Spice It Up At Singapore Food Festival 2011

10 July 2011, Singapore – With just 5 more days to the 18th edition of the annual Singapore Food Festival 2011, look out for Curry and Spices, this year’s theme.    This year the Indian Restaurants Association of Singapore (IRAS – not the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore), has a bigger role in the festival.

“Curries and spices are the essences of our multi-ethnic cuisine, and over the years, these flavours combined into well-loved dishes that have evolved together with our society and culture.  Through experimentation and reinterpretation of curry and the use of spices, we have arrived at an interesting point in our culinary evolution,” said Mr. Andrew Phua, Director of Precinct Development at Singapore Tourism Board.

Tourism Statistics

Last year, visitors to Singapore spent S$1.9 billion on food and beverage making up 10% of total expenditure.  Around 28% of SFF 2010 attendees were tourists, up from 26% from the previous year.

Event Overview

SFF Village – Biggest Food & Beverage event at the Singapore River with more than 60 food stalls and 130 participating Food & Beverage outlets from the surrounding malls. 15 – 24 July 2011, 4 to 11pm (weekdays)/12pm to 11pm (weekends) at Clark Quay Read Bridge and along Central River Promenade.

SFF Culinary Adventures – Tiffin Cruise (Water) – Take a cruise down Singapore River and enjoy piping hot Naan (Indian flat bread) to go with the curries and dishes infused with spices, all served in a tiffin carrier that you can keep as a momento.  There are 6 cruises per day from 15 to 24 July 2011: 4 to 4.45pm/5 to 5.45pm/6 to 6.45pm/7 to 7.45pm/8 to 8.45pm/9 to 9.45pm at S$38+.  Embarkation and disembarkation at Singapore River Cruise Liang Court Jetty.

SFF Culinary Adventures – Trishaw Heritage Trail & Little India – Make your own spice blend, learn about the unique ingredients and kitchenware found in Little India and observe a cooking demonstration by a MasterChef and enjoy lunch at an Indian restaurant.  Held on 16,17,23 and 24 July 2011 from 10am to 1.30pm at Little India for S$88+.

SFF Culinary Adventures – Spice and Canapes in the Sky – Learn from a celebrity chef how to enhance flavours, colurs and the nutritional value of canapes through the clever use of spices.  Enjoy a selection of canapes paired with fine wines and the panoramic sunset view of the city from the Singapore Flyer.  Held on 16, 17, 23 and 24 July 2011 from 5pm to 7pm at the Singapore Flyer for S$108+.  Ticket includes 2 rotation ride on the flyer, canapes-making session, ingredients for hands-on canapes-making session, catered canapes as snacks and beverages that consists of soft drinks, wine and beer.

Longest Table at Little India – More than 50 mouth-watering delicacies will be served on 23 July 2011 from 6 to 10pm at Race Course Road in Little India.  Expecting around 900 guests for the Longest Table event, the objective is to attempt at the Guinness World Record for the longest table.  Sit down dinner costs S$80, while sit dinner on the Guinness World Record costs S$100.   SPICE POTPOURRI cookbook, a collection of recipes from famous people including President Nathan, Ambassadors South Indian Legend Padhmashree Kamal Hassan, V Sunndramoorthy, Ambassador Kesavapani, Violet Oon, will be officially launched by President S. R. Nathan at the same time.

There are also other events such as the

• Kampong Gelam Presents “Of Rendang Tales and Spices”
• National Library Board Presents “Garden Walks”
• Grand Park Orchard and the Gateway Hotel Ganges Varanasi Presents “Singapore – India Culinary Inspirations”
• Jurong Bird Park Presents “Asian Curry High Tea Buffet”
• Central Food Festival by the River
• Culinery Classes offered by Restaurant Association of Singapore and At-Sunrice Presents Spice Odyssey

Visit www.singaporefoodfestival.com.sg for more details.

The Featured Dishes for this year’s Singapore Food Festival will include well established local dishes that are also infused with the use of spices which you have to try:

• Bak Kut Teh (Chinese) – Star Anise, cinnamon and clove used in this pork rib soup

• Chilli Crab (Chinese) – Coriander leaves add a complimentary taste to an already delicious famous dish of Singapore.

• Chicken Biryani (Indian) – Cumin, nutmeg, cloves, saffron are used in this orange/yellowish rice dish that usually comes with a meat such as chicken.

• Fish Head Curry (Chinese/Indian) – Tamarind (commonly known locally as assam) is used in this piping hot dish, that is usually eaten with white rice and shared by a table of at least 2 or more people.

• Laksa (Chinese/Peranakan) – Tumeric and Tamarind (assam) is used in this noodle dish.  You can add peppermint or laksa leaves to enrich the taste of the noodles.

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• Rendang (Malay/Pernakan) – Tumeric leaves are used int his meat dish that has been cooked for a long time so that the meat is soft and tender.

• Roti Prata (Indian) – Tumeric and assam(used in the curry) is a dough based meal that comes either crispy thin, or chewy thick.  This dough is eaten with any type of curry or alternatively with sugar.

• Sambal Prawn (Malay) – Chilli Peppers are used in this spicy prawn dish.

• Wu Xiang (Ngor Hiang) (Chinese) – Star Anise (part of a 5-spice powder) is used in this deep fried dish made up of a variety of different type of food.

Check out photos taken at the media conference held on 5 July 2011 at the Singapore Flyer.

Note: Prices correct at time of publishing and subject to change.

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Adrian Eugene Seet, editor of SUPERADRIANME.com, has long shared his passion for travel, destinations, and air travel. His childhood love for exploration has evolved into a thriving career, with his engaging content inspiring others to discover new cultures. Taiwan is his new-found favourite destination, and he dreams of visiting the Andes. Adrian's work is driven by his curiosity for travel trends and a commitment to lifelong learning.

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