Hari Raya Puasa, also known as Hari Raya Aidilfitri, is a festive occasion celebrated by Muslims around the world and it marks the end of a month of fasting. In case you think that Hari Raya Puasa is the Muslim new year, that is untrue! The fasting month, Ramadhan, is the 9th month in the Islamic calendar when Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual activities from dawn till dusk. It is considered a very auspicious month for the Muslims, as it is believed that the Prophet received the first verses of the Qur’an during this month. Muslims believe that fasting enables one to learn about self-control and empathy towards what the poor undergo on a daily basis. It is also an important religious duty in Islam.
In multi-cultural Singapore, Ramadan bazaars (temporary markets) pop up at different districts on the island during the entire month of Ramadan. These evening bazaars usually consist of multiple stalls selling food, desserts, traditional costumes, carpets, cars (!!!) and more - catering not just to our Muslim friends, but also all Singaporeans and visitors! Foodies rejoice during this period, as the foodfest bazaars offer traditional Malay dishes and cakes to innovative food of current trends. The biggest and the most well-known bazaar is the Geylang Serai bazaar, which is located in the eastern zone of Singapore. This bazaar also hosts charity shows and events featuring local celebrities as well as those from Malaysia and Indonesia.
Besides Geylang Serai, other bazaars are located at Tampines, Kampong Glam and Woodlandsl. Although the majority of food being sold are similar, there are just some you can’t find in the other bazaars. Ever tasted a rainbow pudding or watermelon volcano? What about a plate of aromatic simmering lamb racks? Read on for your ultimate food guide to eat your way through each of these Ramadan bazaars. Thank me later!
Bazaar @ Geylang Serai
Rainbow Dadih (Pudding Drink)
Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing
Dadih is basically a Malay pudding drink that is widely popular in Malaysia and Indonesia. It can also be treated as a pro-biotic drink and can even cure diarrhea! At Sahwon, for just 5 SGD (3.72 USD), get yourself a rainbow pudding drink or, the Rainbow Dadih. Taste wise? You can taste the obvious soya beancurd pudding followed by a strong aftertaste of caramel and pandan. This drink is the star of Sahwon Burgers and Wrap although, we must add that their Salmon burgers with salted egg yolk sauce is a must-try! The queues leading up to this stall are long, just like every other stall in Geylang bazaar but not to worry, they move fast!
SahWon's Rainbow Dadih
Price: 5SGD or 3.72USD
Snickers Milkshake
Yes, it does sound a little too sweet to be recommended by hey, life’s too short to worry about sugar intake….right? Just kidding, this drink really isn’t as sweet as it sounds! This Snickers Milkshake is made from a blend of the Snickers bar, milk and vanilla ice cream. It is then topped with little Snickers bits. The milk and vanilla overpowers the nutty Snickers taste, which won’t make the drink too sweet. At the same time, the taste of the milk and vanilla ice cream isn’t too rich to throw you off after 3 sips or so. Besides Snickers, other notable milkshakes from this stall include Nutella, Ovomaltine, Salted Caramel and Kinder Bueno. They are also very well-known for their Thai Milk Tea and Thai Green Tea.
Snickers Milkshake
Price: 5.50 SGD or 4.10 USD
Goreng Pisang Cheese / Banana Fritters with Grated Cheese Toppings
Goreng Pisang, or Deep Fried Banana Fritters, has been a favourite snack amongst the Malays and even the other races in Singapore. Usually available at most local hawker centres in Singapore, this well-loved snack can be found in neighbouring countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and even Brunei. If plain old banana fritters are too boring for you, check out the recent food innovation where cheese, chocolate and rainbow sprinkles can be added to enhance the flavors of this sweet snack. For approximately 4.50 SGD (~3.35 USD), get yourself a generous portion of Deep Fried Banana Fritters topped with grated mozzarella cheese and additional toppings of your choice. Most stalls offer additional toppings such as chocolate, strawberry and caramel sauce. Do note that this sweet treat is best eaten hot!
Goreng Pisang Cheese
Price: 4.50 SGD or 3.35 USD
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Watermelon Volcano
Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing
Search under the tag or #geylangbazaar on Instagram and I’d bet you’ll scroll through at least 10 pictures of this very famous (and photogenic) watermelon dessert. Probably the most well-known and crowd-drawing food in Geylang Serai Bazaar, the thirst-quenching Watermelon Volcano has seen endless queues that fill up the entire alley in the bazaar. There is no denying that one of the main reasons for the hype is due to the photos posted on social media! I mean, tell me you don’t want to have a taste of that in this tropical heat?!
The Watermelon Volcano is basically a slushie consisting of blended fresh watermelon, condensed milk, syrup and ice served in a watermelon husk. It is then topped with real watermelon balls, providing a refreshing and delicious treat after dealing with the crowd and heat at the bazaar.
