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Is MSG used alot in Singapore cooking?

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earthfriendly
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Post by earthfriendly » Fri, 21 Oct 2011 1:06 am

JR8 wrote:
Brah wrote:I'm glad someone asked this as I had been meaning to. I see something get sprinkled onto food in nondescript dispensers and suspect it.
Not sure about 'sprinkled on'... maybe others know?

If you watch a dish being cooked, the chef will often add one or two .5-1.0 teaspoons of white crystal powder into the pan. In the flash of the eye. One is sugar, the other MSG...

Pre-made sauces like oyster sauce are almost all loaded with MSG too...
Do you mean sprinkle on after the food is being cooked and right before consumption, like you would do with salt and pepper in a bowl of soup? You would add msg in the food during cooking, not after.

MSG gives a umami taste, the fifth taste that the human tongue can detect, after sweet, sour, hot, and salty.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-umami.htm

I would describe it as having a tiny hint of sweet, salty and brothy taste. Many dishes won't taste the same if you try to leave it out. I made ramen noodle soup without it and it just does not cut it. It is found in buillon and granular stock flavorings. I love my "umami" and am quite addicted to the taste.

I wonder if Vietnamese pho noodle soup use it in abundance? I always get very thirsty afterwards. Or it could be the sodium.

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Post by Brah » Fri, 21 Oct 2011 1:20 am

Like the way seasoning is put on yakitori before it's grilled. Not sure if it's used on satay.

Much as I like this kind of food and the umami tastes, there really is too much sodium in it with the shouyu, salt and whatever mix is used to season kushiyaki.

Doesn't' stop me from eating it, but I look to avoid MSG where I can.
earthfriendly wrote:
JR8 wrote:
Brah wrote:I'm glad someone asked this as I had been meaning to. I see something get sprinkled onto food in nondescript dispensers and suspect it.
Not sure about 'sprinkled on'... maybe others know?

If you watch a dish being cooked, the chef will often add one or two .5-1.0 teaspoons of white crystal powder into the pan. In the flash of the eye. One is sugar, the other MSG...

Pre-made sauces like oyster sauce are almost all loaded with MSG too...
Do you mean sprinkle on after the food is being cooked and right before consumption, like you would do with salt and pepper in a bowl of soup? You would add msg in the food during cooking, not after.

MSG gives a umami taste, the fifth taste that the human tongue can detect, after sweet, sour, hot, and salty.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-umami.htm

I would describe it as having a tiny hint of sweet, salty and brothy taste. Many dishes won't taste the same if you try to leave it out. I made ramen noodle soup without it and it just does not cut it. It is found in buillon and granular stock flavorings. I love my "umami" and am quite addicted to the taste.

I wonder if Vietnamese pho noodle soup use it in abundance? I always get very thirsty afterwards. Or it could be the sodium.

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Post by JR8 » Fri, 21 Oct 2011 3:44 am

earthfriendly wrote:
JR8 wrote:
Brah wrote:I'm glad someone asked this as I had been meaning to. I see something get sprinkled onto food in nondescript dispensers and suspect it.
Not sure about 'sprinkled on'... maybe others know?

If you watch a dish being cooked, the chef will often add one or two .5-1.0 teaspoons of white crystal powder into the pan. In the flash of the eye. One is sugar, the other MSG...

Pre-made sauces like oyster sauce are almost all loaded with MSG too...
Do you mean sprinkle on after the food is being cooked and right before consumption, like you would do with salt and pepper in a bowl of soup? You would add msg in the food during cooking, not after.
Yeah I meant sprinkled on (and stirred in) during the cooking process.

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Post by sensei_ » Fri, 21 Oct 2011 7:47 am

sundaymorningstaple wrote:I'm allergic to nice looking women and pretty girls! Every time I get near one I start swelling! :o :cool:
in that case, i hope your knees are holding up well... dont want to melt prematurely.:D :D

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Post by soccerist » Sun, 13 Nov 2011 11:34 pm

a lot of instant noodles also have MSG in the flavoring sachet issued.

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Post by carteki » Mon, 14 Nov 2011 10:22 am

beppi wrote:In Asia it pays to go with the flow and not against it. A billion Chinese cannot be wrong (they eat lots of it and their food is admired worldwide).

Edit: MSG also naturally occurs in seaweed, so most macrobiotic and vegan food has it as well! (Ajinomoto is made from seaweed.)
Just because they eat it, doesn't mean that its good for you. The Singaporeans that I've spoken to who've managed to exclude MSG from their diets (they eat at home) all mention the difference it makes.

