The Tham Siblings
LION CITY COFFEE
38
SINGAPORE
The brains and chefs behind Lion City Coffee, the brother-sister duo Chuin and Yeen Tham, remember the cold December day in late 1987 when their family moved from the Bedok South neighborhood of Singapore to Far Rockaway, Queens. Yeen was seven years old and Chuin was four.
“It was a huge culture shock. We were pretty comfortable in Singapore—our dad had a nice manager office job, our mom was stay-at-home, and our older sister was a driven high school student at the time. Our parents wore suits on the plane; they didn’t know what the US was like. So we came in winter time—it was crazy. Singapore’s, like, hot and humid!
When we first moved to New York, our dad’s plan was to really immerse us in culture, pick up some education and some work experience for them, then return in five years—happier, richer, more fulfilled. But it didn’t go like that. For one, just finding a place and a job was just a huge setback—there was a huge difference from what they had originally planned. And as kids growing up in New York, we got more acclimated to what’s around here.
Our dad worked in Chinese restaurants. He was initially a dishwasher and worked his way up to a prep cook, and then a chef. In Singapore he was a manager at an office; he was well respected. To come to New York and to work as a dishwasher . . . and then to get fired because he wasn’t fast enough . . . it was huge. Really, to his ego, it was pretty damaging. He was pretty frustrated with a lot of things. Even getting a driver’s license was a process he failed at many times. He could speak English, but it was very rough, a little bit ‘Singlish,’ if you will. So that had a negative impact, on, just getting around, getting to places.
Our mom worked as a seamstress in a factory in Ozone Park. Her factory was just a block away from home, so she could pick us up from elementary school, take us home, and check in on us if we got into trouble. Sometimes we would go into the factory when we were out of school. A lot of kids would do that because they had both parents working, and it was pretty hard to find after-school care. They were either horrible or just too expensive.
In the late 80s, it was not uncommon for children in Singapore to first learn English in school. We spoke Mandarin but practically no English at home. Entering a new school in New York, asking where’s the bathroom required a bit of thought to translate for a seven year old. Our mom didn’t even know she was referred to as mom. A year later, when Chuin entered kindergarten and bumped his head in the school yard because another student accidentally tripped him, he couldn’t explain to the teachers what had happened.
But somehow we survived the early years. We even made great friends growing up, some of whom we are still very close to today.
We grew up so close together that we have this synergy. We feed off each other. When we’re angry, we know how to deal with that—disagreements and all that. When one of us has a crazy new idea, we would know to bounce it off the other.
Lion City Coffee is new, currently serving at select pop-ups and special events. We test all our recipes on our friends—yes, we do blind taste tests! We would love to build a brick-and-mortar café . . . serving breakfast all day: kopi, our Singaporean-style coffee, with some signature Singaporean dishes, like a kaya toast, and some of the savory dishes we’ve been introducing at the Night Market. We would love to open that someday, either in Queens or Manhattan.
It’s something our family had always wanted to do and is also an homage to our late father.
Outside of being a chef at Chinese restaurants, he would always experiment with different foods. Our mom loved to cook and bake, as well. She’s into making sweet and savory cakes for special occasions. And our older sister, now along with her own children, bakes a really mean pandan chiffon cake.
Despite having made strides in our respective professional careers—Chuin, in finance, and Yeen, in law—we’ve always had a passion for our food culture. We kind of grew up being a cooking family, and we continue to live and remember our family stories through food. We’re not culinary trained or anything, but we just love experimenting, and being more hands-on with food at home.”
SINGAPOREAN NASI LEMAK
WITH FRIED CHICKEN
Nasi lemak is a popular dish in Singapore, and is considered the the national dish of Malaysia: fragrant, fluffy, coconut rice rice accompanied by various sides—such as fried chicken, fried baby anchovies, roasted peanuts, eggs, sliced cucumbers, and a side of sambal chili paste—all plated as a single dish. It’s iconic hawker food that Chuin and Yeen would often have for breakfast.
