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Singaporean cuisine is derived from several ethnic groups in Singapore and has developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes in the cosmopolitan city-state. Influences include the
cuisine A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, customs, and ingredients combine to ...
s of the
Malays Malays may refer to: * Malay race, a racial category encompassing peoples of Southeast Asia and sometimes the Pacific Islands ** Overseas Malays, people of Malay race ancestry living outside Malay archipelago home areas ** Cape Malays, a communit ...
, the Chinese and the
Indians Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...
as well as Indonesian, Peranakan and Western traditions (particularly English and Portuguese-influenced Eurasian, known as Kristang). Influences from neighbouring regions such as
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, Korea, and Thailand are also present. In Singapore, food is viewed as crucial to its national identity and a unifying cultural thread. Singaporean literature declares eating a national pastime and food a national obsession. Food is a frequent topic of conversation among Singaporeans. Religious dietary strictures do exist; Muslims do not eat pork and Hindus do not eat beef, and there is also a significant group of vegetarians/ vegans. People from different communities often eat together, while being mindful of each other's culture and choosing food that is acceptable for all. Other than local Singaporean cuisine, it is also common in Singapore to find restaurants specialising in cuisine from a great variety of countries around the world.


History

Since its founding as a British port in 1819, Singaporean cuisine has been influenced by different cultures due to its position as an international shipping port. Singapore is geographically located in between the Pacific and Indian oceans but it also has the shape of a peninsula and an island at the same time, where various cultures and trades used to and continue to occur. Indonesia is located to the south, Thailand, China, the Philippines and Malaysia are located to the north and India is located to the west. Since Singapore's geographical position is surrounded by various Asian countries, there is much diversity in food and culture. The culture of Singapore is made up of diverse influences from different continents and countries. Hence, the Singapore cuisine can be said to be culturally enriched. Singaporean cuisine has also been influenced by its colonial history, as it established as a British colony from the early 19th century until the mid-20th century when it became part of Malaysia before becoming independent; Singapore was also occupied by Imperial Japan during the Second World War. It is believed that certain dishes that are part of Singaporean cuisine today predates the arrival of Raffles in 1819, some of these dishes include laksa, biryani and betel quid. However, it is unknown when these dishes arrived in Singapore, as historical records on them are largely scattered and inaccurate as these dishes were largely made by early Singapore immigrants at home and not served in an establishment. Adaptation of various dishes that were prepared by early Singapore immigrants to suit the ingredients and taste preferences were how some of the dishes were created, some examples of such dishes are Fish head curry, Kaya toast and Hainanese chicken rice, which are culinary staples to Singaporean cuisine today.


Hawker centres

A large part of Singaporean cuisine revolves around hawker centres, where hawker stalls were first set up around the mid 19th century, and were largely street food stalls selling a huge variety of foods These street vendors usually set up stalls by the side of the streets with push carts or bicycles and served cheap and fast foods to coolies, office workers and those that did not cook at home. Although the street vendors provided early Singapore immigrants with cheap and fast meals, these stalls were unhygienic, due to the lack of supporting infrastructure such as waste disposal, a steady supply of fresh water and limited sanitation practices. Starting in the 1960s, the Singapore government started enforcing more rules and regulations for street hawkers and relocated these vendors to more permanent locations with the construction of wet markets and hawker centres across the country. Today, when dining out, Singaporeans often eat at hawker centres, coffee shops or
food court A food court (in Asia-Pacific also called food hall or hawker centre) is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dinner. I ...
s rather than restaurants, due to convenience, a wider range of options and affordability. These hawker centres are widespread, cheap and usually feature dozens of stalls in a single complex, with each stall offering its own speciality dishes. Well-known hawker centres among tourists include Telok Ayer Market, Maxwell Food Center, Lau Pa Sat and Newton Food Centre. Coffee shops are non-air conditioned versions of food courts and are commonly found island-wide, usually at the bottom of blocks of HDB flats. Hawker centres are the place where people can experience all kinds of different cultural food in one place. Hawker centres, or open air food courts, have come to define Singaporean food culture. Popular markets like Old Airport Road Food Centre in Geylang, Golden Mile Food Centre on Beach Road and Maxwell Road Food Centre in
Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...
offer the best of Chinese, Malaysian and Indian cooking, melded into foods that are uniquely Singaporean. Some well-known Singaporean hawker or ''kopitiam'' dishes includes kaya toast, chilli crab, fish head curry, laksa, roti prata and Hainanese chicken rice, which is widely considered to be one of Singapore's national dish. In 2016,
Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle Hong may refer to: Places *Høng, a town in Denmark * Hong Kong, a city and a special administrative region in China *Hong, Nigeria *Hong River in China and Vietnam *Lake Hong in China Surnames *Hong (Chinese name) *Hong (Korean name) Organi ...
and Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle became the first two street food locations in the world to be awarded a
Michelin star The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of a ...
. The former also gained the title of the world's "cheapest Michelin-starred meal". In 2018, Singapore hawker culture was nominated by Singapore's National Heritage Board (NHB), National Environment Agency and Federation of Merchants' Associations Singapore for inscription into UNESCO's Representative list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The nomination was submitted in March 2019 and approved and inscribed on 16 December 2020. UNESCO described the hawker centre as "‘community dining rooms’ where people from diverse backgrounds gather and share the experience of dining over breakfast, lunch and dinner."


