Surendan To His Charms

We are showing off some of our British Street Food swagger at The World Street Food Congress in Singapore this week. Well — not quite yet. The humidity is too high (the BSF blazers were SUCH a bad idea in 31 degrees). And our delegation is a little too jetlagged. But not enough to stop us noticing the wonderful selection of traders from all over the world. This charming man, called Surendan, is one of the very few hawkers in Singapore who still makes his Putu Mayam from scratch. Putu Mayam (or string hoppers) is a South Indian snack of steamed rice flour noodles, eaten with sugar and desiccated coconut or a ladle of chicken curry. Surendan makes his rice flour dough fresh every morning. His other signature dish is Appam (or lace hoppers) which he serves plain or with egg and cheese — soft, with crispy edges, and a subtle fermented flavour. The world thanks you, Surendan.