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A History of Singapore in 10 Dishes
- philliphaydon 8y agoI thought Bak kut teh was a Malaysian dish. Also surprised Chicken Rice and Singapore Chili Crab isn't on the list.
- ValentineC 8y ago> I thought Bak kut teh was a Malaysian dish. Singaporean here. I think Singapore and Malaysia tend to share ownership of many dishes. What wasn't mentioned in the article is that the peppery Teochew style is far more common in Singapore. The herbal Hokkien variant is often known as "Klang bak kut teh" here in Singapore, after Port Klang in Malaysia. Malaysians also seem to like that version better.
- philliphaydon 8y agoI love the peppery teochew version. Infact I'm going to have it for lunch tomorrow!!!
- cyberferret 8y agoHaving being born and raised in Malaysia, and nowadays frequently visiting Singapore (for business, but ostensibly to eat the food of my childhood again), I am still getting used to the subtle differences of names of same or similar dishes. For instance, I really miss Roti Canai, but it has a different name in Singapore (Roti Pratha IIRC), so even trying to search for a good stall on Google Maps doesn't find the places that make it.
- ValentineC 8y ago> For instance, I really miss Roti Canai, but it has a different name in Singapore (Roti Pratha IIRC), so even trying to search for a good stall on Google Maps doesn't find the places that make it. Roti prata. I think you'll be hard-pressed to find bad roti prata in Singapore. I've heard Mr and Mrs Mohgan's is one of the best: https://goo.gl/maps/bv3b3sFwK1A2 https://goo.gl/maps/bv3b3sFwK1A2
- cyberferret 8y agoThanks for the tip (and the spelling correction). Filed for future visit.
- paulmooreparks 8y agoPrata, pratha, and paratha all seem to be accepted transliterations of the word.
- ValentineC 8y agoOne's search engine of choice might not know that. The grandparent comment wanted to look for good stalls. I just tried doing a search for pratha on Google Maps, and it yielded results that were less relevant as compared to if one used the more common spelling of prata.
- paulmooreparks 8y agoHowever you spell it, it is certainly tasty. :) I live in Singapore, by the way, and I'm getting pretty hungry reading this. Any suggestions for good Indian food? [Edit: Tried to make a clever regex to match all the spellings, but HN's editor thwarted me.]
- pthomas551 8y agoHave you been to Saravana Bhavan downtown?
- paulmooreparks 8y agoNot yet. I'll check it out this weekend. Thanks!
- ValentineC 8y ago> Any suggestions for good Indian food? Well, south Indian food is everywhere. One can't really go wrong with any place that makes their prata fresh. (For really good prata, there's the usual suspects like Mr and Mrs Mohgan's, Casuarina Curry, Springleaf Prata Place, Sin Ming Roti Prata… I personally have a soft spot for the ABC King group of restaurants — their food is above average — since one opened next to the Singapore Hackerspace.) If you're looking for north Indian cuisine, I'm thinking that the area immediately around Mustafa Centre would be a good bet.
- ricudis 8y agoThe name Bak Kut Teh is Hokkien Chinese. Of course the same dish appears in Malaysia too. Culinary history of Singapore and Malaysia is shared and intertwined, nevermind that the perennial favourite flamewar between Malaysians and Singaporeans is about what dish is whose :) Chicken Rice and Chilli Crab are regarded as the usual trademark dishes of Singapore. The article interestingly departs from usual practice.
- jessaustin 8y agoI was expecting char kueh teow... that's the dish I miss the most. I at least was able to get some half-decent chicken curry over the weekend.
- LVB 8y agohttps://roadsandkingdoms.com/2018/history-penang-10-dishes/ https://roadsandkingdoms.com/2018/history-penang-10-dishes/
- cyberferret 8y agoNext to Roti Canai or chicken rice, Kuay Teow is my next 'go to' dish when I visit Singapore or Malaysia. Finished off with an icy chendol
- elliotec 8y agoChicken Rice and Chili Crab are the most Singaporean dishes I can think of, really disappointed that they aren't on here.
- pthomas551 8y agoChicken rice isn't unique to Singapore though. It's pretty much the same in Malaysia and the Thai version is quite close as well. Katong laksa on the other hand (which is in the article) is probably the famous hawker dish that is most uniquely Singapore. Incidentally, the Katong laksa at Cassia in Santa Monica is probably as close to the real deal as you can get outside of Asia. But be prepared for sticker shock.
