Having been to Swatow and Teochew, i discovered that a lot of the food that many identify as “Singaporean” are actually Teochew. Here are the proof:
Chwee KwayChai Tow KwayKway Chap and all kinds of soy sauce braised itemsFried Kway Teow (and all things Kway Teow. In fact, you may have noticed by now, all types of “Kway”, or rice starch staples, originates from Teochew). The difference, compared to the ones in Singapore, is that “Kway” in Teochew is more firm, mostly in a good way.Haojian (Fried Oyster omelette), or more commonly known as Haoluo (蚝烙) in TeochewFish ballsFried Popiah wrap is called 春饼 in TeochewOrh Nee or mashed Yam. Pictured here is the thousand-layered Orh Nee biscuit
I think you’ll agree with me that these Teochew delicacies predominantly define what is commonly thought to be THE traditional Chinese food in Singapore. I thought being in Teochew was an eye opening experience, a mouth-watering one at that.
By the way, you might be interested to learn that Ham Chim Peng (咸煎饼) is a Hakka delicacy. Instead of “Kway”, the starch-derived staples in Hakka are called “Ban”.
