One of the major exports of Singapore is food. Singapore black pepper sauce is different from all the other black pepper sauces because of the addition of fermented yellow bean paste (taucheo) and curry leaves. This gives the sauce an extra layer that is unique to the region.
I love to have this Singapore black pepper sauce with battered cauliflower and spaghetti. The noodles take up the sauce nicely and are so smooth and slurp-worthy. You hardly notice that it’s vegan because, honestly, who misses the mess of eating crab carcasses?
Of course, being a Singaporean dish, there has to be some kind of spice somewhere, and this recipe not only shines with the toasted peppercorns but with the addition of chilli padi or bird’s eye chilli. The heat and spice paired with the sweet sauce and the crisp cauliflower is great.
Tips
- If you can’t get fermented yellow bean paste, you can use black bean paste.
- If you think the peppercorns are spicy enough, just leave out the bird’s eye chilli or replace them with a less spicy variety.
- Instead of cauliflower, you can make this with mushrooms, tofu, or seitan.
- Battering and deep-frying the cauliflower is not compulsory. I just find it improves the complexity of the dish.
There is a constant debate on whether black pepper crab or chilli crab is the most iconic Singaporean crab dish. If you want to check out the competition, try my vegan Singapore chilli crab recipe.
Ingredients
- Batter
- Seasoning
Instructions
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- Start cooking your spaghetti now in a large pot of salted boiling water.
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This dish is so so good and easy to make too! It has a real depth of flavor and a wonderful variety of textures. Highly recommend that you make this dish and share it with your loved ones. We will definitely be making this dish again and again!
Thank you so much for your lovely feedback, Sasha! This recipe is definitely on regular rotation in my household.