A foreigner might gloat over the mindboggling selection of breads, cheeses and sausages laid out at a hotel buffet breakfast in Europe.
Granted that the choice of such treats may be limited at a Singapore hotel but there is no dispute that there are far more diverse food varieties here.
A chef may be twirling roti prata in one corner. In another section, there’s oodles of noodles, congee (porridge) and perhaps even chee cheong fun (rice noodle rolls). Then of course, there’s also nasi lemak and all the dishes – fried fish, sambal chicken, etc – that come with it.
Westerners may shake their heads in astonishment at us gobbling noodles and rice at breakfast time, but sliced bread and cereal have limited appeal among many Asians.
For us, variety is indeed the spice of life. So we have countless breakfast options from various cuisines.
A must-try is kaya toast, a Hainanese spin on the butter and jam sandwich favoured by the British. It has won international honours, having been ranked earlier this year as one of the 50 “best sandwiches in the world” by experiential travel online guide TasteAltas.
This traditional Singaporean breakfast comprises toasted bread spread with kaya, a sweet coconut jam, and served alongside two soft-boiled eggs and coffee or tea.
We are a nation of foodies and a savoury breakfast is an opportunity not to be missed.
Coffee shops and hawker centres are frequently packed in the mornings and some stalls cater only to the breakfast and brunch crowd.
The mee pok (fishball noodles) man at Ghim Moh hawker centre shuts shop by 11am – or even earlier if stocks run out.
Another hawker there offers a popular breakfast item each day of the week to ensure his regulars have something different to look forward to. On Saturday, it is mee siam. On other days, he rotates between bee hoon, fried rice and mee rebus.
Breakfast treats are so in demand, they are often available 24/7.
For example, the fluffy prata with spicy fish curry has become a popular snack round the clock.
Another all-day breakfast item is nasi lemak – a fragrant rice dish cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaves, accompanied by fried anchovies, crunchy peanuts, cucumber and sweet sambal chilli paste.
Frankly, its mere description is enough to tantalise taste buds.
In a nutshell, we Singaporeans have a whole lot more breakfast options than many other parts of the world.
Not only in the mornings, but all day and all night long.
By Khush Randhawa