I agree that MSG occurs naturally and that is what makes it so difficult to "police". It is excess MSG that is the problem. I hate bouncing off the walls at 3am and the hungover feeling when I wake up after having finally fallen asleep (usually with sleeping pills / something) after having eaten too much of the stuff.

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Post by sensei_ » Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:04 am

well, for those who are worried about MSG, there is a new evil out on the market (in xiamen at least!). Called "一滴香" or one drop aroma. Its actually known to be harmful to health.

Who knows if it is already used in sg.

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Post by richie303 » Mon, 14 Nov 2011 10:07 pm

I read about that stuff before, the manufactures actually on the bottle that adding too much can be harmful to health! :S only add a little and then you won't kill your customers ;)
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Post by the lynx » Mon, 14 Nov 2011 10:54 pm

That is another reason why I prefer home cooked meals but not everyone gets the privilege (and the permission) to cook in rented apartments...

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Post by nakatago » Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:13 pm

the lynx wrote:That is another reason why I prefer home cooked meals but not everyone gets the privilege (and the permission) to cook in rented apartments...
Rent a whole flat then. Some singles say it's cheaper to just buy food at the hawker center than to do the groceries and cook some meals. I don't know what they do but I plan what I'll cook and I like being able to control as realistically as possible what goes into my food. It will still come up cheaper. And healthier.
:P
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Post by the lynx » Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:28 pm

nakatago wrote:
the lynx wrote:That is another reason why I prefer home cooked meals but not everyone gets the privilege (and the permission) to cook in rented apartments...
Rent a whole flat then. Some singles say it's cheaper to just buy food at the hawker center than to do the groceries and cook some meals. I don't know what they do but I plan what I'll cook and I like being able to control as realistically as possible what goes into my food. It will still come up cheaper. And healthier.
:P
HAHA nice one. Rent a whole flat :P

I'm a single and yes, it is much more convenient to buy outside food. That one, I won't deny

(in comparison of buying groceries and cooking the same over and over for the next few meals just because you are cooking for one and it is impossible to buy ingredients for one serving)

Still nothing beats home cooked despite of all the above... :cry: I definitely agree that you can control what goes into home cooked food...

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Post by nakatago » Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:41 pm

the lynx wrote:
nakatago wrote:
the lynx wrote:That is another reason why I prefer home cooked meals but not everyone gets the privilege (and the permission) to cook in rented apartments...
Rent a whole flat then. Some singles say it's cheaper to just buy food at the hawker center than to do the groceries and cook some meals. I don't know what they do but I plan what I'll cook and I like being able to control as realistically as possible what goes into my food. It will still come up cheaper. And healthier.
:P
HAHA nice one. Rent a whole flat :P

I'm a single and yes, it is much more convenient to buy outside food. That one, I won't deny

(in comparison of buying groceries and cooking the same over and over for the next few meals just because you are cooking for one and it is impossible to buy ingredients for one serving)
That's why you plan--cook several dishes with more-or-less the same ingredients.

I've been doing it long before I came to Singapore. You just need some

Image

--and if you're renting a flat with people you know, that takes care some issues of the "Singleton-cooking-at-home" syndrome. (Well, I share a flat but I still like going my own way with my food; unless they request me to cook something...)
"A quokka is what would happen if there was an anime about kangaroos."

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Post by the lynx » Tue, 15 Nov 2011 12:01 am

I swear if I manage to fulfill the above requirements you mentioned, THEN I will start picking up the woks and pots and pans (not to mention a 'Cooking for Dummies' book)

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Post by nakatago » Tue, 15 Nov 2011 12:07 am

the lynx wrote:I swear if I manage to fulfill the above requirements you mentioned, THEN I will start picking up the woks and pots and pans (not to mention a 'Cooking for Dummies' book)
Fresh out of college, first job, I managed to cook some great stuff with just a rice cooker--a trusty friend of Asian college dormers the world over.

This non-Asian swears by it: http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2008/11 ... se_it.html

Like I said,

Image
"A quokka is what would happen if there was an anime about kangaroos."

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Post by the lynx » Tue, 15 Nov 2011 12:23 am

nakatago wrote:
the lynx wrote:I swear if I manage to fulfill the above requirements you mentioned, THEN I will start picking up the woks and pots and pans (not to mention a 'Cooking for Dummies' book)
Fresh out of college, first job, I managed to cook some great stuff with just a rice cooker--a trusty friend of Asian college dormers the world over.

This non-Asian swears by it: http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2008/11 ... se_it.html

Like I said,

Image
I'm impressed. For a guy, you do know loads of handy stuff about cooking. Shame on me...

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