Top 10 Singaporean Snacks and Goodies
Want to know what are the top 10 snacks and goodies Singapore has? Check out the list here! A visit to Singapore will not be the same without these fantastic tasting and mouth-watering treats!
A light, soft chiffon cake flavoured with the juice of Pandan leaves. Makes a perfect snack by pairing it with a cup of hot milo!
Best Pandan Cake Stalls:
- Pure Pandan – 133, New Bridge Road, #B2-05, Chinatown Point.
- Bengawan Solo – #B1-02, West Mall, 1 Bukit Batok Central.
2. Ice Cream Vans
From local flavours like durian and red bean to the classic vanilla and chocolate, you can choose to have your ice cream wrapped in bread or between wafers for only $1. Definitely the perfect treat to beat the heat in Singapore!
Best Ice Cream Stalls:
You can find Ice Cream vans scattered all over Singapore but there are normally a few along Orchard Road, especially near Takashimaya and Paragon.
3. Mango Dessert
A pudding made with mangoes, condensed milk and sugar makes a perfect sweet treat!
Best Mango Pudding Stalls:
- Ah Chew Desserts – #01-10/11, Liang Seah Place, 1 Liang Seah Street.
- Honeymoon Desserts – Multiple Locations
4. Apom Berkuah
These fluffy pancakes are made with fermented rice flour and coconut water and are served with a warm banana sauce on the side. The pretty blue swirls are made from the juice of Bunga Telang flowers. Pancakes has a sour tang to it, something different from the normal American pancakes!
Best Apom Berkuah Stall:
Peramakan – Level 3, Keppel Club, 10 Bukit Chermin Road.
5. Bak Kwa
This chewy snack is like salty-sweet BBQ jerky. Bak kwa (dried meat) is made from pork although now halal versions made from chicken are available. These BBQ meat are popular gifts for friends and relatives during Chinese New Year. Bak kwa can be eaten on its own, with bread or with homecooked food.
Best Bal Kwa stall:
- Lim Chee Guan at 203 New Bridge Road, tel +65 6227 8302.
- Bee Cheng Hiang’s spicy pork-28 outlets islandwide.
6. Peranakan Kueh
These desserts are a carnival of color, much like the culture of the creators. Simple local ingredients like tapioca, banana, glutinous rice, coconut milk and gula melaka (palm sugar) are transformed into a huge assortment of delectable kuehs.
Best Kueh stalls:
- Bengawan Solo many locations islandwide
- Glory Catering at 139 East Coast Road, tel +65 5344 1749.
7. Bak Zhang
The legend is somewhat morbid — Chinese peasants throwing rice dumplings into the river to distract fish from eating the body of beloved poet and patriot Qu Yuan who drowned himself as a protest against corruption. Today, more than 2,000 years later, these dumplings commemorate his life during the Duan Wu Festival; otherwise, they make a great snack in a pack! The Hokkiens who love salty food fill the glutinous rice dumplings with braised pork belly, mushrooms and chestnuts. The Peranakans lean towards the sweeter side with minced spiced pork and chopped sugared melon strips.
Best dumpling stalls:
Hoo Kee Rice Dumplings at 7 Maxwell Road #01-18 Amoy Street Food Centre, tel +65 6221 1155.
8. Kaya toast
Kaya is a coconut custard jam, sweet and fragrant. When slathered onto thin slices of warm toast with ample butter, the sandwich is simply divine. Down it with a cup of thick black coffee. Many locals have this for breakfast supplemented by two soft-boiled eggs with soy sauce and pepper.
Best kaya toast:
Ya Kun Kaya Toast with locations all over the island.
Kaya toast can also be found at neighborhood coffee shops!
9. Popiah
Sometimes lauded as the Asian burrito, this healthy snack is like a Chinese spring roll that’s not deep-fried. The name popiah refers to the soft, paper-thin skin made from wheat or rice flour. It’s smeared with a sweet sauce, chili sauce, minced garlic and is used to wrap ingredients like braised turnip or bangkuang (jicama), carrots, bean sprouts, Chinese sausage, shredded omelette, crushed peanuts and even shrimp or crab meat.
Best popiah stalls:
Kway Guan Huat makes one of the best popiah on the island, and offers DIY party sets. They still make the skins by hand in a little pre-war shophouse at 95 Joo Chiat Road, tel +65 6344 2875. www.joochiatpopiah.com
10. Roti Prata
You will find roti prata (flat bread) in practically every neighborhood in Singapore. Watch as the Indians knead and flatten an oiled ball of dough, and flip it with practised flair until the dough is a tissue-thin sheet. This is then folded into multi-layered pancakes and griddle-fried til crisp. It’s usually served with curry or a sprinkle of sugar. Nowadays, prata makers get creative with all kinds of fillings and combinations — cheese, mushroom, durian, ice cream, honey, banana, cashew nuts, and even sardines.
Best prata stalls:
- Sin Ming Roti Prata at Block 24 Sin Ming Drive #01-51, tel +65 6453 3893.
- Casuarina Curry at 136 Casuarina Road (Off Upper Thomson) or 187 Macpherson Road (beside UOB Bank); Tel: 6455 9093
Singapore of course has lots more other goodies and delicious snacks to offer! Look out for the post on the must try food items in Singapore!