- ValentineC 8y ago> Chicken rice isn't unique to Singapore though. It's pretty much the same in Malaysia and the Thai version is quite close as well. Funny enough, many of the chicken rice vendors in Singapore sell a Cantonese-influenced version (though many places continue to label their chicken rice as "Hainanese chicken rice"). From what I understand, the Cantonese-style steamed chicken gets dunked in ice to keep the gelatin in the skin. The rice also tends to be slightly wetter and more flavourful. The chicken rice I've had in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and in some other "Malaysian" restaurants around the world, tend to be dryer and yellower.
- swampthing 8y agoHainan was part of Guangdong province until the late 1980s – so I think the dish is Cantonese to begin with. My understanding is that it spread to other places from there. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hainanese_chicken_rice https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hainanese_chicken_rice
- pthomas551 8y agoMy experience in the US is that Thai restaurants are the best bet for Hainanese chicken rice. It’s not on the usual Thai restaurant menu so any place offering it is probably doing so because they have a passion for the dish and/or their Thai clientele demand it. Greatly missed chicken rice until I figured this out.
- GlenTheMachine 8y agoSambal stingray is one of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth. But really, the entire time I spent in Singapore was a foodie's paradise. If you want to experience the entirety of Asian cuisine in only one stop, make that stop Singapore.
- sho 8y ago> If you want to experience the entirety of Asian cuisine in only one stop, make that stop Singapore I have to disagree with that. Genuinely good vietnamese, thai or even japanese food is pretty hard to find in singapore, and believe me I tried. Its specialities are dictated by its influences - southern china, malaysia of course, india, to some extent indonesia. The rest is decent of course but I just don't think there's an adequate population of, say, vietnamese in the city to sustain a general standard of quality comparable to what's available back home. Just try and find a good pork Banh Mi in singapore, I dare you. If I had to name the city with the best general variety and everyday average standard of asian food - believe it or not I'd probably say Sydney.
- dbuder 8y agoGenuinely good Vietnamese is hard to find in Vietnam! and near impossible in Sydney - and most of the 'good asian' is white people fusion, there are two good ramen places (same guy). Singapore at least has proximity to the genuine ingredients.
- pthomas551 8y agoAgreed, Viet food is lacking in SG. For various reasons it hasn't caught on with the locals. Still, the average quality level of those Viet places that do exist is higher than that in the US. As for hawker food, the increasing cost of doing business in SG means that hawkers use cheaper ingredients and give you less meat/fish. For dishes of Malaysian origin, Penang is the place to go for the best of the best. Even many Singaporeans will admit this. I'd go with Bangkok as my personal #1 food city in Asia, but Viet cuisine is lacking there is well. So maybe Saigon?
- 8y ago
- aryehof 8y agoSingapore is without doubt my favorite place to eat in the world. I say that having lived and worked in the UK, Belgium, France, the USA and Australia.
- ValentineC 8y agoAs a Singaporean, I'm a bit sad that the Peranakans (i.e. "Straits-born Chinese") [1] only got a passing mention in the article, since the Peranakans are quite possibly the best representation of the melting pot that is Singapore's local population. The founding Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, was known to have Peranakan roots too [2]. The Peranakans also have a cuisine that they can call their own [3]. On the other hand, I've never had the "feng" curry mentioned in the article before. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peranakan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peranakan [2] https://www.todayonline.com/entertainment/arts/mr-lee-kuan-yew-among-50-influential-peranakans-featured-showcase https://www.todayonline.com/entertainment/arts/mr-lee-kuan-y... [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peranakan_cuisine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peranakan_cuisine
- satoshisvision 8y agoPeranakans origin from malacca not singapore (and they cant dont speak chinese/mandarin) ~1500 A.D
- bogomipz 8y ago"Straits" refers to the "Straits Settlements" of the British East India Company East India Company which comprised Penang, and Malacca in present day Malaysia and also present day Singapore. And "Chinese" here refers to ethnic Chinese not necessarily Chinese speakers, nor did the OP imply they were Chinese speakers.
