The Strange, the Delicious from Singapore

They always belong to someone else. While they seem utterly gross to the outsider, for the culture to which they belong they are usually rare and expensive dishes.

Strange delicacies have been part of our diets for years. And when it comes to choosing the strangest of delicacies, I believe Singapore's "birds' nests soup" wins, hands down.

Those tasting the soup for the first time would be surprised to find the absence of the expected twigs. In fact, if truth were known, the nests used for this concoction are those of swiftlets who build their nests from their saliva instead of twigs. This dish hardly promotes Singapore's cuisine in my eyes.

Luckily, bird's nest soup is not the only thing on the menu in Singapore. Fortunately, Singapore offers a wide range of foods. Their menu includes Chinese, Indian, Indonesian and Eastern versions of European and American dishes. But Chinese food is what Singapore is famous for. It has even been touted as "a paradise for lovers of Chinese foods."

Reading beyond the pages of "strange delicacies", I've found some normal (by my standards) and appetizing dishes. If ever you were looking to bring an international flavor to your dinner table, I would definitely recommend the recipe below for "Spiced Spareribs." This dish is a great substitute for "Barbecued Spareribs." It's not as sticky as its barbecued counterpart, but it's just as easy to make and tastes as good if not better.

Spiced Spareribs
Ingredients
3 lbs pork spareribs
4 cloves garlic
1 ½ tsps. Salt
½ tsp. Ground black pepper
½ tsp. Five-spice powder
1 tbsp. Honey
1 tbsp. Vegetable oil
3 tbsps. Soy sauce
½ cup hot water

Directions:
Speparate the spareribs, if not already done. Crush garlic with salt. Combine with pepper, five spice powder, honey, oil and soy sauce. Rub well all over the spareribs. Place ribs in a roasting pan and cook in a 350° oven for 30 minutes. Remove form oven, turn spareribs over and add hot water to the pan. Return to the oven and continue roasting for a further 30 minutes, basting every 10 minutes with the pan juices.
Makes six servings.