Food: Some must-tries for your next trip to Singapore

What happens when a Mumbai chef visits a nation where the national pastime is eating Chef Irfan Pabaney takes us on a culinary trail from his latest trip to the 50yearold Singapore He was also part of a team that broke the Guinness World Record for the largest curry ever madeStreet food and hawker centres arenrsquot a new fad in Singapore This photograph shows customers dining at an openair food stall on the waterfront in Singapore 1957 PicGetty ImagesSingaporeans only eat out mdash be it breakfast lunch dinner or in between Everyone always has something to eat or drink itrsquos the culture observes chef Irfan Pabaney the owner of The Sassy Spoon who was the only chef from Mumbai invited to Singapore in early August his fourteenth trip to Singapore as part of Suvai an Indian gourmet festival organised by the Indian Chefs amp Culinary Association ICCA Singapore in association with the Singapore Tourism Board With an aim to indulge the patrons in local Indian flavours Pabaney presented some of his restaurantrsquos signature dishes and was also part of a team that broke the Guinness World Record for the largest curry ever madeA man selling a wide range of Chinese ingredients in a department store past Bugis street close to the famous Chinese temple The stock includes sea cucumbers dried scallops herbs dried fruit peanuts flowers dried mango candied orange peel dried sour plum and dried rose buds used for flavouring Chinese tea among other things Pics CourtesyIrfan PabaneyDuring his trip Pabaney made trips to various joints across Singapore to sample their diverse fare Singapore recognises four official languages mdash English Mandarin Malay and Tamil mdash because the population is a mix of these peopleSalted Egg BaoSo the influence of food from these cultures plays a very important role in forming the cuisine of Singapore which is a huge melting pot You can have dim sums Hainanese chicken rice fish head curry and even Peranakan cuisine that uses a lot of shrimp paste he says Herersquos looking at the chefrsquos culinary adventureFried Squid BallsSalted Egg Bao Fried Squid BallsAt 126 GeylangAnother mass favourite the egg bao is a steamed dish comprising a salted egg yolk custard in a fermented bun The Fried Squid Balls actually dim sums were outstanding Squid is something one often ends up overcooking The soft texture that it already has needs to be taken care of while cooking The squid balls were perfect and crispy recalls PabaneyNoodles with pork balls sliced pork and chilli sauceAt Roadside eatery opposite Bugis JunctionWe ate this at 1 am after a busy day but even at that hour the eatery was packed All the meat elements pork balls slivered pork and the noodles are simmered in a broth and then served with a spicy sauce and crispy crackling The textures and flavours are just inexplicable says PabaneyFresh Aloe Vera and Calamansi dessertAt Ah Chew Desserts Liang Seah StreetThis dessert had fabulous texture and adding calamansi lemons from the Philippines took it to another level The balance between sweet salt bitter and spicy flavours is very important in their food says PabaneySmell the durianAs a small island most fruits available in Singapore are imported However the durian is grown there and is one of the smelliest fruits in the world In fact most hotels donrsquot allow it in their premises It has a buttery texture If you like jackfruit yoursquoll love durian Durian ice cream is made among other things When we went to Geylang at 4 am to eat dim sums the streets were filled with durian and that was all one could smell It was pretty wild recalls PabaneyKaya ToastAt Toast Box a cafe chainKaya a popular breakfast option is a coconut jam that is naturally flavoured or flavoured with pandan leaves The Kaya Toast features soft boiled eggs to be had along with strong local coffee sweetened with condensed milkHainanese Chicken Rice Chicken Feet Salad and Sauteed Chicken Liver and GizzardHainanese Chicken RiceAt Chuen Chuen Cafe Tan Quee Lan StreetThis very popular dish includes the chicken being cooked through a laborious process before it is served with the rice Chicken is boiled with ginger and spring onions and then the entire chicken is plunged into chilled ice water to stop the cooking process and ensure that it remains succulent It is served plain or roasted says Pabaney Along with the rice Pabaney also tried Sauteacuteed Chicken Liver and Gizzard a quick stirfry with slightly sweetish sauce and the Chicken Feet Salad served with deboned meatThe street joints use traditional wooden clothespins with numbers on them so they know which table to put the dim sums on