Singaporean Cuisine
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Singaporean cuisine is derived from several
ethnic groups An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
in
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
and has developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes in the cosmopolitan
city-state A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...
. 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, the
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
and the Indians as well as
Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...
,
Peranakan The Peranakans () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula, ...
and
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
traditions (particularly
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
and
Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...
-influenced
Eurasian Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Ja ...
, 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 Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
, and
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
are also present. In Singapore, food is viewed as crucial to its national identity and a unifying cultural thread.
Singaporean literature The literature of Singapore comprises a collection of literary works by Singaporeans. It is written chiefly in the country's four official languages: English, Malay, Standard Mandarin and Tamil. While Singaporean literary works may be considered ...
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 Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...
do not eat pork and Hindus do not eat beef, and there is also a significant group of
vegetarians Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarianism ma ...
/
vegans Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. D ...
. 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 British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
colony In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the ''metropole, metropolit ...
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 The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent forma ...
during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. 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 Laksa is a spicy noodle dish popular in Southeast Asia. Laksa consists of various types of noodles, most commonly thick rice noodles, with toppings such as chicken, prawn or fish. Most variations of laksa are prepared with a rich and spicy coco ...
,
biryani Biryani () is a mixed rice dish originating among the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. It is made with Indian spices, rice, and usually some type of meat ( chicken, beef, goat, lamb, prawn, fish) or in some cases without any meat, ...
and
betel quid Betel nut chewing, also called betel quid chewing or areca nut chewing, is a practice in which areca nuts (also called "betel nuts") are chewed together with slaked lime and betel leaves for their stimulant and narcotic effects. The practice ...
. 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 Fish head curry is a Singaporean dish deriving from a hybrid of Indian and Chinese ethnic cuisines. The head of a red snapper is stewed in a curry with assorted vegetables such as okra and eggplants. It is usually served with either rice or brea ...
,
Kaya toast Kaya toast is a dish consisting of two slices of toast with butter and kaya (coconut jam), commonly served alongside coffee and soft-boiled eggs. In Singapore, the dish is commonly consumed for breakfast. It became integrated into kopi tiam (c ...
and
Hainanese chicken rice Hainanese chicken rice is a dish of poached chicken and seasoned rice, served with chilli sauce and usually with cucumber garnishes. It was created by immigrants from Hainan in southern China and adapted from the Hainanese dish Wenchang chic ...
, 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 A coolie (also spelled koelie, kuli, khuli, khulie, cooli, cooly, or quli) is a term for a low-wage labourer, typically of South Asian or East Asian descent. The word ''coolie'' was first popularized in the 16th century by European traders acros ...
, 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 centre A hawker centre or cooked food centre is an open-air complex commonly found in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. They were built to provide a more sanitary alternative to mobile hawker carts and contain many stalls that sell different variet ...
s,
coffee shops A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-caf ...
or food courts 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 Flat or flats may refer to: Architecture * Flat (housing), an apartment in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and other Commonwealth countries Arts and entertainment * Flat (music), a symbol () which denotes a lower pitch * Flat (soldier), ...
. 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 Geylang is a planning area and township located on the eastern fringe of the Central Region of Singapore, bordering Hougang and Toa Payoh in the north, Marine Parade in the south, Bedok in the east, and Kallang in the west. Geylang is perha ...
, 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 Kaya toast is a dish consisting of two slices of toast with butter and kaya (coconut jam), commonly served alongside coffee and soft-boiled eggs. In Singapore, the dish is commonly consumed for breakfast. It became integrated into kopi tiam (c ...
,
chilli 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. Mud crabs are commonly used and are stir-fried i ...
,
fish head curry Fish head curry is a Singaporean dish deriving from a hybrid of Indian and Chinese ethnic cuisines. The head of a red snapper is stewed in a curry with assorted vegetables such as okra and eggplants. It is usually served with either rice or brea ...
, laksa,
roti prata Roti canai (pronunciation: /tʃanaɪ/) or roti prata, also known as roti chenai and roti cane (/tʃane/), is an Indian flatbread dish found in several countries in Southeast Asia, especially in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thaila ...
and
Hainanese chicken rice Hainanese chicken rice is a dish of poached chicken and seasoned rice, served with chilli sauce and usually with cucumber garnishes. It was created by immigrants from Hainan in southern China and adapted from the Hainanese dish Wenchang chic ...
