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Singaporean Recipes

16 recipes

Singapore's food reflects the Chinese, Malay, Indian and Peranakan communities that settled on the island, plus a long British colonial presence. A single meal can combine Hokkien noodles, Malay sambal and Indian flatbread. Most people eat at hawker centres, open-air food courts with dozens of stalls, and many stalls have cooked one dish for decades. Rice and noodles form the base, served with chicken, pork, seafood or fish and flavored with chili, shrimp paste, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, pandan and coconut milk. Breakfast often means kaya toast with soft eggs and strong coffee. Peranakan cooking contributes laksa and sweet kuehs, while Indian Muslim stalls serve prata and mee goreng. Festive tables bring steamboat at Lunar New Year, ketupat at Hari Raya and sweets at Deepavali. Desserts such as ice kachang and pandan cake are eaten year-round, usually with a cold drink to handle the heat.

Staple ingredients

Breakfast

Appetizers

Soups

Salads

Main Dishes

Side Dishes

Breads

Desserts

Snacks

Drinks

Common questions

What is Singapore food known for?

Hawker dishes such as Hainanese chicken rice, chilli crab, laksa, char kway teow and satay, plus kaya toast for breakfast. The cuisine mixes Chinese, Malay, Indian and Peranakan cooking.

What is the national dish of Singapore?

There is no official one. Hainanese chicken rice and chilli crab are the two dishes most often named, and both are served at hawker centres and restaurants across the island.

Is Singapore food spicy?

Some dishes are, but the heat is usually adjustable. Chilli crab is sweet and only mildly hot, laksa carries a chili paste, and sambal or fresh chilies come on the side so each person sets the level.