Food culture

A common greeting for many Singaporean Chinese comes in the form of the question "Have you eaten?", asked in various Chinese dialects. It is one way of expressing a greeting to another person. It is also possible to assume that this is how Singaporeans think about meals and food. Since Singapore is a multicultural nation there is a diverse range of people who might have different and restricted diets, such as Muslims and Hindus. Since Singapore is influenced by many different regions, religions, and cultures, there are also many events or anniversaries. During the
Lunar New Year Lunar New Year is the beginning of a calendar year whose months are moon cycles, based on the lunar calendar or lunisolar calendar. The Lunar New Year as a celebration is observed by numerous cultures. It is also named " Chinese New Year" becau ...
, people eat nian gao, which is originally from China, and is traditionally eaten around the Chinese New Year. It is an extension of Malay cuisine but influenced by the Chinese and Indians – not to mention the Arabs, British and other immigrants who have contributed to making Singapore one of the world's most important trading ports.


Singapore food internationally

Singaporean food is a significant cultural attraction for tourists and visitors. Some Singaporean dishes have become internationally known. In 2011, four Singaporean dishes were included in the list of 'World's 50 Most Delicious Foods (Readers' Pick)' – a worldwide online poll by 35,000 people held by CNN International. They are Hainanese chicken rice (13th),
chili crab Chilli crab (; Malay: ''Ketam cili'') is a Southeast Asian seafood dish that originated in Singapore in the 1960s. It is widely associated as the national cuisines of both Malaysia and Singapore. Scylla serrata, Mud crabs are commonly used and ar ...
(29th), Katong Laksa (44th) and roti prata (45th).
Anthony Bourdain Anthony Michael Bourdain (; June 25, 1956 – June 8, 2018) was an American celebrity chef, author, and travel documentarian who starred in programs focusing on the exploration of international culture, cuisine, and the human condition. Bourdai ...
brought international attention to local food available in hawker centres on his show, '' No Reservations''. He featured
Tian Tian Chicken Rice ''Tiān'' () is one of the oldest Chinese terms for heaven and a key concept in Chinese mythology, philosophy, and religion. During the Shang dynasty (17th―11th century BCE), the Chinese referred to their supreme god as '' Shàngdì'' (, "Lo ...
and
Maxwell Food Centre Maxwell may refer to: People * Maxwell (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name ** James Clerk Maxwell, mathematician and physicist * Justice Maxwell (disambiguation) * Maxwell baronets, in the Baronetage of ...
on the programme. Bourdain also publicly spoke about hoping to feature four Singaporean dishes in his upcoming food hall in New York City.
Gordon Ramsay Gordon James Ramsay (; born ) is a British chef, restaurateur, television personality and writer. His restaurant group, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, was founded in 1997 and has been awarded 17 Michelin stars overall; it currently holds a tot ...
participated in a ' Hawker Heroes Challenge' held in Singapore in 2013, in which each competitor made three dishes. Ramsay's chili crab was voted the best, but he lost on the other two dishes. Losing to Ryan Koh representing 328 Katong Laksa and Foo Kui Lian representing Tian Tian Chicken Rice, he graciously accepted defeat. He mentioned being in absolute awe of the hawkers, and was humbled by how they welcomed him into their kitchens and taught him to cook. YouTube personality Mike Chen, better known by his username Strictly Dumpling, has created several videos bringing attention to local cuisine on his channel. Over the course of 13 videos he highlighted Singaporean street food, hawker centres, local buffets and restaurants. These videos have a combined view count of over 17 million views. Singaporean cuisine has been promoted as a tourist attraction by the Singapore Tourism Board. The
Singapore Food Festival The Singapore Food Festival is an annual event that takes place every year from the end of June to the end of July. It is organised by the Singapore Tourism Board. Composed of weekly core events, themed celebrations, culinary workshops, and competi ...
, held every year in July, is a celebration of Singapore's cuisine. The Overseas Singaporean Unit also organises
Singapore Day Singapore Day is an event organised by the Overseas Singaporean Unit under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (Singapore) to engage Overseas Singaporeans and their families. Held in cities with a significant community of Overseas Singapor ...
in major cities around the world as a platform for Singaporeans living abroad. One of Singapore Day's major draws is the local Singaporean hawker food, which is prepared on-site by well-known hawkers specially flown in for the event.


Types of food and some world popular food

Singaporean food can be divided into six types: meat, seafood, rice, noodles, dessert and snacks. Singapore is especially renowned for its seafood. Chili crab and black pepper crab are two quintessential dishes that dominate the scene and are greatly recommended to tourists. Another favourite is sambal stingray. In the meat category, Hainanese chicken rice is the most popular dish. Essentially, it is rice cooked with chicken fat, served with boiled chicken, accompanied with chili sauce. Three noodle dishes stand out in Singapore cuisine. "Fried Hokkien mee" comprises fried egg noodles with prawns, sliced pork and gravy. "Nyonya laksa" is composed of rice noodles served in a coconut prawn broth, and "Char Kuey Teow" is stir-fried rice noodles with prawns, Chinese sausage, lard and cockles. In the dessert category, tau-suan is one of many types of desserts commonly found in hawker centres around Singapore. Tāu-suàn (split mung bean soup), is a dessert of Teochew origin. It is a sweet and starchy soup made from split mung beans, usually eaten with Youtiao. In the snack category, kaya toast is the representative dish, primarily due to the use of kaya. "Kaya kopitiams" are a common sight on the island. These affordable coffee shops dish out bread toasts, spread with coconut egg jam and butter, served with coffee and tea as well as two soft boiled eggs.


