SINGAPORE/MALAYSIA/PHILIPPINES

Singapore's cuisine captures the country's ethnic diversity. The British, Chinese, Malaysian and Indian cultures, to name a few, have contributed to this multiethnic melting pot. The food reflects this culinary mix, from the high-end sophistication of the cuisine served at the Raffles Hotel to the satisfying local dishes offered at bustling stalls by street hawkers.

Malaysian cooking is easy to love but tricky to define. Its exotic taste comes from an amalgamation of local ingredients with wildly different culinary influences from the Portuguese, Dutch, Indonesians and Chinese. Coconut milk and spice mixtures form the foundation of this cuisine.

The cuisine of the Philippines reflects the people of many different cultures, such as the Spanish, Malaysians and Chinese, that have contributed to the mixed heritage of its residents. Use of a variety of herbs and spices are typical, paired with local ingredients like tropical fruits, fish, meat and poultry, abundant throughout the islands.

"Singapore is a nation of snackers and its people can choose from more than 20,000 eating-places to satisfy their food obsession. This menu stars some of my favorite stall-hawker dishes. Since you are the cook, don't try to serve the meal at an Asian pace. Cook the soup and shrimp ahead, deep fry the banana rolls before the meatballs and set them aside for dessert assembly later. Prepare the other dishes before you start cooking. If you serve one dish at a time, call it a Singaporean snacking meal."

Appetizers
Poached Shrimp with Curry Dipping Sauce
Meatballs Wrapped in Noodles

Soup
Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup

Entrees
Vegetarian Singapore Style Noodles
Baked Black Bass with Black Bean Sauce

Dessert
Spiced Banana Rolls

Curry

Spring Rolls Wrapper

Chinese Wire Strainer