favourite local food

Some would say that you haven’t been in Singapore if you haven’t tried its local food. Over a 100 Hawker Centres (local food stalls) can be found in the heartlands neighbourhood or shopping malls.

Hawker Centres would probably have these local favourites:

1. Bak Kuh Teh: pork ribs cooked with several spices, garlic and pepper in a tasty soup that is served with either rice or fried dough fritters. Some would associate this to the Filipino dish called ‘Nilaga’.
2. Chilli Crab: hard-shell crab cooked in thick gravy with a tomato and chilli base. A packet of wet-wipes-tissue would be handy as you would probably be using your hands.
3. Hainanese Chicken Rice: steamed chicken served with fragrant rice cooked in chicken stock. Garnished with few strips of sliced fresh cucumber, some prefer to have it with a dip of chilli and dark-soya-sauce.
4. Laksa: rice noodles in coconut curry gravy with shrimps, eggs, chicken and cockles as garnishing.
5. Fish Head Curry: a huge fish head and vegetables, cooked in curry and served with rice. Have a glass of ‘calamansi’(local lime juice) to go with it.
6. Roti Prata: this is a crispy crusty South Indian pancake, made with or without eggs, and served with a thick curry gravy.

Familiar places to consider:

• Chinatown Food Street along Smith Street
• East Coast Lagoon Food Village
• Fisherman’s Village by the beach at Pasir Ris
• Satay Street at Lau Pa Sat along Boon Tat Street
• Newton Food Centre
• People’s Park
• Tiong Bahro Market and
• Zion Riverside Food Centre