- mango7283 8y agoCitation needed that they "can't" speak Chinese/mandarin, this is hardly a universal defining trait, especially in modern Malaysia.
- cyberferret 8y agoHow refreshing NOT to see faux 'Singapore Noodles' on that list. Having been born and raised in Malaysia, it is the street food that I miss the most, now that I live in Australia. Probably why I love going to the night markets in my town.
- tootie 8y agoFood in Singapore was pretty amazing, but their greatest culinary innovation is those little plastic handles for carrying hot coffee. http://viterbivoices.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/IMG_7982-e1453286021359.jpg http://viterbivoices.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/IMG_...
- movedx 8y agoI love Singapore. My wife and I go through Singapore when flying to Europe (from Australia) and usually stay 1-2 nights. We'll do the same again on the way back. It's super clean, well run, the public transport makes every other country look like a joke, the food is amazing, the laws are tied meaning it's a super safe place to live and wonder around, and everyone is lovely. We're considering a year of living there (and bracing ourselves for how expensive it is.) If you haven't been: go. It's one of humanity's gems. Edit: also, it has $4 Michelin Star food: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/singapore-cheapest-michelin-star-restaurant/index.html https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/singapore-cheapest-mi...
- as-j 8y agoErrr, I think that over states things just a tad. I really love Singapore, but: 1. Public transit: it’s good if you go where public transit goes. Try to get out to East Coast park, and you have a 45 minute transit ride vs a 15 minute Uber. 2. It’s clean for an Asian city and depends where you go. Try Little India on a Friday night (and then Saturday morning) but it does clean up amazingly well. The food centers are amazing. I haven’t visited in a few years and miss it. Maybe you’re right, for a year it would be super fun.
- movedx 8y ago> 1. Public transit: it’s good if you go where public transit goes. Try to get out to East Coast park, and you have a 45 minute transit ride vs a 15 minute Uber Thanks, captain obvious. I'm aware train lines are fixed in place. Just take the Uber. What do you want, public transport that goes to every door step? > 2. It’s clean for an Asian city and depends where you go ... Of course it depends where you go. I'm sure some parts of New York are clean and others are grotty. That tends to be the cycle of how things go, sadly.
- pthomas551 8y agoYeah, it’s clear you’ve never lived in Singapore. Lots of important places are inadequately served by transit including major universities, many major embassies, important employers, the best food centers, and many of the popular Western expat neighborhoods. Want a bit of nature? Hope you like a 30 minute cab ride to the Pulau Ubin ferry terminal, which is also not served by transit. Want to go out for drinks? MRT and most buses stop at midnight. Maybe it’s only a 10 minute inexpensive cab ride home for you but your Singaporean friend probably lives in an HDB in a more remote area and is going to have to go a lot farther and pay a lot more. Oh yeah and even if transit seems like it’s in close proximity, many of these areas are seemingly designed in the most pedestrian hostile way possible. What looks like a 10 minute walk can easily be 20 minutes once you factor in absurdly long pedestrian signal times and having to go over overpasses etc. And the average temperature is 30-32 degrees, it feels like 35 when humidity is factored in. Easy for you to say “take Uber” but Uber left SG last year, it’s now Grab which is a much worse experience. And good luck getting a Grab or a taxi during anything approaching peak hours, or when it’s raining. Do you commute by cab every day where you live?
- vvdcect 8y agoYou can find the best Ba Kut Teh, Fish Head Curry, Sambal Stringray, Kaya and Laksa in Malaysia and not singapore.
- lewilewilewi 8y agoI absolutely love Kaya Toast - I had it every time I stayed in Singapore!
- hitekker 8y agoAgree! Pairs well with steamed buns in the morning.
- sohkamyung 8y agoJust a note that 'laksa' here means the usual version served in Singapore. As the Wikipedia article [1] notes, there are many variations of laksa served in the region. Personal story: my father came to visit me here in Singapore, when I was studying at the local university here in the early 1990s. He went to a hawker stall to order laksa for lunch and was surprised to be served by what he called 'curry noodles'. The laksa in our hometown in Malaysia was a completely different version [2]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laksa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laksa [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laksa#Asam_laksa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laksa#Asam_laksa
- jtms 8y agoI lived in Singapore for a few years and my god do I miss the food! Rivals the best food cities in the world.