It may be freezing in my apartment in Europe right now, but back in SIngapore, it’s 80F all year round. No really- everyone seems to ask me this -the weather does not change in Singapore. Its just one long, endless summer of rain and heat and humidity.
See this funky globe image I found? See that thick band around the middle of it? That’s the equator, and sitting right on top of it, at the very tip of southernmost Malaysia, is the tiny island city-state of Singapore. So, yeah. Summer. All. Year. Long.
Anyway, Singapore is an interesting place to live- but alas, this is a food blog, not a travel one and to that end- the single best thing about Singapore, no contest, is its food. I started missing the food about ten minutes after I found out I was leaving. It truly baffles me that Singaporean restaurants have not become more prominent worldwide like Thai or Sushi places. The thing is, Singaporean cuisine is so special and so delicious, that EIGHT of the “World’s Most Delicious Foods” of 2011 are regular features of Singaporean/Malaysian street food (Roti Canai, Katong Laksa, Chili Crab, Penang Laksa, Satay, Chicken Rice, Nasi Goreng and Beef Rendang).
What makes Singaporean food so special? To me it’s a combination of a couple key things. First, it’s a whole hodgepodge of the 3 cultures that make up the population: Chinese, Indian and Indonesian/Malay. After centuries of living together combined with a dash of British colonial rule, their traditional cuisines have influenced one another in a unique and delightful way. Second is the culture of eating in kopitiams and hawker centres– giant [usually] outdoor food courts featuring the entire array of Singaporean dishes, side-by-side, at a price that actually makes cooking at home laughable.
Since I’ve left, it’s been a major objective of mine to recreate some of my favorite Singaporean dishes. The truth is, that’s very hard. Part of why hawker centres are so prominent is that for all the effort (and stewing time) that goes into a dish, it’s better to make it in bulk and sell it on the street. Also, rounding up the right ingredients when you’re in a different corner of the globe can be a challenge.
Thus, I’ve ang mo-ed it up and what I have endeavored to do is to build a handful of OntheFly-style recipes that can bring a little taste of Singapore to even the most Western of kitchens. So, I ask you to keep in mind that the recipes this month are my own adaptations of Singaporean delicacies. They are not the traditional recipes or methods … but they taste pretty darn close!
Anyway, to get you started experimenting with Singaporean cuisine, keep an eye out for some of these key ingredients at the market, the international foods section or your local Chinatown grocery: ginger, coriander, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, chili powder, sambal, sesame oil, coconut milk, pickled green chillies, Asian veggies (bok choy, kai-lan, kang kong, etc), abalone, shiitake mushrooms, and red beans, grass jelly & tapioca pearls (for desserts).
~Spicy Sizzling!
