Singapore's TidbiTs

Popiah or spring roll. It can be the whitish wet version or the brownish fried ones. These spring rolls are popular local delicacies. The ingredients can include but not limited to eggs, prawns, turnip, carrots, peanuts, lettuce, parsley, garlic, bean sprout, sweet sauce, chilli paste (the quantity of chilli paste depends on the spiciness that you want it to be) that are wrapped in popiah skin which is paper thin wheat flour to hold all or some of these ingredients! Many people think it is the skin that makes or break a popiah. And the filling need to be well-drained before being tightly rolled or wrapped. The popiah still need to be moist but not soggy. Some vendors will add a dash of crushed peanut bits to make it crispy. Kway Guan Huat Popiah at Joo Chiat You can get popiah at most hawker or food centres . The popiah can be the deep fried version or the wet types. You can get a wet type spring roll as shown below for about $2 at Qi Ji. The ones containing prawns will be slightly mo...

Laksa is a popular tasty dish that originated from the Peranakan, an inter-marriage between the Chinese and Malay cultures which gave rise to the fusion of flavours from the ingredients used, thus this dish is very popular with both Chinese and Malay alike, and of course to the many tourists or visitors to this island who have got hooked on it. The curry laksa is a rich spicy coconut-based noodles soup, the ingredients which may include bean sprouts, tofu (taupok), cockles, slices of chicken and egg. It is usually topped with a spoonful of sambal belacan , a fermented shrimp and chilli paste, and laksa leaf for the added zest. The Malays called laksa leaf daun kesum rather than daun laksa. Daun means leaf. Cockles' laksa is the more common type of laksa but there are other options such as those containing prawns or pieces of chicken for those who are allergic to seafood. Laksa leaf is a herb which is an intrinsic part of this dish. It has a strong flavour just like curry leaf. I...

Singapore fried noodles or bee hoon is well known all over the world. In many cities you will find a restaurant or a stall selling the famous Singapore fried noodles. You can find a stall in a London airport selling this popular Singapore noodles. Rice vermicelli cooked in garlicky white or the spicier reddish version. Bee hoon is sometimes also called as mee hoon . Bee (mee) hoon Ingredients may include seafood such as prawns or slices of fish, eggs, chicken and vegetables. Not forgetting cut limau kasturi or small limes for that added zest. Small lime squeezed to noodles is similar to squeezing lemon to salmon for a bit of tanginess. A plate of fried bee hoon or noodles typically cost $4 to $5 depending on if you get them at hawker cntres or air-conditioned food-courts. At some stalls you can even get them for only $3 like at pasar malam or the night bazaar or at economy food-court. Though at that price, do not expect much seafood or meat inside the fried noodles, they are basical...