Salted Egg Shiok! – Snap Mesmerising Pictures, Win Big Prizes!

Salted Egg Shiok!

What was once thought of as a passing fad has now become a staple in many restaurants and eateries. In fact, the popularity of salted egg has grown so much that it was one of the five most talked about local cuisine in Singapore in 2017 (based on a survey conducted by the Salted Egg Shiok! Campaign).

To reward diners who love salted egg, the Salted Egg Shiok Campaign is hosting an Eat, Snap and Win! contest. Purchase your favourite salted egg dish from any of the participating restaurants, take your best picture, upload it on Instagram with the hashtag #saltedeggshiok and stand a chance to win attractive prizes! The best photo will win a luxurious staycation at a 5-star hotel, and 4 other lucky winners will win $50 dollars cash vouchers!

To aid you in your endeavour to win the best photo of the month, we’ve some professional tips and tricks to help ensure that you take a #foodporn worthy picture.

Getting Ready to Shoot

I’ll like to offer you some basic advice that will help you be a PRO SALTED EGG PHOTOGRAPHER. As you know, salted egg is yellow and creamy, and may not be the best thing to shoot, even though it is very yummy. But I am sure a little planning will help.

Cajun On Wheels (C.O.W.)

Cajun On Wheels is a Halal seafood chain that offers premium seafood. The Olympian Bucket ($168), which can feed a group of 3 to 4, is a smorgasbord of different seafood — 2 Sri Lankan crabs (600g), prawns (500g), white clams (300g) and mussels (300g).

Diners can choose from a variety of sauces such as Cajun cheese, herb & butter, spicy cheese soil and, of course, salted egg yolk! We loved the rich and spicy flavours of the salted egg yolk sauce, and it paired vey well with the sweetness of the flaky crab flesh!

The Olympic Bucket also comes with other ingredients such as sweet corn, baby potatoes and chicken spam fries. Dump everything onto the table for a great flat-lay, or take it in its fire-engine red bucket for a classic portrait photo. The possibilities are endless! Every diner gets a plastic C.O.W. bib, so let your imagination run wild and work it to your advantage!

If you’re desperate for your salted egg yolk fix, but are dining with just a friend, The Oh Crab ($62) bucket which is a hearty portion for one, or just sufficient for 2, is a great choice.

Photo Tip: When “building” the Olympic Bucket, do not toss the seafood with the salted egg sauce as the sauce will look dried up on the seafood. Once you have gotten the photo angle and positioning of the ingredients right, drizzle the creamy salted egg sauce over. And, don’t hold back on doing a #handsinframe.

I am…

I am… is a Halal café located along Haji Lane. The cafe serves a line-up of Dutch-inspired food with its signature dishes, including the popular meatball snack Bitterballen. The bitterballen has been created after 1.5 years of trials and experiments, with its recipe being tweaked to adhere to Halal requirements, by replacing lard with beef stock and flour for good flavour and texture.

Jumping on the salted egg bandwagon, the café is launching a Salted Egg Bitterballen ($12.90)! The café gives the classic Dutch snack, which is made with minced beef, a modern Singaporean twist by adding salted egg sauce all over. Each basket of Bitterballen comes with a salted egg sauce dip as well!

The bitterballen are only available from 1st April to 30th June 2018, so hurry and get yours!

Photo Tip: The rule of thirds is the basics of food photography. It helps you avoid placing the subject directly in the center of a frame. This is how it works – imagine a tic-tac-toe grid on your photo. The points at which the lines meet are the most powerful points, so focus on getting your subjects on, or near, these points.

Tip Top

Tip Top is known for its tasty curry puffs. The signature pastry skin is flavourful and buttery, and it envelops a generous amount of curry puff ingredients.

Recently, the brand has released their new line of salted egg curry puffs! Each puff is filled with your favourite salted egg flavours that meld perfectly with the spiciness of a traditional curry puff.
Apart from salted egg curry puffs, Tip Top has salted egg potato chips too!

Photo Tip: Focus on the subject and blur out the background to make the subject pop. Just take a look at the salted egg curry puff. Don’t you want a bite?

Dian Xiao Er

Who would’ve thought that salted egg would work its way back into Chinese kitchens?

Dian Xiao Er is not missing out on the salted egg action with its Golden Lotus Roots with Pumpkin (Small: $12, Medium: $18, Large: $24), which showcases thinly-sliced crispy lotus roots and pumpkin chunks tossed in a delectable salted egg sauce.

