Today we’re heading to Singapore — a city-state where street food has been elevated to a cult, and hawker centres have become temples of gastronomy. Two iconic dishes, two utterly different worlds of flavour — from the delicate tenderness of poached chicken to the fiery spice of coconut noodle soup.
The most tender chicken, gently poached in fragrant broth until silky in texture, is served with fluffy rice cooked in chicken fat and broth with ginger and garlic. On the palate — a delicate, clean, refined dish in which every component perfectly complements the next. Three sauces — chili, ginger, and dark soy — turn a simple dish into a symphony of flavours.
Ingredients (for 4 servings):
For the chicken:
• Whole chicken — 1.5 kg
• Fresh ginger — 50 g (a piece the size of a large thumb)
• Spring onions — 3 stalks
• Coarse salt — 1 tbsp
• Sesame oil — 2 tbsp
• Water — 3 litres
For the rice:
• Jasmine rice (or long-grain rice) — 400 g
• Chicken fat (trimmed from the chicken) — 2 tbsp
• Garlic — 4 cloves
• Fresh ginger — 20 g
• Chicken broth — 500 ml
• Salt — 1 tsp
• Pandan leaf — 1 pc. (if possible; can be replaced with a bay leaf)
For the ginger sauce:
• Fresh ginger — 40 g
• Garlic — 1 clove
• Salt — 0.5 tsp
• Vegetable oil — 2 tbsp
• Lime juice — 1 tbsp
For the chili sauce:
• Fresh red chili peppers — 4 pcs.
• Garlic — 2 cloves
• Fresh ginger — 10 g
• Sugar — 1 tsp
• Lime juice — 2 tbsp
• Salt — 0.5 tsp
• Chicken broth — 2 tbsp
For serving:
• Fresh cucumber — 1 pc.
• Cilantro — 1 bunch
• Dark soy sauce (thick, slightly sweet) — for serving
Preparation:
Step 1. Preparing the chicken.
Rinse the chicken thoroughly under cold water, removing any remaining feathers. Rub the entire bird, inside and out, with coarse salt and leave for 10 minutes. Then rinse it once more. Trim away excess fat from the neck and tail end — set it aside; you’ll need this fat for the rice. Slice the ginger (50 g), unpeeled, into 3 mm-thick pieces. Lightly crush the spring onions with the flat side of a knife to release their aroma.
Step 2. Poaching the chicken.
Pour 3 litres of water into a large pot and bring to a vigorous boil. Place the ginger slices and spring onions inside the chicken. Carefully lower the chicken into the boiling water, breast-side down. Wait for the water to return to the boil, then skim off the foam. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting — the water should barely tremble, without bubbling. Cover and poach for exactly 35 minutes. Then turn off the heat and leave the chicken in the broth, covered, for another 15 minutes. The sign of doneness: pierce the thigh with a wooden skewer — the juices should run completely clear, with no pink tinge.
Step 3. Ice bath and final treatment of the chicken.
Prepare a large bowl filled with water and ice. Remove the chicken from the broth and immediately plunge it into the ice water for 5 minutes. This stops the cooking process and creates that distinctive jelly-like skin texture for which the dish is so prized. Take out the chicken, let the water drain off, and brush the whole surface with sesame oil — the skin should take on a glossy, golden sheen. Strain and reserve the broth.
Step 4. Making the fragrant rice.
Finely dice the chicken fat into 5 mm cubes and render it in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until crisp cracklings form — about 5 minutes. Finely chop the garlic into 2 mm pieces and grate the ginger on a fine grater. Add the garlic and ginger to the rendered fat and fry for 1 minute, until intensely fragrant. Add the rinsed rice, stir, and fry for 2 minutes, until every grain is coated in fat and translucent around the edges. Transfer to a pot, pour in 500 ml of hot chicken broth, and add the salt and pandan (or bay) leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes without lifting the lid. The sign of doneness: the rice is fluffy, every grain separate, with a buttery-garlicky aroma.
Step 5. Making the sauces.
Ginger sauce: blend the ginger (40 g) and garlic into a paste, or grate them on a fine grater. Heat the vegetable oil until it just begins to smoke and pour it over the ginger mixture — it should sizzle. Add the salt and lime juice, then stir. The texture should be that of a grainy paste.
Chili sauce: deseed the chilies if you want a milder version, then roughly chop them. Blend with the garlic, ginger, sugar, lime juice, salt, and broth until smooth but still slightly grainy. The sauce should be bright red, balancing heat, acidity, and a touch of sweetness.
Step 6. Carving and slicing the chicken.
Carve the chicken into serving pieces. Remove the breast from the bone whole and slice it across the grain into 8–10 mm-thick pieces. The thighs and drumsticks can be served whole or chopped through. Arrange the meat on a plate in overlapping slices, then lightly drizzle with chicken broth to keep it moist.
Step 7. Assembly and serving.
Slice the cucumber into 3 mm-thick rounds. Spoon the rice onto a plate; if desired, shape it into a mound using a small bowl. Arrange the chicken slices beside it, garnish with cucumber rounds and sprigs of cilantro. Serve the three sauces in separate small bowls: ginger, chili, and dark soy. Serve a bowl of hot chicken broth with sliced spring onions alongside — this is the traditional accompaniment.
