New York Times owns up to ‘Singaporean Chicken Curry’ epic fail

At left, Taipei-based freelance journalist Clarissa Wei’s version of Singaporean Chicken Curry, and the version that Singapore is more used to, at right. Photos: The New York Times
At left, Taipei-based freelance journalist Clarissa Wei’s version of Singaporean Chicken Curry, and the version that Singapore is more used to, at right. Photos: The New York Times

A week after Singapore got boiling mad over a bizarre interpretation of a fave dish, the New York Times has succumbed to the hate and pulled its video.

The publication said today that the demonstration by Taipei journalist Clarissa Wei wasn’t done right and the “Singaporean Chicken Curry” should have been a chicken Nasi Biryani instead. 

The recipe was given by Singapore home cook Shila Das who told Coconuts last week that even she was clueless on how her father’s traditional Chinese New Year recipe ended up brown and watery as it appeared on Instagram. 

“The video demonstration didn’t faithfully follow the recipe, which was adapted by Clarissa Wei from Shila Das, and it also should have been prepared as part of Ms. Das’s Nasi Biryani recipe,” it wrote.

“As a result, the video didn’t do justice to Ms. Das’s family dish or to her Lunar New Year tradition,” the paper added.

The tutorial was posted Feb. 2 and quickly drew a backlash with confused Singaporeans calling it “spice water” that looked nothing like the bright orange-colored curry they’re used to. 

Unfortunately, the tempest in a curry pot has seen Wei bombarded by hate. After deleting the video and setting her account to private, she told Coconuts she received an “overwhelming amount” of harassment.

She declined to answer questions about what happened to the recipe on the record and referred a reporter to the Times.

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