A Rashid Khan

I think the word «institution» and I are going to have to announce a date soon or people will start talking. What people? Unilocalers, of course.
Ok, A. Rashid Khan is an institution. This is going to be another review that prattles on and on about how this stall is family-​run and has been doing one thing and one thing only since time immemorial, serving up an honest dish of perfect goodness that reflects the ingredient as much as the ethnic roots of its preparation. And you know what, it’ll all be true. It becomes old hat VERY quickly, and the same adjectives get bandied about again and again, but please do not let the inadequacy of my vocabulary or the English language cause the stature and true signficance of entities such as A. Rashid Khan be diminished in your estimation.
A. Rashid Khan knows mutton. They should. They ‘ve been doing this since it was legal to hawk their wares from a pushcart at night in a Shenton Way parking lot under the glow of a pressured kerosene lamp. However, I visit A. Rashid Khan for only one thing, the soup kambing or mutton soup. I try to visit once a month, which is once a month too often for my cardiologist’s liking. Not many places in Singapore serve soup kambing anymore and even fewer serve the full range of goat soup, from the brain to the bones and meat. This is likely because it is time consuming and the appetites of health-​conscious Singaporeans are straying away from some of these dino-​era staples that are considered to be poor food or unhealthy choices. Fixins consist of crumbs of French loaf (please help yourself), soy sauce and white ground pepper. I usually just ask for plain soup kambing, pay the man my 4 bucks, sit down respectfully, close my eyes for some easy lovin’, ooohh yeah. Few things are better and A. Rashid Khan’s soup kambing is certainly unimprovable by technology or time. I like A. Rashid Khan’s soup kambing just fine, the way it is, straight out of the pot and unencumbered by additional flavoring, seasoning or garnish. This syrup of the saints has been slow-​simmered and stewed since the early pre-​dawn hours, slowly coaxing the every mote of flavor out of fat, brain, bone, marrow and meat. I think the soup attains its full body and character close to about 3pm, perfect for tea time. The consistency approximates ragout, is heavier than bouillabaisse and is creamy, though there is no dairy. The gamey aromatic body of goat flesh is tempered by the spices and the cilantro that give the soup kambing it’s signature verdant hue. What you get is a creamy heavy hit of flesh with a hint of game finessed by the aromatics of cilantro, pepper, anise and fennel. There is just enough heat to wake the tastebuds. This is what I love about ethnic cuisines, it’s cuisine that has grown out of poverty and not having enough to eat. Every part of a precious ingredient is used effectively, nothing is wasted, in the case of soup kambing, every part of the goat is well-​represented. The seasonings are always simple and the preparation is always the most honest expression of caring and an intent to produce something good, the infusion of time, plenty of time. Just as no one south of the Mason-​Dixon Line will touch instant grits, no self-​respecting Singaporean son will touch any soup kambing that has been simmering for less than 6 hours. This, I think, is as good a reason as any to be proud to be Singaporean.