Singapore cuisine (top ten dishes)

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

OT: MORE "BARRY POPICK"--In a review of THE BANANA SCULPTOR, THE PURPLE LADY
AND THE ALL NIGHT SWIMMER: HOBBIES, COLLECTING AND OTHER PASSIONATE PURSUITS
(2002), the Wall Street Journal found the story of "Barry Popick" to be
poignant. I wrote in to say that this sounded to me like the story the Wall Street
Journal wrote about "Barry Popik" in 2001. My letter was not printed.

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SINGAPORE CUISINE

This would normally be on my food web site, but I can't find anyone to pay
(for any price) to help me set it up.

I'm not even going to bother checking with OED.

EAT! had a display at the Asia Food Expo on Sunday.


EAT! (Singapore), August 2004, cover:
WHAT MAKES A DISH SINGAPOREAN?
Pg. 10:
In fact, we are so spoilt for choice that the Singapore Tourism Board (STB)
ca,e up with not one but 10 must-try dishes. In no particular order of
importance, they are: Crab--Chilli Crab and Black Pepper Crab, Hainanese Chicken Rice,
Fish Head Curry, Satay, Bak Kut Teh, Roti Prata, Laksa, Char Kway Teow, Fried
Carrot Cake, and Rojak.If the smattering array does not get your mouth
watering, maybe you will prefer Nasi Lemak, Mee Rebus (For you math fans out
there--ed.), Nasi Briyani, Curry puff, Fried Hokkien Mee or Popiah? The list goes on.


UNIQUELY SINGAPORE:
YOUR ESSENTIAL SINGAPORE GUIDE
www.visitsingapore.com
Singapore Tourism Board
February 2004 edition

Pg. 36:
BREAKFAST SPECIALS
_Kaya toast with a cup of local coffee_
_Kaya_ is a sweet egg-and-coconut jam that is spread geneoursly over toasted
bread. Eat the toast with hard-boiled eggs and add a dash of black soya sauce
for extra taste!

_Roti prata_ and _teh tarik_
_Roti prata) is a crispy, crusty South Indian pancake, made with or without
eggs, and served with a bowl of thick curry gravy.
Pg. 37:
_Teh tarik_ ("tarik" is a Malay word for "pull") is tea mixed with both
evaporated and sweet condensed milk where it is "pulled" from one mug to another to
create a perfect blend of tea and milk with a wonderful light creamy froth.

_Bak kut teh_ and rice
This is a Chinese dish--pork ribs cooked with five spices, garlic and pepper
in a tasty soup that is served with a choice of rice or fried dough fritters.
_Bak kut teh_ can be accompanied by Chinese tea to heighten its flavour.

_Nasi lemak_
_Nasi lemak_ is a hearty meal comprising coconut-flavored rice, a slice of
omelette, anchoviesm a slice of cucumber and some chilli paste, often uniquely
packed in brown paper or banana leaf.

10 LOCAL FAVOURITES

1. Hainanese chicken rice--Steamed chicken served with fragrant rice cooked
in chicken stock.

2. _Laksa_--Rice noodles in coconut curry gravy with shrimp, egg, chicken and
cockles as garnishing.

3. _Char kway teow_--Broad white noodles fried with dark sweet sauce, bean
sprouts, fish cake, clams and Chinese sausage.

4. Hokkien prawn _mee_--Vermicelli andf yellow noodles fried with prawns,
sliced cuttlefish and pork bits.

5. _Murtabak_--a local version of pizza stuffed with minced mutton or chicken
away inside and served with curry.

Pg. 38:
6. Fish head curry--a huge fish head and vegetables cooked in curry and
served with rice. Have a glass of "calamansi" or local lime juice to go with it.

7. _Satay_--meat kababs served with rice cake, cucumber and peanut gravy.

8. _Rojak_--a local salad comprising a mixture of fruits and vegetables such
as cucumbers, bean sprouts, pineapple, white radish, fried crullers, dried
bean curd, sometimes even mango and cuttlefish, which are all tossed into a bowl
and stirred in a prawn paste, topped off with peanuts.

9. _Nonya kueh_--a local dessert born out of a fusion of Chinese and Malay
cultures which comes in an assortment of shapes, flavours and colours! Common
ingredients include glutinous rice, tapioca, pandari, and tropical fruits like
banana, durian and coconut!

10. Chilli crab--Hard-shell crabs cooked in thick gravy with a tomato and
chilli base. Best eaten with bread soaked in the gravy. Don't be afraid to use
your hands! This dish is usually ordered wuth other seafood dishes.

Down your food with a glass of fresh fruit juice or fresh coconut water. On a
hot day, you should also end your meal with a local cold dessert like _ice
kacang_ or _chendol_. _Ice kacang_ is a mound of grated ice, smothered with
different sweet syrups with a base made of jelly, red beans, corn and attap seeds.

_Chendol_ is a coconut milk drink mixed with brown sugar (_gula melaka_),
green starch strips and red beans.