Singapore
Founded as a British trading colony in 1819, Singapore joined Malaysia in 1963, but withdrew two years later and became independent. It subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries, with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest) and with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe.

Singapore is slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC. The climate is tropical with two distinct monsoon seasons - Northeastern monsoon from December to March and Southwestern monsoon from June to September.

Recipes

Singapore Noodles - Side Dish

Ingredients
1/4 cup cooking oil
4-6 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp slivered ginger strips (optional)
2 qts water
1 tbsp cooking oil
2 tsp salt
4-6 vermicelli nests (rice vermicelli worked great)
2 cups cooked chicken or beef, cut-up
1/3 cup slivered green onions
2 tsp crushed red pepper (may be halved)
1/4 cup island sauce
3 Tbsp curry powder
2 tsp soy sauce

Directions
Heat first amount of cooking oil in wok or frying pan. Add garlic and ginger. Cook until tender.
Heat water, second amount of cooking oil and salt in a large uncovered saucepan until boiling. Add vermicelli. Make sure nests are covered with water. Turn off heat and let stand.
Add meat, green onion and red pepper to wok. Stir-fry until hot.
Add island sauce, curry powder and soy sauce. stir and toss well to mix thoroughly. Drain noodles. Add and toss. May be served now or cover and place in 250F oven to hold until ready.



Sago Pudding - Dessert

Ingredients
8 oz. of sago (half a packet)
6 oz. of sugar (variably)
6 oz. coconut milk
32 oz. of water
Pandan leaves (optional)
Fruits (optional, you could have bananas, honey melon, water melon, or canned peaches)

Directions
Boil the water in a pot
Put the sugar and pandan leaves into boiling water.
Add in the sago and stir periodically to make sure that the sago does not stick to the bottom of the pot. (The water should always be boiling)
After 30-40 minutes, the sago should be cooked (they turn transparent). Turn off the heat and stir in the coconut milk. Cool in fridge and serve with fruit.