Cookie Posted November 13, 2010 Report Share Posted November 13, 2010 Greetings From Singapore... My name is Brian Cook (my friends call me Cookie). I'm originally from Kentucky, but have been living in Signapore for the last 4 years, with stints in Thailand and a few other countries prior. I'm in the aviation industry. I love to cook, and my wife and I take cooking classes whenever we travel (most of which is in Southeast Asia). We have become pretty proficient in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. We love spicy food, and the flavors in this part of the world are very complex, and we love to experiment. Yesterday, with much help and coordination from Dennis, we took delivery of "Cookie's Monster." A beautiful dark metallic bronze Gen II OTB. I consider it a pretty complex delivery, it had to be lifted off of a flatbed by crane in front of our condo facility, be wheeled through the underground carpark to our service lift, ride the lift to the 6th floor, and then be carried to our rooftop terrace on the 7th floor. Needless to say, I could see many things going wrong, but nothing did, and as you can see in the photo, the Monster is sitting pretty, ready to go at some stage this weekend. I look forward to being an active participant in the forums. Nice to "meet" everyone. Cookie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tucker Posted November 13, 2010 Report Share Posted November 13, 2010 Re: Cookie's Monster Arrives In Singapore Welcome!! what a great view and venue for you. Good luck with the monster and we all look forward to seeing and reading what is coming off of him. but is the monster this one --> or this one --> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookie Posted November 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2010 Re: Cookie's Monster Arrives In Singapore Its the overweight blue one with the smile on his face! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookie Posted November 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2010 Re: Cookie's Monster Arrives In Singapore The first cook....dry rubbed and apple wood smoked for 3-4 hours, 1/2 the time on upper rack, 1/2 the time wrapped in foil with apple juice and grape juices, sauced at end for 15 mins... The smoke ring was brilliant (should have taken a photo...I know, I know), and they tasted fantastic... What to do for cook number 2??? I love these kinds of dilemmas... Cookie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted November 13, 2010 Report Share Posted November 13, 2010 Re: Cookie's Monster Arrives In Singapore CookiesMonster-3.jpg[/attachment:2b67phu1] Great thanks Brian.. That's the shot I was hoping for.. Super clean.. just a touch of bling.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conodo12 Posted November 13, 2010 Report Share Posted November 13, 2010 Re: Cookie's Monster Arrives In Singapore Welcome Cookie! Great shot of your KK's new home and of your first cook! Thanks for the pics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboy Posted November 17, 2010 Report Share Posted November 17, 2010 Re: Cookie's Monster Arrives In Singapore Welcome aboard Brian. Boy that Bronze tile sure looks great; it really "pops" in the beautiful setting you have there. Nice job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookie Posted November 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2010 Re: Cookie's Monster Arrives In Singapore Thanks johnnyboy...we love it....tonight a small chicken....tomorrow night a bone in ribeye....Sunday some friends coming over for a tenderloin roast...there is no doubt that the Komodo just increased my butcher's revenue by a couple of percentage points. Everything here in Singapore is imported, so you would die if I told you what we pay for meat (I'm sure Dennis can relate being in Indo)...simple example...a pound of Australian ground beef is about $12 - $14 US Dollars. Most of our meat is Aussie beef, and I'm actually pretty happy with it and our butcher is Australian, and he knows the various US cuts of beef, so I can get just about anything, but if it is unique, I might have to wait a couple of days for it to be flown in with his other shipments. Our 20 lbs US Turkey that I've ordered for Thanksgiving....$130 US Dollars... Be thankful the next time you guys head to your local butcher / Costco. Now that I think about it, the new Komodo has probably also raised the GDP of Australia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookie Posted November 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2010 Re: Cookie's Monster Arrives In Singapore Dennis, a couple more photos for you...one of the delivery truck / crane, which as we both know, presented some challenges, but with your help, we got through it... The other just another shot...I'm still playing with where to place the Monster. Behind the camera is another large area that currently houses two stainless gassers + a weber kettle... I'm still rearranging... