5 Famous Local Foods to Try in Singapore – Savour Singapore’s Best Flavours

Singapore is known for its delectable crab dishes. Perhaps the most iconic crab dish, chilli crab features crab cooked in a tangy chilli sauce. Another popular crab dish, black pepper crab features crabs stir-fried with a generous amount of black pepper and other aromatic spices. Salted egg yolk crab is slightly new to Singapore’s culinary scene, but it has quickly gained popularity. Butter crab is another crab variation you must try in Singapore; it’s cooked in a creamy and luscious butter sauce, which is rich, savoury, and slightly sweet. These crab dishes are served at hawker centres, restaurants, and event spaces in Singapore alike.

Another mouthwatering dish you wouldn’t want to miss out, Nasi Lemak is a simple but a filling dish. It was once eaten for breakfast, but now it’s become a popular choice for breakfast and dinner too. Nasi Lemak is a Malay dish, and Singapore has added its own twist to it. The dish consists of steamed rice, fried eggs, peanuts, fried anchovies, and sambal. Nasi Lemak is another reason to visit Singapore’s famed hawker centres. While on the subject of hawker centres, if you plan to visit these quaint and quintessentially Singaporean eateries, it’s a good idea to stay at a place like Grand Park City Hall. This way, you can get to these places with the least amount of commute time.

By adding its own twist, Singapore has claimed wanton mee as its own. Originally a Hong Kong dish, the Singaporean version of wanton mee consists of springy egg noodles, minced pork or shrimp, and leafy greens like bok choy. One of the key elements of the dish is its sauce, which varies depending on the recipe used. However, the sauce typically contains soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and generous amounts of seasonings. There are two versions to wanton mee: one is dry with stir fried noodles and the other comes with a bowl of soup on the side.

An iconic dish in Singaporean cuisine, fried carrot cake, despite its name, does not contain carrots. Instead, it’s made of radish or white radish powder, which steamed and fried with a variety of ingredients. In Singapore’s street food stalls, you find two versions of the carrot cake: a white version and a black version. In the white version, the radish cake is stir fried with eggs and garlic, resulting in a flavourful savoury dish. To make the black version, dark soy sauce is added to achieve the dark colour. You can find carrot cake in hawker centres, restaurants, and coffee houses all across Singapore. Despite its simple ingredients, carrot cake has become a popular comfort food in Singapore.

A staple dish in Singapore, laksa showcases Singapore’s diverse culture. It’s a spicy noodle soup that combines Chinese and Malay flavours. You’ll find two types of laksa in Singapore: one is curry laksa featuring a creamy coconut milk broth and Asam laksa that comes in a tangy and sour broth made from tamarind, fish, and various spices. Laksa is widely available at hawker centres as well as restaurants.