Food in Singapore

Here in Singapore, we are able to sample the dishes from all cultures and we learn to appreciate them.


Malay dishes
Many Malay dishes revolve around a Rempah, which is a spice paste or mix similar to an Indian Masala. Rempahs are made by grinding up fresh and/or dried spices and herbs to create a spice paste which is then sauteed in oil to bring out the aromas.

Typical festive fare during Hari Raya Puasa or Hari Raya Haji includes beef soup, nasi himpit (compressed rice cubes), beef rendang and sayur lodeh.

• Kangkung belacan' is water convolvulus wok-fried in a pungent sauce of shrimp paste (belacan) and hot chilli peppers. Various other items are cooked this way, including petai (which is quite bitter when eaten raw; some older generation Malays still eat it as is) and yardlong beans.
• Keropok lekor, a specialty of the state of Terengganu and other states on the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia, is a savoury cake made from a combination of batter and shredded fish. Sliced and fried just before serving, it is eaten with hot sauce.
• Kuih is usually a cake eaten during the morning or during midday.
• Ikan Bakar, grilled fish with either chilli, kunyit (turmeric) or other spice based sauce.
• Ketupat and rendang is served normally on Hari Raya festival .
• Nasi Lemak - a rice cooked with coconut milk and served with anchovies, roasted nuts, cucumbers,a slice of egg, a chili paste known as sambal and a choice of curries & rendang
• Nasi Goreng Kampung a type of fried rice, traditionally flavored with pounded fried fish (normally mackerel), though recently fried anchovies are used in place of it.
• Lontong is a yellowish creamy soup mix with mee hun and ketupat.
• Soto Soup with mee hun or ketupat
• Apam Balik - a bread like puff with sugar, corn, and coarse nut in the middle.
• Pulut- Glutinous rice serve with either rendang or coconut and brown sugar
• Serunding - Shredded meat in a form of meat floss with spices.
• Nasi Berlauk - Plain rice served with different variety of dishes
• Ayam Percik - grilled chicken with spicy sauce
  

Indian dishes

The Indian cuisine of the ethnic Indians here is similar to its roots in India. Hands are washed before and the right hand is used during the meal.

• Banana leaf rice is white rice served on banana leaf with an assortment of vegetables, curry meat or fish and papadum.
• Thosai is a batter made from lentils and rice blended with water and left to ferment overnight. The batter is spread into a thin, circular disc on a flat, preheated pan, where it is fried with a dash of edible oil or ghee until the dosa reaches a golden brown colour. Then the thosai may optionally be turned over on the pan, and partially fried. The end product is neatly folded and served. Thosai is served with sambar (vegetable curry) and coconut chutney.
• Idli is made from lentils (specifically black lentils) and rice — into patties, usually two to three inches in diameter, using a mold and steamed. Most often eaten at breakfast or as a snack, idli are usually served in pairs with chutney, sambar, or other accompaniments.
• Putu Mayam (String hoppers/ Idiyappam) is a sweet dish of rice noodles with coconut and jaggery as main ingredients. It is served with grated coconut and jaggery, or, unrefined block sugar. In some areas, gula melaka (coconut palm sugar) is the favourite sweetener. Putu piring is a version of putu mayam in which the rice flour dough is used to form a small cake around a filling of coconut and brown sugar.
• Biryani is a rice dish from the made from a mixture of spices, basmati rice, meat/vegetables and yogurt. The ingredients are ideally cooked together in the final phase and is time-consuming to prepare. Pre-mixed biryani spices from different commercial names are easily available in markets these days, which reduces the preparation time though the taste differs considerably.
• Chapati is a type of bread. It is made from a dough of atta flour (whole grain durum wheat), water and salt by rolling the dough out into discs of approximately twelve centimeters in diameter and browning the discs on both sides on a very hot, dry tava or frying pan (preferably not one coated with Teflon or other nonstick material). Chapatis are usually eaten with vegetable curry dishes, and pieces of the chapati are used to wrap around and pick up each bite of the cooked dish.
• Indian curries uses a lot of spices, coconut milk, and curry leaves. Some of the most popular curries include Chicken Curry, Fish Curries, and Squid Curry.
• Prata is a thin bread with a flaky crust, fried on a skillet and served with condiments. It is sometimes referred to as roti kosong. Some are with eggs or even cheese!
• Mamak rojak is a variant of rojak consisting of substantial ingredients like boiled potatoes and hard-boiled eggs.
• Teh tarik literally meaning "pulled tea", is a well-loved drink. Tea is sweetened using condensed milk, and is prepared using out-stretched hands to pour piping hot tea from a mug into a waiting glass, repetitively. The higher the "pull", the thicker the froth. The "pulling" of tea also has the effect of cooling down the tea. Teh tarik is an art form in itself and watching the tea streaming back and forth into the containers can be quite captivating.

