Top Steamboat Buffets In Singapore

Steamboat buffets are healthy, but only if eaten right.

Singaporeans love steamboat, despite being a Japanese or Chinese tradition. It seems like no one ever gets bored of eating them – from casual bonding sessions at a local restaurant to annual reunion dinners. Steamboat buffets are almost a staple.

What exactly is a Steamboat Buffet?

Steamboat buffet is a Chinese-style fondue that involves dipping raw ingredients consisting of raw meat, fish, and vegetables in a boiling soup base at a table. It’s sometimes referred to Chinese hot soup and exclusively christened as steamboat in Singapore and Malaysia.

How is it Cooked?

Singapore is a hot country. So, a steamboat isn’t something you’d expect to be so popular in such a place. But oh my! Don’t Singaporeans just love it.

First, the broth is brought to boil in a steamboat cooker and left to heat for the duration. The other ingredients are then added and served.

When is the Food Eaten?

Preferable, the dish should be eaten in winter, when it’s bone-chillingly cold, and everyone is craving for warming comfort food. But following its rising popularity, no one appears to have the patience to wait until it’s winter. Expect to see people indulging in the delicacy all year-round.

The Ingredients Used in Steamboat Buffets

Steamboat foods vary depending on the ingredients used. However, in most cases, these variations tend to include the following ingredients:

• Fish
• Meat
• Noodles
• Tofu
• Mushrooms
• Vegetables
• Egg

How Much Does a Singaporean Steamboat Buffet Cost?

The cheapest steamboat meal costs about S$10 and could go as high as $S50 depending on the restaurant, number of servings, and the type of steamboat ordered.

If your appetite isn’t that big, it can be a great idea to go for a steamboat meal instead of a buffet.

Why is Singaporean Steamboat Buffet Great?

Extended Meal Time: The most interesting part of eating steamboat buffet isn’t the variety of the ingredients used, but the extended mealtime. Cooking your meal at the table will leave you with plenty of time to pal up and get excited over the meal as it cooks. This often results in more satisfaction.

It Gives You Control: Organising and cooking your food at the table allows you to take full control over the amount of time you can dedicate to the whole process. It’s a fantastic choice if you’re in a large group. It’s not just a meal but a team-building activity. You can even delegate the cooking duties to different people.

Suffice it to say; if you’re visiting Singapore, then a steamboat buffet should be in your bucket list.

7 Things You Should Avoid When Eating a Steamboat Buffet in Singapore

As we said, a steamboat buffet is extremely healthy, but only if eaten right – part of which involves avoiding to make the following mistakes:

Dipping in too much Chilli Sauce and Soya

Just one tablespoon of chilli sauce or soya could increase your sodium intake by up to 1000mg and 500mg, respectively. So, you have to be very cautious when dipping any of these into your steamboat. Come to think about it: some of the ingredients are naturally salty. So, if the food tastes bland, the odds are high that it’s over-boiled.

Avoid Going for Meatballs and Processed Foods

Try to avoid meatballs and processed foods such as crabsticks, fishcakes, and sausages, and instead go for raw meat. Granted, the best meat for steamboats are the thinly sliced striploin, lean pork, fish fillets, and skinless chicken. Besides being very low on nutrients, processed foods tend to pack high amounts of nitrites.

Avoid Adding Prawn Heads

Prawn heads are juicy, and it’s true that they’ll impact the sweetness of your broth soup and make it better. However, they’re known for being high on cholesterol. For this, you might want to skip them and just add their body and tail, which contain iron and protein.

Avoid Slurping the Piping-hot Soup

It’s not just a matter of scalding your tongue. There are serious health implications associated with eating steaming hot food. In a 2010 report, high-temperature beverage consumption was found to be the primary course of oesophagus cancer.

Avoid Gobbling Everything

You’ll be tempted to gobble everything. But that’s not something we’d advise. Give your tummy enough time to send signals to the brain. The last thing you want is to continue eating when you’re full. It’s not uncommon to see someone eating three servings of the meals in a single sitting.

Avoid Drinking too Much Scum or Soup

Continuous boiling of soup isn’t as healthy as some people love to assume. If anything, the more your steamboat soup boils, the more nitrite it accumulates. You might want to scoop this scum and throw it away instead of drinking it.

Editors Note:

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