, 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 Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and specia ...
and
Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle () is a street food stall in Kallang, Singapore. It is owned and run by Tang Chay Seng. In 2016, it became one of the first two street food locations in the world to be awarded a star in the Michelin Guide. Desc ...
became the first two street food locations in the world to be awarded a Michelin star. 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 The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
's
Representative list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergove ...
. 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 Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...
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 ''Nian gao'' (年糕; also ''niangao''; ''nin4 gou1'' in Cantonese), sometimes translated as year cake or New Year cake or Chinese New Year's cake, is a food prepared from glutinous rice flour and consumed in Chinese cuisine. It is also simply ...
, 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 CNN International (CNNI, simply branded on-air as CNN) is an international television channel that is owned by CNN Global. CNN International carries news-related programming worldwide; it cooperates with sister network CNN's national and inter ...
. They are
Hainanese chicken rice Hainanese chicken rice is a dish of poached chicken and seasoned rice, served with chilli sauce and usually with cucumber garnishes. It was created by immigrants from Hainan in southern China and adapted from the Hainanese dish Wenchang chic ...
(13th), chili crab (29th),
Katong Laksa Katong laksa is a variant of laksa lemak inspired by the Peranakans who live in the precinct of Katong in Singapore. It has an orangey-yellow colour spicy soup stock, flavoured with coconut milk and dried shrimp, topped with ingredients like coc ...
(44th) and
roti prata Roti canai (pronunciation: /tʃanaɪ/) or roti prata, also known as roti chenai and roti cane (/tʃane/), is an Indian flatbread dish found in several countries in Southeast Asia, especially in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thaila ...
(45th). Anthony Bourdain 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 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 Chen Xing (born 1980 or 1981), better known as Mike "Mikey" Xing Chen, is a Chinese-born American YouTuber. A former staff member of New Tang Dynasty Television's YouTube channel Off the Great Wall, Chen is notable for his YouTube channel Stri ...
, 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 Tourism Board (STB) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Government of Singapore, tasked to promote the country's tourism industry. History The board was first established on 1 January 1964 and w ...
. 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 Hainanese chicken rice is a dish of poached chicken and seasoned rice, served with chilli sauce and usually with cucumber garnishes. It was created by immigrants from Hainan in southern China and adapted from the Hainanese dish Wenchang chic ...
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 Kaya toast is a dish consisting of two slices of toast with butter and kaya (coconut jam), commonly served alongside coffee and soft-boiled eggs. In Singapore, the dish is commonly consumed for breakfast. It became integrated into kopi tiam (c ...
is the representative dish, primarily due to the use of
kaya Kaya may refer to: People *Kaya (given name) *Kaya (surname) Places *Kaya, Burkina Faso, a town in Burkina Faso, capital of the department *Kaya Airport, serving the town * Kaya Department, a department or commune of Sanmatenga Province in centr ...
. "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 egg Boiled eggs are eggs, typically from a chicken, cooked with their shells unbroken, usually by immersion in boiling water. Hard-boiled eggs are cooked so that the egg white and egg yolk both solidify, while soft-boiled eggs may leave the yolk, ...
s.


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 The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...
, Teochew,
Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...
,
Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...
and Hainanese). 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 ''Bak kut teh'' (also spelt bah kut teh and abbreviated BKT; , Teochew dialect, Teochew Pe̍h-uē-jī: ''nêg8-gug4-dê5'') is a pork rib dish cooked in broth popularly served in Malaysia and Singapore where there is a predominant Hoklo people ...
(), 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 Peranakan cuisine or Nyonya cuisine comes from the Peranakans, descendants of early Chinese migrants who settled in Penang, Malacca, Singapore and Indonesia, inter-marrying with local Malays. In Baba Malay, a female Peranakan is known as a ...
. *
Bak Chor Mee ''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 ...
(), 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 Banmian () or pan mee ( nan, pán-mī) is a popular Chinese noodle dish, consisting of handmade noodles served in soup. Other types of handmade noodles include youmian (similar dough texture and taste, but thinner round noodles), or mee hoon ...
(), hand-made flat noodles served with vegetables, minced meat, sliced mushrooms, and an egg in an
anchovy An anchovy is a small, common forage fish of the family Engraulidae. Most species are found in marine waters, but several will enter brackish water, and some in South America are restricted to fresh water. More than 140 species are placed in 1 ...
