101524 The unique Peranakan or Nonya food offers a blend of Chinese, Malay and Indonesian flavours, combining aromatic herbs and spices such as lemongrass, chillies, tamarind paste, shrimp paste and coconut milk to create a rich cuisine of braised dishes, stews and curries.
101525 You’ll have to try the ayam buah keluak, a chicken dish mixed with earthy-tasting buah keluak nuts and the laksa, a famous Nonya dish made with rice vermicelli and coconut milk and garnished with seafood or chicken.
101526 And that’s far from all.
101527 Singapore also offers you a wide range of international cuisines – from Thai, Korean, Vietnamese to Mongolian food.
101528 Whether you’re in the mood for a Japanese dinner, a hearty Italian meal, or a casual French bistro experience, you’ll find it all in this little red dot.
101530 Hainanese chicken rice is a gem of a recipe adapted from early Chinese immigrants originally from the Hainan province in southern China.
101531 The dish is simple : bite-sized pieces of steamed white chicken, fragrant rice (it’s pre-fried in chicken fat and cooked in chicken broth), light or dark soy sauce, and a delicious ground chilli and ginger paste.
101532 For the dish to sizzle as a whole all parts must be equally up to par or else it’ll easily slip into the realm of the mediocre.
101533 In fact, the accompanying ground chilli paste has the ability to make or break the dish; too hot will make for an uncomfortable dining experience, too mild will leave the dish tasting bland as a whole.
101534 A lot of effort goes into the preparation of this flavourful dish, with cooks first steaming the chicken until it is fully cooked, before immediately soaking it in cold water.
101535 This stops the cooking process and ensures that the meat remains tender, and is also why the meat is usually served at room temperature.
101536 Usually accompanied by a bowl of light chicken broth, thin slices of cucumber, chilli mixed with dark soy sauce, and ginger paste, a good plate of chicken rice can easily be found at many hawker centres in the city, including Maxwell Road Hawker Centre and restaurants like Checkers.
101537 Simple yet tasty, Hainanese chicken rice is Singaporeans’ choice comfort food, making it another must-try.
101538 In conjunction with Singapore Food Festival 2010, play the Food In Translation game and find out more about Singapore’s Signature Dishes.