Make your home a gastronomic enclave of Singapore’s finest dishes.
Singapore’s rich culture is evident in the different dishes that have captured the palates of both locals and tourists. Let these iconic offerings give you a taste of what you can enjoy cooking at home.
Some call it Singapore chicken rice
A modest yet succulent dish, the Hainanese chicken rice is an easy serving of steamed, white chicken topped with coriander sprigs and served on a fragrant heap of rice.
While its name might spark a bit of confusion, the Hainanese chicken rice originated in Singapore. Immigrants from the Chinese province of Hainan brought their traditional wengcheng chicken recipe to the Little Red Dot and infused it with local flavours. While the traditional cooking style uses pork-bone and chicken-bone for its stock, the Singaporean version concentrates only on its chicken flavour.
Find delight from a simple yet hearty serving of Hainanese chicken rice with ground ginger, oyster sauce, and garlic dip or add in some chilli sauce for the right amount of spice.
Simple and succulent plate of Hainanese chicken rice.
A tasteful dish that can last for weeks
More often it’s beef, sometimes chicken or mutton, but always a favorite of local foodies. Padang rendang is known to have come from West Sumatra, Indonesia where natives braised tough, water buffalo meat in coconut milk and spices. As the meat softens over a long period, it turns into a dry curry.
The braising of padang rendang in coconut milk and various spices infuses exceptional flavours into the meat. It also preserves the dish itself, allowing it to remain stored inside the fridge for up to two weeks before consumption. The love for rendang spans all across Singapore and its neighbors’ Malaysia and Indonesia.
Padang rendang dishes in the past were wrapped in banana leaves and carried for distant journeys. Today, it’s become part of Malay feasts as a celebratory dish.
To introduce a new taste
Arguably the most popular dish in the expansive Indian cuisine, curry is a combination of various spices that may include turmeric, cumin, ginger, and chillies. In it, fish, meat, and poultry are added ingredients as well as vegetables. While the ‘wet’ kind of curry is typically served with all its sauce, there’s also a ‘dry’ version, which is prepared with only a little amount of liquid.
Fish head curry, a uniquely Singaporean dish, isn’t really a traditional Indian delicacy. M.J. Gomez, an Indian immigrant, cooked the first fish head curry in 1949 to please his Chinese diners. It quickly gained attention from the Chinese community and soon became a staple in many Chinese restaurants.
Spices that make an Indian curry burst with taste.
Celebrate of Singapore’s flavors at home
Dancing Chef whips up the flavors of Singapore’s tasteful dishes with its easy-to-use sauce and pastes. Choose from Hainanese Chicken Rice, Indian Curry, Padang Rendang pastes or Sweet & Sour sauce. These convenient pastes contain no MSG, preservatives, or artificial coloring.
Throughout the month of May, take advantage of the Mother’s Day Promotion at all Cold Storage and Giant supermarkets: Dancing Chef Pastes Pastes (100g) : 3 for S$7.85 (UP: S$2.85). Hurry and grab yours before the month draws to a close!
Dancing Chef’s wide range of easy-to-use sauce and pastes
Image credits
Main image:
Jason Briscoe on Unsplash
*For a more in-depth read on these Singapore specialties, head to the National Library Board’s website here.