-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 ''Chai tow kway'' is a common dish or dim sum of Teochew cuisine in Chaoshan, China. It is also popular in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam, consisting of stir-fried cubes of radish cake. Ingredients It is made w ...
(), also known as char kway () or carrot cake, is a dish of steamed
radish The radish (''Raphanus raphanistrum'' subsp. ''sativus'') is an edible root vegetable of the family Brassicaceae that was domesticated in Asia prior to Roman times. Radishes are grown and consumed throughout the world, being mostly eaten raw ...
/
daikon Daikon or mooli, ''Raphanus sativus'' var. ''longipinnatus,'' is a mild-flavored winter radish usually characterized by fast-growing leaves and a long, white, root. Originally native to continental East Asia, daikon is harvested and consumed ...
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 ''Char kway teow'' () is a stir-fried rice noodle dish from Maritime Southeast Asia and is of southern Chinese origin. In Hokkien and Teochew, ''char'' means 'stir-fried' and ''kway teow'' refers to flat rice noodles. It is made from flat r ...
(), 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 ''Char siu'' () is a Chinese, specifically Cantonese–style of barbecued pork. Originating in Guangdong, it is eaten with rice, used as an ingredient for noodle dishes or in stir fries, and as a filling for '' chasiu baau'' or '' pineapple ...
(), also romanised cha-su, cha siu, cha sio, caa siu and char siew, is barbecued pork in Cantonese cuisine. * Chicken noodles is an egg noodle dish with diced chicken meat. *
Chwee kueh ''Chwee kueh'' (), also spelt ''chwee kwee'' or ''chwee kweh,'' is a type of steamed rice cake originating in Teochew cuisine that is served with preserved radish. History During the 19th century, many Teochew people moved to Singapore, bringing ...
(水粿; ''chúi-kóe),'' a type of steamed rice cake served with preserved radish. * Crab bee hoon () is a rice vermicelli dish served with whole
mud crab Mud crab may refer to any crab that lives in or near mud, such as: *'' Scylla serrata'' *'' Scylla tranquebarica'' *'' Scylla paramamosain'' *'' Scylla olivacea'' *Members of the family Panopeidae, such as '' Panopeus herbstii'' *Members of the ...
. It may be served dry or in soup and sometimes in a
claypot Clay pot cooking is a process of cooking food in a pot made of unglazed or glazed pottery. History Cooking in unglazed clay pots which are first immersed in water dates at least to the Etruscans in first century BC but likely dates to several ...
. * Drunken prawns (), 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 Duck rice () is a Singaporean dish made of either braised or roasted duck and plain white rice. The braised duck is usually cooked with yam and shrimps; it can be served simply with plain white rice and a thick dark sauce; side dishes of braised h ...
(), 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 Hainanese chicken rice is a dish of poached chicken and seasoned rice, served with chilli sauce and usually with cucumber garnishes. It was created by immigrants from Hainan in southern China and adapted from the Hainanese dish Wenchang chic ...
() is based on the Hainanese dish Wenchang chicken. It is considered Singapore's national dish. * Hainanese curry rice is a dish consisting of steamed white rice smothered in a mess of curries and braised gravy. * Har cheong gai (), chicken wings fried in a batter with fermented
shrimp paste Shrimp paste or prawn sauce is a fermented condiment commonly used in Southeast Asian and Southern Chinese cuisines. It is primarily made from finely crushed shrimp or krill mixed with salt, and then fermented for several weeks. They are ei ...
. *
Hokkien 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 ...
(), 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 Kaya toast is a dish consisting of two slices of toast with butter and kaya (coconut jam), commonly served alongside coffee and soft-boiled eggs. In Singapore, the dish is commonly consumed for breakfast. It became integrated into kopi tiam (c ...
, a traditional breakfast dish.
Kaya Kaya may refer to: People *Kaya (given name) *Kaya (surname) Places *Kaya, Burkina Faso, a town in Burkina Faso, capital of the department *Kaya Airport, serving the town * Kaya Department, a department or commune of Sanmatenga Province in centr ...
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 200px, Taiwanese style Oyster omelette The oyster omelette, as known as o-a-tsian (), o-chien () or orh luak (; Peng'im: ''o5 luah4'') is a dish of Banlamese (both Hokkien and Teochew) origin that is renowned for its savory flavor in its native ...
