Discovering Singaporean identity through cooking and cuisine While eating is a universal experience, for Singaporeans it carries strong national connotations. The popular Singaporean-English phrase "Die die must try" is not so much hyperbole as it is a reflection of the lengths that Singaporeans will go to find great dishes. In Eating Her Curries and Kway: A Cultural History of Food in Singapore, Nicole Tarulevicz argues that in a society that has undergone substantial change in a relatively short amount of time, food serves Singaporeans as a poignant connection to the past. Eating has provided a unifying practice for a diverse society, a metaphor for multiracialism and recognizable national symbols for a fledgling state. Covering the period from British settlement in 1819 to the present and focusing on the post–1965 postcolonial era, Tarulevicz tells the story of Singapore through the production and consumption of food. Analyzing a variety of sources that range from cookbooks to architectural and city plans, Tarulevicz offer a thematic history of this unusual country, which was colonized by the British and operated as a port within Malaya. Connecting food culture to the larger history of Singapore, she discusses various topics including domesticity and home economics, housing and architecture, advertising, and the regulation of food-related manners and public behavior such as hawking, littering, and chewing gum. Moving away from the predominantly political and economic focus of other histories of Singapore, Eating Her Curries and Kway provides an important alternative reading of Singaporean society.

This exceptional volume presents a cross section of both traditional and contemporary recipes, including classic favorites such as Chili Crab, Popiah, Rojak, Hokkien Fried Noodles, and Murtabek and innovative, new dishes such as Tea-smoked Seabass and Stingray in Banana Leaf. A detailed introduction to Singapore's dynamic cultural and culinary traditions, a glossary of local ingredients, and rich full-color photographs of each recipe make The Food of Singapore a delicious new addition to this highly-praised series.

This is not a cookbook. It is the story of a people. In the Malay Archipelago - encompassing Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia - the ingredients in a dish reflect the richness of the region. Sublime flavours build ties of kinship, while familiar foods hold their own in tales of kings and dynasties. In the heart of this region lies Singapore. Here, the grandeur of Malay cuisine reflects the eclectic origins of its people. It is central to their art of living. It is their unwritten story. And what better way to chronicle the story of a people than through its food? This landmark publication explores in detail the history and culture of Malay food in Singapore. How did Malay cuisine evolve to its modern-day form? How has geography influenced the way Malays eat? What cultural beliefs shape the rituals of Malay gastronomy? What does food tell us about the Malay worldview? Chapters include: the art of foraging; techniques of preservation and preparation; sweets and savouries; food as medicine; aesthetics and symbolism; cultural exchanges and adaptations; feasts and celebrations. Coupled with over 400 stunning photographs from travels around the region as well as 40 detailed recipes for recreating key Malay dishes (both the popular and the obscure), this highly anticipated book is set to be the definitive work on Malay gastronomy. Includes dual measures.

From one of Eater's 38 best restaurants in America—which has been hailed by the New York magazine, Michelin Guide, and more for serving the freshest dumplings in New York City—comes the ultimate Chinese cookbook with 60 dumping recipes and dim sum-like sides. New York Times critic Pete Wells calls Helen You "a kind of genius for creating miniature worlds of flavor" and, indeed her recipes redefine the dumpling: Lamb and Green Squash with Sichuan pepper; Spicy Shrimp and Celery; Wood Ear Mushroom and Cabbage; and desserts such as Sweet Pumpkin and Black Sesame Tang Yuan. With information on the elements of a great dumpling, stunning photography, and detailed instructions for folding and cooking dumplings, this cookbook is a jumping-off point for creating your own galaxy of flavors. “Flushing jiaozi master Helen You’s guide to what many consider the best shuijiao (or boiled Chinese dumplings) in town.”—New York magazine

Prepare delicious and authentic dishes with this easy-to-follow Singapore cookbook. An abiding Singaporean passion, food is a central part of life on this multicultural island quite simply because there's so much of it that's so good! Singapore Cooking, featuring a foreword by James Beard Award-Winner David Thompson, is a fabulous collection of beloved local classics, including the most extraordinary Chicken Rice and Chili Crab you will have ever eaten, as well as less common but equally delightful dishes, such as Ayam Tempra (Spicy Sweet-and-Sour Stir-Fried Chicken) and Nasi Ulam (Herbal Rice Salad). The recipes are well written, easy to follow and accompanied by beautiful color photographs. With this Singapore cookbook by your side your acquaintance—or re-acquaintance—with Singapore food promises to be an exciting and mouthwatering experience. Authentic Singapore recipes include: Bergedel Potato Fish Cakes Sop Kambing Spiced Mutton Soup Malay-style Nasi Goreng Fried Rice Laksa Rice Noodle Soup Sambal Roast Chicken Hainanese Pork Chops Devil Curry Singapore Chilli Crab Fish Moolie in Spicy Coconut Sauce Beansprouts with Tofu Pumpkin with Dried Prawns Kueh Dadar Coconut Filled Pancakes

A visual guide to the country's delicious street food On the hunt for the ultimate food experience in Singapore? This guide to the city's popular hawker dishes will help the adventurous visitor discover why Singapore is known as a street food paradise. Find out what goes into these yummy-looking dishes - from snacks such as Nyonya Kueh to one-dish meals like Char Kway Teow - and learn to order them just like a local. Each entry includes a color photograph of the dish as well as a description of what is in it. And for those clueless about what is kopi-si siew dai or mee tai mak, the book includes a glossary of local drinks available and also a visual glossary of noodle types. "If you want the real food in Singapore, get yourself to a hawker center." --Gordon Ramsay

This pivot considers the use of porcelain vessels within multi-dialect cultural spaces in the consumption of cooked food in Singapore. In a place of ubiquitous hawker centres and kopitiams (coffee shops), the potteries used to serve hawker foods have a strong presence in the culinary culture of Singaporeans. The book looks at the relationship between those utensils, the food/drinks that are served as well as the symbolic, historical, socio-cultural and socioeconomic implications of using different kinds of porcelain/pottery wares. It also examines the indigenization of foreign foods in Singapore, using two case studies of hipster food – Japanese and Korean. While authentic Japanese and Korean cuisines find resonance amongst the youths of East Asia, some of them have adapted hybrid local features in terms of sourcing for local ingredients due to costs and availability factors. The book considers how these foods are hybridized and indigenized to suit local tastes, fashion and trends, and offers a key read for East Asian specialists, anthropologists and sociologists interested in East Asian societies.