Singapore chefs cook up chilli crab, laksa and chicken rice for 180 diners in Peru
Keng Eng Kee Seafood’s Paul and Wayne Liew, Morsels’ Petrina Loh and Canchita’s Daniel and Tamara Chavez recently held a collaboration dinner at Lima’s La Mar by Gaston Acurio, marking the first official, large-scale showcase of Singapore food in the Peruvian capital.
Petrina Loh of Morsels served up laksa with Peruvian seafood. (Photo: Petrina Loh)
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Singapore food got its first official large-scale representation in Peru on Thursday (Jul 16) as Paul and Wayne Liew of Keng Eng Kee (KEK) Seafood, Petrina Loh of Morsels and Daniel and Tamara Chavez of Canchita presented a dinner for 180 diners at acclaimed restaurant La Mar by Gaston Acurio in Lima.
On the menu were dishes like kueh pie tee, laksa with prawns and clams, chicken rice, black pepper lobster and chilli crab with fried buns.
To pull it off, the chefs collectively brought about 70kg of ingredients from Singapore all the way to Lima, including laksa leaves, rempah, chilli crab sauce, black pepper sauce, kueh pie tee shells, fried fish skin and lots of chilli padi.
Daniel Chavez, who is originally from Peru but has lived in Singapore for over two decades, had a desire to showcase Singaporean cuisine in his native country.
“For quite some time, (my wife) Tamara and I had been discussing how we could create collaborations back home that would be both meaningful and different,” recounted the chef who’s also behind the South American restaurants Tinto, Tomatillo and Vino Tinto here.
“We came across a series of events at La Mar in Lima by Gaston Acurio, on social media, where renowned chefs such as Dabiz Munoz of DiverXO, Pedro Arregui of Elkano and Pablo Rivero of Don Julio had been invited to collaborate.”
The events “felt interactive and vibrant, and showcased a different side of the chefs beyond what diners would typically experience in their own restaurants. The combination of great food, live music, cocktails and a celebratory atmosphere created something truly unique.”
So, “we started imagining what an event like this could look like if it brought together Singaporean flavours and Latin American energy. Once we refined the concept, we reached out to Chef Gaston Acurio, who immediately loved the idea, and that’s how it all started.”
In Peru, “there is growing curiosity about broader Asian culinary traditions, and we believe Singaporean cuisine has much to offer,” he said. “I think many Peruvians have heard of Singapore, but relatively few are familiar with its cuisine.”
With the goal of showcasing iconic Singaporean flavours, “we reached out to our friends, Chef Petrina Loh of Morsels and Chefs Wayne and Paul Liew of Keng Eng Kee, and asked them which dishes they felt would best represent Singapore on the other side of the world.”
And so, at the dinner, the Chavezes presented a showcase of different chilli sauces with fried fish skin; a lohei dish using marinated halibut, scallops and octopus; kueh pie tee filled with braised turnip, river prawns and sea urchin; and chicken rice with ginger sauce.
Meanwhile, Loh served laksa with fermented chilli paste, Peruvian jumbo prawns, tiger prawns and fresh clams.
And KEK’s Liew brothers presented black pepper lobster, as well as chilli crab with fried buns.
For dessert, there was mango sago and pineapple tarts.
About how the event went, Paul said, “We came to Peru with two very Singaporean flavours – chilli crab and black pepper – and paired them with the incredible seafood here. What struck us was how naturally our dining cultures connected. In Singapore, zi char is about sharing good food over drinks and conversation, and we felt that same energy in Peru, where food, music and drinks bring people together. Different flavours, but the same joy of sharing a good meal.”
Loh came away with the feeling that it had been “a real privilege to share one of my favourite Singaporean dishes growing up with diners in Peru. Laksa is a dish that’s deeply personal to me, and being able to introduce it to a new audience through La Mar made it even more meaningful,” she said. “It felt like a true cultural exchange. Seeing Peruvians discover the flavours of Singapore while recognising familiar influences that connect our cuisines reminded me how food has the power to bring people together across cultures.”
Daniel shared that “although neither Tamara nor I were born in Singapore, we have both called the Lion City home for more than 20 years and have developed a deep appreciation for its food culture. We are proud to be able to share these flavours with the people back home.
“Our hope is that this initiative inspires more collaborations like this abroad that continue to showcase Singapore’s culinary identity on the global stage, allowing more people around the world to discover and enjoy Singapore’s incredible food culture.”
Source: CNA/my
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