Singaporean cuisine is as ethnically diverse as its people, blending Malay, Chinese, Indonesian, Indian and western influences. A visit to one of the hawker centres or shopping mall food courts will be as eye-opening as gastronomically gratifying. This list covers what we believe are the finest examples of Singaporean food available across the city-state, from humble street food carts to swanky rooftop restaurants and everything in between.
Steamed chicken served with rice cooked in chicken stock. This all-time favorite dish makes for a quick, fulfilling lunch. The quality of chicken stock is crucial to this dish, and you can tell by the steamed rice oozing with flavor and a fragrant aroma. Pour some dipping sauce over the chicken and give it a go.
Hard-shell crabs cooked in semi-thick gravy with a tomato chilli base. The steamed crabs are partially cracked, then lightly stir-fried in a paste comprising of chilli sauce, ketchup and eggs. Despite its name, chilli crab is not all that spicy. Bread is normally ordered to soak up the gravy, so dig in with both hands!
Rice noodles in spicy coconut curry soup with shrimp, fish cakes, egg and chicken meat – a cross between Chinese and Malay cuisine. Laksa also has many variants, but the one in Singapore is katong laksa, with cut-up noodles. Cockles and tofu puffs are sometimes added.
Broad white noodles fried with black Soya sauce, bean sprouts, fish cake, clams and Chinese sausage. You will find this dish in hawker centres and restaurants. Skilled chefs will add a smoky taste to the dish by cooking the noodles at a high temperature.
Stir-fried Hokkien noodles with prawns, slices of chicken or pork, squid and fish cake, seasoned with soy sauce, vinegar and chili. Each serving comes with sambal sauce and a lime wedge, to tone down the oily taste. The Singapore version uses thick, flat egg noodles.