Connect with a person authentically and connect with a country locally.
Well we all have our reasons to travel, for me it has always been local culture and cuisine.
When I landed in Singapore I was awestruck with its food culture. And I am not talking about fine dinning experiences or Michelin star restaurants. I am talking about Singapore's local food scene.
Its been 8 years for me now and I still feel I haven't explored enough.
This island holds best of South East Asian cuisine. The food scene here, is a concoction of the best influences from around the world, it is often seen as a celebration of the thriving culture that Singapore has.
In this blog I am going to take your through some of Singapore's unique cuisine and going to share little bit about their roots too.
Peranakan Cuisine -
When Chinese immigrants married locals it resulted in a unique culture with entirely new traditional beliefs, clothes and cuisine. Peranakan cuisine is a mix of Chinese ingredients and Malaysian/Indonesian spices and cooking methods. Importantly no two dishes are the same, as each creation is an interpretation based on the preferred flavours and ingredients . Some of the signature ingredients used in Peranakan cooking include coconut milk, laksa leaves, lemongrass and tamarind.
Here are some common Peranakan dishes that you can expect in any 'Kopitiam' ( means Coffee Shop in Chinese and Malay - which is similar to our food court)
1. Laksa - A perfect one-pot dish
2. Nasi Ulam - delicious herb fried rice dish
3. Nonya Popiah - South East Asia’s version of a wrap
Eurasian Cuisine - A mix of both European and Asian traditions. As the majority of Eurasians in Singapore have Portuguese-Malaccan ancestry, there is still a strong Portuguese influence in local Eurasian culture.
Common Eurasian dishes will be :
1. Devil’s Curry - The devil’s curry, also known as “curry debal” is a signature Eurasian dish. it is cooked using the leftover Christmas meats such as ham, sausages, spare ribs and roast pork. These meats are then cooked in curry with lots of spices such as onions, candlenuts, galangal, lemongrass and chillies which makes it devilishly spicy.
2. Sugee Cake - Sugee cake is made with semolina or suji. It is somewhat like a butter cake.
3. Vindaloo - Vindaloo is a type of curry with Portuguese and Indian influence.
4. Fish Moolie - Fish moolie is a Portuguese coconut curry with Indian and Eurasian influences. Compared to heavily-spiced Eurasian dishes such as devil’s curry and vindaloo, fish moolie is considerably easier on the palate.
Malay and Indonesian Cuisine -in Singapore one can find these two cuisines at a variety of establishments, from neighborhood hawker centers to more upscale, elaborate restaurants.
Common dishes would be :
1. Nasi Lemak - Rice cooked in coconut milk. Served with chicken or fish.
2. Chicken Satay - The satay variants in Indonesia is usually named after the region its originated, the meats, parts or ingredients its uses, also might named after the process or method of cooking.
3. Mee Rebus - Mee means noodles in Malay and rebus means to boil. So the dish is basically boild noodles with ingredients like firm fried tofu, bean sprouts, cut fresh chili peppers, fried doughy fritter, spring onion, and very important, fried scallions to flavour.
4. Rendang - Rendang is a traditional food originating from West Sumatra. It can be prepared with beef, lamb or chicken with special sauce containing a high amount of coconut milk.
5. Ayam masak - Traditional fried chicken dish from Malaysia.
Now let me make you familiar with some of the local terms used for different dishes.
Tea - Teh (for teh you have variations too) - black tea served with condensed milk and sugar. It became Teh C when evaporated milk is added to the tea.
Coffee - Kopi (here also have few variations) Kopi O Kosong means black coffee without sugar.
Kopi C kosong - means black coffee with evaporated milk.
Goreng- Fried rice or fried noodles. It can also be Maggie.
Nasi - Rice
Ikan bilis - anchovies
Ayam - Chicken
Singapore has it all in terms of food and accessibility. You can find small hawker stalls and markets offering cheap eats and meals, and if you want you can also find many renowned fine dining establishments that are renowned worldwide.
Here are 5 dishes that you should try in Singapore.
Hainanese chicken rice : is a dish of poached chicken and seasoned rice, served with chilli sauce and usually with cucumber garnishes.
Maggie Goreng : Maggi goreng is a Malaysian dish made by frying instant noodles in a wok with various oils, spices, meats, and vegetables.
Chilli Crab : is considered one of Singapore's national dishes and for a good reason. Mud crabs are commonly used and are stir-fried in a semi-thick, sweet and savoury tomato-and-chilli-based sauce.
Cendol : is an iced sweet dessert that contains droplets of green rice flour jelly, coconut milk and palm sugar syrup.
Claypot Biryani - Claypot Biryani is a mix between two cuisines here, and that is Malaysian and Indian. Biryani is a rice dish that is cooked with a spicy, aromatic taste.
