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Food Dictionary

Singapore is a great place for food, its kitchen is a fusion of Chinese, Indonesian, Malay, Indian and other cuisines and many of the dishes here are a unique variation on the originals. Tastes differ and we can not guarantee you will like everything but you should at least give it a try! Your main problem will be trying to figure out what some of the dishes actually are though sometimes you may not even want to know.

We are listing some foods here you can commonly encounter in your local hawker, not all cooks will use the same ingredients but it may give you a start.

Want to know something not yet in the list? Ask us.

Dish Origin Description
Ice Kacang Malay
A desert of small beans, corn, different jellies and palm-heart topped with shaved ice on which sugar sirup (3 flavours) and condensed milk are poured. Sometimes there is a fruit sauce on top, sometimes the corn is on top and you won't always find the same ingredients inside. Quite filling.
Kueh Malay
You will find many 'kueh' in Singapore, it basically means a cake / cookie / desert, some popular ones will follow.
Kueh Dada Malay
A sweet desert consisting of a green, pandan flavoured pancake filled with a mixture of grated coconut and brown liquid sugar.
Kueh Lapis Indonesian
Also called 'thousand layer cake' this cake consists largely of egg yolk, sugar and spices baked in many thin layers on top of each other. These days other ingredients such as dried fruit are also sometimes added. A delicious cholesterol bomb.
Laksa Malay
Also 'Katong Laksa'. This is a seafood 'soup' of curry, coconut milk and spices with bits of fish and shrimps. How spicy it is depends on where you eat it.
Murtabak Indian
Let's, unjustly, call it an Indian Pizza. It is basically a prata with a filling of meat (chicken, mutton), vegetables and chillies. Served with a curry for added flavour.
Popiah Chinese (?)
A non-fried and bigger 'spring roll' it is basically a thin flour based skin filled with shredded mixed vegetables and (sometimes) tofu, coriander, chilli and sweet soya sauce, chopped peanuts and sesame and sometimes egg, crab or shrimp. Comparatively healthy and good for a light lunch or snack.
Prata Indian
Basically flour with a bit of water and oil. Fried thinly on a hot plate and served with a curry for dipping. The prata can also contain egg or cheese. The prata should not be too oily, the curry not too watery.
Satay Malay
Most people should know this!. Satay consists of marinated meat on bamboo skewers that is served with a peanut based sauce, cucumber, onion and compacted rice.

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