Singapore Food Stories
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THE KOEL wakes you up in the early mornings with its loud call, beckoning you to the breakfast table. Here, our food stories begin.
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Fura – Insects on the menu
And other unique bites at this unique cocktail bar
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Nonya delights
Classics of Singapore heritage
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Makan Kampung
Malay food at its best
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Indian Breakfast
Devagi Sanmugam makes dosai
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Singapore Gin
Singaporeans and expats create their very own award-winning labels
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Bandung Ice Cream
The Bandung drink does not originate in the city of Bandung in Indonesia as I thought. The drink means "pairs" or "joined" referring to its ingredients of rose syrup and milk. It has roots in British colonial Singapore in the early 20th century. Try making the ice cream.
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Golden Coffee Tales
Kopi More and The Coffee Xpress at Golden Mile Food Centre
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Kueh Love
Christopher Tan's local desserts and snacks
Features
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Rachel Khoo
A short chat
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Pink!
Discover delicious food of dramatic fuschia colour
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Favourite Coconut Dishes
From laksa to cendol, Singapore is rich with dishes made with the many forms of coconut
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Azi's epok epok
The Best in the World
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Lucky Tamarind Prawns
Chinese feasts include many dishes that have auspicious cultural sentiments. Prawns symbolise happiness and good fortune, and their vibrant red-orange adds to the energy of celebration
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Cats and eats
Neighbourhood discoveries
Recipes
Recipe of the Week
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HELLO
I’m a quirky Singaporean, who loves writing about food. When I was away in Canada during college I missed the food back home so much, especially during the freezing winters.
Carol Kraal
The Cats
Mama Rusty and Little Boy Rory on our neighbour's roof
SHE'S MAKING KAYA
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Kaya is a coconut curd made of eggs, coconut, milk, sugar and infused with pandan
Kaya toast is found all over Singapore, and is loved for breakfast, tea or as a snack
Time for a Cocktail
Ashey Boy fancies an aperol spritz
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A spritz is an Italian bubbly cocktail consisting of prosceco, Aperol bitter aperitif and soda. Aperol is an orange-hued botanical liquor invented by the Barbieri brothers in Padova, Italy in 1919. Its bitter notes come from sweet and bitter oranges, rhubarb and gentian root.
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APEROL SPRITZ
Fill a large wine glass with ice
2 parts Aperol
3 parts prosceco
1 part soda
Stir well and garnish with a slice of orange
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Negroni
1oz gin, 1oz campari, 1oz sweet red vermouth. Stir into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with orange peel
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Singapore Sling
Shake together with ice 1oz gin, dash Angostura bitters, 1/4oz cherry liqueur, 1oz pineapple juice, 1/2oz lime juice, 1/4oz Benedictine. Strain into highball glass with ice, top with soda, garnish with orange slice and cherry skewer
My Bookshelf
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LALA-LAND
SINGAPORE'S SEAFOOD HERITAGE. By Anthony D Medrano (editor), Epigram Books, $44.90. This food book is packed with interesting information about how the seafood that we enjoy makes its journey from waters around us to our plates. We discover sustainable resources and how seafood impacts our society. There are popular recipes with beautiful photos that include favourites such as sambal stingray, laksa, char kway teow, dare-to-eat pufferfish sashimi and more.
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THE FOOD OF SINGAPORE MALAYS
GASTRONOMIC TRAVELS THROUGH THE ARCHIPELAGO. By Khir Johari. $70.11 on Amazon SG. Writer and Food historian Khir Johari spent 11 years researching, travelling, writing, eating and discovering food of the Malay Archipelago, which spans Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. The many photographs, illustrations, essays and observations that enrich the 621-page hardback are a joy to discover. Well-deserved award of "Best of the Best Book in the World" at the 2023 Umea Food Symposium in Sweden, the Oscars of gastronomy literature.
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HERITAGE FOOD OF THE PERANAKAN INDIANS
IN A CHITTY MELAKA KITCHEN. By Peranakan Indian (Chitty Melaka) Association published by National Heritage Board , Peranakan Indian (Chitty Melaka) Association $71.56. This book is a collection of nearly 100 recipes lovingly created by the Chitty Melaka community, ranging from everyday dishes to festive fare. The Chitty Melaka or Peranakan Indians are the descendants of the intermarriages between early South Indian settlers and the Malay, Chinese and other local communities in the port cities of Melaka, penang and Singapore from as early as the 15th century. In addition to the usual Indian spices used in cooking, the Chitty Melaka use herbs such as lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf and galangal, and favour coconut milk instead of yoghurt. A rice dish that the Indian Peranakans use for offerings (parachu) is nasi lemak kukus, a steamed nasi lemak dish.
Honey is a little shy
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