Common ingredients for Singapore

These are common ingredients you may see on packaging and menus in Singapore. Local words are left unchanged so they stay readable in the original language; translate this page if you want supporting text and English names in your own language.

• 五花肉 (pork belly)

  Wu hua rou

• 亚参 (tamarind)

  Ya can

  Derived from the Malay 'Asam'

• 味精 (monosodium glutamate)

  Wei jing

  Commonly referred to as MSG

• 江鱼仔 (anchovy)

  Jiang yu zai

  Local term for dried anchovies used in Nasi Lemak

• 洋葱 (onion)

  Yang cong

• 炼乳 (condensed milk)

  Lian ru

  Often referred to as Sweetened Condensed Milk

• 牛油 (butter)

  Niu you

  Standard term for butter in Singapore

• 猪油 (lard)

  Zhu you

• 猪油渣 (pork lard)

  Zhu you zha

  Often refers to the crispy fried bits of pork lard

• 糖 (sugar)

  Tang

• 红葱头 (shallot)

  Hong cong tou

• 花生 (peanuts)

  Hua sheng

• 蒜 (garlic)

  Suan

• 虾 (shrimp)

  Xia

• 虾米 (dried shrimp)

  Xia mi

  Also known as dried prawns

• 虾膏 (shrimp paste)

  Xia gao / Belacan

  Often referred to as Belacan in Malay/local context

• 蚝油 (oyster sauce)

  Hao you

• 酱油 (soy sauce)

  Jiang you

  Also widely known as Soya Sauce

• 青葱 (scallion)

  Qing cong

• 鱼露 (fish sauce)

  Yu lu

• 鸡 (chicken)

  Ji

• 鸡汤 (chicken stock)

  Ji tang

• 鸡汤 (chicken broth)

  Ji tang

• 鸡油 (chicken fat)

  Ji you

• 鸡蛋 (egg)

  Ji dan