Singapore has been touted to be a foodie’s paradise, with tons of dining options from street food to swanky celebrity restaurants. We’ve got your hunger covered with this handy little guide. You can savour these popular dishes from around the ASEAN region on this tiny island!

Pulut Panggang

Brunei Darussalam

Pulut Panggang is a traditional snack that contains steamed glutinous rice with inti (savoury fillings). The rice is wrapped in banana leaves and then grilled. There are many types of fillings, with beef and shrimp being more popular. In Singapore, you can find the shrimp flavour at this store:

Otak-otak Kampung
#02-165 Geylang Serai Market & Food Centre
Phone: 9380 0696

Rendang

Indonesia

The spicy meat dish, infused with aromatic spices and coconut milk over hours of cooking, takes on different forms depending on the locality. For example, the Javanese like it sweet while in Sumatra, it’s not rendang if it’s not dry. No matter where it’s from, it is never served crispy.

There is also a choice of meat, with beef being the most popular, followed by lamb or goat. Here is one example of where you can tuck into this wholesome spice-rich authentic Indonesian dish at an affordable price:

IndoChili
Various locations
www.indochili.com

Laab

Laos – Lao People’s Democratic Republic

Laab, or larb, is the unofficial Laos national dish – this meat-based salad is flavoured with mint, chilli, fish sauce, garlic and lime juice. It is made with chicken, beef, duck, fish, pork or mushrooms, which are raw or cooked.

In Singapore, you can have a taste of authentic laab, made with minced chicken, as well as laab salmon at the following restaurant owned by founder Michael Ma, who was born in Laos.

Wine, Tapas, and Friends
49 Club Street

Nasi Lemak

Malaysia

One of the most loved rice dishes in Malaysia, nasi lemak is fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf. The basic nasi lemak includes the quintessential sambal sauce, ikan bilis (anchovies), peanuts, cucumbers and eggs. To adapt the dish for different meals of the day, additional sides such as deep fried ikan kuning (yellowtail scad), chicken and otah might be added.

With so many variants being sold in Singapore, and the sheer number of stores serving the island, it is hard to pick one. Prepare to try them all!