Singapore: Recipes and Cuisine

The cuisine of Singapore is a rich fusion of the culinary traditions of the many ethnic groups that make up its population. Malay, Chinese, Indian and Indonesian dishes and ingredients are popular. Singaporeans take their food seriously and talk about it endlessly. This small, affluent city-state is full of excellent restaurants with some of Southeast Asia's best cooking.

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Typical Singapore Dishes

Appetizers

Ngo Hiang (5-Spice pork and shrimp rolls)
Popiah (Malay-style fresh spring rolls)
Siu Mai (Steamed pork-filled wonton wrappers)

Soups and Stews

Laksa Lemak (Rice noodles in coconut gravy with seafood)
Soto Ayam (Chicken soup)

Salads

Raita (Cooling yogurt dishes)
Yu Sang (New Year's salad)

Noodles and Dumplings

Char Kway Teow (Stir-fried rice noodles with shrimp)
Hokkien Mie (Hokkien-style noodles)
Mee Siam (Rice vermicelli with seafood and vegetables)
Singapore Noodles (Rice noodles with meat and vegetables in a curry sauce)
Yangchow Chow Fun (Yangchow fried rice noodles)

Poultry

Hai Nan Ji Fan (Hainanese poached chicken with rice)
Hauyou Gai (Oyster sauce chicken)
Tandoori Murgh (Yogurt marinated and broiled chicken)
Yuan Sai Man Gai (Coriander chicken)

Meats

Rendang Daging (Beef simmered in coconut milk)
Satay Babi (Pork satay)

Fish and Seafood

Chiu Yip Kar Li Yu (Curried fish in banana leaves)
Chun Yau Ching Har (Shrimp with Scallions)
Dau Shi Ching Yu (Fish steamed with black beans)
Fish Head Curry (Spicy curry with coconut milk)
Har Lok (Shrimp in tomato Sauce)
Ladah Merah Ketam Singapore (Chili Crab)
Udang Goreng Asam (Tamarind shrimp)

Vegetables and Beans

Aloo Gobi Matar (Potatoes with cauliflower and peas)
Gado-gado (Vegetables in peanut sauce)

Breads and Grains

Murtabak (Griddle bread filled with spiced meat)
Nasi Lemak (Coconut milk rice)
Zarda (Sweet saffron rice pilaf)

Pickles and Preserves

Acar Ketimun (Cucumber pickle)

Desserts

Kuih Lopis (Glutinous rice with coconut)

Beverages

Singapore Sling (Gin and fruit juice cocktail)

Recommended Cookbooks


	Food of Singapore (P) (Food of the World Cookbooks)
	Martin Yan's Asia: Favorite Recipes from Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, and Japan
	Singaporean, Malaysian & Indonesian Cuisine
	The Cooking of Singapore: Great Dishes from Asia's Culinary Crossroads

Singaporean Recipes

Char Kway Teow

(Malaysian Singaporean stir-fried rice noodles with shrimp)

Char kway teow, which means "fried flat noodles," is a popular and cheap dish found in Malaysia and Singapore. Hearty and filling, it started out as a poor laborer's meal. Over time its popularity has spread. Read more »

Curry Laksa

(Malaysian, Singaporean coconut curried noodle soup)

Street vendors in the Southeast Asian nations of Malaysia and Singapore can often been seen hawking their own version of a local favorite, curry laksa. This flavorful noodle soup, also called curry mee, is made with a rich, coconut milk-based sauce that is scented with a rempah paste and served with any number of toppings. Read more »

Rendang Daging

(Indonesian beef simmered in coconut milk)

Rendang is a "dry" meat curry that originated in the Padang cuisine of west-central Sumatra. It has become popular throughout the Indonesian archipelago, as well as in Malaysia and Singapore. Rendang is an intensely flavorful dish often served on special occasions. The ingredients used to season it vary widely from region to region. Pick and choose as you have available. Read more »

Satay Ayam

(Indonesian chicken skewers with peanut sauce)

Satay is a great Indonesian street food that has become popular throughout southeast Asia, especially Singapore and Malaysia. Most often made with chicken, beef or lamb, satay is commonly served with sambal kacang, a spicy peanut sauce, and acar ketimun, a simple cucumber pickle. Sometimes spelled sate, sateh or saté. Read more »

Tandoori Murgh

(Indian yogurt-marinated and broiled chicken)

Tandoori murgh is the famous chicken dish from the Punjab region of northern India. In the original version, whole chickens are marinated, skewered and quickly roasted in a fiery hot clay oven called a tandoor. Read more »