Nasi Lemak

Nasi Lemak actually started out in wrapped banana leaves but expanded to be served Ala-carte. In those good old days (they have been around for 50 years), Nasi Lemak was simply rice, eggs, fried fish and the sambal. Now, many insists that it is sacrilegious to have Luncheon Meat or even fried Chicken Wings with it! There are many aspects that make a good Nasi Lemak. Firstly, the sambal belachan chilli. Secondly, the rice has to fragrant with the scent and taste of pandan leaves and not be too oily. Thirdly, the ingredients have to be nice and able to complement the dish. Here are some stalls worth visiting!

Punggol Nasi Lemak

The quality of the rice is very good. They use Thai AAA Hom Mali (ie Jasmine) rice which has a good toothy bite and whose fragrance is accentuated by coconut and pandan. The sweet sambal tumis balances very well with the rice and is not overly spicy. You can see the consistency of the stall by looking at how they have done the eggs. Each one is individually fried and the yolk is runny with just the edges just browned.However, the chicken wings could be a little tastier. With the high turnover, they are very fresh, crisp and juicy but they can be spiced up a little with tumeric so that they are more like Nasi Lemak Chicken Wings rather than Chap Chye Png (economical rice stalls)Chicken Wings.

• 965 Upper Serangoon Road Singapore 534721
• Opening hours: 5.30pm to 3.30am, Closed Thursdays

Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak

The rice and chilli here is a powerful combination. The freshly cooked rice has the wonderful coconut fragrance coupled with the soft moist texture of fragrant Thai rice is almost perfect. One thing to note is that this is NOT traditional Nasi Lemak. The traditional version uses broken local rice which is dry and very light with little bite. You probably have had this at some Nasi Lemak stalls in Singapore. Cooking the Nasi Lemak with Jasmine rice is much better as it retains the moisture much better. The chicken wings are fresh but not particularly spectacular.

•  Blk 221B, Boon Lay Place #01-106 Boon Lay Place Food Centre
• Opening hours: 5pm to 2am daily

Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak

This is a MUST GO TO stall. Their Nasi Lemak ia made with Basmati Rice! The Basmati Rice gives it a lighter texture, better flavour and the grains are beautifully separated. It is better for Diabetics too since it has got a lower glycaemic index (it does not cause the sugar levels to raise as quickly as jasmine rice). The Sambal Tumis is equally shiok and you should not miss the Sambal Cuttlefish which they offer as an optional side dish.

• No 2 Adam Road Food Centre
• Opening hours: Monday to Sunday, 7am to 10pm

Chong Pang Nasi Lemak

The rice at Chong Pang is the more traditional starchy rice which is lighter and doesn't clump together as much as Jasmine Rice which Ponggol uses. The traditionalist would favour this style of Nasi Lemak rice. It isn't heavy on the coconut milk, so it is very light. The chilli here is brighter and more tangy than the Ponggol which is sweeter and heavier to the palate.

What Chong Pang does really well are the Chicken Wings and the fried Ikan Kuning. The wings are lightly battered and marinated so well that you are rewarded with a crunchy, juicy bite filled with that elusive "Chickeny" flavour you get from perfectly fried chicken. The Ikan Kuning is first lightly coated with batter and fried till the bones are edibly crunchy such that you can just about finish the whole fish.

• 447 Sembawang Road Singapore 758458
• Opening Hours: 5pm - 7am daily