Common dishes and snacks


Chinese

The dishes that comprise "Singaporean Chinese cuisine" today were originally brought to Singapore by the early southern Chinese immigrants ( Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese, Hakka and
Hainanese Hainanese (Hainan Romanised: ', Hainanese Pinyin: ',), also known as Qióngwén, Heng2 vun2 () or Qióngyǔ, Heng2 yi2 (), is a group of Min Chinese varieties spoken in the southern Chinese island province of Hainan and Overseas Chinese su ...
). They were then adapted to suit the local availability of ingredients, while absorbing influences from Malay, Indian and other cooking traditions. Most of the names of Singaporean Chinese dishes were derived from dialects of southern China, Hokkien (Min Nan) being the most common. As there was no common system for transliterating these dialects into the Latin alphabet, it is common to see different variants on the same name for a single dish. For example, ''bah kut teh'' may also be spelt ''bak kut teh'', and ''char kway tiao'' may also be spelt ''char kuay teow''. * Bak kut teh (), pork rib soup made with a variety of Chinese herbs and spices. *
Beef kway teow Beef kway teow or beef kwetiau is a Maritime Southeast Asian dish of flat rice noodles (kway teow) stir-fried and topped with slices of beef or sometimes beef offal, served either dry or with soup. The dish is commonly found in Southeast Asian c ...
(), flat rice noodles stir-fried with beef, served dry or with soup. * Bak chang (), glutinous rice dumplings, usually filled with pork, mushrooms and stewed egg, steamed in bamboo leaves. Although it is Chinese in origin, it is also a favourite in Peranakan cuisine. * Bak Chor Mee (), egg noodles with minced pork, braised mushroom, pork meatball and other ingredients, served dry or in soup. Usually the flat, tape-like
mee pok ''Mee pok'' is a Chinese noodle characterized by its flat and yellow appearance, varying in thickness and width. The dish is of Teochew origin and is commonly served in the Chaoshan region of China and countries with a significant Teochew Chin ...
noodle is used. * Ban mian (), hand-made flat noodles served with vegetables, minced meat, sliced mushrooms, and an egg in an anchovy-based soup. Noodle variations are common. "Ban mian" refers to flat, long noodles; "mee hoon kuay" () refers to flat, rectangular noodles; "you mian" () refers to thin noodles. * Chai tow kway (), also known as char kway () or carrot cake, is a dish of steamed radish/ daikon cakes diced and stir-fried with garlic, egg, chopped preserved radish, and sometimes with shrimp. This dish comes in black (fried with sweet dark soy sauce) or white (fried into an omelette) versions, with a chilli paste sometimes added. * Char kway teow (), thick, flat rice noodles stir-fried in dark soy sauce with shrimp, eggs, beansprouts, fish cake, cockles, green leafy vegetables, Chinese sausage and fried cubes of lard. * Char siu (), also romanised cha-su, cha siu, cha sio, caa siu and char siew, is barbecued pork in
Cantonese cuisine Cantonese or Guangdong cuisine, also known as Yue cuisine ( or ) is the cuisine of Guangdong province of China, particularly the provincial capital Guangzhou, and the surrounding regions in the Pearl River Delta including Hong Kong and Maca ...
. * Chicken noodles is an egg noodle dish with diced chicken meat. * Chwee kueh (水粿; ''chúi-kóe),'' a type of steamed rice cake served with preserved radish. *
Crab bee hoon Crab bee hoon () is a Singaporean rice vermicelli dish with whole mud crab served in a claypot and spiced milky broth. Bee Hoon or rice noodle has the ability to soak up the stock from any dish and that's the reason it is so popular among the loca ...
() is a rice vermicelli dish served with whole mud crab. It may be served dry or in soup and sometimes in a claypot. *
Drunken prawns Drunken shrimp (), also known as drunken prawns, is a popular dish in parts of China based on freshwater shrimp that are sometimes eaten cooked or raw. The shrimp are immersed in liquor to make consumption easier. Different parts of China have ...
(), prawns cooked with
rice wine Rice wine is an alcoholic beverage fermented and distilled from rice, traditionally consumed in East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. Rice wine is made by the fermentation of rice starch that has been converted to sugars. Microbes are the so ...
. * Duck rice (), braised duck served with rice cooked with yam and shrimp. It can be served simply with white rice and a thick dark sauce, or with braised hard-boiled eggs, preserved salted vegetables, and hard bean curd ''(tau kua)'' on the side. Teochew boneless duck rice is a similar, but a more refined dish. The duck is deboned and sliced thinly, allowing the sauces to seep into the meat. Roasted duck rice is also commonly sold. * Fish ball noodles (), similar to bak chor mee, except that fish balls are used instead of minced pork. *
Fish soup bee hoon Fish soup bee hoon, also known as fish head bee hoon, is a Singaporean soup-based seafood dish served hot usually with bee hoon. The dish is viewed as a healthy food by Singaporeans. Catherine Ling of ''CNN'' listed fish soup bee hoon as one of th ...
() is a Singaporean soup served with sliced fish pieces, green vegetables and bee hoon. *
Frog Leg Frog legs (French: ''Cuisses de grenouille'') are one of the better-known delicacies of French cuisine, where it has been considered as a national delicacy. The legs of edible frogs are also consumed in other parts of the world, including Vi ...
porridge () is served with frog legs, scallion, ginger and thick black sauce in a claypot with porridge in another claypot. *
Hae mee Hokkien mee, literally "Fujian noodles", is a series of related Southeast Asian dishes that have their origins in the cuisine of China's Fujian (Hokkien) province. Types ''Hokkien mee'' can refer to four distinct dishes, with each being ubi ...