Watermelon Volcano
Price: 6.90 SGD 5.14 USD
S'mores dip
While you are at the same stall selling Watermelon Volcano, check out another crowd favourite: the S'mores dip. Imagine warm, gooey sweetness as you dip a piece of biscuit in the melted marshmallows with your choice of toppings. Serving time takes less than 10 minutes, and consuming time even less!
S'mores dip
Price: 2.50 SGD or 1.86 USD
Churros
Churros have been widely popular in Singapore since 2014. Back then, there were less than 5 stalls selling churros in the bazaars. This year, there seems to be a churros stall in every corner that you turn! Also, compared to the previous years, most stalls have included a local twist to their churros. At Loco Loco, their churros come in 4 flavours: Original, Pandan, Red Velvet, Oreo; with the Pandan churros being their top sellers. For sauce wise, choose between Chocolate, Caramel, Gula Melaka and White Chocolate. Word has it that the salted egg yolk sauce is the latest addition! Loco Loco is one of the more well-known churros stalls in Geylang so do expect long queues!
Churros at Loco Loco
Price: 4.50 SGD or 3.35 USD
Giant Squid on a Stick
Forget bite-sized calamari bites, this is the real deal! Also one of the crowd favourites, this larger-than-palm sized giant squid is pressed on the hot grill until a crispy exterior is obtained. You can choose from two different sauces to compliment your squid such as BBQ sauce or spicy sauce, which is recommended. This simple and sweet snack is guaranteed to fill your stomach and is worth every penny and well, the long queues.
Squid on a Stick
Price: 4 SGD or 2.98 USD
Salted egg yolk fries
What happens when two of the most well-loved food in Singapore are combined in one? You can find the answer at Katoshka that serves a very generous portion of the Salted Egg Yolk Fries. The potatoes are freshly cut before they are fried, with the skin still intact. They also double-fry their fries, which results in a crispy almost cracker like effect but at the same time, still tender on the inside. They have four different sauces: salted yolk, special cheese, sour ranch and BBQ, with of course, salted egg yolk being the top pick. However, the special cheese sauce is a strong contender!
Salted Egg Yolk Fries
Price: 4.90 SGD or 3.65 USD
Rainbow Bagel
This is most probably the other frequent food you’ve been coming across on Instagram. The Rainbow bagel is basically just a bagel with rainbow colouring stuffed with cream cheese and served with marshmallow fillings, cookie crumble and maple syrup. So, forget about travelling to the states and just head to Geylang Serai bazaar instead. While this bagel isn’t too sweet to throw one off, sharing is caring and highly recommended since it’s really filling! Although it’s a little pricey, this main star of Geylang Serai bazaar, judging from its frequent mentions on social media, is still worth the try.
Rainbow Bagel
Price: 8 SGD or 5.96 USD
Dutch Pancakes
Personally, this is my top pick for Geylang Serai bazaar. You would expect this Dutch goodness to be less than satisfactory especially since it’d be made in a rush, considering the long queues at the bazaar. To my surprise, this super understated treat has the perfect crisp on the outside and offers the best form of fluffiness on the inside. It comes in flavours such as bananas, strawberries and chocolate although often times, these flavours sell out fast. The pancakes are then topped with your choice of toppings: Nutella, Hershey’s Chocolate and Whipped Cream. They are also sold at affordable prices! Definitely a must-try in Geylang Bazaar.
Dutch Pancakes
Price: 2.50 SGD or 1.86 USD
Bazaar @ Geylang
Opening Hours: Most stalls open for 24 hours, or until sold out
Access: Nearest MRT: Paya Lebar
Bazaar @ Tampines
Thai Pancake
This famous street food from Thailand has finally made its way to Singapore and has landed in the Tampines bazaar. Unlike the ones in Thailand, this stall doesn’t offer many flavour. What you can expect though is, a generous portion of the Thai Pancake filled with cut bananas and egg batter. It is then pressed on a grill until crispy and served with drizzled condensed milk. You can choose additional sauces, which include caramel, gula melaka (palm sugar) or Nutella. Verdict? It’s less crispy as compared to the ones in Thailand and it’ll be perfect if there are more flavour options! All in all, this dessert is not short of satisfying.
Thai Pancake
Price: 4.50 SGD or 3.35 USD
Donut Balls
Picture deep fried donut balls served with drizzled caramel, Nutella or gula melaka (palm sugar) sauce. That’s exactly what you’re in for! They’re very familiar to churros but well, in the shape of regular, round donuts! For 4.50 SGD (~3.35 USD), you’ll get this sweet treat topped with your choice of sauce. We must add that their salted caramel sauce is highly recommended. P.S. It’s better to give the donut balls some time to cool down before immediately savouring them unless you’re okay with the oily, melt-in-your-mouth texture!
Donut Balls
Price: 4.50 SGD or 3.35 USD
Rasta Dew (Soda Drink)
Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing
Nope, it’s not CGI and your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you, this drink is actually THAT huge. You’ll probably be drawn to this stall because of its very attractive booth design and upon ordering, you’ll care more about the size of the cup rather than its contents. This 24 oz (or more, we didn’t ask. But it looks bigger than a Starbucks Venti, which is 24 oz!) drink comes in a wide range of flavours that is generally a blend of different types of soda. Togok sells these drinks for just 5 SGD (~3.72 USD) and its top seller? The rasta dew!