(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 Pig's organ soup () or ''chheng-thng'' (), is a Malaysian and Singaporean soup that is made from pork offal. The dish is a clear soup, served with other optional side dishes as well as rice. Content and variations The broth is boiled from a m ...
(), a soup-based variant of kuay chap *
Pig's trotters A pig's trotter, also known as a pettitoe, or sometimes known as a pig's foot, is the culinary term for the foot of a Domestic pig, pig. The cuts are used in various dishes around the world, and experienced a resurgence in the late 2000s. Descri ...
usually braised in black sauce and vinegar. *
Popiah Popiah () is a Fujianese/ Teochew-style fresh spring roll filled with an assortment of fresh, dried, and cooked ingredients, eaten during the Qingming Festival and other celebratory occasions. ''The dish is'' made by the people and diaspora of ...
(), Hokkien/Teochew-style
spring roll Spring rolls are rolled appetizers or dim sum commonly found in Chinese and other Southeast Asian cuisines. The kind of wrapper, fillings, and cooking technique used, as well as the name, vary considerably within this large area, depending o ...
or rolled
crêpe A crêpe or crepe ( or , , Quebec French: ) is a very thin type of pancake. Crêpes are usually one of two varieties: ''sweet crêpes'' () or ''savoury galettes'' (). They are often served with a wide variety of fillings such as cheese, ...
, 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 Mitchel ...
(), a noodles dish topped with shredded chicken, fish dumpling and mushroom. * Sliced fish soup (), a soup dish consisting of fish and vegetables. * Soon kway (), a white vegetable dumpling with black soy sauce. * Teochew porridge (), a rice porridge dish consumed with a selection of local side dishes. *
Turtle soup Turtle soup, also known as Terrapin soup, is a soup or stew made from the meat of turtles. Differing versions of the soup exist in some cultures and are viewed as a delicacy. Versions China In China, and in several countries in Southeast A ...
(), 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 cooked in ...
(), thin braised
rice vermicelli Rice vermicelli is a thin form of noodle. It is sometimes referred to as 'rice noodles' or 'rice sticks', but should not be confused with cellophane noodles, a different Asian type of vermicelli made from mung bean starch or rice starch rathe ...
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 ''Youtiao'' (), known in Southern China as Yu Char Kway is a long golden-brown deep-fried strip of dough of Chinese origin and (by a variety of other names) also popular in other East and Southeast Asian cuisines. Conventionally, ''youtiao ...
(), also called yew char kueh (), fried dough crullers similar to those served in other Chinese cuisines around the world. * Yam ring (), a deep-fried ring of
taro Taro () (''Colocasia esculenta)'' is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Africa ...
filled with stir-fried ingredients File:Newton HokkienMee.JPG,
Hokkien 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 ...
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 Kaya toast is a dish consisting of two slices of toast with butter and kaya (coconut jam), commonly served alongside coffee and soft-boiled eggs. In Singapore, the dish is commonly consumed for breakfast. It became integrated into kopi tiam (c ...
, a traditional breakfast dish


Malay

Situated between
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
and
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, 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 Tamil Muslims are Tamils who practise Islam. The community is 5.7 million in India, primarily in the state of Tamil Nadu where 70% of the Muslim community identified themselves as Tamils. The Tamil-speaking Muslims are descendants of marria ...
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 Acar is a type of vegetable pickle of Maritime Southeast Asia, most prevalent in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. It is a localised version of Indian '' achar''. It is known as atjar in Dutch cuisine, derived from Indonesian ''acar ...
,
pickled Pickling is the process of preserving or extending the shelf life of food by either anaerobic fermentation in brine or immersion in vinegar. The pickling procedure typically affects the food's texture and flavor. The resulting food is called ...
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 Ayam penyet ( Javanese for smashed fried chicken) is Indonesian — more precisely East Javanese cuisine — fried chicken dish consisting of fried chicken that is smashed with the pestle against the mortar to make it softer, and is served with ...
, 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 Bakso or baso is an Indonesian meatball, or a meat paste made from beef surimi. Its texture is similar to the Chinese beef ball, fish ball, or pork ball. The word ''bakso'' may refer to a single meatball or the complete dish of meatball soup. '' ...