(), stir-fried prawn noodles cooked in a broth made from prawn heads and pork bones, topped with ingredients such as prawns, sliced pork belly, squid, egg, lard, and served with sambal chilli and lime at the side. * Hainanese chicken rice () is based on the Hainanese dish
Wenchang chicken Wenchang chicken () is a type of chicken breed and a chicken dish from the Wenchang city area in the island province of Hainan, China. The Chicken This variety of small, fleshy free-range chicken is fed coconut and peanut bran. During the last ...
. It is considered Singapore's national dish. *
Hainanese curry rice Hainanese curry rice is a Singaporean dish consisting of steamed white rice smothered in a mess of curries and gravy, characteristically accompanied by curry chicken, pork chop, chap chye (braised cabbage) and kong bak (braised pork). It origina ...
is a dish consisting of steamed white rice smothered in a mess of curries and braised gravy. *
Har cheong gai Har cheong gai (), is a Malaysian Singaporean fried chicken dish, consisting of fried chicken wings in a batter with fermented shrimp paste. Description Har cheong gai is regarded as one of the most popular family fried chicken dishes in Singa ...
(), chicken wings fried in a batter with fermented shrimp paste. * Hokkien mee (), egg noodles and rice noodles stir-fried with egg, slices of pork, prawns and squid, and served and garnished with spring onion, lard, sambal chilli and lime (for adding lime juice to the dish). *
Ham chim peng ''Ham chim peng'' (), also spelt ''hum chim peng'', known in Singapore and Malaysia as ''haam ji peng'', ''hum ji peng'', or ''ham ji peng'', is a deep-fried hollow doughnut of Chinese origin. Commonly eaten as a breakfast food, it is sometimes f ...
(), a deep-fried bun-like pastry sometimes filled with bean paste. * Kaya toast, a traditional breakfast dish. Kaya is a sweet coconut and egg jam which is spread over toasted bread. Combined with a cup of local coffee and a half-boiled egg, this constitutes a typical Singaporean breakfast. * Kway chap / kuay chap (), a Teochew dish of flat, broad rice sheets in a soup made with dark soy sauce, served with pig offal, braised duck meat, various kinds of beancurd, preserved salted vegetables, and braised hard-boiled eggs. *
Mee pok ''Mee pok'' is a Chinese noodle characterized by its flat and yellow appearance, varying in thickness and width. The dish is of Teochew origin and is commonly served in the Chaoshan region of China and countries with a significant Teochew Chin ...
(), a noodle dish characterised by its flat and yellow appearance, varying in thickness and width. * Min chiang kueh (), a thick, chewy pancake with a ground peanut and sugar filling. Other variations include grated coconut and red bean paste. This traditional snack also is served in blueberry, cheese and chocolate varieties. * Oyster omelette (蠔烙; ''háolào''), a dish of omelette cooked with fresh raw oysters, tapioca starch and eggs. * Pig's brain soup (), a soup dish comprising pig brain with Chinese herbs. * Pig fallopian tubes, a dish comprising stir-fried pig Fallopian tubes with vegetables and sambal chilli. * Pig's organ soup (), a soup-based variant of kuay chap * Pig's trotters usually braised in black sauce and vinegar. * Popiah (), Hokkien/Teochew-style spring roll or rolled crêpe, stuffed with stewed turnip, Chinese sausage, shrimp and lettuce. *
Shredded chicken noodles Shredding, shred, shredder, or shredders may refer to: Equipment * Industrial shredder * Paper shredder * Scrap metal shredder * Woodchipper, or tree shredder Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Shred'' (film), a 2008 film by David Mitch ...
(), a noodles dish topped with shredded chicken, fish dumpling and mushroom. *
Sliced fish soup Sliced fish soup is a dish in Singapore, believed to have originated from the Teochews. It consists of fish, vegetables, and beancurd; with the addition of cuttlefish and prawns, the dish is called seafood soup. It is sold in most hawker centres ...
(), a soup dish consisting of fish and vegetables. * Soon kway (), a white vegetable dumpling with black soy sauce. *
Teochew porridge Teochew porridge (; Teochew pronunciation in Tâi-lô: ''Tiô-tsiu-muê'') is a Teochew rice porridge dish often accompanied with various small plates of side dishes. Teochew porridge is served as a banquet of meats, fish egg, and vegetables t ...
(), a rice porridge dish consumed with a selection of local side dishes. * Turtle soup (), a soup or stew made from turtle flesh. *
Vegetarian bee hoon Vegetarian bee hoon is a Singaporean noodle dish which comprises vegetarian spring rolls, fried tofu skin, and mock meats made from gluten. Usually, the bee hoon is fried first and put in a large container, when an order is placed, other cooke ...
(), thin braised rice vermicelli to which a choice of various gluten, vegetable, or beancurd-based delicacies may be added. * Yong Tau Foo (), a dish that contains a varied selection of food items, including tofu filled with ground meat mixture or fish paste, fish balls, crab sticks, an assortment of vegetables and meat. * Youtiao (), also called yew char kueh (), fried dough crullers similar to those served in other Chinese cuisines around the world. *
Yam ring Yam ring (), also known as yam basket, taro basket or prosperity basket (), is a Singaporean dish consisting of a deep-fried ring of mashed taro filled with separately stir-fried ingredients. Originally a vegetarian dish, it is now commonly ser ...
(), a deep-fried ring of taro filled with stir-fried ingredients File:Newton HokkienMee.JPG, Hokkien mee File:Singapore Beef Fried Rice by Banej.jpg, Beef fried rice topped with a sunny side up egg File:Kaya Toast with Coffee.jpg, Kaya toast, a traditional breakfast dish


