A taste of Singapore, part 1 (Classic Edition)

The culinary landscape of Singapore is a testament to how specialisation and the theory of comparative advantage can yield tremendous quality and quantity at low cost. All over the city, in food centres, coffee-shops and restaurant rows, you can find what we refer to as a hawker, or a street vendor. They typically sell one dish, and one dish only - and it is a dish that they have no doubt spent decades hunched over a stove or a grill perfecting. The result is fabulous food, prepared fast, and at ridiculously low prices. You can have a full meal in Singapore, non-alcoholic beverage included, for SGD$5 (USD$3.20).

The story of Singapore food is the story of immigrant cultures, and in that respect is a story not unlike that of America's. Fortune-seekers arrived in Singapore from Mainland China by way of Thailand and Malaysia, and brought with them their local specialties that soon evolved into distinctively Singaporean versions. As a people we love food, and each individual is on a lifelong quest to build up a repertoire, a repository of knowledge - where the best versions of each local dish are. It is as much a mark of pride as it is fodder for conversation. The best bak kut teh? That 24-hour place in Joo Chiat. The best laksa? Got to be Katong laksa, and make sure you go to the real deal at number 328, not the imitation ripoff across the street.

Upon my return to Singapore I arranged with fellow foodie and friend Victor to embark on a day's worth of eating - an expedition to traverse the tiny island in search of good food and good times. We decided that since I had gone so long without them, that this expedition would cover the basics of local food, and we would save the rest for future trips. Victor, like me, is a huge fan of roasted meats, and we started off with a place we had both been to before and loved for the basic cuts of roast pork - char siu and siu yoke.

Both char siu and siu yoke are barbequed cuts of pork that have their origins in Cantonese cuisine. The former is usually the shoulder - glazed with honey, five spice powder, soy sauce and all manner of other spices before roasted at low heat and sliced thinly. The results are slices of pork that have a deep red exterior charred to a crisp, and a tender, succulent pinkish interior. The latter is the pork belly, first roasted at low temperatures and then finished off at high heat to get the exterior layer of fat crackling and crisp.


Loon Seng, on Kellock Road in River Valley, was our chosen destination for these delicacies, and they did not disappoint. Deep red slices of char siu, coated in a tangy, sweet sauce and glistening even in the warm midday light, and strips of siu yoke with crunchy skin crackling to perfection, yet moist, juicy meat that almost melted on the touch of the teeth.


Like any good Chinese boys we ate this with a generous helping of rice, and it made me think that the reason Singaporeans tend to over-season and over-salt for strong, bold flavours, was because we typically eat our foods with starches that have minimal seasoning. The slice of pork that may be overwhelming to the tongue by itself would be perfect if consumed in the same mouthful as plain white rice, or noodles, or with bread.


There was no conversation as we scarfed down the roasted meats, pausing only to periodically close our eyes and savour a particularly succulent piece, or to bite down on the black char. There was nothing to do but finish every last bite of it, because the meat at the bottom of the platter is always the best, since it has been soaking in its drippings the longest.


One of the Singaporean staples is a dish that utilises char siu as a topping to egg noodles, served dry or in a soup with pork wontons. Called char siu won ton mee, it is simple, but delicious in its simplicity. We tried a version of this from Kallang Food Centre at Old Airport Road, and while the sway gao (boiled meat and shrimp dumplings) in the soup (not pictured) was less than impressive, the noodles were tart and vinegary, coated with a thin layer of soy sauce, chili oil, and sprinkled with a healthy dash of white pepper.


What makes this dish is the accompanying condiment of sliced green chili peppers marinated in light soy sauce. Green chili has a sourness to it that rounds out the noodles and the pork; and a different kind of spice that complements the chili oil.


While we were there we also tried another Singaporean classic - Hokkien prawn noodles. This is the dish that I missed the most while living abroad. Brought to Singapore by Chinese immigrants from the Fujian province, it is a dish of egg noodles and rice noodles boiled in a seafood stock, then stir-fried in lard with shrimp, squid, fish cake, spring onions and lime. The secret is all in the stock, typically made with both fresh and dried shrimp - the latter being similar to kelp in its intensity of flavour. I am sure that there are stocks out there that have been simmering for months and years and decades, never really thrown out but reheated and reconstituted each day. The accumulated flavour of those stocks is what makes a truly transcendent dish of Hokkien prawn noodles. The one we tried, Nam Sing at Kallang Food Centre, was reputedly one of the best around, but we found that it had lost its lustre after the renovation of the food centre, and we walked away thinking that we had other favourites around town (Victor preferred Bedok Town Centre, while I was a staunch supporter of the Still Road place across from the black pepper crab stall).


I would be remiss if I did not also mention char kway teow, a dish of flat rice noodles stir-fried in lard, light and dark soy sauce and with bean sprouts, Chinese sausage, fish cake, cockles and green onions. The best part about this dish is that if done the proper way (as opposed to the healthy way), it is also fried with zhu you cha - crispy fried croutons of pork lard. These miniature heart-attacks impart another level of flavour to the dish and are delicious by themselves. You can usually ask for these to be removed, but then you risk being judged by the discerning Singaporean, and dismissed as a real connoisseur of local cuisine. The version here is from No. 18 Zion Road Hawker Centre, which was very good and usually has long lines of people queuing up for it:


It was regretful that we had so little time (and only one stomach). To get through all that we did in a day was impressive, but there were so many other classics that we passed over - Hainanese chicken rice, fried carrot cake, lor mee, fish head noodles, the list goes on. As we parted ways Victor and I agreed that we would do this regularly, and come up with themes for our future expeditions. A taste of Singapore: Offal edition. A taste of Singapore: Malay edition. A taste of Singapore: Dessert edition. It was an ambitious plan that we laid out, but I had no doubt in our commitment and drive to accomplish it.