Singapore celebrated its 50th anniversary of independence from the British during the week and for a tiny country with few natural resources, the Republic of Singapore is an exceptional success story and food capital of Asia.
If there was one place in Asia that I would call the perfect foodie heaven, it would be the former British colony of Singapore. Roughly twice the size of Taveuni but with a population of 5.4 million people, Singapore jam-packs 8000 people per square kilometre compared with just 50 per square kilometres for the entire Fiji islands!
The Lion City as it is known, is a financial hub that generates sales of goods and services worth a whopping US$302.2 billion in 2014 compared to Fiji’s US$4.03 billion.
It is also one of the least corrupt, clean and graffiti-free countries in Asia, where the trains are on time and traffic jams are non-existent. Just don’t spit or chew gum in public because social discipline will cost you a hefty on-the-spot fine if you break the rules that have defined this island nation since inception.
Food capital of Asia
On the face of it, Singapore is like a sterile utopia, but look closer and this young republic will reveal its true soul, especially in its food.
There is a great energy driving this multi-ethnic and multi-cultural melting pot, where Chinese, Malay, Muslim, Hindu cultures mix with influences from the west.
With its rich multicultural heritage, Singapore has a wide variety of cuisine to cater for its diverse population, and why it is known as the food capital of Asia.
The fact that there are at least 20,000 eateries to feed a nation of more than five million is testament that food is integral to the Singaporean lifestyle.
While breakfast and lunch tends to be rushed in favor of the working day, the evening meal is an entirely different matter and is a time to socialise with friends and family, and try some of the unique foods of the country.
Most of Singapore’s food is imported
The native food of Singapore is heavy in Chinese, British, and Indian influences.
Singapore has a long history of immigration, so the many different people that have come to the country have contributed heavily to the native foods. Much of the food and produce that people eat is also imported, but there are some local farmers who grow fruit, fish, poultry and leafy vegetables.
People from Singapore eat many different kinds of seafood including crabs, squid, clams, lobsters, stingray, and oysters. There are many different types of tropical fruits that can be found all around the year such as mangosteen, longan, jackfruit, rambutan, pineapple and lychee. Some fruits are used in dishes such as sweet and sour pork, salads and iced desserts.
Most diverse Asian cuisine
Not only has Singapore transformed itself in the last 150 years from a fishing village to one of Asia’s most dynamic cities, it’s also a centre for some of the best food in South East Asia.
Settlers and traders from China, India, Indonesia and Malaysia have helped make the cuisine the unique mix it is today along with a strong determination on the part of Singaporeans to eat very well.
Local cuisine includes dishes from different parts of China, along with halal Malay food, southern and northern Indian cuisine, as well as Peranakan and Nonya food — a blend of flavors from the original settlers.
Singapore is renowned for its hawker markets, the ultimate destination for experiencing the breadth and depth of the country’s cuisine.
These are collections of small stalls often specialising in one or two signature dishes from vendors using secret family recipes that have been handed down through generations.
Fusion of Asian cultures
Nonya cooking is a distinct cuisine that developed when local Malay women married Chinese merchants and labourers. It is the fusion of Chinese-Hokkien ingredients and Malay herbs and spices.
The dishes are often hot and spicy and many dishes start with a rempah or spice paste made with a combination of chilli, spring onion, lemongrass, candlenuts, turmeric and the very stinky, fermented shrimp paste called belachan.
Singaporean food is very adaptable to Fijian produce and ingredients but if you look carefully at their cultural foods, you can see much similarity with South Pacific cooking — with lots more herbs and chilli!
There are many distinctive dishes like otak-otak, a fresh crunchy salad called rojak, popiah (soft spring rolls), fish head curry, often eaten from a banana leaf, and the renowned Singapore chilli crab.
Fish head start
The squeamish will squirm at the sight of puffy cheeks and bulging fish eyes surrounded in a sea of red gravy.
Yet, for many, it is a visually appetising feast — usually eaten with rice to soak up the fragrant curry.
Fish head curry is unique to Singapore, the epitome of a cultural melting pot. It mixes the spices of a typical South Indian curry with the fish head, a delicacy among the Chinese.
Every ethnic group here has its own version of the dish, with slight variations to the curry. Some mix in tamarind paste for a tinge of sourness, others add coconut milk for a creamier texture.
The only similarity is the head of a fleshy red snapper swimming in a pool of spicy gravy, along with a mix of vegetables such as okra (bhindi) and eggplant (baigan).
Fish head curry was created in the kitchen of a small Singaporean Indian restaurant in the 1960s.
Fish head is not considered a normal Indian ingredient, but to please Chinese customers who love it, the clever restaurant owner from the Southern Indian state of Kerala blended Indian curry with the fish head and accidentally created one of Singapore’s national dishes.
Today, it is on the menu in Indian, Chinese, Malay and Peranakan restaurants, often served still bubbling away in a large clay pot. Fish head connoisseurs will proclaim that the cheeks have the best flesh, and just like a Fijian chief, the eyes are the best part!
Desserts for the soul
Tropical fruit is usually a great way to finish any Asian meal, but for a nation of food lovers obsessed with eating, the Singaporeans have many of its own dessert recipes.
From the traditional bubur cha-cha, a colourful mix of tapioca, sweet potato, beans and coconut milk; the shaved iced kachang; to the European inspired creme brûlée, macaron, soufflé, tiramisu, madeleine … and probably another 100 more sweet delights.
Singapore’s multitude of dessert cafes and patisseries are reason enough for me to jump on a plane (oh, and the Singapore chilli crab, fish head curry and a visit to the Mariner Bay Sands hotel!).
The Singaporeans believe that desserts are not only the best food for the soul, they have the loveliest names that touch the heart too!
Some are life-changing, some are mind-blowingly out of the world; some just take your breath away…
* Lance Seeto is the multi-award winning executive chef based on Mana Island, and is Fiji Airway’s Culinary Ambassador and host of Fiji TV’s Taste of Paradise. Season 4 airs across the South Pacific and Papua New Guinea from August 30 on Fiji One.
