Singapore's TidbiTs

Literally "boiled noodles", a delicious dish that can be found in many hawker centres , mee rebus is a popular and tasty Malay culinary creation. It is a simple yet satisfyingly filling dish of the common yellow Hokkien noodles and sweet-spicy flavourful gravy garnished with boiled egg, beansprouts, Chinese celery, green chilli, and fried shallot. A squeeze of fresh calamansi adds tang and brightens up the dish. Mee rebus Mee is a Hokkien word for 'noodles' and rebus is a Malay word for 'boiled', thus we can see how different cultures complement and influence each other.The most crucial element in mee rebus is the gravy, which the soul of this deceptively simple dish. Traditionally, it is made from a stock base of dried shrimp, tau cheo (fermented soy bean), fresh herbs and spices, which is thickened with mashed sweet potato, thus giving rise to umami flavour. However, different vendors have put their own unique spin on the traditional recipe. Some hawker c...

Durians are tropical fruits. Considered by many as King of fruits of South-East Asia. Whether durian is the most favourite fruit here, that is a bit subjective given its' famous pungent smell that some find simply overpowering. It has that distinctive special smell or odour, that you can smell a kilometre away :). Some loath it, many love it. Green and thorny outside. Yellow, soft and fleshy inside. Do you know that that there are durian trees in Singapore and durian is indeed native to Singapore? A street named Lorong Lew Lian bears testament to it. Lew Lian is a Hokkien word for durian. There used to be durian plantations in the vicinity of Lorong Lew Lian (Lew Lian Lane). The scientific name for durian is Durio zibethinus. Duri is a Malay word for thorns, hence the name durian which means thorny fruit. And yes you can find durian trees in Pulau Ubin and at Mandai and some odd ones at other parts of Singapore as well. During durian season you can spot the distinctive green-shel...

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...