16. Chwee Kueh (水粿 lit. Water Rice Cake )
Another breakfast dish seen regularly in both Singapore and Johor, most stalls selling Chwee Kueh only open in the morning and close by lunch time. Rice flour and water are mixed together to form the rice cake, then put into little saucers and steamed to produce the typical bowl-like Chwee Kueh shape.
It is topped with chai poh (preserved radish) and chilli. Making Chwee Kueh is a dying trade that the young generation does not want to carry on, so try it before it’s gone forever.
Bedok Chwee Kueh: Blk 207 New Upper Changi Road #01-53, Singapore 460207
17. Durian
Widely regarded by many as the ‘King Of Fruits’ in Southeast Asia and the national fruit of Singapore, our country has even modelled a building after one (The Esplanade). Most foreigners are turned off by the strong ‘pungent’ smell, while locals adore the flesh so much that they turn it into desserts, cakes, tarts and even shakes.
Many expensive and popular varieties of durian have surfaced like D24 or the Mao Shan Wang (猫山王), which are even stronger in fragrance. There is a taste preference for either the more bitter variety or sweeter flesh. Whether you love it or hate it, you can always smell it when it’s in the room, leading to bans in many public areas like on trains and buses.
Wonderful Fruit Enterprise: 147 Sims Avenue, Singapore 387469
Hoe Seng Heng Durian Centre: 49 Sims Ave, Singapore 387413
18. Biryani
Biryani (or Briyani, Biriyani, Biriani and Birani) is a mixed rice dish of Indian Muslim influence made using distinctive long grain rice, usually Basmati rice. A little bit of saffron is added to give the dish its distinct colour. Meats like chicken, mutton, beef or fish is often included.
Spices used are also heavy in flavour like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and bay leaves. The resulting rice grains are usually very dry and can be accompanied by curry or chutney.
19. Nasi Lemak (lit. Coconut Rice)
Nasi Lemak is a very versatile dish and what was once a breakfast item, is now eaten during lunch and dinner too. Traditionally wrapped in banana leaves, Nasi Lemak is a deeply-rooted Malay coconut rice dish.
The rice is steamed with coconut cream to give it a sweet fragrance. A typical Nasi Lemak set comes with Ikan Bilis (fried anchovies), peanuts, egg and sambal (chilli paste). A good sambal is arguably the mark of a good Nasi Lemak.
Nasi Lemak is so popular in Singapore, the other races have adopted this dish in their own variations and offer a wide selection of additional ingredients like fried chicken drumsticks, luncheon meat and sotong (cuttlefish) balls.
Ponggol Nasi Lemak: 965 Upper Serangoon Road, Singapore 534721 (closed on Thur)
20. Mee Siam
Popular among the Muslim community as well as the Chinese, Mee Siam has been absorbed into Singapore’s Nonya culture. Mee Siam means “Siamese noodles” and is vermicelli soaked in a sweet and spicy gravy flavoured by tamarind (assam), dried shrimp and Tau Cheo (fermented bean paste). It usually comes with a boiled egg, beansprouts, tau pok (beancurd puff) and is garnished with chives.
Dju Dju Indonesian Food: Blk 304 Serangoon Ave 2, #01-14, Singapore 550304 (closed on Mon)
Wak Limah Stall: 320 Shunfu Road, #02-15, Shunfu Food Centre Singapore 570320
21. Mee Rebus
In the past, mobile hawkers would sell Mee Rebus by the roadside using a pole with a basket hanging at each end – one basket would hold the ingredients and the other contained a stove and boiling hot water.
Mee Rebus is a noodle dish that uses yellow egg noodles like the type in Hokkien Prawn Mee, with a brown, sweet peanut-ty gravy. Compared to Mee Siam, the Mee Rebus gravy is much thicker and viscous, lacking in the sour assam taste. The gravy is made from potatoes (the starch makes it thicker), curry powder, peanuts, dried shrimp and salted soy beans.
Afandi Hawa & Family Mee Rebus: Blk 14 Haig Road, #01-21, Haig Road Food Centre Singapore 430014 (closed on Wed & Thur)
Inspirasi Stall: Blk 207 New Upper Changi Road, #01-11, Bedok Town Centre Market and Food Centre, Singapore 460207 (closed on Thur)
Selera Kita: Blk 58 New Upper Changi Road, #01-182, Block 58 Market and Food Centre, Singapore 461058
22. Roti Prata
Yet another cross-cultural dish that has been popularly adopted by Singaporeans is the Roti Prata. Roti Prata is of Indian origin, has a Malay name, and is eaten by the Chinese! That’s what Singapore racial harmony is all about.
