Joanna James
Singapore is a bustling Southeast Asian island nation, located in the South China Sea. Its history as a fishing village contributes to seafood making up a major part of its cuisine. Foodies who travel to Singapore will have a variety of mouth-watering seafood dishes to try, with everything from chilli crab to cereal prawns. Here are some of the top dishes for seafood lovers:
Though black pepper crab is not Singapore’s national dish, it comes close. The dish is made by stir-frying pieces of crab mixed with a smattering of black pepper, shallots, garlic and oyster sauce to create a rich combination of flavours. The crab is usually served with rice and garnished with coriander leaves. Though black pepper crab is not usually prepared in households, it is widely sold in street food stalls and venues like City Hall restaurants in Singapore. Visitors can also enjoy some of the best seafood in hotels such as Grand Park City Hall.
This is a unique prawn dish that provides the perfect balance of crunchy and sweet. It is made by dipping prawns in a batter of egg yolk, curry leaves and chilli, which are then deep-fried and drained. Afterwards, the prawns are coated with a generous heaping of crushed and toasted cereals along with milk powder, chicken powder, sugar and salt. The dish is commonly found at hawker markets and restaurants in Singapore and is best eaten hot.
Like many other Asian delicacies, chilli crab started out as a humble street food. However, this meal has become so popular that it is now considered to be Singapore's national dish! This delicious recipe features stir-fried crabs smothered in a spicy tomato-based sauce. Chilli crab came into being in the 1950s when Cher Yam Tian added bottled chilli sauce to her homemade crab recipe. The result was so delicious that she began selling it, and the dish has remained a hit with the public ever since.
Been Hoon fish soup is a delicious fish broth and a favourite comfort food in Singapore. The broth incorporates milk and spices, along with rice vermicelli (bee hoon noodles). Types of fish heads or slices used for the soup are Garoupa, snakehead, and pomfret, which are deep-fried or boiled with mustard greens before being immersed in the creamy soup. The stock may also be flavoured with brandy or rice wine, and garnished with scallions.
This is a much-loved dish which is popular in both Singapore and Malaysia - where it is called ikan pari bakar. It consists of grilled stingray paired with a rich sambal paste and a chilli pepper sauce that includes ingredients like lime juice, shrimp paste, ginger, vinegar or sugar. The fillets of stingray are first coated in the sambal before being grilled. It is served on a banana leaf and may be accompanied by lime wedges, onions or chilli peppers and a dipping sauce.
Fish head curry, as the name suggests, features fish heads (usually red snapper) stewed with vegetables in an aromatic gravy. The curry is made of coconut cream, tomatoes, and different spices that include curry leaves, garlic, chilli, turmeric and other condiments. The dish came into being in the 1970s, as a way to use leftover fish heads. Today, it is enjoyed with rice or bread. One pot of the curry is enough to feed several people!
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
