Sambal Goreng (Fried Chilli Paste) https://youtu.be/IHdQF4za4nw I love having good condiments on hand to add flavour to quick and easy meals. In Southeast Asia that’s often a sambal, and sambal goreng is one of the easiest and tastiest. Sambal means ‘chilli’ and goreng means ‘fried’ and I use this fried chilli paste in mee goreng […]
Stir-fried Bean Sprouts & Garlic Chives I love the crunch of bean sprouts scattered over many dishes, from char kway teow to laksa, but I find that whenever I buy a bag I always waste more than half of them as I’m using just a small handful as a garnish. Then I came across tumis […]
Nyonya Curry Paste My Singaporean friend, Audra Morrice, taught me to make this classic Nyonya curry paste. She explained that it can be tricky making curry pastes in a smaller quantity than this, so it’s best to make the full amount then, if you don’t need it all, freeze half for a quick meal later. […]
Apom Berkuah with Pengat Pisang Apom berkuah with pengat pisang is a popular Singaporean dessert. Apom comes from the word ‘appam’, a southern Indian fermented rice pancake popular in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and berkuah (also written bokwa or bengkua) means to accompany a thick sauce or gravy, in this case the delicious banana-studded coconut […]
Oyster Omelette This recipe brings back memories of my first trip to Singapore – and my first meal at Newton Circus hawker centre. I’ve seen the translation of oyster omelette written so many ways, including or luak, orh luak, orr chien, orh jian and o-a-tsian. The ingredients vary a lot too, some people use tapioca […]
Kaya Toast Kaya toast is a classic Singaporean breakfast, found in every kopi tiam (coffee house) across the island. And what’s not to love? Crisp white toast, a thick slice of cold butter and a good smear of sweet coconut jam (kaya). This isn’t the place for fancy sourdough, supermarket-style sliced white bread is the […]
Fish Head Curry Fish head curry is a classic Singaporean and Malaysian dish. It’s said to have originated in Singapore in the 1950s, though it seems likely that thrifty housewives were finding ways to make fish heads tasty long before then, after all the meat in the cheeks and wings is delicious and plentiful in […]
Singapore Chilli Crab Chilli crab is perhaps the dish most synonymous with Singapore. It’s found all over the island, from hawker stalls to fine diners, as well as being the most popular Singaporean dish abroad. I’ve played around with recipes for Singaporean chilli crab since I had my first plate of it in Ponggol many […]
Prawn Laksa Lemak There are as many different versions of laksa as there are cooks, every Singaporean and Malaysian adds their own spin and there are distinct regional variations. Not all laksas contain coconut milk, but laksa lemak always does. Laksa lemak originated around the Straits of Malacca and lemak, meaning ‘creamy’ in Malay, indicates […]
Char Kway Teow Classic char kway teow most often includes lup cheong (Chinese sausage), but I make a delicious pescatarian version without it. If you’re cooking for omnivores, you can fry a few slices in the oil then remove it before adding the noodles and return it to the wok with the bean sprouts. You […]
