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Cooking, Recipe and Food Blog

On the Streets: Singaporean Street Food

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If there is one country that can rival Thai street food in terms of popularity and taste, it’s Singapore. This neighboring country in the Southeast is known for Hawker stalls.

image by sekordua

One of the most notable things about Singapore cuisine is the variety in it. Being the melting pot of 5 cultures means it’s also the convergence of 5 unique cuisines. Everywhere you look, you’ll find Malay, Thai, Indian, Chinese and Middle Eastern food. You’ll never have a problem satisfying your tastebuds.

Hawker stalls are small food stalls found in hawker centers everywhere in Singapore. For first-timer, don’t fret. With the stringent hygiene standards implemented in every food stall, you don’t have to worry that eating a plate of hawker food would put you down for the day.

image by Steve Nagata

Dining in hawker centers is very informal. There is central seating which is in a first come first served basis. But if the place is crowded, don’t hesitate to sit across from a stranger. Just ask politely and settle yourself down for a good meal.

Because there are so many hawker stalls and centers, prices are very affordable. With the high cost of living in Singapore, food is one thing you don’t have to splurge on. Singapore is known for its Hainanese chicken and this dish is best served in hawker stalls. Be adventurous and try any and all food that looks appealing. Don’t miss out on the great desserts as well. You’d be surprised at how many different tastes and experiences you’ll find in Singapore.

image by petrr

A Longtime Love for Pad Thai?

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I’ve been having gastronomic visions of Thai food lately and I’m drooling for some Thai street hawker food … Pad Thai! It’s fairly easy to make and it doesn’t call for anything too exotic that an average Asian home kitchen won’t have, and nothing too expensive to buy from the local grocery store. Whatever you can’t find in the supermarket, the recipe is pretty easy to tweak and still retains its genuine flavour.

Pad Thai is stir fried noodles.  Like most other Asian countries have their own version of stir fried noodles, Thai stir fried noodles uses rice glass noodles tossed in a combination of other simple ingredients, which makes it quite inexpensive to make.

I’m definitely on a mission to cook Pad Thai this weekend! Thankfully, my son likes it a lot! And my mom … well, I have to tweak a small portion for her, but it’s all too easy. Feel free to add other ingredients to this dish or omit others that you’re not so keen on or if you have certain allergies. If you like it a little more red than brown, just add ketchup. You can even mix in a bit of peanut butter for that distinct nutty flavor. And lastly, keep a stash of extra chili peppers, in case you like to bring out that Thai fire breathing dragon in you.

Here’s a fairly easy recipe for Pad Thai you might like to dig your chopsticks into.

Pad Thai

Ingredients:

  • 1 (12 ounce) package rice noodles
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • ½ kilo shrimps, shells peeled
  • 1 pack bean curd, fried and chopped in ½” cubes
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 3 tablespoons white sugar
  • 1/8 tablespoon crushed red pepper
  • 2 cups bean sprouts
  • 1/4 cup crushed peanuts
  • 3 green onions, chopped
  • 1 lime or lemon, cut into wedges
  • Cilantro/coriander, roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp peanut butter

Instructions:

  • Toss the glass noodles for in boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and let stand for 5 minutes in the hot water checking for tenderness. Make sure the noodles are al dente, else it will turn to bits and pieces when you sauté’ them later on.
  • Sauté’ chicken until brown and add in shrimps until they are pink and cooked through. Set aside.  Heat some oil in the pan/wok and then crack the eggs into it. Stir in chicken, shrimp and fried bean curd. Cook for about 5 minutes.
  • In a small bowl, mix together, vinegar, fish sauce, sugar, peanut butter and red pepper. Adjust all seasoning to your taste.
  • Add the bean sprouts into the pan and mix while cooking until noodles are tender to the bite for about 3 minutes.
  • Serve hot topped with coriander leaves, green onions, peanuts and more chilli pepper, if you must!

 

 

 

Photo Credit: matias dutto

Photo Credit: Mr T in DC

Photo Credit: ben reeichelt