travel blogger – Careless Indian Traveler…

Three years ago, I moved to Germany from Singapore. While Germany was a paradise waiting to color my life, in the immediate days that followed, I dearly missed Singapore. I missed how bank transfers happen instantly, the overtly frequent MRTs (Mass Rapid Transit) loaded with people glued to their phones, my daily dose of ‘Kopi C’s, and that sudden spell of rain showers followed by a bout of blazing sunlight. The nostalgia was real. To top it all off, in Germany, food is seasoned with just salt and a bit of pepper (if you are lucky). I terribly missed the explosion of Asian flavors each time I had a meal.

More importantly, I realized how much I loved chilies. Red. Green. Fat. Thin. Round. Irrespective of their color and shape, I clearly needed some hotness in my life.

All these nostalgic feelings clouding in my brain has led me in the direction of a brand-new blogpost, a.k.a.,

5 MUST EATS IN SINGAPORE

Singapore is a melting pot of cultures. Although, the country is only twice as large as Munich, i.e., the city where I live now, it has four different national languages (a.k.a., Malay, Tamil, English and Mandarin). This means that each time an official announcement is made, it is repeated in all four languages. If by some stroke of misfortune, the MRT bogey in front of the one you are in is on fire, by the time an announcement is made in a language that you can understand, you are probably already dead.

Jokes aside, this very cultural fusion observed in Singapore results in a unique (Read: delicious) cuisine highlighting the influence of Chinese, Indian, Malaysian and Indonesian flavors. Thus, navigating through the dishes is a pilgrimage in itself!

In no specific order, these are my top five food recommendations from Singapore,

Hainanese chicken rice

This dish is one of Singapore’s national dishes and my absolute favorite! Believed to have originated from the small island of Hainan in China, preparation involves poaching chicken for hours and hours in a blend of pork and chicken bone stock. Meanwhile, the rice is cooked in the poached chicken broth with heaps of garlic and ginger.

I would typically have it at least once a week when I was there. It is quite ubiquitous and is easily found in every nook and cranny of Singapore.

Kaya Toast

Toast is a canvas which brings out the best in every country. Be it vegemite in Australia or the varied types of chocolate hazelnut pastes in Italy, every country has a signature bread spread! In Singapore, it is ‘Kaya’. Kaya is a jam made with coconut, eggs and lots of sugar. Although it sounds outrageous to mix coconut and eggs, kaya is delicious! A staple Singaporean breakfast is toasted bread with a fat slice of butter and a liberal layer of kaya, soft boiled eggs mixed with pepper and soy sauce along with a glass of Kopi-C (coffee with condensed milk)

I used to have them before my morning lectures in Singapore! If you are looking for an authentic Singaporean breakfast, it doesn’t get better than this. You can find it at every ‘Kopitiam’!

Durian

I am an avid lover of jackfruit. Although, Durian looks like a smaller, smellier version of jackfruit, it tastes nothing like its big brother. Moreover, due to its overbearing stench, Durian is banned in many outdoor spaces!

After one year of toying with the idea, I decided to have Durian a few weeks before I left Singapore for good. Granted, the stench is overpowering but surprisingly I didn’t hate it! It tasted like a weird mix of onions and mangoes with undertones of garlic (sounds disgusting, I know). Irrespective of how off-putting that sounds, you need to have it at least once in our life!

It is available in most grocery stores. I suggest buying it from a store near to where you stay because the fines are hefty in case you are caught with a Durian in buses or trains.

Ice Cream Sandwich (Es Potong)

I am a little biased to this one because I used to have it from a street vendor right outside my campus! A huge block of ice cream is nudged between a slice of pandan bread (slightly sweet and colorful) making it look like a sandwich. In the scorching heat of Singapore, this is a welcome respite.

If you want to try it, there are several street vendors close to Orchard Road selling it!

Plethora of Soups

I honestly cannot pick one! I loved trying all the different kinds of soups. Ban Mian is my favorite! It consists of handmade noodles with minced pork, spinach, anchovies and a poached egg.

Yummm!!!

But, there are plenty of others like Bak Kut The, Mee Soto, Laksa and the list goes on! If you get a chance, try them all. They are all available in every hawker center.

