Wet market
Wet market is a frequent shopping place for us and we will go there once every two or three days to refill our food stock for the family.
Usually I will get the food from the same shops. And yes, at times the price are cheaper than those in NTUC. Those aunties or uncles will recognize me and follow up with me about how's the previous buy? It's quite a good feeling and I'm happy about it. Josh will also help me choose some dry foods such as garlic, onions. And both of our children love to see the aquariums in the wet markets.
One thing about wet markets is that it's amazing that the shops still can survive because in the small space constraint, there are over 6-7 stalls selling the same vegetables or fish or meat. Somehow different people patronize them.
Of course I have been "cheated" before, told to buy the fish but it turned out to be not fresh. I learnt from it and even know how to choose fresh fish. Quite a few times, I have feedbacked to one of my regular fish shop and they are able to reimburse me. And there is somewhat like a mutual trust from there.
Seafood
------------
Apart from NTUC, wet markets will expose you different types of fish that you never thought can be eaten! For example parrot fish! I bought a few to try and they taste great. There are even different breeds from Thailand or Malaysia. The latter is more expensive as it is apparently much sweeter. I'm not sure the reason.
I have learned that for fishes, it's better to get sea fishes rather than reared fishes. Their meat tend to be much sweeter and tastier. Hence those fish that I'm not sure, I'll ask if they are sea fishes 海鱼.
For seashells, I tell you, those food restaurants earn so much from it. A 400g of seashells contains nearly 40 of them! And it cost only $3-4. In the restaurants, you merely eat only 5 and it cost $9 for the seashells soup. We enjoyed so much adding these seashells into our miso soup and cha soba! The sweet and fresh seashells are amazing!
Sotong is another one. Only from wet markets you get to see pure white ones, meaning they are fresh. Do not buy those which are already turned purple. Not fresh already. And it's affordable too! Each big one is $3.
I have seen live frogs being killed and I swear I don't want to eat any of them in my life. Once an order is made, the person take two frogs, press their stomachs for unsure reason, knock them hard on the chopping board. The groans of the frogs can be heard. And next you realized their legs are nipped off and skin torn. And they are headless and placed on the chopping board to slice into half. Once I saw the skinned frogs having a feet relapse! I felt faint after seeing that! It's quite tormenting actually.. Never had I bought them before.
Meat
--------
Oh yes. You can get the great kampung chicken (having black feet) and their flesh are much nicer. Amazingly their bones are thinner and tougher. You should try it. I will request for them to remove the skin for me and chop into half, easier for me when I want to cook the soup.
For minced pork, I will request for lean meat without skin (say it's for my children to eat) and each packet is $2. It can last you for two days actually. And I will get them to grind twice so that it's less chunkier and easier for my children to consume them after cooked. If I didn't state the requirements before hand, they will give you with slightly more fatty meat, and when you mix into soups or porridge, there will be fatty taste in it, and it doesn't taste good.
I occasionally buy pork leg for soup but i usually get from my Bishan market as the butcher is able to make it very clean. Not that other places didn't do a good job, just that I don't really buy from them. Maybe it's just my mindset. However, now, we are trying to cut down on meat intake and increase on vegetables and fish instead.
Wet markets
------------------
We patronize these wet markets that are near our vicinity
Blk 151 Bishan Street 13
- organic vegetables
- tempeh
Blk 341 Ang Mo Kio Ave 1
- putu mayam (delicious)
- freshly made fish balls
- wide range of fresh fish
Blk 409 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10
- fresh toufu and tougan
- fresh seashells (subject to availability)
Blk 453 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10
- fresh white mushrooms
- Kway chap
I will choose to go among these four markets but the staples such as pork meat, fish, and vegetables, I will get in my shopping basket everytime. It's just that I prefer best to get fish from Blk 345 market and organic vegetables from Bishan market.
Honestly, shopping at wet market is very fun and relaxing. And it gets you thinking what to cook and you just get better and better each time you go.
Vegetables
----------------
I have actually read that soft vegetables, it is more advisable to get organic ones because their skin is thin and pesticides are more susceptible to enter into the flesh. And also alot of vegetables such as Kai lan has the highest amount of pesticides. :(
Hence I usually get from Bishan market one. Their source is from an uncle who grows at Neo Tiew road!
They have organic
- Baby Spinach (our hot favorite)
- Nai Bai (our hot favorite)
- Kai Lan
- Xiao Bai Cai
- Buddha Palm vegetable
- Long Beans (amazingly delicious)
Wet markets are able to be the source for pearl corns and they are usually $1.80-$2.00 each. And my family members love them so much as they are so sweet. Get the vegetable seller to choose good ones for you.
Also they provide a wide array of mushrooms too! My staple vegetables are also fresh tempeh (super healthy), petai, and chestnuts!
Fruits
-----------
I don't usually get so much fruits from wet market because they are mostly not organic. We usually get them from NTUC Finest. However we get the "ang bak jio" - red skin banana. The actual skin is still yellow but this "ang bak jio" is so sweet and yum!
What a long post! And the four of us enjoys going to and fro the market via public transport. And Josh will ask which market are we going (either Bishan or Ang Mo Kio) and he will state the bus that we will take! Amazing boy. Really hope that wet markets will stay in Singapore and my children, in the future, will also patronize them and make better choices in their meal planning.