A fried flour-based pancake, popular Roti Prata variants include adding cheese, eggs, mushroom, onions or even chocolates and strawberries to the batter. The dough is tossed, flipped and stretched multiple times into a large thin layer before folding the edges inwards.
Some outlets also stretch the dough so thin that it turns crispy when fried on the metal pan. These are called ‘paper’ or ’tissue’ prata. Prata is served with fish or chicken curry while some people like myself like to sprinkle sugar onto it.
Thasevi Famous Jalan Kayu Prata Restaurant: 237 & 239 Jalan Kayu, Singapore 799461
Casuarina Curry Restaurant: 138 Casuarina Rd, Singapore 579526
23. Fish Head/Sliced Fish Bee Hoon Soup
What originally started as Fish Head Bee Hoon in the 1920s has slowly advanced to using fish slices or chunks of fish meat in this age of abundance. In the past, meat was scarce and food sellers had to maximise every part of the fish including the head.
The fish head was fried to mask the fishy odour after a few days, as back then refrigeration wasn’t as accessible. These days, boiled fish slices are now an available option.
The Fish Bee Hoon Soup broth is made from fish or pork bones that have been boiled for several hours, and some stalls might add evaporated milk for a fuller taste. Variants include adding XO cognac or brandy.
Holland Village XO Fish Head Bee Hoon Restaurant: Blk 19A Dover Crescent #01-05, Dover Coffee Hub, Singapore 131019
Bao Gong XO Fish Head Bee Hoon: Blk 713 Clementi West Street 2 #01-115, Singapore 120713
Jin Hua Fish Head Bee Hoon: 1 Kadayanallur St, Maxwell Road Hawker Centre, Singapore 069184 (closed on Thur)
24. Rojak (lit. Mixture)
Singapore Chinese/Malay Rojak is a mixture of of you tiao (dough fritters), bean sprouts, tau pok (beancurd puffs), radish, pineapple, cucumber and roasted peanuts. Everything is then all mixed together with a sweet-savoury black, fermented prawn paste sauce. Chilli is optional.
The ingredients in Chinese/Malay Rojak is quite standard. The other distinctive variant is the Indian version. Indian Rojak allows you to pick what ingredients are added and usually doesn’t include you tiao. Red gravy made with potato and spices is used in Indian Rojak instead. It is also tossed in peanut sauce.
Al Mahboob Indian Rojak: Blk 506, Tampines Ave 4, #01-361, Singapore 520506 (closed on alt. Wed)
Toa Payoh Rojak: Blk 51 Old Airport Road, #01-108, Old Airport Road Food Centre, Singapore 390051 (closed on Sun)
Hoover Rojak: 90 Whampoa Drive, #01-06 Whampoa Food Centre, Singapore 320090
25. Chicken Rice
More accurately known as Hainanese Chicken Rice, this is one of Singapore’s most well-known and celebrated dishes. No coffee shop in Singapore is complete without a Chicken Rice stall.
The whole chicken is steeped in sub-boiling pork and chicken bone stock to absorb the flavours and cook. Some shops will also dip the bird in ice after cooking to create a jelly-like finish on the chicken’s skin.
Variations also include roasting the chicken which is called ‘black chicken’ (pictured), in contrast to the ‘white chicken’. The stalls with better service will de-bone the chicken for you.
The rice used in Chicken Rice is cooked with chicken stock, ginger, garlic and occasionally pandan leaves for added fragrance. Chilli sauce made with garlic and red chilli is served with Chicken Rice, and the dish sometimes comes topped with sweet dark soy sauce and heaped spoons of chopped ginger.
Boon Tong Kee: 401 Balestier Road, Singapore 329801
Ming Kee Chicken Rice & Porridge: 511 Bishan Street 13, Singapore 570511 (closed on alt. Tues)
Tian Tian Chicken Rice: 1 Kadayanallur St, #01-10, Maxwell Road Hawker Centre, Singapore 069184 (closed on Mon)
Wee Nam Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice Restaurant: 101 Thomson Road, #01-08, United Square, Singapore 307591
26. Duck Rice
Sometimes Chicken Rice stalls will sell Duck Rice as well, but the real good ducks are in specialised Duck Rice-only shops. The common version of Duck Rice, influenced by roast meats in Hong Kong, uses plain white rice with ruby red roasted duck, and is drizzled with braised sauce.
