Hawker culture is set to be immortalised in Singapore.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his speech at the National Day Rally on Sunday (August 19) that Singapore’s hawker culture will be nominated for inscription into Unesco’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
If successful, it will be Singapore’s second after Singapore Botanic Gardens was declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 2015, and it means that hawker culture will be safeguarded and promoted for future generations to enjoy as well, The Straits Times reported.
PM Lee described hawker centres as the nation’s community dining rooms and a unique part of Singapore that “reflects our daily lives”.
Certain stalls have also developed a cult following in Singapore, with lines of people queuing for food from these stalls.
Fish porridge from Piao Ji Fish Porridge.
Located in Amoy Street Food Centre, many are of the opinion that Piao Ji is the best fish porridge that Singapore has to offer.
Office workers in the Central Business District are often spotted forming part of the notorious hour-long queues.
At S$7 (US$5), the slices of fish, large prawns and their secret ingredient, crispy lard cubes, are all smothered in a rich broth to make the dish a lunch crowd favourite.
The Yuan Chun Famous Lor Mee stall.
Another Amoy Street Food Centre stall, Yuan Chun, sells out its 400 bowls of noodles daily.
The stall, which has been around for generations, is famous for its noodles bathed in a thick, flavourful gravy and its fried prawn rolls and has won numerous awards.
Cheng tng from Ye Lai Xiang Hot And Cold Cheng Tng.
Applauded for its subtly sweet flavour that is both thirst-quenching and wholesome, the stall at the Bedok Corner Food Centre has been serving the dessert for over 30 years now.
The family-run business uses only 10 ingredients in their cheng tng recipe, including barley, mung beans, sweet potato, ginko nuts and dried persimmon.
Madam Habsah Aman, the owner of Riyan Hidayat Satay Solo No. 31 at Serangoon Garden Market Food Centre, with her husband Mujiman Sertrosentorno.
Satay is a popular dish in Singapore, and one of the more famous stalls lies in Serangoon Garden Market Food Centre.
The stall however, is also famous for another famous Malay dish, its S$3 mee soto.
The stall’s signature dish has a thick mee soto broth, which has continued to bring customers back. It boasts a special chili sauce, which is made of chilli padi, black soy sauce and garlic.
Beef noodles from Zheng Yi Hainanese Beef Noodles.
Zheng Yi, in Tai Thong Crescent, has gained many fans and has been raved about extensively by local foodies.
Its dry beef noodles feature a thick gravy that manages to avoid being too gooey, while the soup noodles pack a punch with rich flavours.
Combine that with tender and sweet beef slices and they’ve got a real crowd pleaser on their hands.
Another stall that sees long queues on a daily basis, the nasi briyani stall that opened in the 1960s gives customers the choice of what meat they want to go with the dish, as well as homemade masala paste.
Haron Satay & Chicken Wing is at the East Coast Lagoon Food Village.
One of the icons of the local hawker scene, Haron has a long list of accolades which include catering satay for the Istana.
It also reportedly provided the satay for Singapore Airlines’ events in its early years and were possibly the inspiration for the national airline’s long-running satay service.
The stall has remained a family-owned business, and perhaps more importantly, it is still a hit with the crowds.
Mee goreng from Hass Bawa Mee Stall.
Hass Bawa Mee Stall has come a long way since its early days 40 years ago, when it was originally sold out of a pushcart in Ceylon Road.
One can find it in Marine Parade Central Market and Food Centre, and apart from the mee goreng, Hass Bawa’s sup tulang (mutton bone marrow soup) and kway teow goreng kichap (fried kway teow noodles with black sauce) are also popular.
The stall is currently undergoing renovation and will reopen in 2019.