Singapore has a vast array of local dishes, consisting of Chinese, Malay, Indian and Nyonya cuisines.  For those not familiar with Nyonya or Peranakan cuisine, a simplistic explanation is that it’s a fusion of Chinese and Malay cooking, predominantly. It’s a whole lot more, but I’ll go further into this in another future blog post.

So, apart from your standard eggs and toast, or pancakes and waffles, Singapore offers a huge range of breakfast items for every palate within each of the prominent cuisines mentioned above. My two favorites are Chai Tow Kueh or savory Carrot Cake (not to be confused with the dessert of the same name), and Chwee Kueh, both of which can be found at practically every “hawker” center on the island.  Hawker centers are open air food stalls serving delicious street food, all under one roof!

The savory carrot cake is made of steamed radish, also known as white carrot, which is tossed in a large wok with eggs, garlic and a variety of sauces.  There are two versions of the carrot cake – a black and a white version.  The black carrot cake adds a thick black soy sauce for some sweetness, while the white version is eggier and omits the black sauce.  Chopped scallions are added to both versions and a side of chili sauce is included, upon request.  Most Singaporeans have a preference for either the white or the black versions of the carrot cake. My personal favorite is the white carrot cake and one of the best versions can be found at the Ghim Moh Hawker Center.

Also at the Ghim Moh Hawker Center is another dish called Chwee kuey, which consists of steamed rice cakes topped with a relish called “chai poh”, which is pickled radish with garlic, infused in oil (and a lot of it!).  This adds a lovely crunch to the otherwise bland rice cake.  And again, as with most local dishes in Singapore, a healthy dose of chili is added, upon request.

These are my breakfast staples on every visit of mine to Singapore. It’s hearty and has a good kick of garlic and chilies! A perfect way to get rid of that nagging jetlag. It’s always fun eating at these hawker centers, but if you must have it to go or “ta pao”, as they say here in Singapore, these goodies are neatly packed in brown paper, ready for you to take home.

Here are some images of my favorite carrot cake and chwee kuey.

typical packet when you order something from a hawker center for takeout

delicious white savory carrot cake

digging in!

chwee kuey, savory radish cakes with pickled garlicky radish

Stay tuned for more local cuisine from Singapore in a future post.