, also Ba'so, meatballs served with noodles. * Begedil, mashed potato mixture that is fried into patties and eaten together with mee soto. *
Curry puff A curry puff ( ms, Karipap, Epok-epok; ; th, กะหรี่ปั๊บ, , ) is a snack of Maritime Southeast Asian origin. It is a small pie consisting of curry with chicken and potatoes in a deep-fried or baked pastry shell. The con ...
, 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 Gudeg is a traditional Javanese dish from Yogyakarta and Central Java, Indonesia. Gudeg is made from young unripe jack fruit ( Javanese: ''gori'', Indonesian: '' nangka muda'') stewed for several hours with palm sugar, and coconut milk. Ad ...
putih, white jackfruit curry. * Gulai daun ubi, sweet potato leaves stewed in coconut milk. *
Keropok ''Krupuk'' ( Javanese), ''kerupuk'' ( Indonesian), ''keropok'' ( Malay), ''kroepoek'' (Dutch) or ''kropek'' ( Tagalog) is a cracker made from starch or animal skin and other ingredients that serve as flavouring. Most krupuk are deep fried, ...
, deep fried crackers usually flavoured with shrimp, but sometimes with fish or vegetables. *
Ketupat ''Kupat'' (in Javanese and Sundanese), ''ketupat'' (in Indonesian and Malay), or ''tipat'' (in Balinese) is a Javanese rice cake packed inside a diamond-shaped container of woven palm leaf pouch, Originating in Indonesia, it is also fou ...
, 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 Lontong is an Indonesian dish made of compressed rice cake in the form of a cylinder wrapped inside a banana leaf, commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Rice is rolled inside a banana leaf and boiled, then cut into small cakes as ...
, compressed rice cakes (see ketupat) in a spicy vegetable soup. *
Nagasari Nagasari is a traditional Javanese steamed cake, made of rice flour, coconut milk and sugar, filled with a slice of banana and wrapped in banana leaves. Etymology ''Naga'' in Javanese language means "a big snake; a dragon". It refers to a myth ...
, a rice snack with Indonesian origins. *
Nasi goreng ''Nasi goreng'' (English pronunciation: ) is a Southeast Asian fried rice dish, usually cooked with pieces of meat and vegetables. One of Indonesia's national dishes, it is also eaten in Malay-speaking communities in countries such as Malaysi ...
, steamed rice stir-fried in a wok, often mixed with other ingredients, such as eggs, vegetables and meat. *
Nasi Padang Nasi padang, sometimes referred to as Padang rice, is a Minangkabau dish of steamed rice served with various choices of pre-cooked dishes originating from West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is named after the city of Padang, capital of the West Sumat ...
, 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 ''Otak-otak'' (lit. brains in Malay and Indonesian) is a Southeast Asian fish cake made of ground fish mixed with spices and wrapped in leaf parcels. ''Otak-otak'' is traditionally served steamed or grilled, encased within the leaf parcel it ...
/otah, spicy fish cake grilled in a banana leaf wrapping. * Pecel lele, 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 Roti john is an omelette sandwich first believed to be made in Singapore during the 1960s or 1970s. It later became widely popular, spreading throughout the Malay Peninsula in present-day Malaysia and in modern-day Indonesia as street food. Or ...
, an omelette sandwich. *
Sambal 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 an ...
, not a dish in itself, but a common chilli-based accompaniment to most foods. *
Satay Satay ( , in USA also , ), or sate in Indonesian spelling, is a Southeast Asian dish of seasoned, skewered and grilled meat, served with a sauce. The earliest preparations of satay is believed to have originated in Javanese cuisine, but ha ...
, grilled meat on skewers served with satay sauce (a spicy peanut sauce) and usually eaten with ketupat, cucumber and onions. *
Sayur lodeh Sayur lodeh is an Indonesian vegetable soup prepared from vegetables in coconut milk popular in Indonesia, but most often associated with Javanese cuisine. Ingredients Common ingredients are young unripe jackfruit, eggplant, chayote, ''melinjo' ...
, a mix of vegetables in coconut milk. * Soto, a soup dish mainly composed of meat and vegetables. *
Soto ayam Soto ayam is a traditional Indonesian dish which uses ingredients such as chicken, '' lontong'', noodles, and rice vermicelli. Soto ayam is popular in Singapore, Malaysia and Suriname. Turmeric is added as one of its main ingredients which makes ...
