravy consistency.
- Add the fishballs and coconut milk. Cook it for about 5 minutes.
- Add a teaspoon of salt, then add rice wine vinegar and lime juice.
- Garnish with fried shallots and garlic.
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About
Ethan is a dining writer with Tatler Singapore. Trained in literary arts and filmmaking, their work has previously been published in Esquire Singapore, Men's Folio, and with the Asian Film Archive and the Singapore International and Film Festival, across a wide range of interests from gastronomy to fashion and arts criticism.
Work
Ethan writes about exciting news in the F&B industry, specialising in fine dining, exclusive spirits launches, and new restaurants. They are always looking for riveting voices to bring something fresh to an already-dynamic industry.
Follow them on Instagram at @faustiangourmand.
