Singapore foods: chicken rice, laksa and chilli crab

Poached or roasted chicken served over rice cooked in chicken stock, pandan and ginger, with a fiery chilli-garlic sauce and dark soy on the side. Deceptively simple and endlessly debated, it is the dish Singaporeans will queue an hour for — the country's unofficial national plate.

Whole mud crab smothered in a sweet, savoury, lightly spicy tomato-and-egg gravy that begs to be mopped up with fluffy fried mantou buns. Messy, communal and gloriously over-the-top, it is Singapore's most famous seafood feast.

A rich bowl of rice noodles in a fragrant coconut-and-dried-shrimp curry broth, topped with cockles, prawns, fish cake and a scoop of sambal. In the Katong style the noodles are cut short so you eat the whole thing with a spoon.

Flat rice noodles stir-fried over ferocious wok heat with prawns, cockles, Chinese sausage, egg and bean sprouts, kissed with dark soy and a whisper of smoke. That 'wok hei' char is what separates a great plate from an ordinary one.

Yellow and rice noodles braised in a deeply savoury prawn-and-pork stock until they soak up every drop, finished with squid, prawns, pork belly and a squeeze of lime. A smoky, slurpable hawker classic best eaten with sambal.

Skewers of marinated chicken, beef or mutton grilled over charcoal and served with thick sweet peanut sauce, cucumber, onion and pressed rice cakes. The smell of satay smoke drifting through a night market is pure Singapore.

Meaty pork ribs simmered for hours in a peppery, garlicky broth that is clear, fragrant and restorative. Eaten with rice, dough fritters and cups of Chinese tea, it is Singapore's favourite comforting breakfast-or-supper.

A flaky pan-fried flatbread stretched paper-thin then folded and griddled until crisp outside and soft within, served with a bowl of curry for dipping. Order it plain, with egg, or loaded with cheese at any 24-hour prata shop.

Crisp toast spread with sweet coconut-and-egg kaya jam and a cold slab of butter, served with soft-boiled eggs and a cup of kopi. This is the Singaporean breakfast ritual, found in every old-school kopitiam.

Fragrant coconut rice served with crunchy ikan bilis, peanuts, a fried egg, cucumber and a punchy spoonful of sambal, often with fried chicken on the side. Wrapped in banana leaf or piled on a plate, it is morning comfort across the island.