Each slice of lotus root is shatteringly-crisp, and the sweet-and-salty flavours of the salted egg yolk sauce complement it perfectly. This is truly a delightful appetiser that whets the appetite.

Photo Tip: Experiment with camera viewpoints. Try shooting from eye level as you look at a plate of food, then move the camera up to a 45-degree angle, then move the camera to almost overhead—looking down on the plate. Think carefully about how you will change the way you’ve arranged your food as you look at it from different angles.

Osaka Ohsho

Osaka Ohsho is a Japanese-Chinese fusion restaurant that specialises in handmade gyoza. The restaurant, which was established in 1969, has over 300 outlets in Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Korea and Singapore!

There are some items that you can only get in Singapore. The Salted Egg Yolk Chicken (A la Carte: $10.90, Gyoza Set: $15.90, Mabo Tofu Set: $16.90) at Osaka Ohsho sees deep fried crispy chicken tossed in a thick, rich and sweet salted egg yolk sauce.

Photo Tip: Instead of taking pictures of the dish in a serving tray, remove the tray and place it on a nicer table or chair. Selecting a wooden background amplifies the bright yellow salted egg sauce.

FatPapas

If you’re looking for a full salted egg yolk feast, FatPapas has got you covered. The Halal-certified restaurant’s Salted Egg Crab Pasta ($17) features a crispy soft-shell crab atop al-dente spaghetti strands tossed in FatPapas’ own creamy salted egg sauce.

Apart from mains, FatPapas has designed tantalising salted egg yolk appetizers too. The Chilli Chicken Boners ($11.50) comes with a choice of sambal or salted egg sauce. These tender chicken boners are first fried before they are generously topped with the restaurant’s blend of salted egg sauce. Topped with flecks of chilli padi and curry leaves, this lip-smacking appetiser packs a huge amount of heat and spice!

If you’re not too keen on chicken wings, the Salted Egg Fries is a good alternative. Load your table with a couple of mouth-watering appetisers, and get your A-game on as you snap away for the Eat, Snap and Win contest!

Photo Tip: Remember that food always looks better on smaller dishes, so try grouping the appetizers together for a photo. Don’t hold back on using raw ingredients, cooking tools, and even cooking dishes as props. For the pasta, we added more curry leaves on the pasta and used raw pasta as a prop. Oh yes, remember to wipe the edges of the plate.

& Why…

‘& Why…’ a cafe at Bali Lane has a New York Deli concept which is well executed in all aspects. Brought to you by the folks behind “I am…”, this cafe is named after the abbreviation of New York. At ‘& Why…’, they’ve got a Salted Egg Calamari ($14.90) that will satisfy any salted egg cravings. Deep fried squid rings are tossed in a salted egg batter, deep fried, and coated with a salted egg sauce before they are served with a sundried tomato chipotle tartar on the side. Salted egg overload indeed! Best news? The salted egg calamari is here to stay.

Photo Tip: Try to find an area with natural light – perhaps near a window. When natural light is not available, you should still avoid using on-camera flash as it is too harsh. For the two photos above, one was shot with on-camera flash, while the other was shot with a camera with an external flash attached. Can you make a guess which is which? And which photo looks better? (I hope you like the right one because we used an external flash for it).

The Golden Duck

According to a survey conducted by the Salted Egg Shiok campaign, the third most popular salted egg dish in Singapore is Salted Egg Fish Skin. These crisp chips are extremely addictive, and are widely popular.

At The Golden Duck, these glorious salted egg yolk chips come in two versions — the fish skin version, and potato chips version. These chips are prepared with curry leaves and spices, and you have to know that you will probably finish the entire packet before you even know it, so grab a few packets!

Whether you are team #fishskin or team #potatochips, both varieties of the cult favourite will definitely satisfy your salted egg yolk cravings.

Photo Tip: Space is the area within a frame. This element can dramatically improve the composition if used correctly. In the photograph below, the packet is placed at about “one-third” from the bottom of the photo.

And there you have it on the Salted Egg Shiok campaign! 8 different places with their own renditions of the salted egg yolk dish. With our handy-dandy photography tips, we hope that you’ll be able to take beautiful photos and share them on your Instagram with the hashtag #saltedeggshiok. Who knows, you might just be the next lucky winner to score a luxury staycation at a 5-star hotel in Singapore!

This post was brought to you by Salted Egg Shiok Campaign.