Malay

Situated between Malaysia and Indonesia, Singaporean Malay dishes are influenced by the food of the neighbouring Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java and the Riau Islands. Despite absorbing regional influences, it tends to be adapted to local tastes and differs from their counterparts in neighbouring countries. Although Malays, such as the Orang Laut, are native to Singapore, most Malays in Singapore today are descended from native Indonesians or native Malays from present-day Malaysia. Hence, Singaporean Malay cuisine features a unique set of influences, especially from Minang cuisine. Spices and coconut milk are common ingredients, although Chinese ingredients such as taupok (tofu puffs) and tofu (known as tauhu in Malay) have been integrated. Many Chinese and Tamil Muslim adaptations of the following dishes also exist. As almost all Malays are Muslims, pork is not used as it is prohibited in
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
. * Acar, pickled vegetables or fruits with dried chilli, peanuts, and spices. Indian and Peranakan versions can also be found. * Assam pedas, seafood and vegetables cooked in a sauce consisting of tamarind, coconut milk, chilli, and spices. * Ayam penyet, fried chicken dish consisting of fried chicken that is smashed with the pestle against mortar to make it softer and a relatively new culinary phenomenon of Indonesian origin. * Bakso, also Ba'so, meatballs served with noodles. * Begedil, mashed potato mixture that is fried into patties and eaten together with mee soto. * Curry puff, also known as epok-epok, a flaky pastry usually stuffed with curry chicken, potato cubes, and a slice of hard-boiled egg. Sardines are sometimes used in place of chicken. * Dendeng paru, a dish of dried beef lung cooked in spices. * Goreng pisang, bananas rolled in flour, fried, and eaten as a snack. * Gudeg putih, white jackfruit curry. * Gulai daun ubi, sweet potato leaves stewed in coconut milk. * Keropok, deep fried crackers usually flavoured with shrimp, but sometimes with fish or vegetables. * Ketupat, rice cakes steamed in a square-shaped coconut leaf wrapping and usually served with satay. * Lemak siput, shellfish cooked in a thick coconut milk-based gravy. * Lontong, compressed rice cakes (see ketupat) in a spicy vegetable soup. * Nagasari, a rice snack with Indonesian origins. * Nasi goreng, steamed rice stir-fried in a wok, often mixed with other ingredients, such as eggs, vegetables and meat. * Nasi Padang, a steamed white rice served with an array – sometimes as many as 12, or more – of pre-cooked dishes, the mini banquet usually laid out in small plates. * Otak-otak/otah, spicy fish cake grilled in a banana leaf wrapping. *
Pecel lele Pecel lele or pecak lele is an Indonesian deep-fried ''Clarias'' catfish dish originating from Lamongan, East Java, Indonesia. Dish It consists of catfish served with traditional ''sambal'' chili paste, often served with fried tempeh and/or tof ...
, fried catfish served with chilli paste. *
Rawon Rawon ( Javanese: ) is an Indonesian beef soup. Originating from East Java, rawon utilizes the black keluak nut as the main seasoning, which gives a dark color and nutty flavor to the soup. Ingredients The soup is composed of a ground mix ...
, beef soup. *
Rojak bandung Rujak ( Indonesian spelling) or Rojak ( Malay spelling) is a salad dish of Javanese origin, commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The most popular variant in all three countries is a salad composed of a mixture of sliced fruit an ...
, a variant of Singaporean style rojak. * Roti john, an omelette sandwich. * Sambal, not a dish in itself, but a common chilli-based accompaniment to most foods. * Satay, grilled meat on skewers served with satay sauce (a spicy peanut sauce) and usually eaten with ketupat, cucumber and onions. * Sayur lodeh, a mix of vegetables in coconut milk. * Soto, a soup dish mainly composed of meat and vegetables. * Soto ayam, a spicy chicken soup that features chicken shreds, rice cakes and sometimes begedil. * Tumpeng, a cone-shaped rice dish of Javanese origin. It is served with side dishes of vegetables and meat.


