15 Best Singaporean Foods & Dishes
What to Eat in Singapore
Singaporean cuisine is as ethnically diverse as its people, blending Malay, Chinese, Indonesian, Indian, and western influences. A visit to one of the hawker centers or shopping mall food courts will be as eye-opening as it is gastronomically gratifying. Don’t be afraid to try new things and discover new favorites.
This list covers what we believe are the finest examples of Singaporean food available across the city-state, from humble street food carts to swanky rooftop restaurants and everything in between.
1. Hainanese chicken rice
Tasty poached chicken often served with spicy sauce
Good for: Food
Steamed chicken served with rice cooked in chicken stock. This all-time favorite dish makes for a quick, fulfilling lunch. The quality of chicken stock is crucial to this dish, and you can tell when it’s good by the steamed rice oozing with flavor and a fragrant aroma. Pour some dipping sauce over the chicken and give it a go.
This is a common dish to find at hawker stalls throughout the city and it’s always popular with locals, so you should find it easily.
2. Chili crab
Juicy crab in a lightly spiced tomato sauce
Good for: Food
Hard-shell crabs cooked in semi-thick sauce with a tomato chili base. The steamed crabs are partially cracked, then lightly stir-fried in a paste comprising of chili sauce, ketchup, and eggs. The liquid cooks into the crab mean, adding flavor and keeping it soft and juicy.
Despite its name, chili crab is not all that spicy, so you don’t need to be afraid of burning your taste buds off. Bread is normally used to soak up the sauce, so dig in with both hands.
3. Laksa
Creamy seafood and coconut noodle dish
Good for: Couples, Families, Food
Laksa is a popular East Asian dish made of rice noodles in spicy coconut curry soup with shrimp, fish cakes, egg, and chicken meat. It’s a delicious cross between Chinese and Malay cuisine, so it makes sense to find it in Singapore, the melting pot of Asian cultures.
Laksa also has many variants, but the one you’ll find in Singapore is katong laksa, with cut-up noodles. Sometimes chefs add cockles and tofu puffs to the base dish. There are debates to this day about which of Singapore’s laksa shops sells the most authentic laksa, and which sells the best. You’ll have to try them yourself to judge.
4. Char kuay teow
Inexpensive and filling dish of stir-fried seafood and noodles
Good for: Couples, Families, Food
Broad white noodles fried with black Soya sauce, bean sprouts, fish cake, clams, and Chinese sausage make up char kuay teow. A rich and aromatic dish that originated in Southern China, today you will find it in hawker centers and restaurants across Singapore.
The name refers to the flat rice noodles that it’s made with. It’s not expensive and a popular breakfast item. Skilled chefs will add a smoky taste to the dish by cooking the noodles at a high temperature.
5. Hokkien prawn mee
Aromatic egg noodles with an assortment of meat and seafood
Good for: Couples, Families, Food
Stir-fried Hokkien noodles with prawns, slices of chicken or pork, squid, and fish cake, seasoned with soy sauce, vinegar and chili. Hokkien noodles are chewy egg noodles made with wheat flour that give the dish a distinctive savory flavor. They’re simmered in shrimp stock for hours to soak up the aromatic flavors, then fried in pork lard before being garnished by the other meats and ingredients.
Each serving of hokkien prawn mee comes with sambal sauce and a lime wedge, for a citrus twist.
6. Barbecued stingray
Bold flavor and juicy fish
Good for: Couples, Families, Food
Originating in the streets, barbecued stingray has become a popular seafood dish served at hawker stalls. Popular at first as a cheap source of protein, it’s developed into a classic Singaporean dish.
The classic version features stingray meat slated in thick sambal sauce, a spicy condiment with diced tomatoes, chilies and shrimp paste as base ingredients, then wrapped in banana leaf to be cooked slowly on a grill. When it’s ready, you’re left with succulent, tender fish and vibrant flavor that will set your mouth watering.
7. Fish head curry
Iconic combination of Indian and Chinese flavors
Good for: Couples, Families, Food
Don’t be put off by the “fish head” part of the dish. While this might seem a bit gruesome to those not accustomed to it, it’s delicious. Created in the 1940s to combine Chinese and Indian cuisines, it’s become an icon of Singaporean cuisine.
This dish is made up of a huge fish head and vegetables cooked in a curry and served with rice or bread. Usually accompanied by a glass of “calamansi” or local lime juice. Its origins are in South Indian, with Chinese and Malay influences. In some versions, tamarind juice is added to give a sweet-sour taste.
