Char Kway Teow for a dinner party — went down extremely well

I made Char Kway Teow for eight guests who had varying familiarity with the cuisine. Every single person asked for the recipe. The richly coconut-sweet profile was the main talking point — no one had quite experienced pandan leaves used that way before.

Singapore's hawker culture was inscribed as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2020. I explained the a hawker centre context as I served it which helped people appreciate it fully. Tiger beer was what I offered alongside and it worked perfectly. Excellent dinner party dish — impressive without being inaccessible.