The Food Porn Files: Singapore Cuisine

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My main motivation in writing this entry is because I have a hard time describing Singapore cuisine to my American friends, so I thought I'd write this blog and simply point anyone who asks about Singapore cuisine to this post. A picture is worth a thousand words; I'll describe each dish pictured in this entry and also identify its origins to the best of my ability - note that many of the dishes are fusion to some degree so it is not always accurate to pinpoint one single origin. I'm not an expert in food or culinary history, so there may be inaccuracies.

This is an evolving blog entry and I'll add more pictures as I make more trips to Singapore.

For a more comprehensive and authoritative collection of pictures of Singapore cuisine, check out my high school classmates's blog ieatishootipost.

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Photos

Black Pepper Crab
Origin: Chinese. Mud crab stir fried with black pepper. From Sek Tong Gai in Commonwealth.

Kai Lan
Origin: Chinese. Chinese leafy vegetables stir fried with soy sauce. This version is topped with deep fried kai lan leaves and garlic. From Sek Tong Gai in Commonwealth.

Steamed Bamboo Clam
Origin: Chinese. Steamed bamboo clam topped with garlic. I was bummed that they removed the meat from the clam shells, as that would have made for a more visually striking photo. From Sek Tong Gai in Commonwealth.

Hor Funn
Origin: Chinese. Rice noodles with beef and leafy greens. Unlike American Chinese cuisine, the noodles are fried first to get a "wok hei" (blackened in wok) flavor. From Sek Tong Gai in Commonwealth.

Bak Chang
Origin: Peranakan. This is a glutinous rice dumpling with pork, winter melon and chestnuts wrapped in bamboo leaf. Although bak chang is common in Chinese cuisine and can be found in Chinese grocery stores in the US, this version is unique to Singapore and Malaysia as it is the nyonya ( Peranakan) version where the ingredients are finely chopped. In the Chinese version, the ingredients are not finely chopped and different spices are used. I prefer the nyonya version much more.

Bak Chang
Unwrapped.

Sweet Potato Leaves Fried with Sambal
Origin: Chinese, with Malay influences. Sambal is a Malay-influenced sauce made with chillies and dried prawns, among others. From Master Crab in Ghim Moh.

Yam Ring
Origin: Chinese. From Master Crab in Ghim Moh.

Tofu in Hotpot
A origin: Chinese. Homemade tofu with preserved vegetables. From Master Crab in Ghim Moh.

Prawn Stuffed in Beancurd Skin
Origin: Chinese. From Master Crab in Ghim Moh.

Briyani Rice, Dhal and Potatoes
Origin: South Indian. Served on a banana leaf. From Samy's on Dempsey Road.

Vegetable Curry
Origin: Indian. From Samy's on Dempsey Road.

Chicken Masala
Origin: Indian. From Samy's on Dempsey Road.

Squid Curry
Origin: Indian. From Samy's on Dempsey Road.

Pappadam
Origin: Indian. From Samy's on Dempsey Road.

Fish Head Curry
Origin: Indian-Chinese. Legend has it that enterprising Indian restaurants noted that many Chinese were fond of fish heads, so they started cooking fish heads in curry to increase their Chinese clientele. The curry typically contains okra and eggplant. From Samy's on Dempsey Road.

Fish Head Curry
The eyes are a gooey gelatinous delicacy. These are the remains.

Char Kway Teow
Origin: Hokkien Chinese. A super tasty but unhealthy mix of flat and round noodles fried in dark soy sauce with fishcake, cockles, bean sprouts and Chinese sausage (lap cheong). Traditionally fried with lard. From Ghim Moh Hawker Center.

Ice Desserts
Left: Chendol - jellies, shaved ice, coconut milk, and gula melaka (brown sugar) Right: Ice Kachang - azuki beans and jellies under shaved ice. From Ghim Moh Hawker Center. This hawker center is near where my high school used to be located, and we often went there to eat. This stall was in operation 28 years ago and I regularly went there.

Ice Desserts
Left: Ice jelly - a jelly topped with shaved ice. Squeeze a lime over it. Right: Cheng tng - preserved longan, jellies and barley topped with shaved ice. From Ghim Moh Hawker Center.

Pineapple Tarts
Origin: Peranakan. From Oishii Bakery in Beauty World Center.