The other Teochew version uses braised yam rice and braised duck meat, along with some tau pok (beancurd puffs), eggs and peanuts on the side. Teochews just love braised sauce. Both are equally yummy and have distinct taste profiles.
Lian Kee Braised Duck: 49 Sims Place, Sims Vista Market and Food Centre, Singapore 380049
Sia Kee Duck Rice: 659 Geylang Rd, Lorong 35, Singapore 389589
Hua Fong Kee Roasted Duck: Blk 116, Lorong 2 Toa Payoh #01-62, Singapore 310116
27. Char Kway Teow (lit. Fried Rice Cake Strips)
Char Kway Teow is another signature Singapore noodle dish made with flat rice noodles (河粉) with sweet dark sauce. Stir-fried with egg, pork lard, Chinese sausages and fish cake, Char Kway Teow was intentionally made to be loaded in fats because labourers in the past needed a cheap source of energy, and what better way than to get that from one fatty meal.
Cockles are also usually added, as there was plenty of it in Singapore’s port island. A Penang Char Kway Teow variation exists as well, using chives and prawns and lacks the sweetness that is distinctive of Singapore-style Char Kway Teow.
Hill Street Char Kway Teow: Blk 16 Bedok South Road, #01-187, Bedok South Road Market & Food Centre, Singapore 460016
Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee: Blk 531A Upper Cross Street, #02-17, Hong Lim Food Centre, Singapore 510531
No. 18 Zion Road Fried Kway Teow: 70 Zion Road, Zion Riverside Food Centre, #01-17, Singapore 247792 (closed on alt. Mon)
Guan Kee Fried Kway Teow: Blk 20 Ghim Moh Road, #01-12, Ghim Moh Market And Food Centre, Singapore 270020
28. Curry Puff
A Curry Puff is a small baked pie enclosed with either short crust or puff pastry, the former being the more traditional option in Singapore. A common local snack, the filling is usually made with curry gravy, chicken, potato and egg. Other variants include fillings with yam, sardines, otak (grilled fish cake) or even durian.
Tip Top Curry Puff: Blk 722 Ang Mo Kio Ave 8, #01-2843, Singapore 560722
1A Curry Puff: 391 Orchard Road #B2-07-3-3, Takashimaya S.C, Singapore 238873 (there are five outlets in SG)
Rolina Traditional Hainanese Curry Puff: 49A Serangoon Gardens Way, Serangoon Garden Market, Singapore 555945 (closed on Mon)
29. Fish Head Steamboat
Being an island port, Singapore used to have many fishermen who would bring their fresh unsold catch to be sold as dishes instead. Teochew Fish Head Steamboat is another result of our geographic situation.
The soup typically contains a controlled mix of fried yam, sour plums, fried fish bones and vegetables which add flavour to the soup. Raw fish slices are added in later. Grouper, red snapper or pomfret are the usual choices available in Fish Head Steamboat.
Old school steamboat places still use hot charcoal as a heat source, which apparently adds more flavour as compared to just using an electric or fire stove. Be warned – good and popular Fish Head Steamboats in Singapore have fervent customers queuing for more than an hour regardless of how nonchalant the restaurant service is.
Nan Hwa Chong Fishboat: 808/812/814/816 North Bridge Road, Singapore 198779
Tian Wai Tian Fish Head Steamboat: 1383 Serangoon Road, Singapore 328254
Whampoa Keng Fishhead Steamboat: 556 Balestier Road, Singapore 97694451
30. Popiah
And finally, the last dish on this list to eat in Singapore before you die: Popiah. The Teochews call it 薄餅仔 (thin wafer) or 薄餅 in Mandarin, which in the Teochew dialect reads as ‘Bo-BEE-ah’, thus resulting in the English name Popiah.
The round Popiah skin is a thin paper-like wheat crepe that encases all the ingredients. A sweet sauce called hoisin is lathered onto the laid-out flat skin before fillings are added. Ingredients within a Popiah typically include small prawns, boiled eggs, Chinese sausage, lettuce, bean sprouts and primarily filled with cooked carrot and turnip strips.
Glory Catering: 139 East Coast Road, Singapore 428829 (closed on Sun)
Jit It Thai San Popiah 日益太山薄饼: Blk 449 Clementi Avenue 3, Singapore 120449
Qi Ji: Several outlets all over Singapore
Miow Sin Popiah & Carrot Cake: 380 Jalan Besar, #01-04, Lavender Food Square, Singapore 209000 (closed on alt. Wed)
Ann Chin Popiah: Blk 335, Chinatown Complex Market, Smith Street #02-112, Singapore 050335 (closed on Thurs)