Indian

Like other Singaporean ethnic cuisines, Indian Singaporean cuisine has been influenced by multiple cultural groups. Dishes from both North India and South India can be found in Singapore. * Appam, a fermented rice pancake. * Dosa, rice and lentil pancake. Commonly served as a "masala" version that includes spiced potatoes and is served with different types of sambar. * Murtabak, an Indian-Muslim dish originating from the Middle East. It consists of folded dough stuffed with spiced minced meat, onions and egg, and is often served with curry. * Naan, an Indian oven-baked flatbread. *
Putu mayam Idiyappam ( ta, இடியப்பம்/இடியாப்பம், Malayalam: ഇടിയപ്പം), also known as string hopper, ''indiappa'' ( Sinhala: ඉඳිආප්ප), ''noolputtu'' ( ta, நூல்புட்டு, M ...
rice flour noodle served with sugar and coconut usually eaten for breakfast. * Roti prata, a local evolution of the Indian paratha. It is a popular dish for breakfast and supper. It is a fried bread pancake that is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The dough is flipped to attain the right texture, then cooked quickly on a greased stove and served with curry or sugar. A plethora of modern variations are available, including egg, cheese, chocolate,
masala Masala, Massala or MASALA may refer to: Spice * Masala (spice), any of the many spice mixes used in South Asian cuisine ** Masala chai, a flavoured tea beverage ** Masala incense, Indian incense using a spice mix ** Masala dosa, an Indian dish Pl ...
, durian and even ice cream. * Soup kambing, a local Tamil-Muslim dish of spiced mutton soup. * Soup tulang, a local Tamil-Muslim dish of mutton or beef leg bones stewed in a spice. The bones are broken to allow the marrow to be eaten. * Soup tulang merah, is a dish consisting of mutton or beef bones stewed in a sweet and spicy red soup of mutton stock, tomatoes, ginger, chillies and spices. It is considered a Singapore invention * Tandoori chicken, chicken marinated in a mixture of spices and yogurt and cooked in a clay oven. *
Vadai Vada is a category of savoury fried snacks native to South India. Vadas can be described variously as fritters, cutlets, or dumplings. Alternative names for this food include vadai, vade, and bada. Vadas are sometimes stuffed with vegetables and ...
, spicy, deep-fried snacks that are made from dhal, lentils or potato.


Cross-cultural

A number of dishes, listed below, can be considered as truly hybrid or multi-ethnic food. * Ayam buah keluak, a Peranakan dish of chicken stewed with spices and Southeast Asian black nuts (buah keluak). * Biryani (Indian variant) or Nasi Briyani (Malay variant), a popular mixed rice dish commonly found in places offering Malay or Indian food. * Cereal prawns (), stir-fried prawns with sweetened cereal. *
Chili Crab Pasta Chili or chilli may refer to: Food * Chili pepper, the spicy fruit of plants in the genus ''Capsicum''; sometimes spelled "chilli" in the UK and "chile" in the southwestern US * Chili powder, the dried, pulverized fruit of one or more varietie ...
, pasta served with chili crab. * Laksa lemak, a Peranakan dish of vermicelli noodles and fried bean curd served in a creamy coconut sauce with slices of shrimp, fish, and cockles. * Fish head curry, a dish created by Singapore's Malayali (an Indian ethnic group from Kerala) community with some Chinese and Malay influences. The head of a red snapper (''ikan merah'', literally "red fish") stewed in curry consisting of varying amounts of coconut milk and tamarind juice, along with vegetables ( okra and
eggplant Eggplant ( US, Canada), aubergine ( UK, Ireland) or brinjal (Indian subcontinent, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa) is a plant species in the nightshade family Solanaceae. ''Solanum melongena'' is grown worldwide for its edible fruit. Mos ...
are common). Usually served with either rice or bread. * Kari debal / Devil's curry, a Eurasian Singaporean curry dish with Portuguese and Peranakan influences. Includes chicken, cabbage, sausage, and bacon pieces stewed in a curry sauce. * Kari lemak ayam, a Peranakan chicken curry with a coconut milk base * Katong Laksa, a Singaporean thick rice noodles (bee hoon) in a coconut curry gravy with prawn and egg. Sometimes chicken, tau pok (beancurd puffs) or fish cake may be added. *
Kueh tutu ''Putu piring'' is a round-shaped, traditional Steaming, steamed rice flour ''kue'' or sweet snack filled with palm sugar. It is found in Singaporean cuisine, Singapore, Malaysian cuisine, Malaysia, and Southern Thai cuisine, Thailand under v ...
steamed rice flour pastries with a sweet shredded coconut or peanut filling *
Kueh pie tee Kueh Pie Tee is a thin and crispy pastry tart shell kuih often filled with a spicy, shredded Chinese turnips, sweet mixture of thinly sliced vegetables and prawns. It is a popular Peranakan dish, that is often consumed during Chinese New Year o ...
, a thin and crispy pastry tart shell filled with a spicy, sweet mixture of thinly sliced vegetables and prawns. * Kway teow goreng, stir-fried flat rice noodles. * Mee rebus, egg noodles with a spicy slightly sweet curry-like gravy. The gravy is made from sweet potatoes, curry powder, water, salted soybeans, dried shrimp and peanuts. * Mee siam, a dish of thin rice vermicelli. * Mee goreng, yellow egg noodles stir fried with ghee, tomato sauce, chilli, eggs, vegetables, and various meats and seafood. *
Mee soto ''Soto mie'', ''Soto mi'', or ''Mee soto'' is a spicy Indonesian noodle soup dish commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. ''Mie'' means noodle made of flour, salt and egg, while '' soto'' refers to Indonesian soup. In Indonesia, ...
, a spicy noodle soup dish. * Rojak, a traditional fruit and vegetable salad dish of Indian origin and with Malay/Indonesian influences. * Sambal kangkong, a dish of water spinach (''kangkong'') fried in sambal. * Satay bee hoon, rice noodles served with cuttlefish, fried bean curd puffs, cockles and water spinach in satay sauce. *
Tauhu goreng Tahu goreng (Indonesian spelling) or Tauhu goreng (Malaysian and Singaporean spelling) is a generic name for any type of fried tofu dish in the cuisines of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Preparation When preparing the dish, cakes of hard ...
, fried bean curd with sweet sauce. * "Western Food" in hawker centres where "Singapore-style" chicken chop (topped with black pepper or mushroom sauce), chicken cutlet, pork chop are available. These are usually served with fries/mashed potato, coleslaw and baked beans. This style is often called "Hainanese Western food" due to the fact that it traces its origins to Hainanese immigrants who worked as cooks in the kitchens of Western employers.


