Singapore foods
There are many popular Singapore foods that Singaporean eats daily but not many people know which dishes are originated from Singapore. As a tourist, it is good to know dishes that are originated from the country so that you can try out the uniquely Singapore food when you are in Singapore.
Singapore foods
Malaysia has stated a claim on some of the popular Singapore dishes such as chili crab, back kut teh, Chicken rice, nasi lemak and laksa with its Tourism Minister saying that other countries had “hijacked” their dishes. This arose the interest of the Singapore food critics to study all the Singapore foods and dishes and point out five dishes that no other country can “ own”
Uniquely Singapore foods
The five uniquely Singapore dishes are Yusheng, Lor Mee, Teochew-style Bak Chor Mee, Satay Beehoon and Hokkien Mee.
Some, like satay beehoon, were inspired creatively, while others, like lor mee, were invented out of need. Others, like Yusheng (Chinese New Year salad), are indisputably Singaporean and have been “exported” to become popular elsewhere.
Teochew-style Bak Chor Mee
Bak Chor Mee is a Chinese flat and yellow noodle served with pork minced meat. The noodle is served with minced meat, pork slices, roast pork, sliced mushrooms, meat balls, beansprouts, bits of deep-fried lard and a slice of lettuce. Hokkien-style bak chor mee (minced pork noodles) was brought to Singapore by a family from China’s Fujian province. Teochew-style bak chor mee is a distinctly Singaporean creation. Teochew-style bak chor mee used sambal and vinegar to flavour the noodles with meat topping. It was also reported by Lianhe Wanbao last year that Tai Hwa minced pork noodle stall, which started out in Hill Street in the 1930s, was the “godfather” of Teochew bak chor mee. Now you can taste this dish in most of the hawker and food court in Singapore.
Satay Bee Hoon
This dish is a hybrid between Malay Cuisine and Chinese Cuisine. The Satay Bee Hoon sauce is a chilli-based peanut source very similar to the sauce served with satay. It is usually served with a few stalks of Kang Kong, slices of cuttlefish and fried fish cake, pork slices and cockels. The satay sauce is pour on top to mix with the stalks. This Singapore dish might origins from Teochew but the satay sauce used is definitely a Singapore adaptation, as well as the beehoon and kang-kong all these ingredients makes this dish truly Singaporean food.
Lor Mee
Thick flat yellow noodles served in thick starchy gravy. Ingredients added into the noodles are usually ngo hiang, fish cake, fish, round and flat meat dumplings, half boiled egg and other items. Optional ingredients are vinegard, garlic and chili which you can add yourself.
According to the Singapore food expert, Lor Mee was created out of need, it was created in the mid-1950s when there was a shortage of meat. Stall holders in Rochor market stewed small pieces of meat and fish ball to make thick gravy.
Hokkien Mee
Hokkien Mee was brought in by Fujian immigrants and is commonly serve in Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. There a few version of Hokkien Mee, the one originated from Singapore are lighter colour version with prawn stock, pork and squid. It is very fragrant and it go well with sambal chilli, you can get the Singapore Hokkien Mee in most of the Singapore hawkers and food courts.
Yuseng
Yuseng is also known as “lo hei” is unbeatable originated from Singapore. It was a clever invention by the ‘four heavenly kings’ the 4 famous chefs from the old Cathay Restaurant in the 1960s. They wanted to create a dish to celebrate the Chinese New Year, and now it can found in Malaysia and even Hong Kong. You can only find this dish during Chinese New Year period in every restaurant or even some coffee shops. It is served in a large plate with colourful array of ingredients include raw fish (raw wolf herring fish was originally used but salmon is now the popular option here), traditionally mackerel, shredded green and white radish drained of liquid, shredded carrots adding a bright orange tinge, pickled ginger, crushed nuts and pomelo. The ingredients are toped wth various condiments including deep-fried flour crisps, crushed eanuts, sesame seeds, cinnamon, pepper and other spices.
How do you eat this dish?
There is a ritual to eat this dish and this ritual is also sometimes referred to as ‘lo hei’, which means to ‘toss up luck’, or ‘toss and rise’.
Used your chop stick and toss as high as you can and say auspicious word while tossing. In other words, the higher you chuck your food, the more luck and good fortune will rain down on you in the coming year
Below is the video from YouTube to demo to you on how you eat Yu Sheng. Must try this unique dish when you are in Singapore during Chinese New Year period, is very fun.
How about Chilli crab?
You might wonder how come Chilli crab was not pointed out by food critic as a dish originated from Singapore. Then why Chilli crab is always associated with Singapore? Even Singapore tourism board also advertise chilli crab is one of the symbolic dishes of Singapore? more...Back to Home Back to Top Singapore foods
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