Usually I will get the food from the same shops. And yes, at times the price are cheaper than those in NTUC. Those aunties or uncles will recognize me and follow up with me about how's the previous buy? It's quite a good feeling and I'm happy about it. Josh will also help me choose some dry foods such as garlic, onions. And both of our children love to see the aquariums in the wet markets.
One thing about wet markets is that it's amazing that the shops still can survive because in the small space constraint, there are over 6-7 stalls selling the same vegetables or fish or meat. Somehow different people patronize them.
Of course I have been "cheated" before, told to buy the fish but it turned out to be not fresh. I learnt from it and even know how to choose fresh fish. Quite a few times, I have feedbacked to one of my regular fish shop and they are able to reimburse me. And there is somewhat like a mutual trust from there.
Seafood
------------
Apart from NTUC, wet markets will expose you different types of fish that you never thought can be eaten! For example parrot fish! I bought a few to try and they taste great. There are even different breeds from Thailand or Malaysia. The latter is more expensive as it is apparently much sweeter. I'm not sure the reason.
I have learned that for fishes, it's better to get sea fishes rather than reared fishes. Their meat tend to be much sweeter and tastier. Hence those fish that I'm not sure, I'll ask if they are sea fishes 海鱼.
For seashells, I tell you, those food restaurants earn so much from it. A 400g of seashells contains nearly 40 of them! And it cost only $3-4. In the restaurants, you merely eat only 5 and it cost $9 for the seashells soup. We enjoyed so much adding these seashells into our miso soup and cha soba! The sweet and fresh seashells are amazing!
Sotong is another one. Only from wet markets you get to see pure white ones, meaning they are fresh. Do not buy those which are already turned purple. Not fresh already. And it's affordable too! Each big one is $3.
I have seen live frogs being killed and I swear I don't want to eat any of them in my life. Once an order is made, the person take two frogs, press their stomachs for unsure reason, knock them hard on the chopping board. The groans of the frogs can be heard. And next you realized their legs are nipped off and skin torn. And they are headless and placed on the chopping board to slice into half. Once I saw the skinned frogs having a feet relapse! I felt faint after seeing that! It's quite tormenting actually.. Never had I bought them before.
Meat
--------
Oh yes. You can get the great kampung chicken (having black feet) and their flesh are much nicer. Amazingly their bones are thinner and tougher. You should try it. I will request for them to remove the skin for me and chop into half, easier for me when I want to cook the soup.
For minced pork, I will request for lean meat without skin (say it's for my children to eat) and each packet is $2. It can last you for two days actually. And I will get them to grind twice so that it's less chunkier and easier for my children to consume them after cooked. If I didn't state the requirements before hand, they will give you with slightly more fatty meat, and when you mix into soups or porridge, there will be fatty taste in it, and it doesn't taste good.
I occasionally buy pork leg for soup but i usually get from my Bishan market as the butcher is able to make it very clean. Not that other places didn't do a good job, just that I don't really buy from them. Maybe it's just my mindset. However, now, we are trying to cut down on meat intake and increase on vegetables and fish instead.
Wet markets
------------------
We patronize these wet markets that are near our vicinity
Blk 151 Bishan Street 13
- organic vegetables
- tempeh
Blk 341 Ang Mo Kio Ave 1
- putu mayam (delicious)
- freshly made fish balls
- wide range of fresh fish
Blk 409 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10
- fresh toufu and tougan
- fresh seashells (subject to availability)
Blk 453 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10
- fresh white mushrooms
- Kway chap
I will choose to go among these four markets but the staples such as pork meat, fish, and vegetables, I will get in my shopping basket everytime. It's just that I prefer best to get fish from Blk 345 market and organic vegetables from Bishan market.
Honestly, shopping at wet market is very fun and relaxing. And it gets you thinking what to cook and you just get better and better each time you go.
Vegetables
----------------
I have actually read that soft vegetables, it is more advisable to get organic ones because their skin is thin and pesticides are more susceptible to enter into the flesh. And also alot of vegetables such as Kai lan has the highest amount of pesticides. :(
Hence I usually get from Bishan market one. Their source is from an uncle who grows at Neo Tiew road!
They have organic
- Baby Spinach (our hot favorite)
- Nai Bai (our hot favorite)
- Kai Lan
- Xiao Bai Cai
- Buddha Palm vegetable
- Long Beans (amazingly delicious)
Wet markets are able to be the source for pearl corns and they are usually $1.80-$2.00 each. And my family members love them so much as they are so sweet. Get the vegetable seller to choose good ones for you.
Also they provide a wide array of mushrooms too! My staple vegetables are also fresh tempeh (super healthy), petai, and chestnuts!
Fruits
-----------
I don't usually get so much fruits from wet market because they are mostly not organic. We usually get them from NTUC Finest. However we get the "ang bak jio" - red skin banana. The actual skin is still yellow but this "ang bak jio" is so sweet and yum!
What a long post! And the four of us enjoys going to and fro the market via public transport. And Josh will ask which market are we going (either Bishan or Ang Mo Kio) and he will state the bus that we will take! Amazing boy. Really hope that wet markets will stay in Singapore and my children, in the future, will also patronize them and make better choices in their meal planning.