Special mention to Satays, Roti Pratas and Llao llao’s range of frozen yoghurt! I wouldn’t have survived Singapore without them.

Bon Appetit,

While it is true that seeing a wealth of delightful places strewn across this planet leaves me elated, years of travelling have taught me that the real MVP of travel is soaking in the local culture (a.k.a. food) of these places! Afterall, you wouldn’t want to go all the way to Naples and not have their signature thin crusted Margherita, right?

I know, I wouldn’t!

Food is an integral part of my life and like many foodies, eating delicious treats is the glue that holds my life together,

Sad? Drown sorrow with good food!
Happy? Celebrate with good food!
Confused? Decide with good food!

Um, you get the drift…

Therefore, I decided (with good food, of course) to put together a mini-series titled, ‘5 Must Eats’ which will focus on five dishes that I think you ‘must try’ in your travel stories!

5 MUST EATS IN BUDAPEST

The cuisine of Eastern Europe has always been one of my absolute favorites. However, Hungarian cuisine (or Magyar cuisine) is unique in its own way. Paprika is the apple of every Hungarian’s eye. The abundance of this spice in their kitchens makes the cuisine of Hungary daringly different from any other indigenous cuisine that I have gulped down in the whole of Europe,

In no specific order, these are my top five recommendations for foodie souls in Budapest,

Gulyás (Goulash Soup/ Goulash Stew)

Although this dish started its journey as a simple soup for the Hungarian common man, today it is one of the national dishes of Hungary! The traditional version consists of freshly cut beef or veal cooked in heaps of paprika, onions and garlic for an insane amount of time so that all the flavors get perfectly infused in the broth. Yummm!

I had goulash at several places and they were all delicious. However, if you are looking for authentic goulash, go for those eateries with a Hungarian menu plastered on the wall and an old grandpa by the counter! Trust me, sign language works and you will lick every bit of sauce from your plate!

Lángos (Langosh)

Langos (or Hungarian Pizza) forms the core of Hungarian street food culture. It is a deep-fried flat bread that is generously smothered with sour cream and topped with everything your heart desires. The traditional version consists of just a garlic oil and cheese topping and it was one of the most delicious dishes that found its way to my tummy!

I had mine here and I swear by this place! If you are planning on going here, do get there early as it can get quite crowded during mealtimes!

Töltött Káposzta (Stuffed Cabbage Leaves)

This has to be the ultimate Hungarian comfort food! I had one bite and I absolutely fell in love with it. As the name suggests, this dish is essentially just cooked cabbage leaves stuffed with meat and rice, served with a huge dollop of sour cream!

I had mine from the Central Market Square and cannot recommend this place enough if you are looking to hop from one stall to the other and try all things food!

Paprikás Csirke (Paprika Chicken)

This was another one of my favorites! The chicken was so tender and the sauce was perfect with undertones of both sour cream and paprika. It is usually served with egg noodle dumplings (i.e., nokedli in Hungarian) with a generous blob of sour cream. One word to describe this dish? Flavorful! Definitely a must try!

I tried this dish from a cozy Hungarian restaurant called, ‘Ildikó Konyhája’ based on a recommendation from my Airbnb Host! If you are planning on visiting, do get a reservation as it gets quite crowded!

Flódni Cake

This cake is a specialty of the Budapest Jewish community. It is semi sweet cake, with layers of poppy seeds, apple, walnuts and plum jam! It tasted very different from any cake that I have ever had before. While I didn’t find it particularly delicious, it is definitely something you should try when you are in Budapest to pay homage to the Jewish traditions here.

You can find it in almost all cafés close to the Jewish quarter!

While we are on the topic of food, the first thing I learnt when I went to a restaurant in Budapest was to say ‘Cheers’. If you ever intend to do that, let me stop you right away, because this word i.e., ‘Egészségére’ is the mother of all tongue twisters! If you still want to master it, a local who saw me struggle, told me to just say ‘I guess she can drive’ but in a very fast and slurred manner and this would be the closest English pronunciation of this Hungarian word.

To his credit, it did work (most times) ! Needless to say, I am not learning Hungarian.

If you want to read more about my Budapest experience, check out my blog post on Budapest!

Meanwhile, Bon Appetit!