Category: food

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and while I love a full english, it just does not compare to the more greasy, flavoursome breakfast options in Southeast Asia. You think Curry and rice are just for lunch or dinner? Think again. These are a few of my all time favourite dishes to start the day with, and many variations of these dishes can be found across Asia.

Rava Dosa

This wholesome meal originates from South India but is also very popular in Sri lanka, Malaysia and Singapore. Rava means semolina, which is one of the main ingredients to this vegetarian dish. Think of this as a version of savoury crepe, just with so much more flavour, as all things in Asia. The dosa is usually accompanied by a mildly spicy vegetable curry and coconut chutney.

Chee Cheong fun

This is one of the meals I tend to crave every once in awhile. It is a rice noodle roll, fun meaning rice. It originates from southern China and can also be found in Hongkong, Singapore and Malaysia. “Chee cheong” means pig intestine, however, fear not! The meal contains no intestine of any sort, it just happens to look like one.

Other variations include a piece of pork or shrimp rolled up in the rice noodle. However, Chee cheong fun has no fillings. The timzheong sauce brings the main flavour to this dish, just thinking about it makes me hungry. There is a savoury and sweet version, the one you see below is sweet, covered in the sweet black sauce (similar to hoisin sauce), accompanied by a cold glass of fresh sugar cane juice – bliss.

Appam

This is one of my all time favourites and a known must have at my Grandma´s when I visit. This is a popular Sri Lankan cuisine which can also be found across Singapore (especially in little India or Changi Airport). Appam, also known as hoppers is a, is a crispy pancake with a soft and fluffy centre made of fermented rice.

Whilst, the  “hopper” can be eaten either savoury or sweet, the version I grew up on was sweet, topped of with a lot of coconut milk and sugar while being fried on the specialized pan. The rice centre soaked up the coconut milk, leaving it moist and creamy. What you usually find in shops or street stalls is the plain Appam as seen below served with a bowl of coconut milk and gula melaka ( coconut palm sugar) separately. The difference to these two variations is in the texture of the soft centre.

I can easily have 4 of these for breakfast, however, my heart tends not to agree with this calorific sin. But it is definitely something you have to try!

Soya Bean Curd Pudding

This mildly sweet pudding is made of soya bean and is eaten either for breakfast or as a snack. It’s creamy taste and silky texture is the reason this warm pudding is so popular in Singapore and Malaysia, where it is served with a clear syrup and also known as Tau Huay. Other variations of this can be found across Southeast Asia and China with toppings such as peanut and ginger.

 Tao Suan

Although Tao Suan is typically a dessert, I justify it as a breakfast dish. This is a green bean starchy sweet soup served with Youtiao (similar to a light fried dumpling). According to the Chinese, this soup helps with indigestion and cools the body. According to me, it soothes the soul. You can find this in most food courts in Singapore by the dessert section.

Now do you still want that english breakfast?

When Singapore gained its independence, it started off as a cosmopolitan city with the indigenous malays and then the migration of Chinese and indians. With the harmonious integration of different races came the integration of their cuisine and flavours. Here are some of my favourite Singaporean/Malaysian dishes.

Carrot Cake Chai Tau Kway

This is an all time local favourite – fried carrot cake. Don’t think about the carrot cake desert you are used to, this version is boiled rice flour with shredded carrots ( and a few more ingredients). There are two version, the white one, which is less sweet and the black one, which is rounded off with sweet soy sauce. This is then also fried with egg and is great as either a main dish or side dish.

Rojak

This salad dish, which is also common in Indonesia, gives you a great burst of flavours. “Rojak” literally means “a mix” in malay and that explains the dish. A mixture of crunchy fruit and vegetable as well as you char kway (fried dough fritters) which is not complete without the dark brown sauce. The rojak sauce determines the taste of the dish and it is a mixture of prawn and chilli paste, sugar and lime, but not every shop gets the right consistency of sweet and savoury. There is also an Indian version of rojak which can be distinguished by the fiery red sauce.

Hainanese Chicken rice

This is a simple dish with impact which originates from a small island called Hainan. Many hainanese migrated over to Singapore and brought this dish along with them. It consists of steamed or roast chicken accompanied by rice, but not just any rice. The rice is cooked in the left over broth of when the chicken is cooked. Make sure you try the unique chilli sauce that comes with this dish!

Satay

For something lighter, try Satay – grilled, skewered meat. The best part about this dish is the peanut sauce that comes with the meat. If you love peanuts or peanut butter, this is for you! I love the sauce so much that I use to eat it with just rice, and in many places they serves rice cakes with the Satay and sauce. For some good Satay, head over to Adams road.

Nasi Padang

This dish is a malay dish which boasts a large range of meat and vegetable dishes that come with rice. You get too choose as many dishes as you want but the price goes up per side. My favourite are the vegetable curry, stir fried fermented soya and long beans, bergedel (friend potato cakes) and beef rendang (slow cooked beef in a curry sauce). However, there is so much to try so experiment!

Popiah

The closest thing you could compare this too is a combination of a wrap and fresh spring role. This is probably the healthiest dish on this list (hey, you only live once) and is definitely always on the top of my list when I return to Singapore. Popiah originates from the Fujian province and you will be able to find different variations in Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan. This popular street food dish is made of various vegetables, such as peeled turnip, bean sprout and carrots along with the important sauce (like in most asian dishes) wrapped in delicate popiah paper.

I will write separately about my favourite breakfast dishes and deserts. What are your favourite dishes in Singapore/Malaysia?

For more information on Singaporean meals in London, check out my Post on Roti King – by far the best Singaporean/Malaysian cafe I have come across.