Warming the Cockles of Singapore Hearts 💗

Cockles, see hum 螄蚶 (in Chinese) or kerang (in Malay) have a special place in Singaporean tummies, and therefore our hearts.

History & 10 Best Hawker Stalls @ Old Airport Road Food Centre

Scroll straight down to the pink section below for recommended food stalls 👇

Old Airport Road Food Centre is one of Singapore's most popular and famous hawker centres with over 100 hawker stalls open at anytime.

Oyster is the Best Part of Chicken, Duck, Goose & Turkey?

The best part of a chicken, duck, goose or turkey is supposed to be its oyster.

Where Do Opeh Leaf Wrappings Come From? It is not a Leaf

When I was a child, hot hawker food was often sold wrapped in a light brownish wrapping known as opeh leaf or opeh hak.

Good Hotpot Lunch @ Imperial Treasures Steamboat in 111 Somerset Singapore

Today, met up with buddies at Imperial Treasures Steamboat @ 111 Somerset for lunch. This was my first dining out since Circuit Breaker* was imposed on 7 Apr 2020.

*Circuit Breaker was a set of social distancing measures the government implemented on 7 Apr 2020 to stem the spread of COVID-19 pandemic infections. CB entered phase 2 on 18 Jun 2020 with some measures eased including dining in allowed at restaurants (with necessary precautions).

History & Origins of Mooncakes & Mid Autumn Festival

The Mid Autumn festival, also called the Mooncake festival, is one of the most important festivals celebrated by Chinese communities around the world. The Mid Autumn festival is the second most important Chinese festival after Chinese New Year.

Leong Yin Mooncakes

How did the Mid Autumn festival and the practice of eating mooncakes on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month come about?

Where has Pulau Saigon Gone? History of the Lost Island of Singapore River & the "Bak Kut" in Bak Kut Teh

Pulau Saigon 1905. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Can an island just disappear in Singapore? Well, one did - Pulau Saigon 浮罗西贡 (in Chinese). Have you heard of such an island in Singapore River?

History of Ellenborough Market. Lest We Forget Singapore River's Teochew Market

The site where the gleaming Central Mall @ Clarke Quay now stands over the shimmering ripples of Singapore River, once stood the heart and soul of the river. Boat Quay and Clarke Quay were where people make a living. But, here at Teochew Market or Ellenborough Market area was where most people of the river eat, sleep, and live their daily lives.

Source of Singapore River is Boh Beh Kang. No Tail Port Village 无尾港

Most people know where is the Singapore River mouth* - it is at the heart of Singapore's Central Business District and a world class entertainment hub. Fewer people know where is its riverhead, where is its source.

Curious?

Let's look for it together.

*Technically, with the damming of Singapore River with the Marina Barrage in 2008, there is no river mouth as it is now a reservoir.

History & 10 Best Hawker Stalls @ Tiong Bahru Market & Food Centre

For list of 10 recommended food stalls, scroll straight down to the pink section👇

Tiong Bahru Market & Food Centre is one of the most famous in Singapore with many popular food and market stalls here. It is also one of the oldest and historic of Singapore hawker centre.

History of Youtiao & Why I Only Call it You Cha Kway or Yau Cha Kwai

When I was a child in primary (elementary) school in 1960s Singapore, I remember my teacher told us about the legend behind you cha kway 油炸粿. It scared me a little when I was small.

Jackson Plan. History Walk of Singapore Food & Architectural Heritage

Image credit: Wikipedia

In 1822, Lieutenant Philip Jackson drew up a Singapore town plan according to Stamford Raffles' instructions. The resulting Plan of the Town of Singapore is also known as the Jackson Plan or Raffles Town Plan.

It is amazing that taking a walk in Singapore today (2020) we can still see the unmistakeable imprint of the Jackson Plan, drawn up just 3 years after Raffles first stepped foot on Singapore in 1819.

Worst Riot in Singapore History. Five Catties of Rice Riot, 1854

Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

While researching the origins of Singapore food, I stumbled upon a little known or forgotten episode in Singapore history - the Hokkien-Teochew riots of 1854. It was the deadliest riot in Singapore history with over 500 people killed in 10 days of fighting.

What Raffles Saw on the Day he Landed at Singapore River in 1819

Image credit: The Bute Archive at Mount Stuart

This was the Singapore which Raffles saw when he landed at the mouth of Singapore River on 28 Jan 1819. We take a walk with him using the Bute Map*, the earliest map of Singapore River (published in 1820, a year after Raffles landed here).

*The Bute Map now in The Bute Archives at Mount Stuart in Scotland is attributed to Lieutenant Henry Ralfe of the Bengal Artillery, who was then the Assistant Engineer of Singapore.

8 Best Taipei Night Markets & 24 Must Try Michelin Bib Gourmand Food Stalls 😋

Shilin Night Market is the most famous of all Taipei night markets. It is a tourist destination but is also popular with locals. Shilin cannot be beaten for its sheer size and variety of food and goods for sale. There are some 3,000 stalls and shops here, both above and below ground level.

History of Singapore Hawker Culture • From Public Health Nuisance to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Award

Holland Drive Food Centre

It would be beyond the wildest dreams of the British Straits Settlements colonial officers who created the final solution to the public nuisance of street hawkers, that it would a century later be awarded the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Inscription in 2020.