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanny Posted November 18, 2010 Report Share Posted November 18, 2010 Re: Cookie's Monster Arrives In Singapore Everything here in Singapore is imported' date=' so you would die if I told you what we pay for meat [/quote'] You could always switch to grilling Durian fruit and mangosteen! Ah, the gentle aroma of a teenager's sweaty tennis shoes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookie Posted November 19, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2010 Re: Cookie's Monster Arrives In Singapore Sounds like you've spent some time in Asia Sanny... I about gag everytime I walk past the fresh cut Durian in our supermarket (it seems to be the daily fresh cut fruit special - every single day)...and they've strategically placed it next no he very large fresh fish/seafood section of the store...everytime my wife goes to the store on her own, I say "how was the store???" She says "smelled like a$$." Without fail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboy Posted November 19, 2010 Report Share Posted November 19, 2010 Re: Cookie's Monster Arrives In Singapore If you can't get it past your nose how the heck do you eat it? maybe it's the "why" I need to ask about? Hehehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted November 20, 2010 Report Share Posted November 20, 2010 Durian by accident. I'm halfway thru my 22nd year in Indonesia.. Came here first time 32 years ago.. Durian by accident. For years I cringed at the smell and then one night I ordered some homemade coconut ice cream at a favorite restaurant. That day they added a touch of durian.. hardly any smell, very subtle but in there. It was great.. When we talked about it, I was told about some durian ice creme in the market.It too was great.. Now for the leap.. The secret is choosing the correct ripeness.. if over ripe it's texture is disgusting and the flavor is too strong. When perfect it should have the density of firm muscle.. if hard it's plastic-ey and no flavor. The best durian in Asia is from Thailand.. today every market in Asia has this Durian Montok. It's an acquired taste for sure but once acquired it's wonderful.. The best definition of the flavor I've read is a rich custard highly flavored with almonds, but there are occasional wafts of flavor that call to mind cream cheese, onion sauce, sherry wine. During season.. I take my time looking for the perfect chunk in the market.. and when it's great.. it's amazing.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookie Posted November 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2010 Re: Cookie's Monster Arrives In Singapore I hear what you are saying Dennis...there are many things I've acquired a taste for over the years...beer, scotch, signle malts, spicy food (after living in Thailand for two years), brunettes (I married the first one I dated after years of blondes), the list goes on... Durian, not so much. I've only lived in Asia for 6 years, so maybe after another 16 to catch up to where you are today, it will be more palatable. Dennis, you ever think that maybe 22 years of Thai, Indonesian, and Asian food has numbed your tastebuds??? Maybe that is why you can stomach the Durian. I notice that with each year that passes, Western food gets more and more bland... The Singapore government sure has an opinion on Durian's foul smell...here is a photo of a warning sticker on one of the subway trains... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syzygies Posted November 21, 2010 Report Share Posted November 21, 2010 Re: Durian by accident. During season.. I take my time looking for the perfect chunk in the market.. and when it's great.. it's amazing.. Frozen or previously frozen whole durian is pretty easy to find in U.S. chinatowns, and with bravery one can make progress once eating it. Then get the rest out of the house, even minutes later you won't want any reminder. Durian needs to be fresh. Best I ever had was brought to our (motorized) canoe by another canoe, on a river near Bangkok. In the savory department, I still haven't made my mind up about banana blossoms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted November 22, 2010 Report Share Posted November 22, 2010 Re: Cookie's Monster Arrives In Singapore Dennis, you ever think that maybe 22 years of Thai, Indonesian, and Asian food has numbed your tastebuds??? Maybe that is why you can stomach the Durian. I notice that with each year that passes, Western food gets more and more bland... Absolutely but let me share my 2cents on why.. As you know we have different designated taste buds for each of the four flavor groups, sweet, sour, salty, and heat/spicy. Western foods generally focus on just one at a time.. with most dishes being salt or sugar dominated. We dabble poorly into two with our (usually overly sweet) sweet and sour dishes. Asian dishes, especially Thai dishes aim to hit a balanced all four.. even the standard condiments of all four of these are on every Thai table should the balance need a little adjusting. Now all of a sudden regardless of the dish or it's flavor you have 75% more taste buds firing/stimuli going on.. I believe this is why the simple western dishes just don't float our boat any more.. Whatcha think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookie Posted November 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2010 Re: Cookie's Monster Arrives In Singapore I agree with you Dennis. I lived in Thailand for two years, and when I arrived, everything was hot and spicy. My taste buds adapted, and I ended up loving the food. My wife (American) used to think Tom Yum soup was the spiciest food on the planet. Now she refuses to order it in the US because it is too sweet and not spicy enough - I've created a monster....even when I make the authentic stuff at home now, she is like, "can you kick it up a notch?" And you are so right about the condiments on every Thai table...we load up on the spicy and salty. Next time you are in Bangkok, go to a restaurant called Somboon Seafood (cash only, nothing fancy), and make sure you order their red thai chili crab and some of their Tom Yum soup. Like I said, I lived in that country for 2+ years, and that is as good as it gets. Don't forget an ice cold beer to go along... I always go to the original branch on Surawong road, and be careful, there are Somboon imposters out there in other locations! Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
