An Introduction to Singaporean Cuisine

by: Debbie Salcedo

Once predominantly inhabited by Malays, Singapore’s indigenous cuisine largely depends on rice or nasi as a staple. This is taken along with vegetables, meat and fish and is normally highly spiced.

Found just off the coast of Malaysia and near Indonesia, Singapore has been part of busy trade routes between China and India since at least the 5th century AD. This sparked huge migrations to Singapore of people from different ethnic backgrounds, each one bringing their own unique cuisine.

For centuries, spices such as galangal, cloves and lemongrass have been widely used in Singapore. From the 15th century, chili became an integral part of the cuisine and is now used in most dishes. The spicy laden cuisine owes a lot to India, as spices were imported from there.

Since Singapore is a 600 square meter island, fresh seafood abound. Prawns, squid, crab and lobster are readily available in addition to such fish as barramundi, stingray, garoupa and king fish.

During the 19th and 20th centuries, the tumultuous situation in China saw an influx of Chinese migrants especially from Southern China like Hokkien, Canton, Teochew and Hakka regions. At along this time, woks and chopsticks were introduced in Singapore.

The Chinese are now the largest ethnic group on the island, and different Chinese cooking styles can be sampled all over town. At the time, Chinese migrants were mostly men who married into the local families. This lead to the creation of a Peranakan culture, which also developed its own unique cuisine. In Peranakan cuisine, staple Chinese ingredients such as noodles, soy sauce and tofu are mixed with local Malay spices.

Singapore also saw an influx of Indian migrants especially from the Southern Tamil speaking region. With them they brought a whole range of Indian cooking styles including the hot and spicy curries from the south and the milder, creamier tastes of the north.

Examples of Singaporean Cuisine/ Ingredients

Rice or nasi - eaten with every meal and comes in many forms, from plain white rice to the elaborate nasi minyak, a saffron rice cooked in ghee and served at weddings.

Leaves - Ingredients such as banana leaves (used for steaming food), kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass and turmeric are also widely used.

Chili - Present in many dishes. This is often incorporated into the sauce or mixed into a rich paste and used as a condiment called sambal.

Satay - A Malay version of the kebab, Satay is popular throughout the region. Arab traders who brought the Muslim faith to Southeast Asia also introduced the kebab, and the locals embellished the meat with spices before being grilled.

Rendang - a popular dish, which consists of meat stewed in a rich coconut curry. This delicious dish was originally used to tenderize and disguise tough meat.

 

For a gourmet adventure, visitors would best be in Singapore in the months of March and April for the month-long Singapore food Festival. This food festival brings with it special offerings from the simplest hawker stalls to gourmet restaurants.



 

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