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savoury coconut rice of Nasi Lemak and even the long knife, and then hand me my ice cream either
famous chilli crab have all been transformed into sandwiched between two crispy wafers or a slice of
ice cream, thanks to enterprising artisanal ice rainbow-coloured bread.
cream makers pushing the boundaries of flavours In the supermarkets, ice cream with local
for the Singaporean palate. flavours is usually marketed as Potong – the Malay
word for cut – those same rectangular chunks now
Back then: Pushcarts and Potong come with a stick in the middle for easy eating. As
a child of the 80s and 90s, I remember seeing sales-
Singaporeans are familiar with local ice cream men with their large styrofoam boxes canvassing
flavours like sweet corn, red bean and yam popula- the corridors of Singapore’s apartment blocks, of-
rised by roadside ice cream street hawkers that date fering boxes of mango, coconut and even the infa-
back to the 1970s. These mobile carts typically mous durian Potong right on your doorstep.
stock ice cream from big brands like Magnolia and But for your average Singaporean, ice cream
Walls that are also commonly found in supermar- in most places tends to be a choice between the
kets and provision shops. I always eagerly watch standard chocolate and vanilla, with the more ad-
the ice cream man fish out the block of my chosen venturous opting for strawberry, raspberry ripple
flavour from his cart, cut off a small chunk with his or mint chocolate chip if available.

The Inside

Scoop On

Singaporean Ice

Cream Flavors

Hainanese chicken rice is beloved by Singa-
poreans and there are many ways to consume this
dish: choose between roasted or steamed chick-
en, spice up the fragrant rice with a dash of
garlic-chilli or a swirl of dark soya sauce. But
never before have I faced these options for chick-
en rice: cone or cup?
Yes, in food-obsessed Singapore, chicken rice
now comes in the form of a cool refreshing scoop Photo / Butterknife Folk
of gelato, and it’s not the only Singaporean food
that has made the leap from plate to pint. Local
hawker favourites like spicy Laksa noodles, the

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