Born of the Belly of the Carp. History of Food @ Boat Quay Singapore

Image credit: Wikipedia

Boat Quay today is chock-a-bloc with fine restaurants offering cuisines from around the world. It has always been a dining hotspot in Singapore. Here's a bit about its history to add to your food, giving it another layer of flavour which might make it even more delicious for you 😄

Roots of Singapore Hawker Food from The Empire Strikes Back to Independence 1945 - 1965

Singapore from the return of the British in 1945 to independence in 1965 was the most "interesting times" to cite an ancient Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times". But, it was also a time of great creativity in Singapore's food scene with many of today's iconic dishes created during these 20 years.

Let's look at how chili crab, curry fish head, roti John, and more Singapore dishes came about.

History of Nanyang Tea Culture in Singapore

Pek Sin Choon Tea Merchants

You know, it is one of those things about Singapore life. I eat bak kut teh, eat dim sum, drink tea - Tie Guanyin, or whatever lah... that my buddies picked. Didn't think too much about it. Until, I went to China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and hey... how come I don't get the same taste in my Tie Guanyin, or whatever lah tea... ?

What Peking Duck Tells Us about the History of China & Where to Eat it in Beijing

Image credit: Wikipedia

It is often said that the three must do things in Beijing are climb the Great Wall, visit the Forbidden City, and eat Peking duck 🦆 Most people would be satisfied once they've done the Great Wall and Forbidden City but they can never have enough of Peking duck 😄

What makes Peking duck 北京烤鸭, the national dish of China, so special?

Origins of Singapore Food Culture from Golden Age of British Empire to Syonan-to of Japan

Image credit: Wikipedia

The period from 1819 to 1942 saw Singapore rise from a fishing village and pirates' nest to the bastion of the British empire and then fell to a Japanese occupied territory. This 123 year period witnessed the largest immigration waves to Singapore and with it many different cuisines found their way onto our plates and palates.

What Does the "Teh" in Bak Kut Teh Mean?

History of Bak Kut Teh

Most of us assume that the teh 茶 in bak kut teh refers to the custom of drinking tea during a bak kut teh 肉骨茶 meal. Some of us may be surprised that this popular assumption is challenged by two other theories.

Historical Roots of Singapore Food from Sang Nila Utama to Raffles - Year 1299 to 1819

Photo credit: Wikipedia

In the last episode, "Singapore Food in 1000 AD", we ended with Sang Nila Utama's arrival in Temasek in 1299. In this episode, we carry on from where we left off in 1299 and travel through time to 1819, the year Raffles first stepped foot on Singapore. Let's go, we have more than 500 years of food history to digest. 

Singapore Food in 1000 AD ● 300 Years before Sang Nila Utama ● 800 Years before Raffles

Image credit: Wikipedia

This is my personal exploration trip, searching for our food heritage starting from 1000 AD. I deliberately chose a very early starting point to get to the bottom-most layer (i.e. as much of a clean slate as possible) of our flavours and aromas. From there, build it up through layers upon layers of time till we arrive at the dishes we enjoy today. Join me on this delicious journey through time. This is only the first step of our journey - the beginning of the beginning.

Kopitiam Culture is Not Only Kopi & Kaya Toast. History of Singapore Coffee Shops

Thean Chun kopitiam in Ipoh, Malaysia

Kopitiam culture is deeply ingrained in the lifestyle of people in Singapore and Malaysia (as well as parts of Indonesia and Thailand).

When I am overseas for any extended period, going out for a morning caffeine fix, I can see Starbucks everywhere but my heart literally aches for kopi O gao - that pitch black bitter brew of Singapore and Malaysia. Those of you from Singapore and Malaysia will know the feeling.

Tu Tu Kueh @ Du Du Cooked Food Havelock Road & History of Singapore Tartlet 嘟嘟粿 · 糕 嘟嘟熟食

Du Du Cooked Food 嘟嘟熟食 | 22A Havelock Rd, Havelock Road Food Centre, stall #01-10, Singapore 161022 🚄 10 minute walk from Havelock station ⏰ 8am - 1pm (Sunday off)

One of the things I like to let visitors from overseas try in Singapore is tu tu kueh 嘟嘟粿 (kueh tu tu in Malay).

History of Fried Yam Basket by Chef Hooi Kok Wai

You will find this popular fried yam (taro) ring or yam basket dish in almost all Chinese restaurants in Singapore and Malaysia. It is a relatively recent creation and we can hear its story directly from its creator chef Hooi Kok Wai, founder of Dragon Phoenix Restaurant in Singapore.

History of Char Kway Teow in Singapore • Critically Endangered Hawker Dish 炒粿條

For the history of fried kway teow 炒粿條 in Singapore, we have to start from Chaoshan char kway teow 潮汕炒贵刁 far away in Guangzhou, China of today.

History & Origin of Indian Rojak in Singapore

Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

I like this 1980s photograph of Indian rojak in Singapore - unembellished, no "food styling" so we know what the dish really was. There's spiced cuttlefish (rehydrated), fried battered egg, fried tofu, different types of fried fritters, cucumber slices and a reddish dipping sauce in three small bowls.

What Singapore Hawker Food Culture Tell Us about the History of the Lion City

Every dish tells a story. Here's what 10 hawker dishes tell us about the history of Singapore. Let's eat and celebrate the Singapore story 😋 (Image credit: Wikipedia.)

History of Peranakan Nyonya Food ● Legacy of The 500 of Malacca

The main outposts of Nyonya food and Peranakan culture are in Malacca, Penang and Singapore. The DNA of most Peranakan cuisine (or Nyonya food) are believed to be from Peranakans who descended from the Chinese community which settled in Malacca in the 1400s. 

(There are also Peranakan communities in Indonesia and southern Thailand.)