8. Satay
Satay has long been a Singaporean favorite
Good for: Couples, Families, Food
The Singapore version of this international favourite features skewered grilled meat served with rice cake (ketupat), peanut sauce and cucumber-chili relish. It has a long history in the city with the classic ‘Satay Club’ having been a city institution for decades. While it’s no longer around, these days Satay by the Bay is top of the list of places to find this dish in Singapore.
This popular side dish makes an excellent starter or party platter. It has a strong turmeric scent and flavor, as this spice is the key marinade ingredient. Choose from pork, chicken, beef or mutton.
9. Char siew meats on rice or noodles
Classic Chinese-style barbecued meat
Good for: Couples, Families, Food, Budget
Barbecue is a classic in a lot of different cultures and cuisines, Singapore is no different. The city has its own take on traditional Chinese barbecue: char siew. These marinated and grilled meats are popular with locals and visitors alike and while you’re staying in Singapore, you should definitely try some.
Made up of barbecued red pork and roasted pork belly in a thick sauce, the aromas of these delicious dishes will set your stomach rumbling. Watch the chefs chop the meat in front of you and lay it out on either rice or noodles, as you choose.
10. Oyster omelet
A simple dish, Singapore style
Good for: Food
The humble omelet is a versatile dish, but you might never have tried it with oysters before. As an island nation, it’s no surprise that Singapore’s culinary offerings include a lot of seafood, and this is no different.
This dish is fairly simple, but tasty: an egg omelet mixed with flour and fried with a generous helping of small oysters garnished with coriander leaves, crispy bean sprouts, and a sweet, spicy sauce. Depending on how you like it cooked, your oyster omelet can be soft or crispy.
11. Bak kut teh and rice
Warm and filling pork rib stew
Good for: Food
Sometimes abbreviated to BKT, bak kut the is a pork rib soup infused with Chinese herbs and spices, seasoned with light and dark soy sauce then simmered for hours. Its name translates fairly literally as “meat bone tea”.
Usually accompanied by steamed rice and eaten as breakfast, bak kut teh comes in all kinds of varieties, including a less-fatty version made with chicken and a halal version for Muslims. In Singapore you’ll also find it served with youtiao, deep-fried dough pieces, and sometimes pig trotters.
12. Kaya toast
A rich, creamy breakfast treat
Good for: Couples, Families, Food
One Singaporean breakfast staple, is kaya toast. This is essentially a sandwich made by putting butter and kaya, a sweet coconut jam, between two slices of toasted bread. Kaya translates to “rich” and it earned its name. The sweet, creamy filling has become a favorite in the city for a reason.
Start your day by enjoying a serving of kaya toast with soft-boiled eggs and add a dash of dark soy sauce for extra taste and a touch of salty to add to the sweet.
13. Nasi lemak
Traditional Malaysian coconut rice
Good for: Couples, Families, Food
Nasi lemak is the national dish of Malaysia, but Singapore, with its large Malay population, has taken it to its heart. Considered a good breakfast, nasi lemak (which translates literally to “fat rice”) is a hearty meal comprising rice cooked in coconut cream with a slice of omelet, and garnishes of anchovies, cucumber, and some chili paste.
It is traditionally served in banana leaf, but some modern places serve it in brown paper. While it is a common breakfast, you’ll also find it served as a bigger meal with additions like extra chicken.
14. Roti prata and teh tarik
Snacks and drinks to enjoy on the move
Good for: Couples, Families, Food
Roti prata is a flaky Indian bread that’s fried and served with a curry, or sometimes sweet garnishes like sugar or chocolate. It makes a tasty snack or light meal when you’re out and about in Singapore.
While you’re sinking your teeth into a roti prata, sip on a cup of teh tarik. This is a milk tea originating in Malaysia. The tea is mixed with condensed milk and “pulled” from one mug to another to add air bubbles, creating a delightful froth when served.
15. Desserts for the sweet tooth
Refreshing treats and exotic fruit
Good for: Couples, Families, Food, Budget
On a hot Singapore day, end your meal with a local cold dessert like ice kacang or chendol. Ice kacang is a mound of grated ice, smothered with different sweet syrups with a base made of jelly, red beans, corn, and atap seeds. Chendol is a coconut milk drink mixed with brown sugar (gula melaka), green starch strips, and red beans.
If you are more adventurous, a rather “rich dessert”, the “king of all fruits”, is the durian. Creamy and fleshy, you’ll either love or hate this big, thorny fruit. An apt description goes something like this “it smells like hell but tastes like heaven.”
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