In search of Buah Keluak

I think I found it, on my penultimate day in Singapore. All the previous iterations I had tasted, which were nominally Ayam buah keluak had tasted insipid and thin. A nondescript, forgettable chicken curry. Nothing like opium or ambrosia - though I might add, these are two other known unknowns.

I decided to venture further afield and spent a few hours wandering around Katong. In my limited time in Singapore, this is as close to yesterday as it comes. The colourful and ornate two storey shopfronts are losing the battle against the rain and the tropical plants which seen capable of taking root in invisible crevices. People openly spit and park their cars illegally, the rainwater drains are open and there is a sense of disorder.

In amongst this heightened authenticity is the squeaky clean dining room of Guan Hoe Soon. As I ate the pictured Ayam Buah Keluak, I had two competing thoughts. What is this? And Eureka! I've found it. . .

The nut shell is thin and hard, black from processing and the flesh within is meaty and olive tapenade like in texture, while in the mouth there is the impression of fat and umami. How can a nut taste like this? I started the meal politely trying to work the flesh from the shell, but by the close delicacy had become greedy desperation. . .

Post script: I now know that the nut is extracted and minced together with meat, sugar and salt and then returned to its chamber.