Singaporean Rice is the main course comprising seasoned rice, vegetable and chicken-based sweet and sour sauce, and boiled noodles. The dish is garnished with fried garlic and chilies making it very attractive and mouth-watering. The dish is often served on a platter and is very famous Pakistani fusion food.
Origin
Don’t be misled by “Singaporean” in the name. The dish never saw Singapore and has nothing to do with it. It was intentionally giving a fancy and misleading name to enthrall the wedding crowd with an exotic name. This dish originated in the hands of Bohra caterers somewhere in 2000 -2002. It was the time when the culture of providing a Menu beforehand in weddings had just begun and the exotic name was the need of the moment. I remember, in every other Bohra wedding that took place in winter of those years, Singaporean rice was served with tomato corn soup. And, it was always exciting and something different from biryani and yakhni pulao. (The other local rice alternatives.) However, this dish didn’t get into a local Karachi wedding scene until 2010 and has been pleasing everyone since then.
Taste
It is layered rice with
plain or vegetable fried ricesweet and sour chicken and vegetable gravy (similar to the Manchurian sauce), a Russian sauce (mayonnaise and ketchup-based) some noodles to decorate; and fried garlic and chilies to finish the dish. (The fried garlic and chilies were inspired Khao suey)
I know, the dish sounds like a medley of flavors with super juicy bite and that’s exactly what it is. A burst of flavors in every bite. One more confusion that I wish to clear is the noodles is the recipe are just decoration. The rice tastes great with the sauce and two many noodles are simply meddling with the texture and flavor. Although I have eaten this dish since my teens, I still had to try it three times before getting that caterer-like taste. I hope you enjoy this recipe, please don’t hesitate to share your opinion in comments.
How to make it?
Marinate chicken
Marinate chicken with ginger, garlic, green chilli, Kashmiri chilli, red chilli flakes, cornflour, lemon juice, and soy sauce. Let it rest for 30 minutes at least or preferably overnight in the fridge. Then cook chicken on medium heat for 20 minutes until chicken is tender. I used plain rice in this recipe to keep it simple. You may make vegetable fried rice, garlic rice too. What makes this chicken really yummy is the Russian sauce. Just mix ketchup, chili garlic sauce, mayonnaise and, milk in the bowl, and sauce is ready. You can make this sauce in advance a store in the fridge.
Crispy garlic: The trick to crispy garlic is slice garlic and do not chop it. (Yes, I have chopped in the photo, but you please don’t chop it, slice it.) Then fry garlic alone until golden. Keep the heat on medium. Remove to a kitchen towel. Fry Chillies: Now fry chillies separately in the same oil. Sautee Spaghetti: In same oil give boil spaghetti a few stirs till it gets slightly warm. Set aside.
Make Gravy
Hungry for Rice? Check these!
Chicken Manchurian and Rice Orange Chicken and Rice with TangBarbecue Chicken and Rice (Tikka flavor)Smoky Chicken and Rice with tomato basil saucePakistani Chicken Biryani
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📖 Recipe
