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Singapore Street Food

Singapore turned its hawker centres into a way of life, where Hainanese, Peranakan, and Malay cooking share the same food court.

🍗 Singapore's chicken rice traces back to a Hainanese immigrant seller who once carried his chicken and rice balls through the streets on a shoulder pole.

5 street food dishes from Singapore — what each one is, why it's made that way, and what to expect when you order it.

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Signature street foods of Singapore

Kopi Kopitiam Ritual · Coffee-Shop Coffee Kopi Ordering coffee here means learning a mini-language — 'kopi-o', 'kopi-c', 'kopi-siew dai' each specify a different sugar and milk combo, no menu… Kopi is Singapore's traditional coffee, made from beans roasted with sugar and margarine, then brewed through a cloth filter and served with condensed or evaporated milk. It's ordered by… Hainanese Chicken Rice Rice · Hawker Classic Hainanese Chicken Rice The dish's earliest known Singapore seller carried his chicken and rice balls through the streets slung over his shoulders. Chicken is gently poached, then served over rice cooked in the chicken's own fat and stock, alongside cucumber, chili sauce, ginger paste, and dark soy. Hawker stalls slice the chicken to… Laksa Noodles · Curry Broth Laksa For decades, rival hawkers in one Singapore neighborhood feuded loudly over whose laksa recipe was the 'authentic' one. Rice vermicelli sits in a spiced coconut curry broth loaded with prawns, fish cake, and tofu puffs, topped with laksa leaf and sambal. In Singapore's Katong style, the noodles are cut… Roti Prata Hawker Center · Griddle-Fried Flatbread Roti Prata Making it is a genuine spectator sport — prata cooks slap and stretch the dough paper-thin in the air before folding it, and Singapore has held… A ball of dough is stretched until nearly translucent, folded into flaky layers, and pan-fried on a hot griddle until crisp and golden outside but soft within. Torn by hand and dipped into… Satay Hawker Grill · Skewered Meat Satay Traditional satay skewers were once cut from coconut palm leaf ribs, not bamboo — the stick itself shaped how big each bite could be. Thin strips of marinated chicken, beef, or mutton are threaded onto skewers and grilled fast over open charcoal until lightly charred, then served with a thick peanut sauce, pressed rice…

More street food in Asia

Part of World of Street Food — 690 dishes from 118 countries. Photo credits.