...that is the question my fellow culinarians. The National museum opened my eyes to the possibilities of "HAWKING." (and I don't mean Stephen Hawking by the way)
If you want to eat well and you're on a budget, learn to "HAWK" my friends....read on, and I shall divulge. Singapore food is not just about Pigs organ soup, fish head curry and "street sausage."
Now I'm generally a man who gets bored easily. I need engaging stimulation. So I often approach Museums with as an open a mind as I can. (and a bucket of espresso)
Of all the National Museums in all the towns in all the world, Singapore's is amongst the best. Tidily arranged inside a magnificent white colonnial building is Singapore shown through exhibitions of Fashion, Food and Photography and Film.
This place is not about old paintings but engagement through interaction. If only they did this when I was a kid.
The museum's state-of-the-art journey (using an audio guide, a show and exhibits) of how Singapore began is captivating, fun and very well presented. You leave wanting to know more.
"Living under the crescent moon" was a free exhibition focussing on the many islamic cultures throughout the middle east and north Africa. (at a time when there is tension, misunderstanding and war) The curators had cleverly re-created the abodes of every family they researched including a colourful bedouin tent. I left wanting to visit Iran immediately.
Like cardamon seeds in the latest Armani fragrance,(Attitude) I was naturally drawn to the food exhibitions sights, sounds and smells.
Food is hugely influencial to the culture of Singapore as its origins lie within the many communities that reside there. "Hawking," is how much of it began and continues to thrive today.
Malay (the original peoples), Indian (mainly Hindu) Arabic and Chinese (particularly Hainanese) have prominent roles in the shaping of the food culture within Singapore. There is also "Peranakan," which is a straits born community mixing Chinese with other local influences.
Using film, cooking recepticles and actual smells, the exhibition attempted to iullustrate the key dishes of Singapore. Fantastic. Just what I needed. I scribbled furiously as school kids barged into me weilding pens, clutching satchels and picking their snouts.
My plan was simple. Write down all the dishes then find eateries that served the dishes.
"Hawking," was explained as a way that peoples began selling their foods on the street. Each community would have their own hawkers. Below are the classic hawer dishes of Singapore.
In the old days sound was important as a way opf selling food on the street so that each community would recognise their own delicacies.
For example a Chinese community rapidly grew in the 1800s to earn a better living. "Tok Tok" mee is a dish of noodles, ("mee" meaning noodle) "Tok Tok" was the sound that the hawker made using two pieces of bamboo to attract attention.
"Won Ton mee," was sold using smaller pieces of bamboo making a higher pitch sound.
Mee Pok - a dish of flat yellow noodles, fish balls , minced pork and muchsrooms would be a very low sound.
Chicken rice used a Capon or old chicken boiled with garlic, ginger, chicken fat and pandan leaves came from Hainan. Served with a dip of chilli, fat, garlic and ginger it can be found everwhere today in Singapore. I would strongly recommend rice porrige for breakfast. You could choose chicken or pork. Topped with spring onion, sliced fried garlic and soy sauce, its filling, cheap and absolutely delicious.
Anyone familiar with Indian food will know Roti Prata. This unleavened bread is also common in Singapore and Malaysia. I ate some of the best Indian ever here. Roti is essentially an unleavened bread which reflects a northern and southern Indian mix. Its stretched by hand, folded and fried in a large flat pan. I ate it hot with mutton curry. Yum.
Classically Malay, "Nasi Lemak" is an iconic breakfast dish in Singapore. Everybody knows this dish. It consists of coconut steamed rice, curried chicken leg, sambal(red chilli and fish paste) prawns, fried anchovies, boiled egg, cucumber and roasted skin-on peanuts.
To a westerner this may sound an odd one. I ate the dish in Singapore and Malaysia with differing results, but the best version (with less fried components) was great. Mixed together, its all about the merging of crunchy and soft textures, sweet and strong, nutty and aromatic. It reminded me of a take on kedgeree. It works.
Satay is well known and originates from a the Tamil word, "Sathai." Chicken, beef or mutton is marinaded and placed on a skewer. The dip ofetn uses peanuts and chilli dip. I watched satays being cooked outside all over Singapore including outside the pubs and nightclubs.
To eat these dishes head for a "Hawker centre," (there are many) as the government has put them indoors.
There, you can hawk around all around the Asian world.