Rasta Dew
Price: 5 SGD or 3.72 USD
Corn Dog
It’s needless to say that the limited availability of this western goodness in Singapore is usually disappointing, especially when it looks really good on TV. But good news, folks! Tampines bazaar has their own rendition of the western goodness. This corn dog comes in a massive size as well, longer than your palm, and has three choices of sweet topping: Chocolate, Gula Melaka and Cinnamon Maple. The perfect mix of salty and sweet is always good, right?
Corn Dog
Price: 4 SGD or 2.98 USD
Bazaar @ Tampines
Opening Hours: Most stalls open for 24 hours, or until sold out
Access: Nearest MRT: Tampines
Bazaar @ Woodlands
Biryani Dam
The thing that sets Woodlands bazaar apart from all the other Ramadan bazaars in Singapore is their abundance of Briyani stalls. Biryani Dam is a popular Indian dish that consists of biryani rice that is mixed with a curry dish of either mutton, chicken or fish. The Biryani dish, however, is the same dish but served with the rice and curry separated. Although there are multiple stalls selling this delicious filling food in Woodlands bazaar, the stalls tend to have long queues and almost always sell out really quickly! So be early!
Biryani Dam
Price: 6 SGD or 4.47 USD
Murtabak Cheese
Originally an Arab dish, Murtabak resembles a grilled pancake that consists of minced beef, mutton or chicken, onions and egg. In Woodlands, you can get this well-loved dish with a twist; the addition of Mozzarella Cheese. And yes, they are VERY generous with the mozzarella. At 11 SGD and additional 1 SGD for nacho cheese topping, it can be a little pricey. But the huge portion and excellent taste will make it all worth it! The portion is huge so sharing is recommended!
Murtabak Cheese
Price: 11 SGD or 8.19 USD
Bazaar @ Woodlands
Opening Hours: Most stalls open for 24 hours, or until sold out
Access: Nearest Mrt: Woodlands
Bazaar @ Kampong Glam (near Sultan Mosque)
Kuih Muih / Assorted Malay Cakes
For the bazaar @ Kampong Glam near the Sultan Mosque, you’ll find more traditional food options as compared to the other bazaars, which mostly consists of modernised goodies. For one, there is a whole stall selling every possible Malay sweet treat and snacks you can think of. Think Kuih Bakar (dense cake), Badak Berendam (glutinous dumplings in sweet coconut cream), Goreng Pisang (banana fritters), Kuih Lapis (steamed layer cakes) and more!
Feast your tastebuds with authentic Malay goodies in this very cultural street in Singapore. A must-try would be the Putri Salat, which is my personal favourite. It is a fragrant traditional cake, which has a Pandan custard top with a glutinous rice bottom. The mix of savoury and sweet always manages to hit the right note!
Kuih Muih
Price: from 1 SGD or 0.74 USD
Lamb Rack
Probably the most well known stall at Sultan Mosque Bazaar, T-Bob’s corner sells lamb racks, lamb ribs and beef ribs at 9 SDG (~6.70 USD) for every 100gram. The aroma of the simmering cooked meat would be enough to draw anyone from a stone throw away. The meats are grilled just enough to provide a crisp exterior and golden colour. This stall has seen heaps of people buying their meats in bulk, some close to 50 SGD worth of meat! They also have a restaurant located in Bedok where they serve a-la-carte on the weekdays and buffet on the weekends.
Lamb Rack
Price: from 9 SGD or 6.70 USD
Rojak Sotong (Squid in Malay style salad)
Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing
Sotong kangkung is a popular dish that derives from the salad dish, Rojak Sotong. Typically consisting of sotong (cuttlefish), kangkung (water spinach), cucumbers, bean curds, peanuts, chilli and sauce, this is one appetising and healthy food that you don’t want to miss. This stall also sells Laksa, the very famous Singaporean noodle dish as well as Rojak Bandung, which is a mix of food ranging from seafood to vegetables, served with peanut sauce. Besides, how about some tasty snacks such as the Goreng Udang (fried prawn fritter) with sweet chilli sauce?
Bazaar @ Sultan Mosque
Address: 715 North Bridge Rd, 198684
Opening hours: 2pm - 8pm (Daily)
Access: Nearest MRT: Bugis
Shower your taste buds with... food!
With just two weeks left of the Holy Ramadan, the crowds at the bazaars will only get even more crowded as people from all over Singapore are swarming the alleys to get a taste of what every stall has to offer. It’s recommended to wear light clothing, stay vigilant and keep your valuables close while navigating the crowd.
Besides food, there are many other shopping options that include carpets, furniture, traditional costumes, etc. The carpets are auctioned every single day so don’t miss out on that! Time to head on down to the bazaars now before it’s too late!
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