24/01/2021

Singapore Hawker Dishes

Singapore chilli crab - go ahead, get your hands dirty!

If there’s one dish that tops the “must-eat” list of visitors to Singapore it’s chilli crab. Whether you eat it in a hawker centre or a posh seafood restaurant, digging into a whole crab swimming in sweet and spicy sauce is the most memorable (and messy) meal that Singapore has to offer.

Unlike most hawker dishes, which originated in countries like China or India, the chilli crab is a true Singapore creation and the recipe was only developed in the 1950s. There is some debate about exactly who created it, but the credit is generally given to Palm Beach Seafood Restaurant. Needless to say, the dish was a hit and the Singapore chilli crab has become so iconic it can be found on postcards and souvenirs.

The appeal of the chilli crab is all in the addictive sauce: a mix of tomato, egg and lots of spices. Though one of them is definitely chilli, the other ingredients balance it out and chilli crab is not overwhelmingly spicy. The crab is then stir-fried in the delicious sauce and served with rice or man tou (Chinese fried buns) to mop up every last drop. If you’re interested in mastering the art of chilli crab, a few cooking schools in Singapore offer lessons. The crab shell is only partly cracked, so you’ll need to get your hands dirty to get to the good stuff inside. Do not wear your favourite white shirt to a dinner of chilli crab and, if eating at a hawker centre, remember to bring some tissues for wiping the red sauce from your mouth and fingers!

related:


The Makansutra: Singapore's famous foodie guide

Who says you need a lot of money to eat like a king? Singaporeans have applied the foodie mentality to their beloved hawker stalls where the best meal of your life can cost only a couple bucks. There are hundreds of blogs and guides rating Singapore’s thousands of food stalls, but the most highly-regarded foodie guide is the Makansutra.

read more

Singapore’s best heartland hawker centres

To outsiders Singapore is one sprawling city, but to its residents there are two distinct divisions: town and the heartlands. Often the only part of Singapore that visitors experience is Orchard Road, Raffles Place to Marina Bay and other central areas where you find five-star hotels and people queuing to shop at Louis Vuitton. A sharp contrast, the heartlands are largely residential areas with HDB housing flats, public schools and, of course, the most authentic Singaporean food. The hawker centres in the heartlands may be well outside the usual sightseeing areas, but are worth the trip for their cheap and tasty eats:
  • Old Airport Road Food Centre
  • Changi Village
  • Tiong Bahru Market
  • Chomp Chomp Food Centre
  • Pasir Panjang Food Centre
  • Adam Road Food Centre

Our top 10 Hawker Centres

Singapore is a food lover's paradise. Luckily for those on a shoestring budget the city's best eats aren't at five-star restaurants but at the plentiful hawker centres. Squeaky-clean Singapore forbid street food decades ago, rounding up its sidewalk chefs into foodcourt-like settings called hawker centres. They're clean, cheap, and offer diverse and delectable food. Hawker centres are everywhere, but if you're feeling overwhelmed by choice here are some of our favourites:
  • Lau Pa Sat
  • Chomp Chomp
  • Maxwell Food Centre
  • East Coast Lagoon Food Village
  • Gluttons Bay
  • Food Republic @ Wisma Atria
  • Newton Food Centre
  • Fortune Centre
  • Golden Mile Food Centre & Complex
  • Tekka Centre


Amy Khor announces new programme to train poly and ITE grads to become hawkers

Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor announced yesterday (11 Jan) that the government will launch a new work-study programme in March to train polytechnics and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) graduates to become hawkers (‘Poly, ITE grads can train to be hawkers under new programme‘). The new Work-Study Post-Diploma (Certificate in Hawkerpreneurship) is a 12-month programme open to to all recent poly and ITE graduates.

Dr Khor said, “With the increasing recognition and appreciation of hawker fare, setting up a hawker stall can be considered as a gateway into the F&B sector, and there could be budding food and beverage entrepreneurs who may aspire to join the hawker trade.” She said the National Environment Agency (NEA) and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) will work together with Temasek Polytechnic (TP) to launch the programme.

Students will undergo a two-month classroom-based training, followed by a four-month apprenticeship and a six-month mentorship with experienced hawkers. Both mentors and apprentices will receive a monthly training allowance of $500 and $1,000 respectively.

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