Seafood

Singaporeans also enjoy a wide variety of seafood including fish, squid (known as ''sotong'' in Malay), stingray, crab, lobster, clams, and oysters. Popular seafood dishes include: *
Black pepper crab Black pepper crab is one of the two most popular ways that crab is served in Singaporean cuisine. It is made with hard-shell crabs, and fried with black pepper. Unlike the other popular chilli crab dish, it is not cooked in a sauce and therefore h ...
, hard shell crabs cooked in a black pepper sauce. Salted Egg crab and buttermilk crab are also common. * Chilli crab, hard shell crabs cooked in chilli sauce, usually served with
man tou ''Mantou'' (), often referred to as Chinese steamed bun, is a white and soft type of steamed bread or bun popular in northern China. Folk etymology connects the name ''mantou'' to a tale about Zhuge Liang. Description ''Mantou'' are typ ...
, or deep fried buns. * Oyster omelette, an oyster omelette mixed with flour and fried, served garnished with coriander. *
Sambal lala Sambal is an Indonesian chilli sauce or paste, typically made from a mixture of a variety of chilli peppers with secondary ingredients, such as shrimp paste, garlic, ginger, shallot, scallion, palm sugar, and lime juice. ''Sambal'' is a ...
, soft shell clams fried with sambal sauce *
Sambal stingray Sambal stingray, also known as Spicy Banana Leaf Stingray and by the Malay name Ikan bakar (barbecued fish), is a Malaysian/Singaporean seafood dish. Prepared by barbecuing stingray, it is served with sambal paste atop. Sambal stingray can be eas ...
/''hang hir'' (), smothered in sambal and served on banana leaf, also known as ''ikan bakar'' in Malay.


Fruit

A wide variety of tropical fruits are available all year round. By far the most well known is the
durian The durian (, ) is the edible fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus ''Durio''. There are 30 recognised ''Durio'' species, at least nine of which produce edible fruit. ''Durio zibethinus'', native to Borneo and Sumatra, is the onl ...
, known as the "King of Fruits", which produces a characteristic odour from the creamy yellow custard-like flesh within its spiky green or brown shell. Durians are banned on public transport, elevators, certain hotels, and public buildings because of their strong odour. Other popular tropical fruits include mangosteen, jackfruit, longan, lychee, rambutan,
soursop Soursop (also called ''graviola, guyabano'', and in Hispanic America, ''guanábana'') is the fruit of ''Annona muricata'', a broadleaf, flowering, evergreen tree. It is native to the tropical regions of the Americas and the Caribbean and is wid ...
, pineapple and
mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...
. Some of these fruits also are used as ingredients for other dishes: iced desserts, sweet-and-sour pork, and certain types of salad such as rojak.


Desserts

Singaporean desserts have a varied history. A typical food court or hawker centre dessert stall will usually have a large variety of desserts available, including but not limited to: * Bubur cha cha, a dish of pearled sago, sweet potatoes, yams, bananas, black-eyed peas, pandan leaves, sugar, and salt cooked in coconut milk and served hot or cold. * Chendol, basic version consist of pandan jelly strips with coconut milk and gula melaka syrup with shaved iced; other ingredients which could be added are red beans, sweet corns, ice cream and even durians. *
Cheng tng ''Ching bo leung'' (; also spelt ''ching po leung'' or ''qing bu liang'') is a sweet, cold soup of Chinese origin and commonly served in Cantonese cuisine, Hainanese cuisine and Guangxi cuisine. It is a type of '' tong sui''. It is known as '' ...
(), a light, refreshing soup with longan, barley,
agar Agar ( or ), or agar-agar, is a jelly-like substance consisting of polysaccharides obtained from the cell walls of some species of red algae, primarily from ogonori (''Gracilaria'') and "tengusa" (''Gelidiaceae''). As found in nature, agar is ...
strips, lotus seeds and a sweet syrup, served either hot or cold. It is analogous to the Cantonese Ching bo leung. *
Ice kacang ''Ais kacang'' (), literally meaning "bean ice", also commonly known as ABC (acronym for ''air batu campur'' (), meaning "mixed ice"), is a Malaysian dessert which is common in Malaysia, Singapore (where it is called ice ''kachang'') and Brunei ...
, a mound of grated ice on a base consisting of jelly, red beans, corn and attap seeds, topped with various kinds of coloured sugar syrups,
palm sugar Palm sugar is a sweetener derived from any variety of palm tree. Palm sugar is sometimes qualified by the type of palm, as in coconut palm sugar. While sugars from different palms may have slightly different compositions, all are processed s ...
, rose syrup and evaporated milk. * Kuih or kueh, small cakes or coconut milk based desserts that come in a variety of flavours, usually containing fruit such as durian or banana. Pandan is a common flavouring. ** Kueh laddu are ball-shaped sweets. ** Kueh lapis is a rich, multi-layered cake-style kueh using a large amount of egg whites and studded with prunes. ** Kueh modak are rice flour dumplings stuffed with coconut and palm sugar. ** Lapis sagu is also a popular kueh with layers of alternating colour and a sweet, coconut taste. * Orh-nee (), a Teochew dish consisting of taro (locally known as "yam") paste, coconut paste and ginkgo nuts. * Pulut hitam, a creamy dessert made of black glutinous rice and served with coconut cream. * Tau suan (),
mung bean The mung bean (''Vigna radiata''), alternatively known as the green gram, maash ( fa, ماش٫ )٫ mūng (), monggo, or munggo (Philippines), is a plant species in the legume family.Brief Introduction of Mung Bean. Vigna Radiata Extract G ...
s in jelly, served hot with dough crullers.


