I told you there would be a part two.
So while I have much love for the poh piah, there are two Singapore dishes that I generally rank above it for their combination of tastiness and comfort-food qualities. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of the roti prata that I always have to have when I'm back, but here's one for you. Derived from an Indian form, Singapore has developed its own variations. It's a kind of griddle-cooked wheat bread that gets dipped in curry, and it's more special than it sounds. I will admit that it's possibly the curry that gives it that extra boost, but the bread itself is somewhat of a marvel of textures. It's a not-quite flat pancake, crispy on the surface, but which pulls apart to reveal soft, warm, slightly chewy innards. Which you then dip in the luscious curry and savor. It's really more of a snack food than a full meal, but when you can only get the real thing every so often, what's the point of rationing?
My other must-have food when I'm in town is chicken rice. One of my cousins once described this as Singapore's equivalent of mac-n-cheese. It's ridiculously simple, but impossible not to love. It's also an excellent comfort food.
Basically, you boil a chicken. Then you dunk it in ice water. While it cools, you cook the rice in the chicken broth/stock you've just created. Serve rice hot, chicken cold. Too easy, right? Sure, there's some seasoning involved (usually garlic, ginger, scallions), but it really is pretty basic. And surprisingly addictive.
Minced ginger, chili sauce, and soy sauce make up the standard dipping combination for this dish. Most people like to mix theirs together, but I kind of like keeping some boundaries -- I find soy sauce by nature to be just insidious and a little bit domineering, so I make it stand in the corner.
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