Ever wondered if your favourite food truly originates from Singapore? Here’s your answer
Singaporeans often say that local Singaporean food is always the best. This notion has been reinforced time and again, including when our “hawker heroes” faced off against Michelin-starred chef, Gordon Ramsay.
However, is all our local food truly local? The debate rages on for some. Here is more on some of the favourite Singaporean dishes.
Bak Kut Teh
Bak Kut Teh was brought to Singapore by our forefathers from China. In those days, the Chinese would usually have the dish for breakfast.
A bowl of pork bone soup and a cup of tea would provide workers with an energy boost before starting a day of hard work.
There are a few variations of Bak Kut Teh. The Teochew version has a peppery soup base, whereas the Cantonese version has a herbal soup base.
However, in the recent years, Malaysia has been competing with Singapore over the dish, claiming that Bak Kut Teh is a dish of Malaysian origin.
Indian Rojak
Although the name may suggest that the dish came from India, Indian Rojak is actually a creation of the early Indian immigrants of Singapore. They got the idea from street vendors who sold snacks.
This inspired the Indians to do something similar. With the addition of a delicious sauce, they created the Indian rojak.
Indian Rojak started off with a few simple flour snacks. But to attract the Chinese and Malay community, a wide variety of snacks such as prawn crackers and fish balls were introduced.
Many expat Indians do not know about the existence of Indian rojak.
Laksa
There are many variations of the Laksa dish, such as Penang Laksa and Sarawak Laksa. But where exactly did laksa come from?
As the different names may suggest, Laksa originated from various cities. So far, there has been no confirmation of where exactly laksa originated from. One thing’s for sure, Singaporeans have our own delicious version. In the competition against Chef Gordon Ramsay, 328 Katong Laksa emerged the winner.
From the rich taste of coconut milk to mildly spicy broth and tasty ingredients, Singapore Laksa is popular with both locals and foreigners.
Chilli Crab
Whenever someone asks what Singapore’s most iconic dish is, most would say, Chilli Crab. As much as other countries may want to claim this dish as their creation, Chilli Crab is without a doubt uniquely Singaporean.
The creator of Chilli Crab was Madam Cher Yam Tian. She started off cooking Chilli Crab by cooking it with chilli and tomato sauce. It did not contain any egg or sambal chilli in the sauce, unlike the modern version.
This recipe was modified by Dragon Phoenix Restaurant. The sauce is both sweet and spicy, with bits of egg.
Chilli Crab is best enjoyed with Fried Man Tou (fried bun) to soak up the sauce and to be eaten together.
If you have friends coming to Singapore, the Chilli Crab is a must try!
Republished from Issue 44.
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