💡 Fact: Hainanese chicken rice is Singapore’s unofficial national dish. In 2023, UNESCO added Singapore’s hawker-centre culture to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and this particular dish became the symbol of the nomination. The humble Tian Tian stall at Maxwell Food Centre sells 1500 portions a day, and its queue is an essential stop on any food tour.
A fiery, spice-laden, rich coconut soup with rice noodles, prawns, and a fragrant spice paste. On the palate — an explosion: the creamy sweetness of coconut, searing chili, earthy turmeric, the citrusy freshness of lemongrass. The soup is thick, a deep orange-red, with juicy prawns, crisp sprouts, and aromatic herbs floating in it.
Ingredients (for 4 servings):
For the laksa paste:
• Shallots (or onion) — 4 pcs. (or 1 medium onion)
• Garlic — 5 cloves
• Fresh ginger — 30 g
• Lemongrass (stalks) — 2 pcs. (the lower white part, about 10 cm)
• Dried red chili peppers — 6 pcs. (soak in warm water for 15 minutes)
• Ground turmeric — 1 tsp
• Ground coriander — 1 tbsp
• Shrimp paste — 1 tbsp (sold in Asian sections of supermarkets)
• Macadamia nuts or cashews — 5 pcs.
For the soup:
• Coconut milk (full-fat, at least 60%) — 800 ml (2 cans)
• Chicken broth — 500 ml
• Fish sauce — 2 tbsp
• Palm sugar or brown sugar — 1 tbsp
• Vegetable oil — 3 tbsp
For the filling:
• Large prawns (peeled) — 400 g
• Rice noodles (vermicelli) — 300 g
• Fried tofu puffs — 150 g (cut in half)
• Bean sprouts (mung beans) — 150 g
For serving:
• Boiled eggs — 4 pcs. (cut in half)
• Limes — 2 pcs. (cut into wedges)
• Fresh mint or cilantro — 1 bunch
• Fresh chili pepper — for garnish
• Fried shallots (or fried onions) — 2 tbsp
Preparation:
Step 1. Preparing the laksa paste.
Soak the dried chilies in warm water for 15 minutes, until soft. Strip the lemongrass of its tough outer leaves, using only the lower white part (10 cm), and slice it into thin 2 mm rings. Roughly chop the shallots, garlic, and ginger. Put all the paste ingredients into a blender: the soaked chilies, without their soaking water, lemongrass, shallots, garlic, ginger, turmeric, coriander, shrimp paste, and nuts. Blend into the smoothest, thickest paste possible. If needed, add 1–2 tbsp of water to keep the blender moving. The paste should be smooth, bright orange, and intensely aromatic.
Step 2. Frying the paste.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or wok over medium heat. Add all the paste and fry, stirring constantly, for 5–7 minutes. The sign of readiness: the paste will darken by one or two shades, oil will begin separating around the edges, and the aroma will become deep, toasted, and unbelievably intense — the kitchen will fill with the scent of spices. This step is critically important: frying is what releases all the spices’ essential oils.
Step 3. Building the soup base.
Pour the coconut milk into the fried paste in a thin stream, stirring constantly so the paste dissolves completely without lumps. Add the chicken broth, fish sauce, and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. The soup should thicken slightly and take on a smooth, creamy orange-red colour. Taste it: the flavour should be balanced — creamy, spicy, lightly salty, with a touch of sweetness. Adjust as needed: if it needs salt, add fish sauce; sweetness, add sugar; acidity, add lime juice.
Step 4. Cooking the prawns.
Rinse the prawns and pat them dry with paper towel. Add them directly to the soup and cook for 3–4 minutes. The sign of doneness: the prawns have turned fully pink and curled into the shape of a “C” — not an “O,” which means they’re overcooked — while the flesh has become white and firm. If using tofu puffs, add them at the same time as the prawns — they will soak up the broth and become juicy.
Step 5. Preparing the noodles and garnish.
Cover the rice noodles with boiling water and leave for 5–7 minutes, or follow the instructions on the packet. The noodles should soften but retain a slight bite — don’t overcook them. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and prevent sticking. Blanch the bean sprouts in boiling water for 30 seconds — they should stay crisp. Hard-boil the eggs for 10 minutes in boiling water, cool them, and cut them in half lengthwise.
Step 6. Assembling the dish.
Place a portion of rice noodles in each deep bowl. Top with bean sprouts and pieces of tofu. Generously pour over the hot coconut broth along with the prawns — the broth should completely cover the noodles. Carefully place half a boiled egg on top, yolk-side up.
Step 7. Final garnish and serving.
Garnish each serving with fresh mint or cilantro, thin rings of fresh chili, and a pinch of fried shallots. Place a lime wedge on the rim of the bowl. Serve immediately, while the broth is scalding hot. Before eating, the guest should squeeze the lime into the soup — the acidity will open up all the flavours and add freshness. Proper laksa is when a spoon stands upright in the broth, and after the first sip, a light sheen of sweat appears on your forehead.
💡 Fact: Singapore has its famous “Laksa War” — an unspoken competition between the Katong and Joo Chiat districts for the title of the city’s best laksa. Katong laksa is so thick that it is eaten only with a spoon — the noodles are deliberately cut short so chopsticks aren’t needed. And in 2011, CNN placed laksa at No. 7 on its list of the ‘50 most delicious foods in the world.’