, a spicy chicken soup that features chicken shreds, rice cakes and sometimes begedil. *
Tumpeng Tumpeng ( Javanese: ; Balinese: ) is an Indonesian cone-shaped rice dish with side dishes of vegetables and meat originating from Javanese cuisine of Indonesia. Traditionally featured in the '' slamatan'' ceremony, the rice is made by using a ...
, 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 Indian Singaporean cuisine refers to food and beverages produced and consumed in Singapore that are derived, wholly or in part, from South Asian culinary traditions. The great variety of Singapore food includes Indian food, which tends to be Tam ...
has been influenced by multiple cultural groups. Dishes from both North India and South India can be found in Singapore. *
Appam Appam is a type of thin pancake originating from South India. It is made with fermented rice batter and coconut milk, traditionally cooked in an ''appachatti'', a deep pan similar in shape to a wok. It is common in the cusine of Kerala and Tam ...
, a fermented rice pancake. *
Dosa Dosa may refer to: People * Bogoljub Mitić Đoša, Serbian actor * Csaba Dosa (born 1951), Romanian athlete * Dosa ben Harkinas * Dosa ben Saadia (935 - 1018), Talmudic scholar and philosopher * Dosa or Dossa Júnior * Edward Dosa-Wea Neufville ...
, rice and lentil pancake. Commonly served as a "masala" version that includes spiced potatoes and is served with different types of sambar. *
Murtabak Motabbaq ( ar, مطبق) is a stuffed pancake or pan-fried bread which is commonly found in the Arabian Peninsula and Southeast Asia, notably in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand and Bangladesh (Mughlai para ...
, 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 Naan ( fa, نان, nān, ur, , ps, نان, ug, نان, hi, नान, bn, নান) is a leavened, oven-baked or tawa-fried flatbread which is found in the cuisines mainly of Western Asia, Central Asia, Indian subcontinent, Indonesia, ...
, an Indian oven-baked flatbread. * Putu mayam rice flour noodle served with sugar and coconut usually eaten for breakfast. *
Roti prata Roti canai (pronunciation: /tʃanaɪ/) or roti prata, also known as roti chenai and roti cane (/tʃane/), is an Indian flatbread dish found in several countries in Southeast Asia, especially in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thaila ...
, a local evolution of the Indian
paratha Paratha () is a flatbread native to South Asia, prevalent throughout the modern-day nations of India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, Fiji, Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad a ...
. 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, 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 Tandoori chicken is a Cuisine of the Indian subcontinent, South Asian dish of chicken (food), chicken marinated in yogurt and spices and roasting, roasted in a ''tandoor'', a cylindrical clay oven. The dish is now popular world-wide. The moder ...
, 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 Biryani () is a mixed rice dish originating among the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. It is made with Indian spices, rice, and usually some type of meat ( chicken, beef, goat, lamb, prawn, fish) or in some cases without any meat, ...
(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, 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 Fish head curry is a Singaporean dish deriving from a hybrid of Indian and Chinese ethnic cuisines. The head of a red snapper is stewed in a curry with assorted vegetables such as okra and eggplants. It is usually served with either rice or brea ...
, a dish created by Singapore's Malayali (an Indian ethnic group from
Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
) community with some Chinese and Malay influences. The head of a
red snapper Red snapper is a common name of several fish species. It may refer to: * Several species from the genus ''Lutjanus'': ** ''Lutjanus campechanus'', Northern red snapper, commonly referred to as red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico and western Atlanti ...
(''ikan merah'', literally "red fish") stewed in curry consisting of varying amounts of coconut milk and tamarind juice, along with vegetables (
okra Okra or Okro (, ), ''Abelmoschus esculentus'', known in many English-speaking countries as ladies' fingers or ochro, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It has edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with su ...
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 Katong laksa is a variant of laksa lemak inspired by the Peranakans who live in the precinct of Katong in Singapore. It has an orangey-yellow colour spicy soup stock, flavoured with coconut milk and dried shrimp, topped with ingredients like coc ...
, 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 Mee rebus, also known as mie rebus/mi rebus in Indonesian spelling, is a Maritime Southeast Asian noodle soup dish. Literally translated as "boiled noodles", it is popular in Maritime Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, ...