Chinese food

Chinese food is derived from mainland Chinese cuisine but has been influenced by local ingredients and dishes from other cultures though it remains distinctly Chinese. Most Chinese meals have pork as their sub-ingredient, but due to the popularity and unique taste of the actual food, there are chicken options available for the local Malays (most Malays are Muslims, and Islam forbids them from eating pork). Some Chinese food restaurants nowadays can be found serving halal food i.e. food without ingredients that are forbidden by the Islamic religion. Chinese restaurants serving food in Halal can introduce a wider range of customers to it.

• Bak Kut Teh (Chinese : 肉骨茶) (pork ribs soup). A soup cooked with herbs, garlic and pork ribs which have been boiled for many hours. In some , there are additional ingredients which include sea cucumber and abalone. Bak kut teh is believed to have medicinal properties.
• Bak Chang. Chinese Rice Dumpling made from glutinous rice wrapped in leaf along with pork, Shiitake mushrooms, nut and salted egg yolk of a duck's egg.
• Bakkwa (Chinese : 肉干), Known also as barbecued pork and it literally means dried meat. This delicacy is especially popular during the Chinese New Year celebrations period.
• Pao (Chinese : 包) also known as bao, is a steamed bun made of wheat flour, with fillings of various types of meat. It is usually a menu item found in Dim Sum places, although these days it can be seen in most coffee stalls.
• Cantonese Fried Mee. (Chinese : 廣府炒, 河粉, 鴛鴦) Deep fried thin rice noodles served in a thick white sauce. The sauce is cooked with sliced lean pork, prawns, squids and green vegetables such as choy sum.
• Chai tow kway (Chinese : 菜頭粿) is a common dish in Singapore, also known as fried radish cake, it is made of rice flour and white radish.
• Char Kway Teow (Chinese : 炒粿條，炒河粉). Stir fried rice noodles with prawns, eggs (pork or chicken), chives and beansprouts. Usually, with an option of cockles as well.
• Chee cheong fun (Chinese : 豬腸粉) is square rice sheets made from a viscous mixture of rice flour and water. This liquid is poured onto a specially-made flat pan in which it is steamed to produce the square rice sheets.
• Hainanese Chicken Rice (Chinese : 海南雞飯). steamed chicken served with rice cooked in margarine or chicken fat & chicken stock and chicken soup. The rice is usually served in a bowl or a plate.
• Hokkien Mee is a bowl of yellow mee and meehoon (rice noodles) served in soup boiled from prawns, boiled egg, kangkong vegetable and chilli.
• Kaya toast or Roti bakar is a traditional breakfast dish. Kaya is a sweet coconut and egg jam, and this is spread over toasted white bread. Traditionally served with a cup of local coffee/tea and soft-boiled eggs in light/dark soya sauce & grounded white pepper.
• Kway chap (Chinese : 粿汁), Teochew dish of rice sheets in dark soya soup, served with pig offal, tofu derivatives and boiled eggs.
• Loh Mee (Chinese : 滷麵). A bowl of thick yellow noodles served in a thickened soup made from egg, flour, prawn, pork slices and vegetables.
• Popiah (Chinese : 薄饼), Hokkien-style rolled crepe spring roll style , stuffed mainly with stewed vegetables, usually shredded tofu, turnip and carrots. Other items may also include egg, Chinese sausage ("lup cheong").
• Rojak (Malay Influenced: 水果囉喏). A fruit salad with a topping of thick dark prawn paste and some sliced fried 'yau cha kwai'.
• Tau foo fah or Dau Huay (Chinese : 豆腐花 or 豆花) is a curdled version of soya bean milk and is flavoured with syrup. It looks much like Tau Foo but it is very tender. Sold in many places. It is a popular dessert .

The list can just go on and on. What are some of your favourite dishes?