one of Singapore's hawker centers

Whenever I think of Singapore, I can't help that the first thing that pops into my mind is the crowded, bustling space of the hawker centers. It's the rows of stalls lined up serving plentiful, steaming dishes of rice, soups, curries, noodles... all the traditional Singaporean street food that, as a young girl visiting here, I fell madly in love with.

Hainanese chicken rice with cucumbers, chili sauce, and a bowl of the chicken stock soup.

Above all, though, my absolute favorite is hands down the chicken rice. It can't be the roasted kind, but the steamed kind, where the chicken is soft, tender, and a little juicy. It is served sitting on a bed of rice, which has been infused in the chicken stock. This infusion creates a perfect rice texture and an incredibly delectable, savory flavor I can never get enough of. The important part, though, is the chili sauce. I can't say I am an expert when it comes to the local chili, but I know that this important condiment can make or break the dish. With a few slices of cucumbers to cut through the flavor, and a bowl of nice, hot chicken soup... it's definitely been enough to leave me full and satisfied.

the chicken and rice balls variation

One variation of this dish that I have yet to try is the Hainanese chicken rice balls. I believe that it is essentially the same chicken and rice dish as the one I mentioned above, but with the rice molded into little balls. Either way, I see it as another excuse to eat more of my favorite Singaporean hawker food.