Singaporean Cuisine
Singapore is a country of diverse cuisine. The influences in the food scene are stemmed from all different corners of the countries in Asia – from India to China, to Malaysia, and to even some Eurasian influence. Due to the high status of wealth found in Singapore, it has attracted immigrant workers from all different countries resulting in some of the cultural fusion that we see today.
We begin by diving into the essentials – noodles, rice, and seafood. Because there are several different Asian influences found here, both noodles and rice are staples in everyday diet. Noodles are typically served as fried or in soup. Rice, on the other hand, is served as a dish in comparison to Indian cuisine, where it is served as an accompaniment to all curry dishes – think having chicken biryani or pulao. Moving to protein, seafood here is a staple due to its history of being one of Asia’s bustling trading ports. Crab and prawns specifically the quintessential ingredients that dominate the food scene. Due to the multicultural influences, some other spices/ingredients I found prominent here include but are not limited to: cumin, turmeric, bean paste, coriander, chili paste, ginger, etc.
Some staple dishes we tried during our time in Singapore:
Hainanese chicken rice – a national and famous Singaporean dish that is steamed chicken served over rice cooked in chicken stock
Chili crab – partially cracked steamed crab legs that are cooked in a tomato chili-based gravy comprising of ketchup, chili paste, and eggs. Usually served with bread
Laksa – a spicy coconut curry soup with rice noodles, shrimp, fish cakes, egg, and chicken meat (this was my favorite!)
Char kuay teow – fried noodles cooked in black soy sauce with bean sprouts, fish cakes, clams, and Chinese sausage
Barbequed stingray – stingray meat in a thick sambal sauce and cooked over a grill in a banana leaf
Fish head curry – originating as a South Indian dish with some Chinese influences, a big fish head cooked in curry served over rice
Some honorable fruit callouts that we had the chance to try during our time in Singapore:
Durian
Calamansi limes
Mangosteen
Lychee
Coconut