Of course, the most distinctive foods in Singapore are those made by the locals, including Chinese, Indian, and Malay cuisines. Since the ancestors of Singapore's Chinese mainly came from Fujian (primarily the Minnan and Chaoshan regions), Guangdong, and Hainan, the Chinese food here is primarily based on dishes from these areas, such as Hainanese chicken rice, stuffed tofu, char kway teow, bak kut teh, and Hokkien mee. Influenced by the local Malays, Singaporean Chinese cuisine also incorporates some characteristics of Malay food, such as a tendency towards spiciness and the use of curry; dishes like curry chicken and curry fish head are among my favorites.
It is hard to imagine that Singaporeans, who love spicy food, have ancestors from southern China, as it is generally believed that southerners rarely eat spicy food. Especially in such a tropical country, it seems a bit unbelievable that they would eat so spicy, adding heat to the heat. However, it is a fact that Singaporeans must have a plate of chili dip (dried chili soaked in soy sauce) to accompany their meals. A Singaporean client of mine, who has been working in China for an extended period, would ask the waiter for chili dip when dining out; when they didn’t know how to prepare it, he would go to the kitchen himself to get it, insisting that he needed it to enjoy his meal. I specifically inquired with some Singaporean friends about this and received various answers. Overall, there are two main explanations: one is that they are influenced by Malays and Indians, whose foods are primarily spicy; the other is that it is beneficial for health, as chili can burn off excess fat.
In addition to authentic Singaporean Chinese cuisine, with the influx of more immigrants from mainland China, we can now also enjoy food from various regions of China in Singapore, such as Sichuan hotpot, northern dumplings, and Shanghai cuisine, although these are not very mainstream and can only be found in specific restaurants.
If you are a food lover, you must not miss the opportunity to taste Indian and Malay dishes in Singapore. Although they may look a bit strange at first, they have unique flavors worth trying. For example, satay (similar to grilled lamb skewers brushed with curry sauce) and Malay fried rice made by Malays, as well as Indian pancakes and lamb soup, are some of my favorites.
Singaporeans generally eat at places called hawker centers, which are distributed across residential areas, commercial centers, subway stations, and large shopping malls. Each hawker center has many stalls selling different foods, while providing public tables and chairs for dining, somewhat similar to the cafeterias of large companies or schools in China. Basically, all stalls in hawker centers are quite similar, offering dishes like mixed rice, noodles, stuffed tofu, chicken rice, Malay rice, Indian rice, and so on. Notably, every hawker center must have a stall selling beverages. Due to the hot weather, everyone usually orders a drink with their meal. Eating at hawker centers is also quite economical, with each meal costing around 3 to 5 Singapore dollars.
