Singaporean Rice

I have no idea why this dish is titled as Singaporean rice, or what the origins of this dish are. I really doubt that this truly reflects cuisine from Singapore, however, all I know is that I remember having it at a wedding a couple of years back in Karachi and it was all the rage back then. From then onwards, there have been lots of variations of this recipe with different variations of cooking the rice, the chicken and the noodles. This latest version is a recipe from Shireen Anwer and remains my favorite version both in terms of taste as well as in the relative ease of making the dish. For people who have not had the dish, this might seem like a very strange combination, but trust me, it's actually very delicious. 

Singaporean Rice (Adapted from Shireen Anwar) 

I have added comments in purple where I have deviated from the original recipe

Ingredients for Rice Layer

Rice                                          1/2 kg

White and black cumin seeds     1/2 tsp each

Peas (lightly boil them)              1/2 cup

Star aniseed (Badiyan ka Phool)  2

Oil                                            1/4 cup

Comments: I prefer the rice without the peas and the Aniseed/badiyan kay phool because otherwise it tastes Desi and similar to matar pulao; however, this is upto personal preference; I think other vegetables can also be added and the rice can even be made Chinese style

Ingredients for Chicken Layer

Boneless chicken                      1/2 kg

Carrots                                     1

Capsicums                                2

Tomato and onion                     1 each

Cabbage (sliced)                       1 cup

Ginger (chopped)                      1 tbsp

Spaghetti (boiled)                      1 cup

Comments: 

My family loves noodles, so I use a minimum of 200 grams egg noodles at least; For a different flavor, the spaghetti can even be fried and then added on the rice at the last moment just like chopsuey which gives it more crunch

The original recipe includes vegetables in the quantity given above, however, I always like to add more vegetables; in this version of Singaporean Rice, I had leftover boiled broccoli which I forgot to add in the vegetable mixture so I used it as a garnish in the end

Salt                                          1 tsp

Crushed black pepper                1 tsp

Red chilies                                1 tsp

Soya sauce                               2 tbsp

Red chili sauce                          2 tbsp

Ketchup                                    4 tbsp

Corn flour                                 1 tbsp

Oil                                            1/4 cup

Ingredients for Sauce

Mayonnaise                              1/2 cup

Salt                                          pinch

Crushed red chilies                    1/2 tsp

Sugar                                       1 tsp

Vinegar                                     2 tbsp

Ketchup                                    4 tbsp

Ingredients for Garnish

Green chilies (sliced and fried)   8

Garlic (sliced and fried)         4 tbsp

Method: 

For Rice

Soak rice for 15 minutes.

Heat oil. Put cumin seed, Ani star, salt, peas and rice with 2 cups of water.

Cover with lid and cook till rice done.

For Sauce

Put all sauce ingredients in a bowl; mix well and keep aside.

For Chicken

Heat oil in a pot and lightly fry ginger in it. Add chicken pieces and stir fry. Add salt, red chilies, black pepper, ketchup, chili and soya sauces. Fry for a while and add all vegetables. Do not over-cook vegetables. Add 1 cup water and when it comes to a boil, add corn flour mixed in 2 tbsp of water. When it becomes thick, turn off the flame. Add noodles in the vegetables and mix them all up. Add sauce in the above  mixture and mix it all up.

Topping

In another frying pan fry garlic cloves till golden and then green chili slices. Crush the garlic cloves in your hand.

To Serve

Take big serving dish; First spread rice; then spread the layer of spaghetti with vegetables and sauce; then garnish with fried garlic and green chilies.  

However, I like to serve this in a Pyrex baking dish, because I always put it in the oven and bake it for 10-15 minutes so it becomes warm and the flavors have a chance to meld together.