, 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 Mee siam is a dish of thin rice vermicelli of hot, sweet and sour flavours, originated in Penang but popular among the Malay and Peranakan communities throughout Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, although the dish is called "Siamese noodle" ...
, a dish of thin rice vermicelli. *
Mee goreng ''Mee goreng'', or ''mi goreng'', refers to fried noodles in the Malay-speaking cultures of several countries, such as the Southeast Asian states of Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore. A notable variant, ''mee goreng mamak'' is associated with ...
, yellow egg noodles stir fried with ghee, tomato sauce, chilli, eggs, vegetables, and various meats and seafood. * Mee soto, a spicy noodle soup dish. *
Rojak Rujak (Indonesian language, Indonesian spelling) or Rojak (Malay language, Malay spelling) is a salad dish of Javanese cuisine, Javanese origin, commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The most popular variant in all three countries ...
, 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 Satay bee hoon is a dish invented by Singaporean due to cultural fusion between Malay or Javanese with the Teochew people who immigrated to Singapore. Satay bee hoon sauce is a chilli-based peanut sauce very similar to the one served with sa ...
, rice noodles served with cuttlefish, fried bean curd puffs, cockles and water spinach in satay sauce. * Tauhu goreng, 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, hard shell crabs cooked in a black pepper sauce. Salted Egg crab and buttermilk crab are also common. *
Chilli 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. Mud crabs are commonly used and are stir-fried i ...
, hard shell crabs cooked in chilli sauce, usually served with man tou, or deep fried buns. *
Oyster omelette 200px, Taiwanese style Oyster omelette The oyster omelette, as known as o-a-tsian (), o-chien () or orh luak (; Peng'im: ''o5 luah4'') is a dish of Banlamese (both Hokkien and Teochew) origin that is renowned for its savory flavor in its native ...
, an oyster omelette mixed with flour and fried, served garnished with coriander. * Sambal lala, soft shell clams fried with sambal sauce * Sambal stingray/''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, 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 Mangosteen (''Garcinia mangostana''), also known as the purple mangosteen, is a tropical evergreen tree with edible fruit native to tropical lands surrounding the Indian Ocean. Its origin is uncertain due to widespread prehistoric cultivation. ...
,
jackfruit The jackfruit (''Artocarpus heterophyllus''), also known as jack tree, is a species of tree in the fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family (Moraceae). Its origin is in the region between the Western Ghats of southern India, all of Bangladesh, ...
,
longan ''Dimocarpus longan'', commonly known as the longan () and dragon's eye, is a tropical tree species that produces edible fruit. It is one of the better-known tropical members of the soapberry family Sapindaceae, to which the lychee and rambu ...
,
lychee Lychee (US: ; UK: ; ''Litchi chinensis''; ) is a Monotypic taxon, monotypic taxon and the sole member in the genus ''Litchi'' in the Sapindus, soapberry family, ''Sapindaceae''. It is a tropical tree native to Southeast and Southwest China (t ...
,
rambutan Rambutan (; taxonomic name: ''Nephelium lappaceum'') is a medium-sized tropical tree in the family Sapindaceae. The name also refers to the edible fruit produced by this tree. The rambutan is native to Southeast Asia. It is closely related to s ...
, soursop,
pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...
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 Rujak (Indonesian language, Indonesian spelling) or Rojak (Malay language, Malay spelling) is a salad dish of Javanese cuisine, Javanese origin, commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The most popular variant in all three countries ...
.


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 Bubur cha cha, also spelled as bubur cha-cha or dubo jiajie, is a Betawi and Malay dessert and breakfast dish in Indonesian cuisine, Malaysian cuisine, Singaporean cuisine and Phuket cuisine (Thailand) prepared using pearled sago, sweet potat ...
, 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 Cendol is an iced sweet dessert that contains droplets of green rice flour jelly, coconut milk and palm sugar syrup. It is commonly found in Southeast Asia and is popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Laos, Vietnam, Th ...
, 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 (), a light, refreshing soup with longan, barley, agar strips, lotus seeds and a sweet syrup, served either hot or cold. It is analogous to the Cantonese
Ching bo leung ''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 ' ...
