Fermented foods play a vital, delicious role in Singapore’s multi-ethnic cuisine, adding rich umami flavours and health benefits. From tangy pastes to preserved vegetables, these ingredients enhance everything from spicy sambals to hearty soups.
Influenced by Malay, Chinese, Indian and Peranakan traditions, fermentation deepens taste while supporting digestion and gut health. Whether in daily meals or festive dishes, these time-honoured flavours remain a cornerstone of Singapore - and its neighbours - food culture.
Malay & Peranakan Cuisine
Belacan – Fermented shrimp paste, a key ingredient in sambal belacan and Peranakan dishes.
Chincalok / Cencaluk – Fermented krill/shrimp, often eaten with lime, chilli and shallots.
Tempeh – Fermented soybeans, often shallow fried or used in sambal goreng.
Tempoyak – Fermented durian (!). Perhaps more common in neighbouring Malaysia than in Singapore; we have not seen it here.
Chinese Cuisine
Doubanjiang – Fermented broad bean paste, sometimes used in Chinese-style sambal.
Doufuru / Furu 腐乳 (Fermented Bean Curd) – Used as a condiment or in stir-fries.
Kiam Chye (Salted Mustard Greens) – Used in Teochew and Hokkien soups like kiam chye ark (salted vegetable duck soup). Kiam chye can be made at home, see our fermenting recipe here.
Soy Sauce – Fermented soybeans and wheat, used widely in Chinese and global cuisine.
Taucheo (Fermented Soybean Paste) – A key ingredient in Nonya and Chinese cooking, often used in sauces and braised dishes.
Indian Cuisine
Achar – Pickled vegetables, sometimes fermented slightly before adding vinegar and spices.
Dosa & Idli – Made from fermented rice and lentil batter, commonly eaten for breakfast.
Mixed-Culture Items
Fish Sauce – Used in various Chinese, Thai, and Peranakan dishes in Singapore.
Kimchi – Though Korean, it's popular in Singaporean fusion dishes.
And last but not least, our morning kopi (coffee) (a fermented bean product) and a Tiger Beer!
Final Thoughts
We go through phases of fermenting at home, captivated by the bubbling jars, then overwhelmed with delicious items that we often gift to our friends and family! Don’t be afraid to ferment, it’s well worth it.
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Check out our other fermenting articles here.
You might enjoy these China fermentation videos by Sandor Katz aka Sandorkraut on YouTube.
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Studies and Resources
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Rizzo G. Soy-Based Tempeh as a Functional Food: Evidence for Human Health and Future Perspective. Front Biosci (Elite Ed). 2024 Jan 31;16(1):3. doi: 10.31083/j.fbe1601003. PMID: 38538520.
Song, E., Ang, L., Lee, H.W. et al. Effects of kimchi on human health: a scoping review of randomized controlled trials. J. Ethn. Food 10, 7 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s42779-023-00173-8
Hosam Elhalis, Julian Cox, Jian Zhao, Coffee fermentation: Expedition from traditional to controlled process and perspectives for industrialization, Applied Food Research, Volume 3, Issue 1, 2023, 100253, ISSN 2772-5022, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.afres.2022.100253.
Leeuwendaal NK, Stanton C, O'Toole PW, Beresford TP. Fermented Foods, Health and the Gut Microbiome. Nutrients. 2022 Apr 6;14(7):1527. doi: 10.3390/nu14071527. PMID: 35406140; PMCID: PMC9003261.
Leeuwendaal NK, Stanton C, O'Toole PW, Beresford TP. Fermented Foods, Health and the Gut Microbiome. Nutrients. 2022 Apr 6;14(7):1527. doi: 10.3390/nu14071527. PMID: 35406140; PMCID: PMC9003261.
Marco ML, Sanders ME, Gänzle M, Arrieta MC, Cotter PD, De Vuyst L, Hill C, Holzapfel W, Lebeer S, Merenstein D, Reid G, Wolfe BE, Hutkins R. The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on fermented foods. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2021 Mar;18(3):196-208. doi: 10.1038/s41575-020-00390-5. Epub 2021 Jan 4. PMID: 33398112; PMCID: PMC7925329.
Faujan, Nur Huda & Muryany, Ida & Hj Yaacob, Ilyanie. (2020). Comparative Proximate Composition of Malaysian Fermented Shrimp Products. Malaysian Applied Biology. 49. 139-144. 10.55230/mabjournal.v49i3.1557.
Anggadhania, L., Setiarto, R.H.B., Yusuf, D. et al. Exploring tempoyak, fermented durian paste, a traditional Indonesian indigenous fermented food: typical of Malay tribe. J. Ethn. Food 10, 42 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s42779-023-00206-2
Jinap S, Ilya-Nur AR, Tang SC, Hajeb P, Shahrim K, Khairunnisak M. Sensory attributes of dishes containing shrimp paste with different concentrations of glutamate and 5'-nucleotides. Appetite. 2010 Oct;55(2):238-44. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2010.06.007. Epub 2010 Jun 19. PMID: 20600418.
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