The following highlights some of the popular Traditional Singaporean Foods. If you manage to be in an Singaporean restaurant or you are visiting Singapore, I recommend the following:
1. Hainanese Chicken Rice
This dish consists of steamed chicken strips with white rice cooked in chicken broth. It is one of the most typical Singaporean dishes and you will find it everywhere. It is obtained by boiling a whole chicken in pork bone broth and undercooked chicken to absorb the flavours. Some shops also dip the bird in ice after cooking to create a gelatinous finish on the skin. Rice is also boiled in broth with ginger, garlic and pandan leaves.
2. Barbecued Stingray
Originally from hawker stalls, barbecued stingray has become a popular dish served in hawker centres. The classic version features stingray meat with thick sambal sauce and a spicy relish with diced tomatoes, chillies and shrimp paste as the basic ingredients. It is wrapped in a banana leaf to be slowly grilled. It has spices, belacan (prawn paste), spicy sambal paste with chillies, and shallots.
3. Laksa
Laksa is a delicious Singaporean dish consisting mainly of rice noodles with curry sauce, some vegetables, meat and delicious herbs to further enhance the flavours. Some people also like to add a little water or coconut milk to create a broth for the ingredients. There are many restaurants in Singapore that cater specifically to the preparation of this dish, so it is highly recommended to try it if you get the chance.
4. Char Kuay Teow
At first glance, it’s a noodle stir-fry. Garlic and pork fat are fried in a super-hot iron wok, along with two types of noodles, slices of Chinese sausage, pea shoots and fish paste. Seafood, such as prawns or squid, is often added. Then one or two eggs and a mixture of soy sauce and oyster sauce. It is served with chilli paste and a lime for drizzling. The result is a fairly sweet dish, not very spicy and smooth in texture, perfect for an introduction to Singaporean cuisine.
5. Chilli Crab
There are 2 ways to cook crabs in Singapore: the first is with sweet and spicy chilli sauce with tomato, and the second is with black pepper sauce. Chilli crabs are the most common in restaurants and are usually eaten together with fried mantous (dumplings), which are used for dipping in the exquisite chilli sauce. To achieve a delicious texture, the crabs go through a two-step cooking process; they are first boiled and then fried so that the meat does not stick to the shell.
6. Oyster Omelette
Very popular in food centres in Singapore as well as in Taiwanese night markets, it is also a dish that many tourists love. Stalls that sell carrot cake often sell oyster omelettes as well, as it is a similar cooking process using a common ingredient: eggs. The potato starch is usually mixed in when the egg is fried and gives a stronger flavour and thicker texture.
7. Satay
Satay is a very traditional Asian dish. It consists of grilled meat skewers served with rice and a delicious peanut sauce. There are different versions of this dish that are prepared using different ingredients, such as chicken, beef, pork or lamb. The meat is spiced using turmeric, giving it a distinctive flavour and aroma. It is a typical Singaporean dish that is easy to find at various street stalls and can be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home while exploring the country and is highly recommended.
8. Fish Head Curry
An ambiguous dish that probably has its origins in southern India, but has been strongly influenced by the diverse cultures that coexist in Singapore. One thing I can tell you for sure: it’s delicious. It is prepared using the head of a red snapper stewed in a mixed vegetable curry. Indian-style curry has stronger spices and flavours, while Chinese-style curry is lighter and sweeter.
9. Hokkien Prawn Mee
Another common fried noodle dish in Singapore. This time with roots in China’s Fujian province (where the Hokkien people originate from). This one includes yellow egg noodles and white rice noodles stir-fried together in a wok with egg, pieces of seafood (squid and shrimp), and bean sprouts. Actually, every food stall prepares it in their own style, some fry it drier and some fry it with more sauce. They usually serve it with a little sambal chilli sauce, plus a calamansi to squeeze on top for a sour touch.
10. Char Siew Meats
Char siu Siew Chinese restaurant-style pork with deep red, sticky skin. Char Siew literally means “grilled with a fork”, which refers to a traditional way of cooking that involves seasoning strips of pork on long skewers and grilling them in a covered oven or over a fire. This version uses pork tenderloin, which is easy to cook at home on a charcoal grill. Enjoy sweet and savoury on its own or with rice or noodles.
If you found this list useful, here are some more Traditional Asian Foods to try out on my Pinterest channel.