Singapore Famous Food

Singapore, which is officially known as the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country located in maritime Southeast Asia. It is a tiny country with an unquenchable appetite, where people enjoy having five or six meals a day.

Most Asian cultures are in such a way that they focus more on rice or noodles, but here they focus on both. It is especially famous for its seafood. Where Black pepper and chilly crab are two typical dishes that dominate the scene and are greatly recommended to the tourists. Here, hawker centers are food centers that give uniqueness to the Singapore culture and lifestyles. These are the heart and soul of the local food scene. These hawker centers are generally located near large housing complexes, where locals live.

Singapore is a racially diverse country and is also the most religiously diverse nation in the world. This mixture of cultures and religious beliefs is clearly reflected in Singapore food. One can find traditional dishes from each of the different ethnic groups. Exploring Singapore is fairly easy as English is one of the official languages of Singapore. This means that one can easily read the menus provided in the restaurants and order their dishes. Following is a short overview of some of the dishes famous in Singapore:

1. Char Kway Teow: It is a dish of flat rice noodles and tubular yellow wheat noodles fried in sweet soya sauce, garlic, and lard, with other ingredients such as egg, fishcake, beansprouts, Chinese waxed sausage, and cookies. A smoky taste will be added to the dish by the skilled chefs by cooking the noodles at a high temperature. Overall the dish tastes like Pad See Ew (Thai dish) but with a charred and smoky taste and is less sweet.

2. Hokkien Prawn Mee: This dish is also known as Hokkien Mee (fried prawn noodles), this stir-fried noodle dish is steeped in aromatic stock and is made of pork bones and prawn heads. And, is seasoned with soy sauce, vinegar, and chili, stir-fried. Hokkien noodles are served with prawns, slices of chicken or pork, squid, and fishcake. Each serving comes with sambal sauce and a lime wedge, to subdue the oily taste. The Singapore version uses thick, flat egg noodles.

3. Laksa: Laksa is a noodle dish served in spicy coconut curry soup with shrimp, fish cakes, egg, and chicken meat i.e. a cross between Chinese and Malay cuisine. This dish is very popular in Southeast Asia. The main ingredients of Laksa include noodles, herbs, coconut milk, tamarind, and spice paste. It also has many variants, but the one which is popular in Singapore is Katong Laksa, with cut-up noodles that are sometimes added with cockles and tofu puffs.

4. Chili Crab: It was first made in Singapore in the 1960s, Chili Crab is a Southeast Asian food. The hard-shell crabs cooked in semi-thick gravy with a tomato chili base give them a great flavor. Moreover, steamed crabs are lightly stir-fried in a paste that has chili sauce, ketchup, and eggs when they are already partially cracked. In spite of its name, chili crab is not all that spicy. And, bread is normally ordered to soak up the gravy.

5. Hainanese Chicken Rice: As its name says it is a dish of seasoned rice and poached chicken, usually served with chili sauce and cucumber garnishes. Usually, the steamed chicken is served with rice which is cooked in chicken stock. This dish leaves you with a quick satisfaction after having it as lunch. The quality of chicken stock is critical to this dish, and you can tell by the steamed rice oozing with flavor and a fragrant aroma. One can have it after pouring some dipping sauce over the chicken.

6. Fish Head Curry: It is a Singaporean dish derived from a hybrid of Indian and Chinese cultural cuisines. It is an iconic dish and is made from stewing a red snapper head which is considered good for curry, in a fragrant pot of curry with assorted vegetables such as okra and eggplants. A huge whole fish head and vegetables cooked in a curry and usually served with rice or bread. This mouth-watering dish is usually cooked with both tamarind and coconut milk, which gives it a rich, nuanced flavor. It is usually accompanied by a glass of ‘Calamansi’ or local lime juice.

7. Kaya Toast: This dish is commonly consumed for breakfast. Where Kaya is a dish with a sweet coconut egg jam generously spread over toasted bread. One can eat this toast with half-boiled eggs and can also add a dash of black soya sauce for extra taste. It is usually served alongside coffee.

8. Nasi Lemak: It is a hearty meal comprising coconut rice, a slice of omelet, anchovies, a slice of cucumber, and some chilly paste. It is packed in brown paper or banana leaf, which makes it unique.