Reputed to be a sinful dish, this packed with high saturated fat content Char Kway Teow is a must try when you are in Singapore. In the earlier days when it was invented, mainly labourers are eating it as it was a cheap source of nutrients and energy. Since it was sold by farmers and fishermen and cockle gatherers, this dish consists of deshelled cockles, prawn, fishcake, Chinese sausage, stir-fried egg, pork fat sometimes crisp croutons of pork lard. The toppings are chopped Chinese chives. If you like spicy, a dash of chilli belachan is added to give it some kick (heat) and neutralizes by the juicy flavours of bean sprouts.

There is a little food fight over the origination of great national favourites like this one. I believe there are Malaysian friends arguing that these delicious local foods are their invention too. And since historically we know that Singapore was independent since 7 August 1965, those days when our early Chinese immigrants arrived, it is highly possible that these great foods are invented in the region – Singapore and Malaysia – at that time. Nonetheless, the recipe evolved to suit each regions preferences and tastes. It is quite pointless to claim now about its origination, other than raking up the past separation and disputes. So let's call Char Kway Teow a 'Southeast-Asian' hot favourite.

Wonton Noodles is made with fresh egg noodle tossed in mixed dark soy sauce that is usually a speciality of that particular recipe. The dry versions are topped with the Chinese Barbequed Pork or Char Siu. In Singapore, there is usually a small serving of soup with a few wonton if they are not already served in the noodles. The common vegetables that goes well with this noodle is the Choy Sum or Chinese mustard green. One condiment that you should add is the pickled green chilies. Back to the special sauce, normally there is oyster sauce, dark sweet soy sauce, light soy sauce, sesame oil and fried garlic oil. There is another version, that is the wet version, which is soupy. So everything floats in a big bowl of broth and if you ask me, I think the wet version is less delicious.

Skewered seasoned grilled meat, be it chicken, mutton, beef or pork. In Singapore, this is mostly a Malay food, so it is pretty rare to find pork satay. Satay is a national dish of Indonesia, and since we are neighbours, you can easily find delicious satay stalls in Singapore too. There are other variations of satay, for example the Japanese Yakitori, the Turkish Shish kebab, the Caucasian Shashlik, the South African Sosatie and the Chinese Chuan’r. The dipping sauce is a spicy peanut gravy next to slivers of onions, rice cakes (called ketupat) and cucumbers. The Indonesian uses a soy-based dip. The marinate of satay is the spice Turmeric which is why it is yellowish in colour.

This is a Teochew soup. Comfort food. Rather one of my favourite soup made with pork ribs. Nowadays, there are premade spices sachets to just drop into a pot of water, add the washed ribs and an entire bulb of garlic, unpeeled. Season to taste at the end of the 1 hour simmering. The taste of the ribs is great when dipped into some dark soya sauce and chili padi. To be really honest, this soup goes just enough and well with Jasmine white rice. Nothing else.

There isn't really a secret recipe. I agree with this because this is a very down-to-earth good quality soup made with fresh Pork ribs, garlic peppercorns and patience.

The Scottish celebrity chef, Gordon Ramsay, challenged 328 Katong Laksa in Singapore for this dish. The secret lies in the Rempah or mixed spices. Rempah is a nonya ingredient made from fresh herbs and dried spices, mainly from dried chillies, fresh chillies, galangal, lemon grass and tumeric. Ginger, garlic, shrimp paste (or belachan), coriander seeds, dried shrimps, candle nuts, bean paste and other herbs. In the Laksa, there are dried prawns, coconut milk, chicken stock, prawns, clams, thick rice stick noodles, bean sprouts, tofu puffs, hard-boiled eggs, fresh daun keson or Vietnamese mint (aka laksa leaves). Preparation tool is the mortar to pound the dried prawns til crumbly.

Healthy-fat gourmet appetizer or starters if chosen well, can infact help you eat less later and lose weight. The fresh whole-grain bread and olive oil before a meal can help to keep your blood sugar levels from spiking. Such ways also makes it easier for your body to absorb fat-soluble nutrients such as Vitamins A, D, E, K, lutein and lycopene. Lutein is a chemical compound which you can find in green leafy vegetables usch as kale, spinach or yellow carrots. Lycopene on the other hand is a bright red carotene pigment which you can find in tomatoes, red carrots or watermelons. Today, we are featuring Canapes with salmon caviar, lemon and parsley on plate. Parsley is a good source of antioxidants, folic acid, vitamin K, vitamin C and A and flavonoid.