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Singapore is a city which is famous for a lot of things. These range from the architecture to the amazing way the city is planned and everything else in between. But what people don’t realize is that apart from the surroundings, there’s an amazing food culture which is hidden underneath as well. No, it’s not the usual commercial pizzas and burgers even though Singapore might look like any other big Western commercialized city from the outside. It has its own vibrant and unique food culture which surprises and impresses its tourists a lot. So let’s check out what you should definitely try out during your trip to Singapore.

Bak Kut Teh

This literally means pork bone tea. The Bak kut teh is a dish which is popular throughout Singaporean and Malaysia. This dish has Chinese origins and even though one might think that the pork gets cooked in tea, that’s not the case at all. Tea isn’t even there in the recipe. It could have gotten its name due to strong tea which was consumed all along with the pork soup. The basic recipe for this dish includes pork ribs boiled in water with garlic, white pepper, and salt. The boiling is done till the pork becomes tender and the flavour gets mingled in it to create the flavorful soup. The best way to eat, this is with a bowl of rice. If you want to enjoy this dish like a true local then have some side dishes like braised tofu and mustard greens. Of course, keep your Chinese tea handy as well to wash the grease down.

Hokkien Mee

Singapore is a costly place and so be prepared to shell out more for basically anything except public transport which is quite cheap and even free. Although if you can use some extra money, then try playing in the online casino Singapore. But basically, there are many tourists and backpackers who try to budget their food expenses and eat from hawkers. If that’s your plan too then go for the Hokkien Mee which is a very famous fried noodle dish. Hokkien Mee is made up of white rice noodles as well as yellow egg noodles too. Along with the noodles, seafood like shrimp and squid is also put in before some bean sprouts are also added in. There are different styles of preparing it and it all basically depends on the hawker. Some prefer to stir fry it, others like it drier and some love it with gravy sauce.

Laksa

Laksa is definitely the proof of an amazing combination of both Malay and Chinese flavours all in one bowl. This dish is basically made up of noodles, or more precisely rice noodles. These noodles form the foundation of a laksa bowl. The noodles are topped by a curry, gravy or some pieces of protein along with veggies as well. Don’t think that laksa is just of one kind. There are various different kinds of laksas which are available. Some are coconut milk based while others are more water based.

This is another Singapore dish which you will be able to find at almost every hawker good stall throughout the whole city. The Chai Tow Kway is a snack dish which is quite popular throughout various other places in Southeast Asia like Vietnam and Thailand too. Here’s a secret regarding the Singaporean carrot cake for those who think that it would contain carrots. Unlike the Western style sweet carrot cake, the carrot cake made here doesn’t contain any type of carrots at all. It actually got its name because of daikon radish which is the ingredient it is made of.

This dish is made up of rice flour along with daikon shreds that are formed up into rice cakes. These are then fried in lots of eggs and pork lard. The end result is a greasy and salty snack which is both crispy and gooey all at the same time. Head over to Song Zhou Luo Bo Gao to taste some succulent carrot cakes.

Chicken Rice

You might think that chicken rice isn’t exactly unique to this place as it’s available all over the world in some capacity but Singapore’s chicken rice is really unique. It’s unique because there is no one way this is made in here. You will find that this dish made up of a simple combo of boiled chicken, paired up with sauce and rice. But it is made in different ways in different street corners. Also, if you want to save up on money, then this is another dish which you can have from the hawkers. Char Kway Teow

If you want to try out some fried noodles Singapore style then Char Kway Teow is the local delicacy which you should try out. This stir fry dish is made up of flat and wide rice noodles, chili, egg, dark soy sauce and shrimp paste. Many times hawkers will also add Chinese sausage to this dish as well. If you are looking for places where you can have some excellent Char Kway Teow then the Hill Street Char Kway Teow is the best place to have it from in the city.

Wanton Mee

This dish is made up of wanton dumplings, yellow egg noodles, little boiled veggies and slices of char siu as well. You will really be able to enjoy both the tanginess and texture of the egg noodles in it. For those wondering, the dumpling has a stuffing of seasons oil, minced pork with shrimp and other seasonings. Wanton Mee is also a dish which is available at every local hawker stall there as well. But if you want a place which serves just excellent Wanton Mee then Guangzhou Mian Shi Wanton Noodle is the place to head for.

These are the dishes which one should definitely not be missing out on while in Singapore. The flavour, style of cooking and spices used will form such an eclectic combination in your mouth that you will be left wanting more.