Ice cream sandwich

Wafer ice cream sandwiches are a popular dish sold by street vendors operating carts on busy street corners. These carts carry a variety of flavours, including but not limited to vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, coffee, sweet corn, coconut, and durian. While some vendors sell their ice cream in cups or cones, as is common in the West, the more popular variant is on slices of bread or between wafers. The ice cream consists of sealed blocks which are sliced to order and then placed on a single slice of over-sized, often multicolored bread. This can be either white bread or a slice of multicolored, slightly sweetened bread (dyed with food colouring and flavoured with pandan leaf extract). A sandwich costs around S$1 but may cost up to S$2 or more in downtown areas and tourist spots.


Drinks and beverages

Popular Singaporean drinks include: *
Bandung Bandung ( su, ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, Bandung, ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of West Java. It has a population of 2,452,943 within its city limits according to the official estimates as at mid 2021, making it the fourth most ...
, rose syrup with evaporated milk. * Beer in Singapore * Chin chow drink (), grass jelly made into a sweet beverage. * Kopi, the local coffee in Singapore. Singapore's kopi lingo is mixed with various languages. ** Kopi: Coffee with sugar and condensed milk ** Kopi-O: Coffee with sugar ** Kopi-O-Kosong: Coffee without sugar and evaporated milk ** Kopi-C: Coffee with sugar and evaporated milk ** Kopi-Peng: Iced coffee with sugar and condensed milk ** Kopi-Siew-Dai: Coffee with less sugar and condensed milk ** Kopi-Siew-Siew-Dai: Coffee with little sugar and condensed milk ** Kopi-Ga-Dai: Coffee with extra sugar and condensed milk ** Kopi-Gao: Coffee with sugar, condensed milk and extra thick concentrated coffee ** Kopi-Di-Lo: Coffee with no dilution    ** Kopi-Poh: Coffee with extra dilution    * Lemon barley drink * Water chestnut drink * Horlicks, malt milk drink. Variations include the Horlicks Dinosaur, a standard Horlicks drink topped with a scoop of Horlicks powder. * Milo, chocolate/malt milk drink. Variations include the Milo Dinosaur, a standard Milo drink topped with a scoop of Milo powder. *
Sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...
juice, usually blended to order from fresh sugar cane stalks. * Teh halia tarik, ginger tea with "pulled" milk (tarik) * Singapore Sling. While the cocktail was invented in Singapore's Raffles Hotel, and is still served at the hotel's Long Bar, it is not common in most Singaporean bars.


Singaporean dishes uncommon in Singapore

*
Singapore style noodles Singapore-style noodles () is a dish of stir-fried cooked rice vermicelli, curry powder, vegetables, scrambled eggs and meat, most commonly chicken, beef, ''char siu'' pork, or prawns. Singapore noodles are a Cantonese creation, and are very com ...
(), an American Chinese dish featuring fried rice vermicelli flavoured with yellow curry powder, is not found in Singapore. The close relative to this dish is fried bee hoon (thin rice noodles). * Singapore fried ''kway tiao'' (), a dish featuring fried thick, flat rice noodles flavoured with dark soy sauce commonly available in some Chinese restaurants in Canada and the United States, is also not a Singaporean dish. The dish most resembling it is char kway teow. File:Singapore Sling.jpg, Singapore Sling File:Singapore style noodles.jpg,
Singapore style noodles Singapore-style noodles () is a dish of stir-fried cooked rice vermicelli, curry powder, vegetables, scrambled eggs and meat, most commonly chicken, beef, ''char siu'' pork, or prawns. Singapore noodles are a Cantonese creation, and are very com ...


See also

* Culture of Singapore * Gastronomy in Singapore * List of coffeehouse chains *
List of chicken restaurants This is a list of notable chicken restaurants. This list includes casual dining, fast casual and fast food restaurants which typically specialize in chicken dishes such as fried chicken, chicken and waffles, Chicken sandwiches or chicken and ...
* List of countries with organic agriculture regulation * List of shopping malls in Singapore *
List of supermarket chains in Singapore This is a list of supermarket chains in Asia. Afghanistan * Chelsea Supermarket * Spinneys Armenia * Carrefour * SPAR Azerbaijan * Araz Supermarket Bahrain China Cyprus * Carrefour * Lidl * METRO (supermarket) * Olympic Egypt Ge ...
*
List of vegetarian restaurants This is a list of vegetarian and vegan restaurants. Vegetarian cuisine refers to food that meets vegetarian standards by not including meat and animal tissue products. For lacto-ovo vegetarianism (the most common type of vegetarianism in the Wes ...
* List of restaurants in Singapore *
List of Singaporean dishes This is a list of Singaporean dishes. Singaporean cuisine includes both unique dishes and others that, while sharing names with dishes in other cuisines, have evolved to mean something distinctly different in Singapore. Noodle dishes Main dish ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuisine Of Singapore Southeast Asian cuisine