Makes 4 servings
FRIED CHICKEN (AYAM GORENG)
2 shallots
Two 2-inch (5 cm) pieces peeled fresh ginger, sliced ⅛-inch (3 mm) thick
1 red Thai chile, seeded
1 lemongrass stalk, trimmed
2 pounds (900 g) boneless chicken thighs (about 4 thighs)
1 egg, beaten
1½ teaspoons curry powder
1½ teaspoons ground white pepper
1½ teaspoons salt
1½ teaspoons ground turmeric
¾ teaspoon ground coriander
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
4 to 6 cups (1 to 1.4 L) vegetable or canola oil
½ cup (65 g) cornstarch
COCONUT RICE
4 cups (720 g) jasmine rice
1 cup (240 ml) coconut milk
1 shallot, peeled and halved
Two 2-inch (5 cm) pieces peeled fresh ginger, sliced ⅛-inch (3 mm) thick
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3 pandan leaves, tied in a knot
1 lemongrass stalk, trimmed
FRIED BABY ANCHOVIES (IKAN BILIS)
1 cup (240 ml) vegetable or canola oil
1 cup (40 g) dried small anchovies
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Roasted peanuts
4 eggs, hard-boiled or fried
Sliced cucumber
Sambal oelek chili paste
1. To start the fried chicken, pulse the shallots, ginger, chile, and lemongrass in a food processor into a grainy pulp, about 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Transfer to a large bowl and mix in the chicken, egg, curry powder, white pepper, salt, turmeric, coriander, and garlic powder. Marinate for at least 2 hours, but overnight is preferable.
3. To make the coconut rice, rinse the rice thoroughly until the water runs clear. Place all the ingredients along with 4 cups (960 ml) water in a rice cooker or pot with a tight-fitting lid and cook. When done, discard the lemongrass, shallot, ginger, and pandan.
4. To fry the chicken, pour the oil in a wok or deep pot and heat over medium-high heat to 350 to 375°F (180 to 190°C). Lightly coat the chicken with the cornstarch. Fry until the underside is golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Flip and fry until uniformly golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oil and place on a cooling rack or paper towels to drain.
5. To make the fried baby anchovies, heat the oil in a separate wok or deep pot over medium heat to about 350°F (180°C). Carefully add the anchovies and fry until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oil with a strainer, place in a bowl, and toss with the sugar.
6. To serve, arrange the coconut rice, chicken, anchovies, peanuts, an egg, and cucumbers on four plates and serve with a side of sambal oelek.
CHAI TOW KUEH
Fried Radish Cake
These savory stir-fried radish cakes are enjoyed any time of day in Singapore. Chai tow kueh comes in a white and a black version, the latter cooked with sweet soy sauce to add caramelized sweetness. Each bite is a texture and flavor adventure: slightly crispy on the outside, somewhat chewy on the inside, mixed with bites of scrambled egg, minced garlic, and pickled radish. Chuin and Yeen’s late father was a master at making chai tow kueh, and they remember and honor his legacy each time they re-create his signature dish.
Makes 4 servings
RADISH CAKE
2 tablespoons vegetable or corn oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 daikon radish, about 12 inches (30 cm) long, grated and drained in a colander
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
6¼ cups (1.5 L) cold water
2¼ cups (360 g) rice flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
CHAI TOW KUEH
2 tablespoons vegetable or corn oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 eggs, beaten
¼ cup (60 ml) light soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced preserved sweet-salted radish (chye poh or choi poh)*
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
½ cup (120 ml) sweet soy sauce, optional
1 tablespoon sambal oelek chili paste, optional
2 tablespoons chopped scallions
1. To make the radish cake, heat the oil in a wok or deep, heavy skillet over high heat. Stirfry the garlic until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the daikon radish, light soy sauce, salt, and white pepper, and and stir continuously for 2 to 3 minutes, until the radish becomes slightly translucent, then turn the heat to low. Pour in the cold water, then add the rice flour and cornstarch and stir continuously until it has the consistency of thick oatmeal, about 10 minutes.
2. Transfer to an oiled steaming pan or round cake pan that fits in a steamer but allows steam to circulate. Bring water to a boil in the steamer and carefully place the pan inside. Cover and steam for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but overnight is preferable.
3. Remove the radish cake from the pan and cut into ½-inch (13 mm) cubes and set aside.
4. To make the chai tow kueh, heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat and stir-fry the garlic until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the radish cake and let it sit for 1 to 2 minutes to develop a crispness. Stir-fry for 1 to 2 additional minutes, until the radish is evenly light brown. Stir in the eggs, light soy sauce, preserved radish, and white pepper. When the eggs are set, after 1 to 2 minutes, add the sweet soy sauce, if using, for the black version. Remove from the heat.
5. Divide among four plates, top with sambal oelek, if desired, garnish with scallions, and serve.
* Available in Asian supermarkets