. * Ice kacang, a mound of grated ice on a base consisting of jelly, red beans, corn and
attap ''Nypa fruticans'', commonly known as the nipa palm (or simply nipa, from ms, nipah) or mangrove palm, is a species of palm native to the coastlines and estuarine habitats of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the only palm considered adapte ...
seeds, topped with various kinds of coloured sugar syrups, palm sugar, rose syrup and
evaporated milk Evaporated milk, known in some countries as "unsweetened condensed milk", is a shelf-stable canned cow’s milk product where about 60% of the water has been removed from fresh milk. It differs from sweetened condensed milk, which contains adde ...
. *
Kuih ''Kuih'' ( Indonesian: '' kue''; derived from the Hokkien and Teochew ''kueh'' – ) are bite-sized snack or dessert foods commonly found in Southeast Asia and China. It is a fairly broad term which may include items that would be called ca ...
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 Taro () (''Colocasia esculenta)'' is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Africa ...
(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 A wafer is a crisp, often sweet, very thin, flat, light and dry biscuit, often used to decorate ice cream, and also used as a garnish on some sweet dishes. Wafers can also be made into cookies with cream flavoring sandwiched between them. They ...
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 The local beer industry in Singapore began in the early 1930s with the formation of Malayan Breweries Limited (MBL) in 1931 (which went on to produce Tiger Beer) and later Archipelago Brewery in 1933 (which went on to produce Anchor Beer). Comm ...
* Chin chow drink (),
grass jelly Grass jelly, also known as leaf jelly or herb jelly, is a jelly-like dessert eaten in East and Southeast Asia. It is created by using Chinese mesona (a member of the mint family) and has a mild, slightly bitter taste. It is served chilled, w ...
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 Horlicks is a sweet malted milk hot drink powder developed by founders James and William Horlick. It was first sold as "Horlick's Infant and Invalids Food", soon adding "aged and travellers" to their label. In the early 20th century, it was s ...
, malt milk drink. Variations include the Horlicks Dinosaur, a standard Horlicks drink topped with a scoop of Horlicks powder. *
Milo Milo may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Milo'' (magazine), a strength sports magazine *'' Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze'', a 2011 children's novel by Alan Silberberg * ''Milo'' (video game), a first-person adventure-puzzle computer ga ...
, 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 Raffles Hotel is a British colonial-style luxury hotel in Singapore. It was established by Armenian hoteliers, the Sarkies Brothers, in 1887. The hotel was named after British statesman Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern S ...
, 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 (), 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 ''Char kway teow'' () is a stir-fried rice noodle dish from Maritime Southeast Asia and is of southern Chinese origin. In Hokkien and Teochew, ''char'' means 'stir-fried' and ''kway teow'' refers to flat rice noodles. It is made from flat r ...
. File:Singapore Sling.jpg, Singapore Sling File:Singapore style noodles.jpg, Singapore style noodles


See also

*
Culture of Singapore The culture of Singapore has changed greatly over the millennia. Its contemporary modern culture consists of a combination of Asian and European cultures, mainly by Malay, South Asian, East Asian and Eurasian influences. Singapore has been ...
*
Gastronomy in Singapore Notable eateries in Singapore are café, coffee shop, convenience stores, fast food restaurant, food courts, hawker centres, restaurant (casual), speciality food shops, and fine dining restaurants. According to Singstat in 2014 there were ...
*
List of coffeehouse chains This list of notable coffeehouse chains catalogues the spread and markets share of coffeehouses world-wide. This list excludes the many companies which operate coffeeshops within retail establishments, notably bookstores and department stores, o ...
* List of chicken restaurants *
List of countries with organic agriculture regulation This list documents the status of formal government-standards, regulations, and certification of organic farming and organic food. List of countries with regulations on organic agricultureHuber, Silva, Gelman, FiBL Switzerland, survey 2006 Cou ...
*
List of shopping malls in Singapore This is a list of shopping malls in Singapore, sorted along their districts. As of August 2020, there are 171 malls on this list. Some listed shopping malls here are also inclusive as a mixed-use development and or part of an neighbourhood plaza ...
* List of supermarket chains in Singapore *
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 This is a list of notable restaurants in Singapore. Restaurants * Les Amis * Restaurant André * Candlenut Kitchen * Crystal Jade * Din Tai Fung * Pizza Hut * McDonald’s * KFC * Jollibee * Ippudo * Jack's Place * L'Atelier de Joël R ...
*
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